Foodie Friday: Tebasaki

August 18, 2017 By Leave a Comment
chicken wings

Tebasaki: crispy fried wings These fried wings are known for their crispy skin. They're also marinated in all sorts of spices. The ones I tried were from Sekai no Yamachan. Their secret sauce combines soy sauce with other ingredients (perhaps garlic?) and a notable kick from pepper. The restaurant also uses special natural salt from Jiangsu Province, China to add flavor to their chicken. Tebasaki is a nice snack or appetizer that is part of the izakaya (Japanese pub) style of food. I like … [Read more...]

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Merlion

August 14, 2017 By 2 Comments
merlion

"Knowledge is power." My brother recently brought back a souvenir from Singapore which features the merlion. This mythical creature has the head of a lion and the body of a fish. It's the icon of the country. Designed in 1964, the fish symbolizes Singapore's fishing origins, since it's located on the water. The lion's head, of course, resonates with power. The merlion name was actually trademarked by the Singapore Tourism Promotion Board in 1966. There are several merlion statues around … [Read more...]

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Foodie Friday: Mango Lychee Mousse

August 11, 2017 By 4 Comments
lychee mango mousse

Foodie Friday: Mango Lychee Mousse This is a really fun dessert! As you can see, there are yummy chunks of mango on top. There are even a few lychee bits buried like treasure on the bottom. The whole thing is actually really light because of the mousse texture. Unfortunately, because of this, it feels insubstantial, like you can't really taste the dessert part of it, just fruit. I'd have preferred maybe a bit of cake to ground the flavors. Overall, a visually pleasing dessert. … [Read more...]

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#BookReview: The Sun is Also a Star

August 7, 2017 By 4 Comments
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"Now is the time to go ahead and pursue that love interest!" The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon 5 stars Pros: Quick pace Timely discussion (immigration issues, cross-cultural relationships) Love story Cons: Different narrative formats (could be disorienting for some) Belieavability about love at first sight (for those who don't think it exists) The Sun is Also a Star is an amazing book. I love how it deals with really sensitive issues like immigration and … [Read more...]

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Foodie Friday: Chocolate-Covered Fortune Cookies

August 4, 2017 By Leave a Comment
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Chocolate-covered fortune cookies: sweeter fortunes! I couldn't pass these up. They taste like you would imagine; the chocolate enhances the natural sweetness of the fortune cookie. The ones I tried came in two flavors: milk chocolate and white chocolate. (I'm not really a fan of the latter, though.) It's a lovely dessert treat. You get the yumminess of chocolate and still get to read a fortune! Fun fact: My preference for fortune cookies goes way back. See the bottom of the right-side … [Read more...]

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New audiobook

July 31, 2017 By Leave a Comment
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"You should be able to undertake and complete anything." Just in case you missed it... Dragonfly Dreams now has an audiobook version! This is the second time around I've used Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX). ACX helps turn books into audio versions through two methods: a 50/50 royalty split with the narrator, or upfront costs paid to the narrator. Both times I've decided to split royalties. What I like about ACX is that you can put your project (book) out there and have people audition … [Read more...]

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Foodie Friday: Matcha Crisps

July 28, 2017 By 2 Comments
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Matcha crisps: green tea-flavored cookies For regular followers of my blog, it's no surprise that I'm a green tea lover. My wonderful dad (so sweet!) picked up a package of matcha crisps on his recent visit to Malaysia. If you look closely at the pic, you'll see a "Penang" sticker. These are not British crisps, which are akin to potato chips. I think they're more like cookies. Here are my favorite attributes about them: Not too sweet (it's more of a snacking food) Balanced between … [Read more...]

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George F. Canyon Nature Trail

July 24, 2017 By 2 Comments
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"Life always gets harder near the summit." I've been wanting to do a quick hike. It's nice to find nature spots close to Los Angeles. The George F. Canyon Nature Trail is located in Rolling Hills Estates near Palos Verdes. Besides 36 acres of Preserve, it also has an educational nature center that's open on the weekends. Parking can be found in the nature center lot or on dirt areas near the trailhead. Near the center is also The Learning Tree, a shaded place where groups can sit and be … [Read more...]

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Foodie Friday: Eight Treasure Dessert

July 21, 2017 By 4 Comments
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Eight treasure dessert: sticky rice decorated with 8 toppings I admit it. This is a really pretty dish! I usually think of sticky rice as part of the main course, but I've found it in a dessert now. The eight "treasures" are different fruits and nuts that go on top of the rice. Often, they serve some sort of symbolism (e.g. lotus seeds bring happy marriages). Inside the dessert is a sweet surprise of red bean paste. Although I'm not a huge fan of red bean desserts, this does have a … [Read more...]

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My First #Pit2Pub

July 17, 2017 By 2 Comments
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"An unexpected event will soon bring you fortune." Twitter is alive with a lot of publishing opportunities. Different hashtagged events allow access to agents and editors. Some examples include #PitchWars, #SFFPit, and #PitMad. Last week, I decided to participate in #Pit2Pub. This is a chance to get a 140-character pitch in front of editors at various publishers. If it's hard to whittle a novel into a synopsis, it's insane to do so into a tweet. But I tried. I wanted to provide a sense of … [Read more...]

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