Anthropologie-nspiration

I made a trip to Anthropologie with my camera to give you an idea of what I’ve been raving about. Every time I step into this place I feel like Alice in Wonderland. The ambience is so dreamy I concluded that this is where I will get inspiration for my baking, card-making and decorating. Not Starbucks nor Café Les Deux Magots but Anthropologie. After only about 8 snapshots, a salesperson (Cheshire cat) came up to me and said sheepishly, “I’m really sorry but we don’t allow pictures in here due to the visual stuff.” I smiled, slightly guilty, and tucked my camera into my handbag. Thank goodness I already got the kitchen/bedroom shots.

The next hour was spent taking mental notes on what was pretty and wasn’t. I couldn’t afford anything in the store this time and secretly wished I could make my own dresses. The cloth selection in this country, although expensive, can get really tempting. And if I pick a design from any one of the 1000 dresses in here, I could be a little Anthropologie princess myself. Too bad I just don’t have the patience.

My last resort? Bargain-shopping. Just cause you can’t buy stuff from Anthropologie, doesn’t mean you can’t find Anthropologie-like stuff elsewhere right? Guess where the dress I’m wearing is from? Picture above.

Eco-sphere: a complete miniature world $128

Pretty blue dress with a bright orange sash


Princess & the pea bed. I want!


The bf resting. Cushions on his lap

3 crooked frames


Candles & scents

Bed/bathroom section. Check out the comb display

My dream kitchen


I reign & I am queen

My first ever wish list

I love making lists. At work I prepare a “to-do list” (a trait I got from Viv) which I check diligently. Once work is over, I move on to my moleskine notebook where my shopping lists, birthday lists and errand lists reside. You know you really love lists when your first blog entry begins with a list. The only list I’ve never really been a fan of is the ever popular wish list. Just the thought of a wedding registry (wish list nonetheless) makes me cringe – how do you know what people can/cannot afford? Do you think your relationship with the purchaser is worth a set of cutlery or a simple retro toaster?

Maybe I think too much and the only way to avoid hating anything is to try it for myself. Since I’ve never been one to ask for things (my family can attest) I came up with a wish list noting the few “wishes” I’d like to achieve in the next few years. Realistically the list is in order of what I think is more likely to happen first.

Macarune.com launched
Mini Cuisinart food processor
Adina Reyter gold tiny circle necklace
All of Dorie Greenspan's books
Translated PH10
Camping with a giant tent
Manage an online bakery
David Yurman Classic Blue Topaz Bracelet
Cooking/craft class for kids
Vacation to Hawaii
MacBook Pro
Weekend in Seattle
White Red Sox cap Thanks Livie!
07' tan
Puppy (Chow chow or Wheaten terrier maybe?) My family's got Scarlett now, so I guess that counts
Illustrate and author a children’s book
White BMW X3/or grey X5 depending on where I’ll be living
A mere month in NYC
Job in London/Shanghai/Beijing
Original Dr. Seuss painting in my bathroom
Trip to Santorini
My own Travel/Food show
A year in South of France
Minimalist backpacking in Tibet
A small boat with a fridge
Cottage in England
To raise my kids in Africa
Unconditional love

This will most likely change in time. But for now, I think it's enough goals (wishes) for one life time don't you?

RunSFM

My friend Karie sent an email out today asking if anyone wanted to join her for the SF marathon. Interested, I looked up the different course options and thought to myself, “Hey I could probably do the ½ marathon. That’s not too bad. Worse comes to worse, I could switch to the 5k run. After all it’s less than $100 to join. PLUS I get a FREE t-shirt.”

Yes. It’s true. I’ll do anything for a t-shirt. If you must know, that’s how the guy who started Girl’s Gone Wild made his $$$. He offered t-shirts in exchange for pictures of drunken adolescent girls flashing (and doing umm other stuff). And they did. Of course I wouldn't go that far. But running a marathon! That's a major achievement right? The last time I ran a marathon I was 7. My memory of that day remains vivid(ly dreadful) come to think of it.

There was the faint sound of gunshot in the air. As I paced myself, I was shoved from behind, slipped, and fell face first on the freshly tarred road. Before I could get up, a bunch of heartless people (grown ups AND kids alike) trampled on my small 7-year-old head with their spanking new Nike shoes! It wasn’t a pretty scene. Maybe I should run this time if not just to get that memory out of my mind.

