Changes

I started this blog back in Aug 2006. I was posting daily but that gets hard after a while. I asked a few fellow Asian business women to join me in posts. The daily post soon became weekly post. Joyce has left the blog and I am starting a full time job. Rather then shutting down this blog, I will leave it up for my four other bloggers to post when they can. I will try to post when I can. Thanks for reading with us!

Lilie - A Planet 4 Creation

Food, food, food and blogging about it

We love eating, and what do we do in our spare time? We read about eating. Yup! That's my family. We're the sort of family that sits around at one meal contemplating what we will eat at the next meal. Sometimes we have meals planned a day or two ahead. We leave nothing (or not very much anyway) to chance.

I have a few favourite websites and blogs.

Rasa Malaysia is a good one. Being Malaysian, I often miss Malaysian food and having left home at 16, I never did learn to cook Malaysian food all that well. I am at the mercy of restaurants outside Malaysia. I also love reading Masak-masak with its gorgeous pictures of food. The current post has pictures of mouthwatering macarons. Mmm yum!

Our tastes are not limited to Malaysian fare, though. On a more diverse front, there is Eating Asia, a food blog that takes you through many parts of Asia, sampling the delights each region has to offer.

My husband's family is Filipino and I have never learnt to cook Filipino food either. I am learning now and aside from my mother-in-law's kitchen, I glean inspiration from blogs like Burnt Lumpia, pinoyfoodblog and Matakaw-ako. You know what? There's a whole list of Filipino food blogs here. My favourite, though, is Adobongblog. It is written by a Filipina living in New Zealand. Since I am in Australia, I can more or less assume that the ingredients she can obtain there are easily found in Sydney as well.

A little offbeat is Chopstick Cinema. Every week, a movie is chosen and reviewed along with a recipe. This year curries of Asia is the focus and every week there is a new curry recipe provided. It's interesting. A little off-beat but excellent reading. if you have not watched many Asian films (like me), then Chopstick Cinema is a great guide to some lesser known Asian movies. Beware, though, as the movies may not be that easy to come by if you do decide to watch them yourself!

Living in Sydney also means I have an active interest in restaurants around Sydney. I regularly read Grab your fork. Currently she is writing about her trip to Malaysia. Ah a foodie's dream. She, along with a handful of other Australian food bloggers were invited on a guided eating tour of Malaysia. One can only dream!

Asian Beauty Products and BB Creams from Sasa.com

I am starting to see BB creams in Sephora and other beauty stores.  Beauty Balm creams have been popular in Asia for a while.  I have used them for about 2 years and I love them.  They are basically tinted moisturizer with sunscreen.  They usually have light to medium coverage and are great for days that you don't want to wear makeup, but want to even out your skin tone.  If you want to get some from brands that have been making BB creams for years, you can check them out at Sasa.com, while they are doing a sale!

They have many Asian and American brands like IsQueen, My Beauty Diary, Lifecella, Clinique, Estee Lauder and JUJU cosmetics.  I recently ordered a ton of sheet mask and creams.  Here are the sleep masks.  Note the safe packaging.  Everything arrived in flawless condition.

I have heard tons of awesome things about the Vitacream so I got one of those too.  I have used it for a week, every night and my face has been very smooth.  I use the masks every other day too, so I wouldn't know what really works I guess :)

I recommend trying some IsQueen or My Beauty Diary masks.  Also, take a look at Tony Moly brand items.  They are super cute and the reviews I have seen are positive.  This is one of the peeling creams.

As for BB Creams, I have also read tons of good reviews on the Skin Food brand.  There are just a lot of choices on Sasa.com.  It may all seem overwhelming at first, but don't worry!  They have reviews on the product pages.  Also check out the "crazy sales" as a starting point.  They have tons of cool Japanese make up too.  I don't put on make up much so I haven't tried any, but please feel free to explore.  Have fun shopping!!

