Happy (early) Birthday Rhoda!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RHODA!!

We celebrated Rhoda's birthday with dinner at Nu Restaurant under the Granville Street bridge with a group of friends but our party was so large that we had our own room to dine in, this room is meant for small events and such, bonus is that it's complimentary. This turned out to be really nice and it was so awesome to see and catch up with everyone even though it was such a large group, I did find it a bit hard to mingle with everyone. The menu was simple and it was cool to see a number of 100 mile entrees. The food wasn't too bad but I def think brunch at Nu is much better than dinner. The service was not too bad altho by the end of the nite, we had some issues with our bills and it took them forever to get them organized and straightened out. Right before the end of the dinner, our friend, Tim picked up a 3 D Hello Kitty birthday cake for her and it was the coolest birthday cake ever but it was super sweet and the cake inside was just so so. After dinner, some of us headed into the downtown core.....

...to a new club called Barcelona (previous known as Crush) night club. It was a bit difficult to find parking but Rhoda and I found a small and shady lot not too far (walking distance) from the club. The front entrance of the club was crazy packed and even tho we were on the guest list, we'd still have to wait in the VIP line up! OMG, I am too old to wait in line to get into a club!! Some of the girls "greased" the bouncers to get in first but I would never ever grease to get into a club! Luckily, Fel managed to track down a friend of hers and he managed to get 7 girls in but the guys had to wait and it was suppose to be only about a 15 or 20 minute wait time but they ended up waiting for almost an hour!! They were not pleased and left even tho they were the next ones to get in but it was a super freezing nite so I don't blame them for leaving :( Once inside the club, we manage to get free cover and it was time to party. Since I was in charge of the birthday girl, i did not drink one ounce of alcohol and kept a close eye on her, many people were buying her birthday shots, I even had a guy from Calgary buy her a birthday shot altho I manage to give it to one of the other girls cos by that time, Rhoda was too wasted to be drinking any more alcohol!! There was a guy who seemed to like Rhoda cos he was very protective over her :) It was a fun nite and I don't club very often which I know why cos girls don't know how to hold onto their glasses nor do these drunk asses have any manners!! The floors were disgustingly sticky and lots of broken glass all over the floor plus people kept spilling their drinks all over the place or people were just shovers!! Besides all that, it wasn't too bad of a nite and all that was important was Rhoda had a great time! She looked like she had an awesome time and everyone came out for her tonite and she totally deserved it! Every year, she looks younger - amazing!! I got her home at the end of the nite safely and almost into her bed :) Happy birthday and love you tons!!

Holt Renfrew & Burberry

Today I met up with Rhoda at lunch cos we went over to check out the new flagship store for Aritzia at Pacific Centre and gosh is it ever huge plus I love the modern decor, it's more suitable for the downtown crowd. It's nice that there is also a lot more store space which means there will be a lot more stock (hopefully!) and hoping the clothing will be more business casual or dressy and not so bummy. We just wanted to wander through to see the new store but since there was no promotion with the grand opening, we didn't purchase anything. After Aritzia, we headed over to Browns Shoes to check out the winter sale and I have been pretty good at avoiding all the winter shoe sales. It also helps that there isn't anything that has caught my eye and I recently picked up a pair of beautiful shoes by SW at Saks Fifth Avenue so I am all good :) We quickly strolled through Browns and Rhoda didn't find or see anything she liked so we headed over to Holt Renfrew to use her 25% discount card. I would finally be able to pick up my Burberry scarf and at a 25% discount!! Only with the HR American Express card though and it was for this weekend only, it's 25% off on all winter and fall items which means my Burberry scarf was included and at a really good price, less than $200!! It is so soft and pretty plus it matches my Burberry rain boots! This was the last one in the store, still quite a few trench small checkered skinny scarves and small check camel skinny scarves but that one did not match my rain boots. So thankful that Rhoda is such a great friend to me cos she let me charge it and pay for it next month (Xmas is here and budget is tight) plus I would have ended up going to the Burberry store to purchase this and it would have cost over $300 to match my boots! I would have picked up the larger scarf but I am good with this one, it will do the job and keep away the winter chills :) Thanks Rhoda, Love You Babe!

