ian b-ian

along with being busy comes distractions and getting sidetracked by things that are all too entertaining. some of my current vices include playing bejeweled on facebook, tweaking pictures on www.picnik.com or uploading pictures to poladroid to create pictures with an old school effect. kendra and i discovered this awhile ago while surfing a blog...i was scared to 'go there' because i knew i would get hooked...and suffice it to say, now i am! here's a layout featuring my nephew Ian. he's outgoing, cute, full of energy, and just smart! I might be his aunt (or as they call me 'princess yeeyee'....where do kids get these things?) but i'm not biased!

*click for a larger image!

Family Day

Camera is still incapacitated so I've been either using my camera phone (which isn't so bad) or stealing other people's pictures.

Saturday was Family Day in Calabasas. Went to Joyce's house for some good grubbin. In true Wong fashion, we had as many sweets as we had main courses. Edwin & Jeannie brought Beard Papas, Joyce made a fantastic berry trifle, and I made cookie-wiches with 4 types of filling. Oh, and I brought a donut. kekekeke

The kids are also growing up fast! Here's a sweet shot of Ian playing with Brayden:


Reya has moved on from pigtails to a ponytail and is fully mobile. She's a total foodie!

Here are the Liu's:


Brayden and me...*sigh:

B was really mesmerized by this cup...so much so that Joyce gave him one to go. It was so cute!


Brayden had a great time connecting with Ian. He spent some time 'talking' and laughing with Ian! And the end of the night, Ian even whispered in Brayden's ear that he loves him. Haha. Too awesome.

And we all left with food coma - the only way to leave Calapalace! :)

F.A.D.

We recently had a Fleuretica Appreciation Dinner for our staff. We went to C&Os in Marina Del Rey. It used to be my favorite place to frequent in college for the following reasons:

*rolls smothered in deliciousness

*my favorite pasta dish with spinach and nutmeg

*short ribs with veggies and mashed potatoes

*calamari and marinara

I should stop posting entries at night, especially when I talk about food! Getting so hungry right now :( But WAIT! THERE'S MORE:

*carrot cake

*chocolate souffle cake with mango

*i forgot...but it was good!

And here are the wonderful people that make it possible:

*david, josh, and wellman

*melissa & vicky

*david and his gf junny

*grace and her bf alex

*the ackermans: cam, art, and kendra

It was a great night with wine, food, noise, and laughter.

Look how cute Camden is!

*vicky with her bf elvis...lol no comment on the pic

*josh and his aspiration

*my little sisters, melissa and vicky

Thanks to all for making C&Os memorable for another reason! :)

zzzzz.....

my camera broke. i did not break it. some little creatures in my purse decided to smash my screen, thereby producing a lovely leaf like pattern on the corner. i thought it was cool until josh told me it was broken. well, if it shattered, it sure shattered prettily.

hence, there will be a lull in euri-dom for awhile, until i get a new camera. which should be really soon! but no worries anyone...i'm still grubbin' to my heart's content.

i've also been too distracted to post recent pictures sitting in my camera.
i need to do my taxes!

i have to do my laundry!

i have to stop eating this box of life cereal sitting on my desk.

i have to work out!

bbs: more pix. more fit. more better.

incriminating evidence?

Some pictures of me recently "surfaced" and I realized something after seeing them...





People really have to stop taking pictures of me from that angle.

a real day off

I gave myself a day off today...one of many perks of owning my own business. However, there are many time consuming, worrisome downside effects as well. But this is what I signed up for, what I focus on, what I've sacrificed for, and I don't have many regrets. David has been so understanding but I've also neglected him in the process. Hence, the day off to spend with David!

We started the day heading down to Long Beach on an excursion. I did some research and decided to check out Jongewaard's Bake & Broil because it sounded interesting AND it got 4 stars. Upon walking in, David knew why I picked this place (it WAS a bit selfish of me but it was OUR day...right?).

*sitting behind the register/hostess stand/take out counter (it's a small place) were cakes, pies, and cute earthenware

*underneath the hand written daily specials menu was another cake - a coconut pineapple frosted layer cake. And it was REAL

*to the right of the register was another shelf of cakes, pies, cupcakes, cookies, etc.

When the hostess called my name to be seated, she said "You-rye, your table is ready". -____- David says I need to change my name. I said he needs to change his name because I only put my name down for the purpose that "David" is too common a name. Ah well, I gotta add that to the list of mispronunciations!

I thought this sign was funny:

*i am sooo making one for the office

We were seated next to ANOTHER cupboard of baked goods. I'm currently designing my future kitchen to look like this!

Don't worry, they serve "real food" here. I got the burger special:

*why can't all burger specials be like this?

*i'd have to say this was one of the best burgers i've had in awhile - grilled onions & jack cheese makes everything better!

*David ordered their country gravy biscuits, sausage, with seasoned hashbrowns. That was delicious!

I'm sure you think you know what I picked as my side option, but I didn't want to be predictable. So I got a brownie pie:

*it is what it is - brownie baked in a pie shell. the brownie was soft baked, moist and rich. Delicious with a cup of coffee

Believe me, it was a very hard choice! I had to choose between pies, cream cheese pies, cakes (7 kinds), and bread puddings.

Afterwards, we walked across the street to the Dana Branch Library (where I explained to David what a "book" was and that it was a place where people READ and that it was not called a librarium). All the Long Beach Public Libraries offer a 50% coupon off admission to the LB Aquarium, good for a group of 4 people. Just go in and ask!

David and I had fun at the aquarium...mingling with the school kids and exhausted parents & teachers. haha. I'll post more on that tomorrow! But here's a cute shot:

*an anemone ("uh-nem-uh-nee") or as some parent was explaining to her child "annie-mony"

Stay tuned for more fun!

Pa Pa ZAO!

Last night we checked out this place called Pa Pa Walk, discreetly located in the San Gabriel Hilton Commercial Plaza. It's hidden behind an elevator...but trust me, it's there.


And what can you find there?

Specimen 1:

*toast...brick toast to be exact

But not just any brick toast...it was filled with corn chowder:

*now you see it

*now you don't!

I'm doing the non carb thing at night still. Not like corn chowder is the best for me, but at least I didn't tack on the extra bread. I snuck a piece though, and it had a sweetness to it, like a chinese donut. Like a fried mon tao (the steam white bread) to be exact!

Specimen 2: the cold cut platter

*a plate of seaweed, tea eggs, tofu, and some animal's ear (quit cringing)

Specimen 3: Beef stew with spinach noodles

*beef was a bit tough, but the noodles & broth were really good. Steeeeamy!

Specimen 4: Mango Shaved Ice

*layers upon layers of soft ice, mango syrup, sweetend condensed milk, chunks of mango, topped with a scoop of mango ice cream. Look how excited josh and ell are!

We have a few theories on the meaning of Pa Pa Walk:
1. Dad walks
2. Pa Pa kind of sounds like "jog" in cantonese, Jog, Walk...you get the picture
3. There is no meaning. The title belongs on www.mymomisafob.com
4. PopoZAO! I told Josh that was the name of the restaurant and made him yelp it. He was confused. That was great fun. But actually, if you say "leave" in Chinese, it does sound like "Zao" so in essence it could be pa pa walk.

Anyway, give it a try! I'm going back on Saturday with my family. I considered this a test run. ;)