~Joyce, Happy Cloud Moments

Summer Collage Art Camp in Los Gatos, CA

For those of you who reside in the Bay Area, check out my collage art camp located at Twin Soul Art Studio, a creatively friendly studio space in downtown Los Gatos, CA. This week we are doing Story Cabinets, where my students use imagery, photos of sentiment and graffiti art to create a narrative inside this custom made cabinet. In the cabinet are smaller doors, mini shelves and a shadow box that allow for the imagination to crawl freely around during this week of camp. A few of my students are doing multiple large projects this week and have embarked on collaging their acoustic guitars since their recent upgrade. For now I can only post the happy faces from my camp, since the projects have not been completed, but I will post the finished products on my blog in a week or so. Since this camp is now in session, feel free to inquire or sign up for my next camp scheduled for July 11-15. The class info is on my website: Twin Soul Art Studio. You will have the time of your life!






Jeanne - Three Paper Pigs, Twin Soul Art Studio

George Takei

I love George Takei. He's an big gay-rights activist, posting awesomely hilarious videos about the cause. Here's one of my recent favorites about the proposed Tennessee "Don't Say Gay" bill.



He also has a series of promotional videos for his upcoming Broadway musical Allegiance. Can't wait for the musical to come out!

And dude. He's Sulu!

warmly,
denise (of the new denisecollier.com, formerly akemi designs)

One for the Fabric Addicts

Hello. My name is Celia and I am a fabric addict (and yarn addict, but that is another story for another day).

Not too long ago, I discovered Japanese and Korean fabrics. Since then, I have been keeping an eye on Etsy, Ebay and fabric stores for more of these gorgeous fabrics. I don't just mean fabrics with oriental prints, but also fabrics which are just plain gorgeous or cute.

There's Cosy9 fabrics on Etsy who ships from Korea. He has lots of very cute fabrics. Take a look at this giraffe one



What about this one for an apron, or some kitchen cloths?



I think this one is calling out to be turned into a cushion.



I have also found that I don't have to go so far to get my fabric fix. There is a lady who lives not too far from me who sells Korean fabric too. Perhaps something for my superhero crazy son? For me, I am still trying to work out what I can do with this gorgeous crane fabric.



And what about RetroMummy? She used to have an online store stocking the most gorgeous Japanese fabrics but I thinks he only sells in markets now. Even if you can't get to her stalls, her blog's a pretty good read, and there are always lots of pretty pictures.

What about the simple fabrics? Like this very pretty linen from Great Textiles


or this lovely herringbone fabric, also from great Textiles


So many beautiful fabrics out there and not enough time in a day to get sewing!

Hong Kong Style BBQ

Did everyone have a good time for Memorial Day?  How were the hot dogs and burgers?  You know...I had a BBQ too, but it was more Hong Kong style than American style.  We had hot dogs too, but no burgers.  Why?  Because we don't grill on the metal grate.  I don't think burgers will do very well on our apartus... the fork.

Everyone has to grill their down food!  Other common BBQ items are pork chops, chicken wings, sausages, shrimp, corn, sweet potatoes, steak and squid.  Yes.  Squid.  Very yummy!  This is the pork chops...yum!

You might have noticed the grill lines on the pork chops.  Well, we got lazy and put the grate back on :)  

This is our hot dogs and meat balls.  We like to glaze everything with honey!  

We grill shrimps and mussels by wrapping them in foil and adding some black bean and garlic sauce in it.  Sometimes, we also do veggie packs too.

My family likes to make fruit salad for BBQs.  Basically, it's apples, pears, pineapple, potato and whatever else you want to put it.  Just not mushy stuff like banana.  Then, add mayonnaise or miracle whip and mix!  Some people likes to put some black pepper or egg or fruit cocktail too.  My sister-in-law put some dried cranberries this time.

Another dessert is watermelon!  Very sweet and juicy!  We also made a dessert soup with mung beans and seaweed.  It's very good to drink mung bean soup and eat watermelon to counteract the "heat" of all the grilled food.  Hong Kong style BBQ is best with tons of people who like to sit around the fire and grill.  Hope you enjoy the food pictures!

~Joyce, Happy Cloud Moments

The Bangkokian

Greetings from Bangkok! My name is Pinn and this is my first post. I'm a crafter turned school teacher who lives in Bangkok, Thailand. I love to spin, sew, knit and draw whenever I have time. I think I love crafting so much because I'm always pleasantly surprised to see the stuff I can actually make using my own 2 hands. I also love to shop around for handmade goods by others as well as vintage items. I've been really lucky that there are plenty of good shops here in Thailand.