Breakfast at Pan Pacific

Taken with my BlackBerry that's why it's a bit fuzzy :)

This morning I met up with Rhoda and we headed over to the Pan Pacific Christmas Wish for the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau. This happens annually in December for the toy drive, you arrive with an unwrapped toy and PP serves you a wonderful hot breakfast. The breakfast buffet at the Pan Pacific is one of the best in the city and for as little as a $20 toy, you can have a lovely platter of freshly baked croissants, breakfast potatoes (ohmygosh, these were soooo good, it came with shredded sweet peppers to add colour and flavour!), grilled juicy thick sausages, and fluffy scrambled eggs served with orange juice and coffee!! Plus there was quite a number of entertainments happening all over the floor, lots of hunky firefighters, Santa Claus and more! Also Jack FM was broadcasting live at the event and I saw quite a few local celebrities (from the evening news). Christmas Spirit is all around! What a great way to start off the day!!

From their website:

Pan Pacific Christmas Wish Breakfast

Join thousands of friends for a complimentary hot breakfast. Bring a new, unwrapped toy for a child/ teenager and enjoy entertainment and the spirit of Christmas as Global TV and 96.9 Jack FM broadcast live from the lobby.December 9,2009. 6:00am – 9:00am

Dinner with Brother & GF

Tonite, Kay and I met with my brother and his not so new girlfriend, we haven't officially been introduced to her yet but I had recently found out that the two of us have a lot in common. Recently, I have been sending goodies (i.e. local organic veggies, muffins and sorts) with my brother when he goes to see her so she can enjoy some of the organic items that I like to eat. She wanted to send something back to me and as a gift so she baked an organic cake for us! My brother was originally suppose to bring it to me but he suggested that she should give it to me in persona and we could all go for dinner too. I was so surprised and couldn't believe all the effort she put into this cake, it's the cutest and sweetest cake I have ever received! It is so impressive and she really put a lot of work into this cake to make it represent Hello Kitty! Wow, how impressive! The cake was made of organic chocolate and the Hello Kitty face in white frosting, she decorated her face with bits of candy and pocky. It is so cute and I don't want to cut into her!!! Altho, I can't wait to try it cos it smells so delicious and it looks so tasty. My brother said they'd be dropping by around 7pm but I know him and I know him well, 7pm is more like 8pm which the time he ended up coming by. I guess this means he's on time cos that was the predicted time he'd arrive! After some thoughts and not quite knowing where to go, we decided on Joey's at Broadway cos the menu had a selection of everything. She doesn't eat meat except for eggs and fish, occasionally chicken or turkey so we didn't want to go somewhere where there were no vegetarian options. Once we sat down, we started talking and getting to know her. After about 20 minutes, I realized we def have a lot in common esp on the way we view foods and we have similar career paths. I really really like her and I hadn't liked one of my brother's g/f's since Kitty (his first long term girl). TT is very mature 20 something year old, you def would not have guessed she was in her early 20's cos she is so mature. I was a bit shocked when my brother told me his girlfriend was in her early 20's but I can see she is much more mature than he is! She is smart, witty, charming, polite and a well rounded person (also she is gorgeous!) and my brother really lucked out meeting her. I hope they stay together for a long time and even if they don't, I'm going to stay friends with her but it would make us all very happy if they did stay together forever! Hehehe... can't wait to try her cake....

Company Christmas Party

After work, our company Xmas party was being held at the Hotel Vancouver aka The Fairmount Vancouver in a beautiful decadent room on the second level. The company party is very low key and it's an after work function for the employees only, no spouses, usually the party is scheduled for about 3 hours with a huge raffle and prizes at the end but I didn't stay very long this time. There is no formal sit down dinner, more like a selection of hot appetizers, sushi, smoked and glazed salmon, choice of turkey or lamb, and a dessert buffet. There is an open bar but you do get your one free drink from the company - the bonus of the year. I ended up dumping my bonus down the drain as I received the wrong glass of red wine (a glass of Jackson Triggs Merlot instead of the Pinot Noir). I made sure I went at least 3 rounds at the appetizer tables, skipped the meat table but one large plate of chocolate dessert! I didn't want any turkey or lamb cos the line up was much too long (planned to stay 20 minutes only) and I had dinner plans with my brother and his girlfriend at 7pm. I think I managed to stay for about 30 minutes before calling it a night, making my way around the room to say good bye and wishing them a happy holiday.

