The Disappeared

The Disappeared by Kim Echlin

Wow, what a powerful story. Kim Echlin (Canadian author) wrote a love story about two people from different worlds, an age gap, culture clashes with distances in between and in time while the main character tries to find him. The story is written in a very poetic and magical, the story continues to draw me in with descriptions of people and places so visual that it's in my head as I read it. A lovely story this is a definite must read and an addition to your Canadian author collection!

Still Alice

Just finished this book, Still Alice, I have been on the waiting list for months! Sometimes I have to wait a long time when borrowing a book from the VPL. But it was worth the wait cos it's a really great story and I read it in FIVE days. It's a very interesting and well written story about a Harvard professor going through the nasty disease, Alzheimer's. You are getting the story through her eyes and seeing exactly how she feels and what she is doing. A very great book to pick up and read!

Mystic River

I just finished reading Mystic River by Dennis Lehane. I am now addicted to his novels cos I love his writing style and he's really a good story teller, throwing ideas into your head and you think you've got the story but really it's not what you think. I read Shutter Island cos the movie is coming out and I wanted to know the story before watching the movie. I am really excited about the movie now and I cannot wait to watch it. Now that I've ready Mystic River, I will go and rent the movie this weekend. He is an amazing and talented writer, must go to the library and borrow a few more of his novels.

Phnom Penh, True Confections & OWFS Fall 2009

Tonite, we (Jas, Charly & Rosa) headed over to Phnom Penh for dinner. Jas and I had originally planned on making dinner but decided it was a long (altho in reality it's a short week cos of the stat on Monday) work week and it's Friday night which means it's dinner out nite. Plus I was much too tired from the work week to cook dinner for 4 people and I was craving those chicken wings. Phnom Penh was super busy of course and we waited about 15 minutes for a table but it was well worth the wait cos those chicken wings are the best and as always, so delicious! After dinner, we decided to head over to True Confections on Broadway and Alma for dessert cos we didn't get a chance to talk about our trip to the Okanagan during dinner, it was much too loud in the restaurant. During dessert, we accomplished quite an itinerary for the trip in October, we are getting really excited about it! I cannot wait to head over to the Okanagan Wine Festival and do the wine tastings! We discussed and arranged our itinerary, well Rosa and I did while Jas and Charly chatted, both of them wanted to "wing" it but Rosa and I agreed, we need to set up a flexible itinerary for each day. Of course I can be quite an psycho organized freak and I had a draft itinerary set up in excel (thank you microsoft office templates!) with tabs and all. I received some great feedback from everyone and will finalize the itinerary next week. Also, a great excuse to get together again and enjoy some yummy food and wine :) We will also need to make decisions on which tours and events to book as it's getting close to the dates. Hopefully, we will get to do all that we want and booking 2 weeks in advance will not be cause any problems. So EXCITED.

Also, I finally finished Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane and ohmygosh, I am so excited about the movie now!! I can't wait for the release, it will def be a really interesting movie esp since the ending of this novel was NOT WHAT I EXPECTED. Dennis Lehane is an excellent novelist and I am def looking forward in picking up a few more of his novels!

My Sister's Keeper

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Wow, what an amazing story! It brought me to tears and I'm excited to see it on the big screen! Must read!!

From Publishers Weekly

The difficult choices a family must make when a child is diagnosed with a serious disease are explored with pathos and understanding in this 11th novel by Picoult (Second Glance, etc.). The author, who has taken on such controversial subjects as euthanasia (Mercy), teen suicide (The Pact) and sterilization laws (Second Glance), turns her gaze on genetic planning, the prospect of creating babies for health purposes and the ethical and moral fallout that results. Kate Fitzgerald has a rare form of leukemia. Her sister, Anna, was conceived to provide a donor match for procedures that become increasingly invasive. At 13, Anna hires a lawyer so that she can sue her parents for the right to make her own decisions about how her body is used when a kidney transplant is planned. Meanwhile, Jesse, the neglected oldest child of the family, is out setting fires, which his firefighter father, Brian, inevitably puts out. Picoult uses multiple viewpoints to reveal each character's intentions and observations, but she doesn't manage her transitions as gracefully as usual; a series of flashbacks are abrupt. Nor is Sara, the children's mother, as well developed and three-dimensional as previous Picoult protagonists. Her devotion to Kate is understandable, but her complete lack of sympathy for Anna's predicament until the trial does not ring true, nor can we buy that Sara would dust off her law degree and represent herself in such a complicated case. Nevertheless, Picoult ably explores a complex subject with bravado and clarity, and comes up with a heart-wrenching, unexpected plot twist at the book's conclusion.

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Kat Von D - High Voltage Tattoo

I just finished reading the book High Voltage Tattoo by Kat Von D. It's pretty much like an autobiography, she leads a pretty interesting life and it's cool to see how down to earth she is. Would love to get a tatt done by her :)

The Flavor Bible

The Flavor Bible

What an interesting book about food! This is def a keeper and a must have in every kitchen for every chef in the home.