So I emailed the bf asking if he was interested, and his response to ½ marathons was:

to prepare you for 25km.. you need to run 5km comfortably 1st, then 10... then 15.. .then 20... then you go for 25. that's the only way to train... if not you develop serious cramps and problems during the marathon. that's when you see people who are ambulanced out of the marathon...

also... if you don't have proper running gear.. you develop nipple/armpit rash from wet clothing... shin splints from improper warmups... and toenails get raw and 'mushy'.... toe nails WILL get blackened for months, and toenails CAN fall off.

just so you know...

’Nuff said. No marathon for me. Thanks NS! All your fault!

Karie called the bf a "baby." I think they're both riots. Kisses to you 2 for making my day.

Buckeye Brunch

Last Sunday the bf and I joined some family friends for brunch near Sausalito. I say “family friends” but they’re really my best friend (BFF!) Olivia’s family. And since Liv is as close to family for us in the States, we termed her aunt and uncle family friends.

Driving past the scenic (misty) Golden Gate Bridge, I wondered how people muster up the willpower to keep warm and brave the bridge’s cycling route. It was practically 40 degrees out there! On a day like this (brunch aside) you’ll find me snuggled up on my couch with my PJ’s. No cycling in the cold for me thank you very much. Not like I can anyways. I learned how to cycle at 18, and can proudly say I do a mean straight ride (downhill).

When we arrived at the Buckeye Roadhouse 10 mins earlier than expected, I figured the best way to kill time was to fool around in the lobby. We discovered that the waiting area had seats with lids, and underneath those lids were menus. How conveniently inconvenient! We also read up the history of the place, picked some flowers in the garden and acted like snap-happy tourists around the preppy valet.

During brunch we were introduced to yet another yuppy couple named Ray and Hannah. When you’re a couple, you’re constantly meeting new couples. It’s an incredible phenomenon. I could never figure it out. Is it because single folks aren’t comfortable with couple folks and vice versa? Hence the conspicuous congregations? Anyway, Ray and Hannah looked so young I didn’t realize they’d been married for 7 years. When Hannah mentioned that they got married at 26, I did a double gasp. Was I truly the baby amongst the party? It’s surprising how a table of 6 with age disparities ranging from 3 to 30 plus years could have such a great time. We ate, drank, joked, laughed, and ate some more.

Halfway through my mimosa, I couldn’t help but envision myself in a couple of years. Will I be like Hannah? Married with a successful career and my very own home? How about in the next 20 years? Will I be like Aunt Liz then? Aunt Liz who has found the one man she loves and wants to spend the rest of her life with? The same Aunt Liz who knows what she likes and dislikes enough to avoid the latter? I really don’t know. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Colorgenics

At 7:28AM one morning, my friend Edwin suggested that I do a colorgenics test to see what I was thinking at that moment. Sleepily I did the test and was surprised to find that just by picking color cubes based on which one I “felt most in harmony with” (whatever that means) the site was able to somewhat accurately depict my thoughts/feelings/emotions. Creepy!

Considering how open I've been with you so far, I think I'm pretty comfortable sharing my results here. For your reading pleasure I've also added personal insights (in parentheses and green) as well as underlined the points I deemed interesting. I'm a classic nerd. If you want to try it out for yourself, click on this link, and the banner that says “TRY Now.” Do feel free to read this before you decide. I like to come off as impartial when it comes to advocating anything – not that I’m really advocating this.

Danielle Bumblebee’s colorgenics results:

You have a vivid imagination and this is good. Great inventors, explorers all had inventive, imaginative minds. Your friends and acquaintances may consider you over-imaginative and given to fantasy or day-dreaming (Edwin mentioned the other day how he was beginning to think that I “live in a world of my own” with my fantasies of raising a family in Africa. I guess I’m the only one who finds the idea of kids playing with gorillas charming huh?). So what? this is a part of your character and charm.

Always anxious to accept the role of the leader, as indeed you often work well with people (I can’t work without people right? Especially not in my industry) - but try to stay out of the limelight (to a certain extent). You'd like a life of ease (Yeah!) with no one to rock the boat and someone who understands you is so important in your life (The understanding part truly is important to me).

You lack confidence (Yeah yeah, laugh all you want) and that is a great pity because deep down you are indeed a warm caring person (We knew this all along didn’t we?). This lack of confidence is making you wary of being drawn into any open discussion or conflict and so you feel as if you should let matters lie and leave well alone. But there may be a pleasant surprise in store for you (Really?). You are beginning to grow and very soon - sooner than you believed possible - this warm loving new you will be available for all to see and to appreciate (Awesome).