Once I got home, Kay and I headed over to Superstore to pick up a couple of items and also a couple of toys for the Pan Pacific Christmas Wish breakfast. Kay and I found some great toys within a reasonable price and I don't know how I would have found or picked these ones without Kay cos she is a little kid at heart, she wouldn't let go of the Crayola bath toy :) We ended up staying longer than we anticipated but that's ok cos my brother didn't end up coming until almost 8pm (he said he'd be there around 7ish). It was a really freezing night and I swear my hair was freezing up while we were walking from the car to Superstore and so forth.... brrr.... freezing weather for the next couple of days! This dry weather is not good for my eczema! It's so dry!! Plus our hands and lips are becoming flaky due to this dry dry freezing air....

Fun filled Sunday!

For most of the morning and afternoon I was playing around with my new BlackBerry Bold. Rhoda and I had a msn video conference so she could help me me set up the basics for the phone and figure out why my Wifi or mobile internet was on or off. I had called Fido in the morning to set up the data plan, for $25 extra dollars a month, I get 500MB of data or for an extra $5, I could get double that but I doubt I will use 1GB of data for the month so I opted with the $25 plan. It could take up to 2 hours before it started working and boy did it seem longer than that! Another reason I didn't go with the 1GB is cos I have Wifi at home and work so I'll def set it up for an automatic selection to Wifi and save the network/passcodes in there. MSN video conference is pretty cool even tho I don't like how I look on the webcam, webcams are not very flattering, it was simple, easy and quick to use. I def have to start learning how to use it more often cos if and when Rhoda moves to HK, we will be doing a lot of msn video conferencing! We were on msn for a bit and once everything was done, I realized that it was getting late in the afternoon and I still had a couple of errands to run. I hadn't even noticed that Kay was no longer in the house, altho I do remember she mentioned she was heading out and I am pretty sure she gave me a kiss and said good bye :S By the time, I was ready to head out, it was close to 4pm and I messaged Rhoda to see if she wanted to get out of the house for a bit cos I was heading in that direction. I like shopping at the Coquitlam IKEA cos it's so much bigger and there is plenty of stock in their very large warehouse, much bigger than Richmond IKEA :) We picked up a few things for the home and I am happy we got out of the house a bit so we could enjoy the sunshine altho it was super freezing cold! On our way home, we decided to make a pit stop at Lougheed Centre so we could pick up a Starbucks to warm up and we walked around the mall for a bit cos I hadn't been to Lougheed Centre in ages! After our quick stroll through the mall, my brother PIN'd me and asked when I would be coming home cos we had plans to eat dinner with my mom and grams, we headed back over to Rhoda's place and she downloaded the coolest BB theme for me, it's pink Hello Kitty and Louis Vuitton wallpaper, the two of my most fave things! :) Thanks Rhoda!!! I am so excited to use this......

Blackberry Bold

It has finally arrived and I am so excited to use it! I am going to be connected and really connected to HonHon at all times of the day! Muahahahahaha... watch out HonHon, I'm gonna PIN you all the time!! :)

Louis Vuitton, Las Vegas Lightshow

Wow, this is amazing! Must go back to Vegas and see this light-show!

Louis Vuitton Going Green

Today, I dropped by Louis Vuitton for a visit since I will probably not be able to buy another piece for a long time cos Kay's braces are going to cost me at least a couple of years worth of Louis's. My fave Louis Vuitton SA greeted me and while I was looking around, I mentioned that I might pick up another item before Xmas (maybe a small key chain?) and she told me that LV is going eco friendly by phasing out the nice sturdy brown boxes given with your purchase. Good news and bad news, I for one enjoy collecting those little brown boxes (can come in quite handy) and good news, I'm sure there will be less of those boxes in the waste yard cos I'm sure many customers (who buy a lot of Louis Vuittons) probably just throw them out! Must get another box before they are no longer available!

Orthodontics

Ohmygosh, we just got back from the orthodontist (Dr. Brian Hong & Associates) and I can't believe how much it will cost to straighten Kay's teeth!!

