Media Maid is...

...on vacation!

I will mostly be updating on my travel blog as I head east for the winter. Working on a new Media Maid site so hopefully it'll be ready and waiting for me (courtesy of my amazing friend, Mohamad) when I get back. Hope you all enjoy an amazing Christmas. Love the ones you're with! Think about how blessed and lucky you are! Think about those who are not and do something about it! See you in the new year.

JJ

Crack is Wack

As my previous roommates can attest, I am not a big baker. I was fortunate enough to live with talented ones who would churn out things like this:

this:

this:

and this:

on a weekly basis. While I snapped shots, it was Dorothy and JLo, and occasionally Kelly who would tie up the aprons and bust out the baking pans.

And I love to read cooking blogs. Smitten Kitchen, Bakerella, and of course, Dessert Obsessed are among some of my must-reads in my Google Reader.

So blame the holiday season - maybe I downed one too many eggnogs or got hit with a Christmas CD or got tangled up in Christmas lights or something- but I decided to volunteer to bake something for my church bake sale. I planned on making my safe go-to of "crack," which is normally a big hit among friends and strangers. (But if I told you the recipe, I'd have to kill you.)

I went to Costco and bought giant portions of all the ingredients, thinking I could make a lot of crack for my friends and the various gatherings I was to attend during the weekend. One late evening, I rolled up my sleeves and made like Betty Crocker. I tossed all the ingredients in, blended, baked, topped and then let the masterpiece cool for the night. I thought everything looked really fine and dandy and went to bed wondering how I was going to fight off the masses who would obviously be clamoring for my sweets.

Don't let this shot fool you, it looks better than it tastes.

Well, the next morning, I found, to my dismay, that I had not done as marvelously as I had presumed. Okay-looking was the crack but it tasted pretty wack. I must have poured too much caramel onto the crackers because in one pan, the caramel had burnt through the entire piece of crack and in another pan, the caramel had not hardened and left that batch a soggy mess. It was a nightmare. I panicked momentarily and cursed myself for volunteering to bake.

Burn victims

"What were you thinking?" I blasted out loud. Then I wondered whether Dorothy could express-ship me some peanut butter cheesecake or something. Then I wondered if I could just run out to Albertson's and purchase a cake or something. Then I wondered if I could just find a future husband who can either bake really well himself or has the means to hire me a personal baker so I will never have to touch the oven again. Then I wondered why the oven hated me so much.

As I continued scraping off the unfortunate crack, my despair spontaneously turned into inspiration.

"Wait! I shan't give up! I've always wanted to make oatmeal cookies! I'll use the rest of the ingredients and make oatmeal cookies with it!"

I then promptly proceeded to look up the yummiest oatmeal chocolate chip recipe I could find.

The next evening, I braved this new recipe timidly. I'm not going to lie, I spent roughly 3 hours making batches of this cookie (also probably because I didn't have enough baking pans) and when the first batch came out, I thought, "Oh no! It looks too dry! I'd done gone and messed up again!" But I decided to taste-test it anyway and once the cookie hit my mouth, I was surprised to find that the it actually tasted really good! The crunchy oatmeal texture mixed with the nuts and chocolate chip made it taste more like a granola bar rather than a cookie but it was totally yummy. I heaved a sigh of relief and proceeded to finish making the rest.

Hey batter, batter.

I'm so glad I wasn't stymied by the failed first attempt. I'm so glad I didn't just decide to make another batch of "crack." (One batch of crack gone wack was enough, thank you very much.) Life won't always turn out the way you plan and it's often up to you to decide how you will view the situation, how much you will let it affect your mood and what you can do to resolve it. I turned my "crack" into some crunchy oatmeal chocolate chip pecan bars. What would you do?

MOH

HAPPY 22nd BIRTHDAY, EVELYN WANG!

Evelyn is my MOH. That is, she is My Oldest Helpmate. (Okay, Evelyn, I admit, I was trying to find a synonym for "friend" that started with "H." Isn't it funny that helpmate kept popping up?) We've been friends since third grade - "friends" if you count someone pulling my hair, ratting me out to the teachers and pushing me around a "friend." Over the years though, our relationship has grown more civilized. To the point where she is one of the first person I would call if I had some important news and I know that I can always count on her if my car broke down (well, unless if it's 9 in the morning in which case she would be asleep and then, good luck, I am on my own).

We are stuck with each other a lot. Whether it be the same class, the same drumline, the same school, the same room, the same part-time job, it seems that God likes us together. And who am I to argue with Him? I think the best part of Evelyn is how thoughtful she is. She remembers all the little jokes, and quirks and always finds the perfect opportunities to throw them back at you. My first surprise birthday party was thrown by this girl. And it was six months late. That's why this Birthday post is also late. It's payback! She also has a killer sense of humor. "Funny" is a terrible word to describe her humor. Her humor is more like, "scathing, biting, fast, snarky, en pointe."