Presently, you are experiencing stress (YES I am indeed) because of restriction on your independence (Maybe). You need and seek respect from other people and it is essential that they appreciate you for yourself and not for what they would like you to be. You have your own beliefs and convictions and you would like to be respected for them. You are anxious to avail yourself of every opportunity that may come your way but nevertheless, come what may, you have the need to control your own destiny without imposed limitations or restrictions.

You are anxious about all the limitations to which you are subjected to at this time. You feel that you are not valued for what or who you are (Not so true. Who’s not valuing me for who I am? Speak up now). You need OUT. So why procrastinate any longer - MOVE! (Where? I’m lost. Move where Colorgenics??! WTH are you talking about?)

Classic Pooh

I've always been fascinated by Pooh bear. Pooh with his short legs and positive ways. Pooh who makes everyone happy wherever he goes - mostly unintentionally but always because he has a heart of gold. On the whole, my friends would say my character’s akin to Eeyore if not Tigger. I don’t disagree with them, but it sure made me realize that the people closest to me are usually Pooh-like. It’s as if I need to be surrounded by positivism or I may just drive myself nuts. Having said all that, I couldn’t resist buying this card when I saw it in the drugstore today.

Such a simple thing to say but sooo thoughtful at the same time. Notice how it’s Classic Pooh on the cover? Classic Pooh is the way to go if you’re into traditional children’s illustrations such as Peter Rabbit. The original Pooh by A .A. Milne should look somewhat like this:

The newer Pooh bear however, having been taken over by corporate Disney, is plain tacky. No offense Walt. I've always been your biggest fan. Plus you did make Classic Pooh classic. Oh, I love my Pooh bear.

A somewhat Japanese Saturday

Sakura trees in Japantown

The bf and I woke up to an argument this morning. What a perfect jumpstart to the weekend. Way to go Chris! Haha… Truth is we were both at fault. And at the end of our “discussion” everything seemed to boil down to the simple fact that we aren’t… Update: he just read my post. Don’t think he approved. “Too personal” were his exact words. Sorry! It wasn’t too exciting of an argument anyways. So no loss on your part. Really.

By 1PM, we were famished and ready to eat a horse (before we bit each other’s heads off). I don’t mean this literally daddy. No offense to your favorite animal (the horse). We quickly made up, showered and headed to the nearest “craving place” we could think of. Yeah. That’s how we pick restaurants. Based on cravings.

“What do you feel like now?”
“Umm I don’t mind something Asian. Something comforting and hot. Soupy noodles maybe”
“How bout Pho?”
“Sounds good, but we’ll end up smelling like Pho all day long”
“You’re right. Shanghai Dumplings? That’s somewhat soupy. Or Ramen?”
“Ramen’s good. Ramen it is then”
“Cool”

Where can one get speedy Ramen in downtown SF to feed 2 hungry (angered) souls? Japantown of course. Once we filled our stomachs with steaming hot Ramen, potato croquettes and fried oysters, I was ready to forget everything that happened and begin the weekend. Next stop: Sophie’s crepe for dessert. Yum! My fav: strawberries and Nutella crepe with vanilla bean gelato. This time I picked cinnamon and butter crepe with hazelnut gelato. A more neutral flavor we can share because strawberries are too “fruity” for him.

We then headed to Kinokuniya where I flipped through More magazine to laugh at how little “fashion” has changed since I was 15. Gap is still a dream brand in Japan it seems. And they’re still showcasing the same designer bags in the exact same colors - all on a 2-page spread. Hmm. I wonder which white bag I want next. The white Dior pochette, white Chanel tote or the white LV speedy? Wait. LV has 3 different white speedies. Look! They even labeled it clearly in Japanese “Spot the difference!” Clearly I was amused. At the Kinokuniya stationary store, I found even more joy in purchasing miniature mechanical pencils shaped like pigs. They’re so kawaii I couldn’t resist. Just had to slip that word in here or it wouldn’t be the full (kawaii!) experience. Sorry. Couldn’t resist doing it again. I’ll be mailing these to my kid sisters soon. More so for the youngest one because she’s a piggie at heart. Pigs rule Bones!

After all that, I went all out at Nijiya supermarket and bought some lotus roots for soup and a single peach drink. Tell me I’m not turning into a mom. What about the snacks? The pickled fruits? Anything? Nothing? I can’t. I’m on medication.

Dinner time – Iluna Basque with Lilian’s little brother. Came home, watched TV and learnt a new fact from eepybird.com. Mentos and Diet coke explodes when mixed together. Don’t want those 2 in my stomach at the same time! Tired. Going to bed now. Not feeling too good after too much “comfort” food.