Breakdown of Costs

Records Fee (x-rays, models, photos) $400
Initial Fee (braces) $1200
Monthly Treatments $4800
Grand Total $6400

The record fee has to be paid upfront which thankfully, my father has kindly offered to cover but I will have to pay for the extraction of her teeth (luckily my dental covers 80%) and the braces $1200 probably in January or February 2010. After the $1200 fee, we will be paying monthly installments for the next 16 months (on a pre authorize credit card or cheque) $300, yikes!! You can get a small discount of 5% if I have the money to pay in full which is $320 off. Asians never pass up on a deal but I do not have $6000 to pay off that amount or I would! After the x-rays are done, I need to make an appointment to schedule Kay's extractions. Gosh that won't be fun. She needs to make room in her mouth cos her teeth are overcrowding. This overcrowding has resulted in a slight overbite and caused the teeth to come in crooked. Luckily, her bottom jaw does not require any surgery or else that could run up to $20K!! In 2 years or less, she will have perfect teeth and her confidence level will be greatly boosted which is PRICELESS. That is what I'm telling myself..... Since my extended dental does not cover the orthodontics, we will be paying this entirely out of our own pockets but it's worth it right?

Dinner & Dessert

Tonite, Rhoda came by for dinner cos we haven't seen each other in a month! The last time we saw each other was on Halloween so we had so much to catch up on! We caught up on her life and her career over sable fish, organic purple kale, and brown jasmine rice with a glass of red wine or two. It was so nice to see her and it def was much too long but it was so nice that she made the time to come over for dinner. She's been so busy with so many things that it's hard to get together with her. Besides work, things are going good and she's got lots planned and going forward. After dinner, we headed over for HK style dessert and did some more talking. It was a great nite and so good to see her!

Swimming

Kay and I headed out to HonHon's place for a 30 minute swim. We (well I mostly) are trying to get as much cardio in as we can cos the weather has been pretty cold and it's hard running the dark. I have been meaning to find a route on the street with street lights so I could get my 4 km in but it's hard when it's been raining 20 days straight and it's been so cold. After our swim, we get to sit in the hot tub for 10 minutes that is so much nicer than running and then trying to finish up the rest of my workout before jumping into the hot shower! Altho I think I was def burning more calories running and my strength training, it's hard to get outside when it's so crummy out there. This upcoming week the pool will be closed for 5 days due to maintenance so I am trying to get as much in as I can before taking the week off. Maybe I'll try to run this upcoming week....

Coolest Gift EVER

What a surprise! This morning, I got the coolest gift ever. A huge Hello Kitty PEZ dispenser! It's been a long running joke that one day, one of the managers will bring one back and I can't believe he actually bought one and carried it throughout the airport for me!!! So funny! He brought it in the office in a white plastic shopping bag cos the one from the shop was clear and he was quite embarrassed lugging it around with him. The Hello Kitty PEZ dispenser is soooo cool.

2012 & Tires

I finally got new tires for my VW Bug and it was long over due. I can't believe what a difference a new set of tires can make! Hopefully, these tires will last another 10 years and the tire guy said it would last at least another 70K =) After picking up my car from Big O, I headed over to Metrotown to catch the movie, 2012. John Cusack is an awesome actor, I love the roles he takes on, sorta like an unsung hero or the underdog. The critics and the fans have been giving it great reviews so I was keen on watching it. Wow, amazing special effects and the storyline never boring. It is a very interesting and keeps you literally on the edge of your seat. No dull moments here and it is def recommended to watch in the theatre.

Stuart Weitzmann Pumps!

Oh my pumps are here (click photo to enlarge)! They are so much prettier in person than on the website and are the EXACT BLUE SILVER I wanted!!! It did not look like that colour in the photo on Saks Fifth Avenue and I am so thrilled that it's the colour I wanted cos I was going to purchase another pump to get that colour cos I thought THESE ones were more grey!!! Love love them!

Christmas in Vancouver!

We just got some great news! HonHon will be in Vancouver for the first time in 4 years for Xmas!!! It's for sure too cos it's a business trips and those are almost pretty much set in stone. Altho I am not usually too happy with all his business trips, this one, I'm not going to complain =) He can only stay for a week cos he has another business trip due out at the end of the month but I'm going to take what I can get! Hooray HonHon in Vancouver for Xmas!!!