White Oleander

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

What an interesting novel, I have seen the movie years earlier but a co-worker mentioned this novel and suggested I read it as she found the writing mesmerizing. I completely agree, Janet Fitch is a beautiful writer, all her words flow and almost seems like she's writing poetry. Truly an amazing writer and I'm def a fan. The novel is def more interesting than the movie, although I love Michelle Pfeiffer and her role in the film. A def must read.

Bringing Home The Birkin

Bringing Home The Birkin by Michael Tonello

Wow, what an interesting book!! The story of how one man (gay of course!) was in hot pursuit of the world's most coveted handbags! How HE manage to unlock the secret of getting one of these handbags without having to put yourself on a two year waiting list! Very fun and light! Loved it!

Bright Shiny Morning.

Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey

Book Description

One of the most celebrated and controversial authors in America delivers his first novel—a sweeping chronicle of contemporary Los Angeles that is bold, exhilarating, and utterly original.

Dozens of characters pass across the reader's sight lines—some never to be seen again—but James Frey lingers on a handful of LA's lost souls and captures the dramatic narrative of their lives: a bright, ambitious young Mexican-American woman who allows her future to be undone by a moment of searing humiliation; a supremely narcissistic action-movie star whose passion for the unattainable object of his affection nearly destroys him; a couple, both nineteen years old, who flee their suffocating hometown and struggle to survive on the fringes of the great city; and an aging Venice Beach alcoholic whose life is turned upside down when a meth-addled teenage girl shows up half-dead outside the restroom he calls home.

Throughout this strikingly powerful novel there is the relentless drumbeat of the millions of other stories that, taken as a whole, describe a city, a culture, and an age. A dazzling tour de force, Bright Shiny Morning illuminates the joys, horrors, and unexpected fortunes of life and death in Los Angeles.

Very interesting novel, I enjoy his writing style and even though some may find it a bit choppy or all over the place but def an interesting read. I love the bits and pieces of history and info about Los Angeles itself. I now know that I could never ever live in LA!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

What an incredible novel! I stayed up until 4am to finish it cos once I was close to the end, I could not put the book down. It's def a fave of mine and I can't wait to read his next novel released last month, The Girl Who Played with Fire.

Xmas Week

Wow! What a week! I think I might be officially sick of turkey! Mmm... no, that's not true, I can eat turkey all the time but I am feeling like a stuffed turkey! hahaha... It's been a crazy busy week with the offices closing on Wednesday at noon (Dec. 24), the snow falling nonstop (and shoveling), more xmas shopping and xmas dinners/parties!

Monday and Tuesday, I was trying to finish off all the stuff I needed to do before the end of the year, mostly filing cos I leave it and when I do have time, I need to do it all but I can never get it all done before getting interrupted which means I rather not start! Most people were out of the office and so I got most of the filing done plus some miscellaneous items that needed my attention but had been put a side. Since I was pretty much done all my work stuff, I decided to take Wednesday off instead of coming in for half the day! Last week, I rec'd some lovely presents from my co-workers and my managers, as always my manager's wife put together a beautiful xmas gift that always included Belgium chocolate and the best wine ever! Another manager I work with gave me another bottle of lovely red wine and my good friend (and co worker) gave me a $50 Louis Vuitton GC which is so thoughtful since she knows how much I love my LVs.

On Wednesday, I decided I needed to pick up a few items from Costco and even though it was snowing heavily, I decided to venture out anyways. Boy what a mistake that was! The weather had caused some major delays in our transit system esp. the skytrain and I ended up walking home from Costco! I had waited at Stadium station for half an hour and decided I was never gonna get on a train so I started walking. Most of the route wasn't too bad until I got to Terminal Avenue and the snow was knee deep, in some parts I had to walk on the busy road cos I did not want to walk in knee deep snow. It took me about 35 minutes to walk from Stadium to Commercial drive and I decided to take a break at Blenz and Shoppers, I was thinking about training it home from Commercial but I had overheard people saying the skytrain had completely stopped and there were crowds of people at all the bus stops. I thought about taking the Victoria bus up to 28th but it seems there was a huge line up at the bus stop as well! I ended up walking home from Commercial to home and it wouldn't have taken me so long (another 30 minutes) except that I was pretty tired and Commercial / Victoria is a bit of hill on the way up and my coat was getting really heavy cos it was really wet from the snow. On a positive note, all this walking must have burned off all the calories and fat that I gained from all the holiday parties and chocolates!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