If only life were this easy

Look'ere. How cute

Bummer. No "shaker"

Iluna Basque

Piperade and stuffed calamari with squid ink over rice

My nose...

…works again.

At 3PM today I got a 6oz Southwestern salad from Specialty’s despite not feeling hungry at all. This ridiculous action stemmed from my (painful) discovery of the fact that an empty stomach will not always tell you that it’s empty. It merely acts out and creates war with the rest of your organs causing major heaving and/or intolerable cramps. So I brought the salad back to my kitchen at work, divided it into 3 portions, kept 2 portions in the fridge, and took a portion + the complimentary slice of foccacia with me to my desk. I promise you this gets interesting if you care for my wellbeing.

5 minutes into checking email, I looked down at the flimsy paper plate piled with hamster food and stale bread, thought “Oh what the heck I’ll start with the foccacia,” took a bite of the risen dough, sat back in astonishment and realized what just happened. I had successfully tasted stale bread! I can taste again! I took another bite to confirm, and it was true! If you’ve been reading my previous entries, you may have stumbled upon one mourning the loss of my dear sense of smell. As a result, I’ve been relying solely on my tongue to tell me if anything I put in my mouth was sweet, savory, sour or bitter. What my uncooperative nose failed to do was distinguish between chicken and duck. Yes. It was a sad 5 months. Occasionally I’d detect some form of smell, get excited and ultimately be disappointed again.

Now all thanks to the bitter ground Chinese meds, Mrs C the Chinese Dr responsible, my dear dear friend who introduced me to her and mommy dearest for forking out RM900 without blinking – my nose works again. I thank you all. It’s the happiest day of my life. And yes, I ate the whole thing crumbs and all.

Best way to celebrate? Root beer & Capital chicken wings!

Stop this train

As a 5-year-old, my favorite TV commercial was ToysRUs.’ You can only imagine how mesmerized I was each time the famous jingle I don’t wanna grow up came on. If you’re from KL (and my generation) you should know what I’m talking about. It went like this:

I don't want to grow up, I'm a Toys' R Us kid
There's a million toys at Toys 'R Us that I can play with!
From bikes, to trains, to video games,
It's the biggest toy store there is! Gee whiz!
I don't want to grow, cuz baby if I did,
I wouldn't be a Toys 'R Us kid!

As I got older, I listened to Peter Pan’s I won’t grow up and that song (too) stuck with me for the longest time. I sang it in primary school, high school, and all the way to college.

I won't grow up
I don't want to wear a tie
With a serious expression
in the middle of July
If growing up
seems to be
beneath my dignity to climb a tree
I won't grow up
Never grow up
Never grow uuuuuup
Not me!

Humming these different songs depicting the same fear of ultimately growing up, I often wondered if there was something wrong with me. But it never mattered too much. Now at twenty-something, I know which song best illustrates (exactly) how I feel about growing up.

John Mayer’s Stop this train.

No, I'm not colorblind
I know the world is black and white
Try to keep an open mind
But I just can't sleep on this tonight

Stop this train
I wanna get off
And go home again
I can't take the speed it's moving in
I know I can't
But honestly, won't someone stop this train?

Don't know how else to say it
I don't want to see my parents go
One generation's length away
From fighting life out on my own

Stop this train
I wanna get off
And go home again
I can't take the speed it's moving in
I know I can't
But honestly, won't someone stop this train?

So scared of getting older
I'm only good at being young
So I play the numbers game
To find a way to say that life has just begun

Had a talk with my old man
Said "help me understand"
He said "turn sixty-eight
You renegotiate"

"Don't stop this train
Don't for a minute change the place you're in
And don't think I couldn't ever understand
I tried my hand
John, honestly we'll never stop this train"

Once in awhile, when it's good
It'll feel like it should
And they're all still around
And you're still safe and sound
And you don't miss a thing
Till you cry when you're driving away in the dark
Singing

Stop this train
I wanna get off
And go home again
I can't take the speed it's moving in
I know I can't
Cause now I see I will never stop this train

Continued list of items I've graduated from

9. buying cookies to baking my own
10. holidays with the parents to no holidays at all =(
11. taking the Greyhound to flying Southwest
12. Safeway to Costco
13. believing in secret Valentines to believing in true love
14. nasal sprays to Chinese herbal meds
15. Tiffany’s to David Yurman
16. listening in on client presos to giving client presos
17. Hitz FM to “Danielle’s iPod Playlist”
18. icky microwave dinners to yummy homecooked pasta
19. my beloved baby blue Roxy backpack to my black Gucci hobo
20. ...

