I would love to come back in my next life as an Italian.  Actually, I need to come back as an Italian.  Don't get me wrong, I love being Chinese.  But the food. . . that's good enough reason for me.  ^_^

Ate so much, shopped some.  Gained a kg.  And with my bad knee, can't really workout much.  Hiks!

Varenna, along Lake Como.  Tiny little lakeside village.  So quiet. 

Is this not a beautiful work of art?  And such poetry.  My favorite words in Italy.  Kitchen Always Open.  Should be a song.  Anyway, here's what we ordered...

Alas, since it was mid-day, we could only order these few yummy dishes.
(Top to bottom)  Spaghetti Ragu, Grilled Rib-eye Steak, and Grilled Veggies.


A gorgeous sight along Lake Como.

What a beautiful train station!  I love the colors.

Finally!  After a week of helping out 2 friends who got married yesterday (which meant not much sleep at all), I'm finally finally on my way to Italy.

It was a great week of partying and last minute wedding planning.  Friends from New York, Thailand, and Hong Kong as well as relatives from Australia and Singapore showed up.  It was insane fun.  I didn't know any of their friends but we all clicked so well.  No surprise though; the wedding couple are such wonderful people.  Hope I get to see these friends again in the near future.

In the meantime, my knee is still clicking, and now my nerves are all bunched up on my left arm, signs of carpal tunnel creeping back in.  Sheesh!!  When's it all gonna end?

I need to lose weight.  But I love food.  What a dilemma!

So, I've been having problems with my knee for a couple of months now. . . well, actually, been longer than that but the pain is more unbearable now.  Went to see an Osteo and he suggested MRI after measuring my knee.  My first MRI. . . it was quite interesting, though half way, I fell asleep.  As I was leaving the MRI room, the nurse asked me when I had my implants.  WTF!!!

Anyway, after reviewing my scans, doctor told me I have a hole in my knee.  YIKES!!!!  Here's a picture of it.

Its that blur under the arch.

I will henceforth be known as Holy Knee

New Solution!!

Instead of Paisley, I found a new possible solution. . .

what about Toile??  I think its more elegant looking.  What do you think?  I got so excited when I saw this that I started sketching some ideas / patterns they can use like toile.  My brother was so funny. . . when I told him. 

Me:  Hey!  What about Toile?  Its like Paisley but less crowded  and busy, looks great monochrome.
Brother: Oil?  What's Oil look like?
Me:  Toile, not Oil.
Him:  eh. . . what?
Me:  Toile!  Toile!  Spelled like Toilet without the T.
Him:  Why would I want something that's like a toilet.
Me:  . . .

Wedding Woes. . .

So, everything is going nice and smoothly with the wedding preparations so far.  Well, everthing except for one major issue; the theme.

My brother wants an Oriental theme (or at least Asian), whereas his wife to be wants Paisley designs.  Everytime I mention this to anyone, they're lost for words. . . seriously, how do you design a theme wedding based on those two contrasting ideas? 

Does anyone have any ideas how I should approach this?  She's less flexible than my brother. . . so, Paisley anyone?

I found this very interesting website about Paisley you might find interesting.  Its very funny!!

Went to Jogjakarta earlier this week for a photo shoot.

Stayed at the Losari Coffee Plantation Resort & Spa.  Sooooo Nice!!!  Their link shows pictures of the resort and surrounding tourist attractions.  Its peaceful, its quiet, and the food is yummy.  There were a lot of pictures taken, so I did it in slides, though pulling out some individual shots that I love.

ENJOY!!

              
                           Oil lamp            |             Oxtail soup       | the Resort Lounge area | the path to the Resto | cool elephant fountain
            the 1st thing that caught my eye

                     
  Staff Hut hidden among bamboos |     the Spa sun porch    |  the path to my room   |         coffee berries       |         Oxtail Soup #2

Turned in the deposit for the venue in Singapore.  2 hours later, my father called to tell me that he wants to change it to Four Seasons.  WTF!!!!  You want to downgrade from a 6 star to a 4.5 star???  AND at a higher price too!!  Ridiculous!

FYI:

Fullerton Hotel:  10 tables = ~ $1100 per table (includes wine, champagne, cake, honeymoon suite, invitations, etc)
Four Seasons Hotel:  10 tables = ~$1800 per table (includes parking, honeymoon room, and 2 other insignificant items of which I don't recall)

PLUS, the Chinese restaurant at the Fullerton, which will be catering to our dining needs, has won tons of awards!  I mean, what IS the obvious choice here????

Been a few months since my last entry. . . no excuse, really. 

So, I'm planning my brother's wedding.  This was decided by Dad and seconded by my brother's future Father-in-law.

We're having 2 receptions; one in Singapore and the other in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Singapore
Venue:  The Fullerton Hotel
Number of Guests:  100 - 120
Event Organizer:  Me
Day-of Event Organizer:  supplied by Hotel, and Me
Stationer:  American Wedding Treasure
Florist:  Woodsville Florist (if they ever call me for an appointment)
Photographer:  Interviewing Process
Theme:  Spring
Colors:  Pale Blush Pink & Pale Green (accent colors: yellow and off white)
Stress Level:  4

Jakarta
Venue:  Mulia Hotel Senayan
Number of Guests:  ~ 4000
Event Organizer:  Tiara, and Me
Day-of Organizer:  Tiara
Stationer:  Will be selected by Wen
Florist:  Sebastian
Decorator:  Soeryanto
Cake:  Han's Cakes
Wedding Dress:  Biyan??  (she was hoping for a Vera Wang)
Photographer:  Up for discussiom
Theme:  Spring time in China
Colors:  Same as Singapore
Stress Level:  7.5

---

This is going to be interesting.  I need to figure out what I'm going to wear.  ^_^

Just minutes ago, after a discussion about pancakes, I remembered a silly chart I made about pancakes and its doneness.  Thought I'd share.

How do I like my pancake?
Super Well-Done, please.

Why?
After much experimentation, I learned the following about Super Well-Done Pancakes. . .
1)  Because it's tougher than the other type of Doneness, it holds the syrup the best
2)  However, because of its structure, it doesn't soak up much syrup. . . which is great if you're on a diet or watching your sugar level
3)  The tougher texture allows more butter application AND syrup holding

So, what about you?  How do you like your pancakes?