We've both grown up so much over the past 15 years but Evelyn's transformation has been incredible and absolutely great. Evelyn, it's awesome to see you mature and evolve into this human being I can actually stand. Thanks for always supporting me, entertaining me and even reading this blog. I hope we both continue to grow in this world and in Christ. Even if you don't make my M.O.H. (which, girl, doesn't look so good. You know how Jessica is), there will always be a place for you at the VIP section of my wedding.

Presents, Presence

Ho, ho, ho, it's almost Christmas time! I'm totally going to be one of those people that blogs about my Wishlist so my friends, loyal readers and family will totally know what to get me for Christmas this year. Are you ready? Okay, you better be because I searched long and hard all over the Internet and in shopping malls for the following list!

All I want for Christmas is...

Nothing. Okay, not true. Something.

I'd be happy like this baby if you gave me an empty box for Christmas

Christmas shopping has become a foreign affair in my family over the past few years. When I was a kid, I would never understand why people would just give me money for the holidays. What happened to selecting that special gift for that special someone, a gift that they'd love, use, cherish forever?

Now, I know why. It's just plain easier.

I don't want to kill the whole holiday spirit but please believe me when I ask this of you.

Don't get me anything for Christmas. Please.

Most of you probably weren't intending to anyway but for those few, I'm asking you kindly.

I'm very strapped for cash this year and if you get me something, I will feel 100X guilty and will want to buy you something and then I will be even more strapped for cash. I know money doesn't buy happiness but I will like to keep whatever I have left in my wallet for gas, student loans, my family and the occasional $1.50 ru rou phan at JJCafe.

I really don't need anything. I'm very comfortable with all I have right now. I make ado. I'd rather you save your presents and give it to someone else who needs it a little more.

For those who do want to show me your love (not that I don't feel it radiating everyday. Seriously, thank God for your friendship and love and encouragement and patience and laughter and company), you can gift me with the following:

*My church is making shoe boxes and giving it away to the homeless on Skid Row next week so if you have any socks, water, toothbrushes, toiletries that you don't need, you can definitely bring it on over to mi casa.

*I do like handmade things (and I think I will be handmaking things for you all as well) so a thoughtful card or letter will do the trick.

*Support me in my pageant? As I had mentioned before, I'm a contestant for the 2010 Miss LA Chinatown and the pageant is quite costly. I'm currently selling tickets for the fashion show all the contestants are participating in on January 16, 2010. The information for the show below.

14th Annual Miss Los Angeles Fashion Show

Hosted by the 2009 Miss Los Angeles Chinatown Court

with fashions modeled by

2010 Miss Los Angeles Chinatown Contestants Saturday, January16, 2010

Los Angeles/Universal City Hilton 555 Universal Hollywood Drive Universal City, CA 91608

Buffet Lunch -11:30 a.m. Fashion Show -1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

$35 per seat -- Open seating

The opportunity to catch pretty ladies- and me - vamping it down the catwalk? Priceless.

If you're interested, my actual pageant will take place February 6, 2010 at the Westin Bonaventure in LA. It will be a formal event with a nice banquet dinner. Hence the price for ticket will also reflect the fanciness.

I completely understand if you do not attend either of the events. It would be a lot more fun if you were there but quite frankly, I think I might be a little less freaked out if fewer people I knew were in attendance. And you know what is the best possible gift, support, encouragement you can give me? Just your presence in my life. :) Whether it be a phone call, Facebook message or a hug, I'll take anything. Just not an actual present.

Thanks and Happy Holidays, everyone!

I'm in a Pageant

A casual visit with some old friends yesterday culminated into a lot of embarrassing revelations on my behalf. It started with my friend bribing me to show him my old Chinese commercials (he said he would turn them into a reel).

Oh yeah, I used to do old Chinese commercials. I got recognized the other day too. Don't mess.

And that led to other topics of conversation, which eventually led me to muttering under my breathe, "oh yeah, I'm also a contestant for the 2010 Miss LA Chinatown."

My friend stares quizzically at me. "Why do you sound so embarrassed? Good for you! You should be proud of all of this. You have to embrace it," he instructs me.

I thought about it. Yeah, I should embrace it. Yeah!

I'm usually a big braggart in every other aspect of my life. "Look at me! I did this! Look at me! I hung out with him! Look at me! Look at me! Look at me!" but one area where I'm generally a lot more guarded is the commercial and beauty pageant stuff I have done in the past. I'm not sure why. Maybe because the commercials are quite cheesy and I have bad acting galore and a fat face in most of them? And as for the pageants, maybe it's because they have a rap for being superficial and shallow and catty and old-fashioned and even though I know firsthand that THAT IS NOT TRUE, some part of me don't want to tell people because I'm afraid they'll judge me for it?