On Thursday (Xmas Day), I met up with Rhoda, Jess, and G for dim sum at Fortune House at Metro and even though we had quite a bit of snow fall, we knew it wouldn't snow much more during the day and we didn't want to be at home the entire day. I hadn't been to FH in a long time and the last time I was there, I remembered it not being very good but it seems they are under new management and the restaurant had a make over. Food and decor was pretty good, I think I will suggest my mom look into this place for my gram's 90th birthday dinner. Since it was Xmas Day, most businesses were closed except Asian places! After dim sum, we decided to head over to Aberdeen Centre in Richmond cos we knew that place would be opened and gosh, was it ever busy when we got there!! We walked through the mall and I ended up picking a really cute Baby Phat top for only $27.50 reg $55.00!! I also picked up a "dan tat" egg custard tart key chain for Kay from a store called "Looks So Real" and it really does look like an egg custard tart that you can eat!! After walking around AC, Rhoda and Jess invited Kay and I over for Xmas dinner since our Xmas dinner wasn't until Boxing Day (mom and grams had other plans, church and dim sum). Jess went to pick up Kay while Rhoda and I dropped G off at home (his van was parked unintentionally in Metro's parking lot). G invited us both to his place after dinner for drinks and celebration. We had a lovely dinner at Rhoda's and the food was delicious! It is always nice to spend time with family and Kay and I both feel Rhoda, Jess and Auntie are family :) After dinner, we dropped Kay off at home and headed over to G's place to celebrate, drink and mingle with his friends. It was a really great way to end a fabulous day!

Boxing Day/Xmas Dinner - We had snow all day but that didn't stop us from having our Xmas dinner! But at one point, I didn't think my brother or Rhoda or my Aunt would make it to the dinner but we found out that the main roads were cleared and salted. My brother was going to park in the back alley and we had done some shoveling in trying to make a parking spot but it did no good and after 40 minutes of shoveling and getting his car out of the snow (he got stucked in the snow, three times!!), he decided to try to find parking on the main street. Rhoda was nice enough to pick up our Aunt on her way to our place and she found parking on Kingsway. Rhoda had no problem walking to our place but it seems that not everyone had shoveled their sidewalks and our aunt did not wear snow boots which caused her to KAPOOT into the snow (hehehe, no not funny!). It was nice to have everyone at our dinner and the food was awesome! My organic turkey was super tasty and of course, my mom did a great job roasting the turkey and making all the fixings. We had both done quite a bit of preparation during the day but ti was worth it. The meal was delicious! After dinner and dessert (mom had chocolate ice cream cake in the freezer), we opened our gifts and it was a great way to end the evening. By 10pm, most of us were worn out (well mom and I) and it was better that Rhoda and my brother get on the roads while it was still somewhat cleared as the snow did not stop falling! It was a great way to spent Xmas and I think next year, maybe Rhoda and I should consider doing one Xmas dinner with both of our families! Hehehe, we'll start a new tradition!

On another note.....

Finished "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini - An emotional and beautiful story of two very different women living on the same street and how their lives eventually intertwine with each other. Stories of survival, love and what it takes to be a woman living under their circumstances. A very well written story and as always Khaled does not disappoint. A MUST READ.

Watched "Burns After Reading" - A humorous story that poked fun at the US government. A def. must watch!

Night off!

Tonight for dinner, Kay attempted to make spaghetti and meatballs. There was a lot of work involved with making the meatballs, she had to manually chop the onion (yes we have a food processor but I wanted her to learn to finely chop onions!) into fine (very fine) pieces and then mix the onions, garlic, seasonings and bread crumbs together with her hands. After the mixture was completely mixed, she had to roll the meat into little balls and pan fry them on medium heat for about 15 minutes. I didn't watch over her this time (which I should have) and her meatballs didn't turn out cos she didn't realize that these do not have to be continuously stirred in the pan and they fell apart! Oh well, no meatballs so it became just spaghetti and meat sauce! Still pretty yummy though :) Wonder what she will come up with next week.....

On another note, I finished the book "marley & me" by John Grogan. Very sweet book and if you are a dog lover, you must READ THIS BOOK. Very well written!

Go Green, Live Rich

Just finished reading this book, Go Green, Live Rich (Canadian Edition) by David Bach with Hillary Rosner. I found it very easy to ready and there were many good ideas in going green in your every day life. Must read and own!

Must Own Books

Lately, I have been borrowing books and dvds from the Vancouver Public Library cos it's free. Also, I get to "test" (read and browse through) the book before I decide to make it a part of my book collection. I have to say, the following books I most def. recommend:

One Smart Cookie by Julie Van Rosendaal
(Her websites: Julie, Dinner with Julie)
*Just noting that Kay and I have tried many recipes in here and we cannot believe the low cal content and how good it can still taste! Been meaning to blog about them but we eat the baked goods way too fast before we can take photos and post them! Sorry HonHon!!

Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano

Although, I have not read the Gorgeously Green book (wait listed to borrow), I have read the reviews and it seems like this is another must have book. A green book targeted for women, wives and mothers, being green can still be gorgeous!

Another book I am wait listed for is the 100 mile diet which is very interesting and they have a website with some really great and helpful info and reasons about why it is important to eat local. Wish I could use more local products in our diet but I don't know how well I would do without coffee for 365 days! Check out their "Local Resources" tab, there's a link (Certified Organic Associations of BC) which provides local and organic farms in and around Vancouver, BC. Good to know!

Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More

My newest cookbook has arrived! Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More by Carole Walter. This book has so many tantalizing and mouth watering recipes and the one I am most excited about is the one on the cover! Those sticky buns look so delish! I am so looking forward to trying those...mmmmm....sticky buns......