I'd love to say I know exactly what to write about, but the truth is, I've been sitting here writing and deleting half a dozen posts trying to capture the crazy, smog ridden frantic carousel pace of being in Bangkok and send it to you over the net. But, alas, I can not. My words and prose are just not up to the task. What I can do is tell you about the fabulous places I've hand picked from some of the best hand made shops and blogs in our city of angels. I hope they will illustrate better than I can the atmosphere of this mind boggling place. (Plus, if you take a shine to one of the items you can totally order it over the netz without having to leave the comfort of your own home :)

So grab a glass of Thai iced tea, possibly a plate of Pad Thai and enjoy!

An eclectic mix of cool new designs and jaw dropping vintage finds: andwhatelseisthere has everything you could hope for during a day out on the town.

Run by a circle of friends who expertise in various fields of design and tailoring, this shop offers hip design and excellent quality. Vivien and Ami who run their etsy shop also takes care of designing the clothes while their friends Jib and Isawan design and create uber cool leather bags and totes.

Edgy, cheeky, cool, hip, andwhatelseisthere is all these things. But let's face it, what I love most about this shop is it's unapologetic glamour.

This place lets you have a sneak peek in to the older days of Bangkok when women were mysterious and alluring and it was definitely OK to wear false lashes and striped catsuits. Over the top was the social norm.

Sadly these days Thai women more often choose cute and conservative rather than full on glam. But let's take heart that some designers still favour that seductive side.

These pieces will definitely play to that femme fatale in all of us.

(another thing I love about andwhatelseisthere is the photography. This picture captures perfectly the heat and dust of Bangkok, but is the model sweating? No. She's lovely and cool as a cucumber. Luv!)

This piece makes me want to dance all night in prints and high heels.

Gotta love the tailoring.

This bag is called "Hunk" And I definitely heart this one.

If you loved these designs then head on over to their etsy shop or check up on the latest updates and inspirations at their blog : www.andwhatelseisthere.com

Another shop that shows Bangkok at it's best is Quote studio. This shop features cute and versatile bags and totes that come in shapes and materials that make you go "Huh?" (In a good way!) Plus, these babies are super versatile, most of the designs can be transformed in to several types of bags and totes. The designers behind this brand, Vicki and Jim run a small studio in Bangkok where they design and hand make their bgas from scratch!

My favorite design from them has got to be this neat little tote. It looks darling folded in half to hold a few key items and it can unfold to full length for more storage.

Another great one is the Crisscross bag.

You can carry it using the cute criss cross style handle like in the picture or you can use the canvas strap to carry it messenger bag style.

If you love quirky, you'll love these carseat bags.

Made from carseat material this little bag is so puffy and cute, how could one resist?

OK, I hope that two shops is enough to give you a taste of what it's like here. Both the dashingly new and the rare gems left over from the golden era. If you want you can come on over to visit me at my blog (I'll try to keep it more up to date from now on.) Till next time, take care!

Carnival Party with Etsy Details!

Okay, so I did it again! I love planning parties for my kiddo! Similar to last year, my daughter and I decided on a specific theme for her 10th birthday party...CARNIVAL. Do you know how fun and creatively expansive of a concept that is? Well, in less than two short months of planning, which dwindled down to just a few days of setting up the designated room, I came up with the funnest party for twelve 4th graders! What made this carnival so visually addicting were the centerpieces and posters created by various Etsy artists. I am so grateful the marketplace of Etsy exists, for there is an undeniably infinite resource of talent on there, it's INSANE. I hope these photos will inspire you to plan your next party in crazy detail!

Carnival Posters by Missy of Boopsie Daisy

Custom Cupcake Toppers by Marilee of Marilee Jane Designs

Custom Cookies by Karen of Sugar and Flour

Marshmallow Plushie by Becky of Scrumptious Delight

Custom Doll "Crayons" by Missy of Boopsie Daisy
Hot Pink Cotton Candy by Becky of Scrumptious Delight

Custom Doll "Creamcake" by Missy of Boopsie Daisy
Green Cotton Candy by Becky of Scrumptious Delight

Jeanne - Three Paper Pigs, Twin Soul Art Studio

Jason Lee

Jason Lee has an amazing flickr photostream that show pictures of his two daughters. Now these aren't your everyday snaps of little kids. What sets his photos apart from the rest of us is his creativity, mad photoshop skills, and more patience than I'll ever have (not to mention his girls are super-duper cute).