But the thing is, the reality is, they are a part of my life. I have done Chinese commercials, I have done pageants and I will probably be doing more of them in my life. I'm doing a pageant on February 6. It's the 2010 Miss LA Chinatown pageant. And I'm proud of it! Yeah!

I really am, though. This is the first pageant that I willingly signed up for, the first one where my mom didn't say, "Surprise, I signed you up for a pageant!" or dragged me through concrete and asphalt and grass and dirt to join.

We've been rehearsing almost every Saturday from 1 - 6. That chunk of time cost me many a missed dates, friends hangouts and even a holiday job but I am learning so much each week. You think pageant girls just strut around onstage and smile wide? Think again.

There's dancing: we're learning this really pretty fan-ribbon dance which is REALLY grueling and gives me cuts and bruises and injured ankles. We have to dance as though we are butterflies (yeah, you heard me, I said, "butterflies.") and because I am neither graceful nor cute nor do I flitter and flutter, this dance helps me out in that area.

There's walking: Walking is an innocuous act we often take for granted. But it is highly important to making an impression. Think back to a time where you were at a party and this lady walks into the room. More like glides. Upon closer inspection, she's no Helen of Troy nor is she sporting a dress made out of bubbles but she just has that presence that makes you take notice. There's a buzz about her. It's most likely her walk, the way she moves, the way she stands. And that presence is what we're trying to develop every Saturday.

There's talking: This is the portion I think I'm most nervous about. I'm a chatty gal but more of the bumbly, crazy hand-gesturing variety. For the question and answer portion of pageant night, we're going to try to be poised, calm, collected while answering questions like, "what do you think is the cause of the California real estate downfall?" Hope hope hope I don't pull a Miss South Carolina Teen USA.

There's more: There's etiquette, how to smile, how to get along with other people, how to dress yourself, how to muti-task, how to become a more important figure in your community, all very vital skills to becoming a better person. I'm blessed for this opportunity to practice and hone in on those skills. And it doesn't hurt that I get to wear a pretty dress and show off my pretty hair come pageant night! In fact, it doesn't get any better than that.

Writing in my blog has become hard in the past couple of days (weeks) because I've been a mess, rushing from here to there, working on this and that, plans changing by the moment. I have so many things I want to share with y'all but they're all coming at me, I can hardly prioritize, straighten, separate, sort, and fold. And then when I don't write in my blog, my feelings and thoughts get even more muddled because they don't get reflected upon and then it gets even harder to write in my blog. It's just a big ol' sad downward spiral. I will attempt to climb up it.

First off, congrats to all my friends who recently got jobs! I'm so proud of y'alls and I knew you can do it. I do feel a little left in the dust but who doesn't. I just know I have to be patient and continue working hard and hopefully, something great fantastic sublime perfect will come along. Until then, I have some projects keeping me preoccupied.

A big one is...I am in a beauty pageant.

Some friends already know about this but this is my big official announcement, I guess. I'm actually really excited about this pageant, it being the first one I actually wanted to do and wasn't entirely forced into it by my parents and all.

I'm sleepy and I have nifty plans tomorrow so SLEEP TIME. Sorry this entry lacks depth, funny anecdotes or even purpose. Just needed to update. However, in honor of my announcement, the next few posts will all be about my upcoming beauty pageant. Then, you will get to know more about what I'm up to. And don't pretend you don't. You know you do. XOXO, JJ

To My Favorite Sister

They say that the longest relationship you will have with another human being in your life is the one with your sibling. I'm so glad I get to share mine with this girl.

HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY, MEI!

We are two peas in a pod, Jessica and I. We get along so well and enjoy each other's company so much some friends think we're weird.

"I can't stand my brother. You actually like love your sister? Weird."

Yea, it's weird but then again, so are we.

I adore my sister's awkward sense of humor, her flair for the dramatics (she is a theatre major, you know), her sunbeam of a smile, her tendency to make you feel guilty for anything you do, and most of all, her exceedingly large heart. She always cries when our family parts ways at the airport, she remembers little details like what kind of perfume I like, she always makes the extra effort for those she cares about and out of the two of us, she is definitely the better sister.

When I have good news, bad news, any news, she is always the first one I try to call. I've mourned over broken hearts with her, giggled about ridiculous situations, solicited advice, and can even sit in silence just observing how utterly cool this girl is.

See, so cool, right?

We have our differences; she can't stand it when I try to introduce her to "the best book ever" or "the song that will change your life!" but she tolerates my overall dorkiness and even tries to give me advice on how to pick up boys. (Dude, girl is a pro with the men.)

That's her modeling in a magazine!

Jessica, I can't wait until you become an international superstar, dazzling the world with your charm and beauty. Then, you can play me in a movie about my extraordinary life and we will both live happily ever after...with each other. We really probably would have to because nobody else will ever get me like you do and tolerate me like you can. Love you to death, little sis. I can't wait to see what the future holds for you. Remember, when you become a movie star, I get first dibs as your personal assistant!