Broken promises

When someone promises to do something as simple as give you a call and doesn’t, how would you feel? Do you get sad? Or do you get mad? I’m thinking both emotions are inevitable.

First you’re bound to be a sad jack when the asshole/b**** breaks a promise. But after a while you may wonder, “Why am I even waiting?” Following a lot of potential (sad) crying and (sad) unnecessary thoughts you realize (now mad) “WTF? Why am I feeling this way? I’m not the arrogant person who disregarded my feelings. Why should I let someone other than myself make me feel this way?” F*** this s*** (mad).

If you can relate, let me reassure you that you’re not alone. I’ve been through this enough times in my life (and I haven’t lived that long) to a point where I feel like I should talk about it. The lesson I learnt? Nothing! My biggest problem? I’m still a sucker for the “ideal” world. A world where people keep promises – eventually. A world where people actually care. A world where your feelings are not disregarded or discarded like trash.

So how do I cope when my ideal world shatters before me? In the past, I’d cry and cry and cry. Today, I came to a conclusion that we just have to stop waiting for others to keep up to your expectations. They just won’t. And it’s NOT worth it! When your employees fail to perform, you fire them. When your students fail to perform, you suspend them. When your friends fail to keep their promises, I’m sure you’ll give them shit. When your potential date fails to keep a promise – you know the asshole/b****’s either playing games (which means it’s gonna happen again throughout your relationship together) OR just too busy to even think about you. So suck it up my friend and forget the ideal world. If you don’t expect, you don’t get disappointed. That’s my theory.

Strawberry bruschetta

Guess what I made today? Strawberry bruschetta!

For Christmas last year, the bf got me a ton of kitchen goodies from William-Sonoma (and a lovely dress, which I have yet to wear). The former gives me a lot of pleasure. To give you an idea: I’ve been buying canned goods just so I could open them with the world’s niftiest can-opener and squeezing lemons with my handy lemon-squeezer despite not being able to eat any. So far the one (best) tool I have yet to christen is: the blowtorch.

Ladies and gentlemen, today I’m going to show you how to make strawberry bruschetta. What is it you ask? A simple variation from the classic Italian bruschetta that’s usually made with tomatoes and parsley, the strawberry version is my idea of the perfect dish for breakfast, dessert, tea time, and any other time - really. I adapted the recipe from Giada Dilaurentiis on Everyday Italian. To be honest, you can pretty much skip the blowtorch and turn your oven to “broil.” I however, just love the idea of using a supercharged lighter that caramelizes pretty dishes.

Ingredients from top: Fresh strawberries, sugar, butter and crusty bread

First you slice the bread to about ½” thick

Then you place them on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 400 degrees F oven for about 5-10 mins

Remove toasts from the oven and spread generously with butter


Layer on the strawberries

And eat some if you must

Sugar on top


Quick. Before the sugar melts

And fire

Voila! The end product


Last look before I stuff my mouth

The bf judged & approved

Great success! -Borat-

A day in the SJ sun

Since we missed most of the St. Patrick’s Day fun yesterday (people were getting trashed drunk on the streets while we stayed home and watched The Godfather!), the bf promised me a productive Sunday in San Jose. I’d write the events of the day in narrative but I figured it’s more fun captioning pictures.

Introducing the world's dorkiest golfer practicing swings at Burlingame range.
There's a video of my swing. Not sharing that!

Lunch at Cupertino Village.


The usual order: lu rou fan (braised meat rice) and Chinese tea.


Post-lunch shopping at Santana Row – a Japanese store stocked with really pretty paper…

…and creepy little dolls

As the sky got darker…

I got myself a strawberry cheesecake for the ride home.

Don't bother me, I'm eating…

Results of the usual C&D weekend.

My stash of stripes, stripes and more stripes!

That wasn’t too terrible right? My captioning that is.

I didn’t add that at the range I sucked, threw my club on the ground and eventually gave up. I also got to drive the bf’s new A3 for the first time. Despite being stuffed with lunch, we stopped at 99 Ranch for chocolate biscuits, aloe vera juice, lychee Fruitips and one jicama. And most interestingly there was a white Tod’s bag half off ($1200 down to $600!). I was tempted. But considering my most recent indulgences, I decided to pass. This proves that I have at least some willpower left in me. Phew.