When the Going Gets Tough...

I get going!

Blogger, you have treated me well. With your easy-to-use format and simple maneuvers, I have had many a fun time updating on my latest antics and jaunts here.

But alas, I'm moving on. To something a little more complicated, a little more polished. I swear, it's not me, it's really Wordpress. With cool DIY customizing capabilities and users everywhere, from fashion designers to artists, photographers to tech geeks, how can I resist?

You understand, right?

Well, if you're ever in town, look me up. I'll be over here.

Don't cry. If it makes you feel better, my travel blog is still with you. I'm not completely disloyal.


For you readers awkwardly intruding upon this traumatic breakup, let me reiterate:

I've moved sites! I'm HERE now! New look, same attitude.

It has been a weird week. I can't seem to keep me head afloat all the chaos. One thing that stands out is that nothing is the same.

Nothing is the same.

Nothing is the same.

Nothing is the same.

Did I expect it to be? I usually welcome changes, but I notice it's only when I'm guiding the twists and turns or have already anticipated it. When the rug gets pulled out from under me, I stagger, I stumble, I fall.

So, it'll take a little while, a lot of prayers and some actual positive action on my part to accommodate these changes.

Conan O'Brien seems to know what I'm going through. Maybe a little. Maybe a lot. In case you haven't been following the late night talk show madness, Jay Leno has been the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno since 1992. Last TV season, Leno moved on from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to merely The Jay Leno Show (how come these Hollywood creatives can't come up with better late night show names?) O'Brien took over Leno's previous gig. Now, just seven month in, NBC was in talks with Leno to move him back half an hour and in result, moving O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon back as well.

O'Brien reacted to the changes by releasing a Conanially funny statement setting his foot down to being shuffled around by the network heads. Addressed, "People of Earth," O'Brien warns us to not feel sorry for him, a man who's worked 17 years at a job he loves in a world where people have real problems. He concedes that he feels he cannot carry on the legacy of The Tonight Show with such a time slot change and even apologizes for his hair.

I know that, without a doubt, wherever Conan goes, I will follow. I have the utmost confidence that he will find success (and humor) no matter where he goes.

I just hope I can say the same for myself.

Oh - and maybe this means he'll have time to speak at UCLA's commencement this year?

Happy '010? '10? Um..just Happy New Year

New Year is always overrated and/or disappointing for me. There's all these high hopes that everything will be different, that your life can start brand new, that you will become a completely different/slimmer/healthier/better/wiser person but that is NEVER the case.

Instead, all the problems that you ended the last year with is still hounding you at the back. The new year resolutions you made last night is already washed away by the 7 glasses of champagne you downed the night before. You just feel older.

So this year, I decided that enough is enough. I am not going to make a big deal out of the end of 2009.

2009 was, as they say, the best of times and the worst of times. On the one hand, good riddance with you, 2009, and your recession-filled economy and your graduating from college only to be jobless and living back home and facing creative unfulfillment. But on the other hand, aw, farewell 2009, with your discovery of God and faith and love and church and strengthening relationships with family and your blessed charmed living despite being utterly unworthy.

My new year resolutions are sparse but important.

*Work

*Be punctual

*Edit

*Read the bible more

*Blog more

*Be nice to my mother

*Communicate better

*Travel

*Take care of my body

*Truly love others

*Celebrate life everyday

I started the last resolution early, before the clock struck 12 at the Davidoff Lounge in Beijing's Ritz Carlton.

A couple of new friends, a few beloved family members, some fine bubbly...

And we were good to go!

I even got a kiss for the evening!

All in all, we're off to a good start. Welcome, 2010! I open my arms out to you and I hope you will return my embrace.

*On a sidenote, however will we be abbreviating 2010? You know how 2008 was '08 and 1985 was '85? What's 2010 going to be? Find out and let me know, k? Thanks.

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!