Jason Lee also has a blog where he shares glimpses of his kids' world. You can't help but smile when looking at those incredible pictures and read the accompanying posts. That family has a lot of love, and a lot of fun.

Though no where near as awesome, here's my most recent photoshopped photo of my kiddo and me:

Now go out (or stay in, if you're lazy like me) and take some fun photos!

warmly,
denise of akemi designs

Having the hots

Well.. this probably isn't quite what you expected to read.

From time to time, my husband and I crave hot food. Not temperature hot, but chili hot.This is expected for me, having grown up in Malaysia with curries and lots of hot food (though, I must confess I was not much a fan of hot food till I reached my late teens and then something changed, and I still don't know what that is), but Chris was never brought up with hot food and yet, like me, the craving hits and then nothing will satisfy it like a good dose of Szechuan food.

To the uninitiated, Szechuan is a province in China known for its hot and spicy food. Liberal use of chilies, garlic, ginger and szechuan pepper feature in their cuisine. many dishes are topped with peanuts or sesame seeds. Among the better known dishes are kung pao chicken, mapo tofu and dandan noodles. However, szechuan cuisine extends far beyond these three dishes that have made it onto the menus of most Chinese establishments.

Our favourite place to eat when we're hit with the "hots" is a little eatery in Eastwood, just northwest of Sydney. You park at the multi storey council car park there and walk across the road to a little doorway that looks like it leads to a hole in the wall. Walk up the stairs and you will find yourself in a large-ish dining hall filled with people enjoying their "hot food".

What we order is pretty standard
Tripe and ox tongue in chili oil


Fried chicken in dried chili


While we proclaim that this is as delicious as Szechuan food gets, our little four-year-old does not agree with us. "It makes my mouth hot", he whines. Fortunately for us, they do have a few dishes for the non-chili-eater. Their dumplings are delicious and they have two varieties of that - one with a light soy sauce dressing and one in soup. Master 4 declared that the soupy one is "waaay better". They also have a tasty dish comprising of steamed egg with a meat sauce topping. Master 4 enjoys that dish with some rice on the side or a side of spring onion pancakes - fried crisp and delicious.

So next time you have a craving for something hot, try your local Szechuan restaurant. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have been enjoying "the hots".

Otakon 2011 ... Are you going?

If you are an anime fan, you just need to check out anime conventions!  The people in costumes, the merchandise, the speakers and the whole atmosphere are just amazing and mind blowing.  If you live in the Washington DC metro area or around Baltimore, you are in luck.  One of the biggest anime conventions in the East Coast is going to be in the Baltimore Convention Center from July 29th thru July 31st.  The question is... are you going to Otakon 2011?  Well, in case you are undecided, let me show you pictures from the last Otakon and tell you about my experience.


First, the cosplayers.  They put so much time and effort into their whole outfits and hair!  Check out this happy couple.  I love Tidus and Yuna from Final Fantasy X!

This is the Espada #3. Awesome costume! It's actually a guy! I love when guys dress up as girls. :)

Naruto! I really need to catch up on this series...

Edward chibi version? The greatest part about this one is that he is really short, just like Edward!

I wanted to buy everything there....but I bought mainly t-shirts because I was trying to be practical.  If I have a big shelf, I will definitely start collecting figurines!

There were so much awesome stuff!  Gundam figures, other anime figures, fan art, wall scrolls, key chains, phone charms, swords, costumes, wigs, stuffed animals, handmade kawaii hats and more!! Just look at these pics!

Otakon is not cheap though because is a three day weekend event.  But, it's worth going because it's so big.  I went to Katsucon a few months ago and it was a lot smaller.  So, get your costumes ready and I will see you at Otakon 2011 in a few months!


~Joyce, Happy Cloud Moments