Richmond Centre

Tonite, Kay and I headed over to Richmond cos we needed to pick up dad's meds (to be couriered to HK) and my brother was suppose to pick up some shoes for our cousin, A'Choo. After a quick dinner of organic & local kale, onions, carrots, garlic stir-fried with pasta, mmmmm... delicious! We headed over to my dad's to pick up my brother then over to the pharmacy and to Richmond Centre for the shoes. My brother ended up doing a bit of shopping, Kay ended up with a dress from Plenty that she has been eyeing for some time cos I had a 25% discount card so I picked it up for her AND I ended up with a Hello Kitty mimobot from J2! An anniversary edition for Hello Kitty's 35th birthday! After shopping, my brother was getting hungry so we headed over to Dinesty cos he hasn't been there yet and wanted to try it out. We ordered 3 dishes, a couple of sides and lots leftover cos Kay and I only had a little bit, it was so delicious! We ended up taking the stewed pork with tofu home cos my brother insisted :) It was a fun nite and good seeing my brother!

Cinnamon Buns with Cream Cheese Icing

Tonite, I used the scone recipe and made cinnamon buns so I could use some of the cream cheese icing I made this afternoon for the market's cinnamon bun (we always miss the ones with icing). Gosh, my cinnamon buns turned out much yummier than the ones from the market! They were so good, I ate 2 1/2 buns - thank goodness they are small! So yummy and so easy to make!

Scones
4 cups of flour
5 tbsp of baking powder
1 tbsp of sugar
1/4 tsp salt (I always skip the salt cos I use salted butter)
1/2 to 3/4 cup of butter (softened)
Enough cold milk to bind, approximately 1 1/2 cups of cold milk - I use soy milk and it's just as yummy!

Sift together dry ingredients. Cut in butter until pea-sized. Add enough milk to form into a ball. Roughly form balls into the size of your palm and drop onto greased sheets. Bake in 350 - 375 C oven until done (about 15 mins). Best eaten warm with butter and jam. Add grated cheese for Cheese Scones.

Cinnamon Buns

Take the above recipe and roll batter into rectangular square on floured counter top. Cover with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon (raisins and nuts if desired). Roll into a log. Use thread to cut thru log and place swirl side up on greased pan. Bake in 350 - 375 C oven until done. (about 15 mins). When cooled, add icing sugar or homemade cream cheese icing.

Cream Cheese Icing
1 package of cream cheese (softened)
1/4 cup of butter (softened) - you may use more butter for richer icing
3/4 cup to 1 cup of icing sugar (I always use 1 cup)
1 tbsp of vanilla

Beat the ingredients together until creamy. Unused portion should be kept in the fridge.

Winter's Market @ Wise Hall

Wow, what an awesome first Winter's Market at Wise Hall! There were so many vendors and even tho it was raining and a bit chilly, the market was super packed! Kay and I picked up some great veggies and I am gonna attempt to make squash soup and stem kale for the very first time. Can't wait to try out the kale, it's suppose to be full of vitamins and it's really really good for you. We also picked up some spinach, cauliflower, apples (super inexpensive, 4 lbs for $5!) and of course, we finished our shopping with a hot dog and a cinnamon bun (to go!).

Benefit for Parkinson's Disease

Tonite, Jas and I headed over to The Press Box for a charity event in support of Parkinson's, both of our dads have this disease so this hits close to home. All the proceeds for the dinner goes to Parkinson's Society of BC. For $20, you get a burger platter with fries and a beer or wine. Jas and I were long over due for a get together so this event was the perfect opportunity to catch up and support a great cause! I wasn't expecting much from the burger but ohmygosh, pub food is super good! The burger is one of the best I've had! The place was packed with friends and family of the organizers and they had a silent auction and a 50/50 draw. It was nice to see Shauna too since I hadn't seen her in ages! Her mom was part of organizing and holding this event for her friend who has been diagnosed with this disease. The quick word and power of FaceBook , Shauna sent this invite to all of her friends and it def brought in a huge crowd of people! After dinner, we went over to her place to catch the Rihanna interview with Diane Sawyer. It was an interesting interview and it's awful what happened to her but at least she is bringing awareness to young women that this is not ok. It was a great nite of catching up!