what are you doing new year's eve?

i will probably spend the time reading 1q84 and belly-rubbing milly.
cheers to everyone, happy new year!

home sweet home

i am showered with love-filled mom&dad-made food. i already feel like i gained 5lbs :(









my dad makes amazing cocktails, gin&tonic with a special twist. it was red and green, so festive!
christmas eve is also my dad's birthday so it is always full of food, love and presents. happy birthday dad, love you always♡





i love being home for the holidays♥

family bowling

it's boxing day and we are not too crazed about shopping without my sister. since she had to work, we went bowling on boxing day. they had boxing day special, $10 for 3 hours of unlimited bowling!! amazing! toronto  bowling is so expensive compared to bowling prices in windsor.

my parents haven't bowled in more than 15 years and i was shocked by how good they were. i underestimated them. ha. i usually score an average of 100 points, so i did my share but that was not enough. i lost the betting game and had to buy dinner. we went to my parents' favourite pho restaurant for some warm pho. mmmmm. it's so good to be home :D

how to take good pictures

i bought three books on my way home from dinner with my sister the other day. at dollar a book, it was a great bargain! and the how to take good pictures was an awesome find!!! it's published by kodak in 1982. i just love looking at these retro photographs. the book has useful tips on photography too. i love this book!!

taking photos of food is hard....

ever since i started blogging about food, i find myself struggling to take photos of food especially in a dimly lit restaurants. food photography is some serious procedure. i've searched google (how will i ever live without you) to learn some tips on taking food photos.


white board! that was the secret behind it! but it is highly unlikely that i will be carrying my own reflective board when i am dining out. also, how silly would that look? by the time the food is served, i feel bad for friends dining with me to wait for me to get that one good photo. i don't need extra commotion to delay the hunger longer. meanwhile, i am going to study and practice on getting the angle right, and hopefully photoshop will help me at best ☺

for yummy reviews visit threepurpleplates.blogspot.com


awesome food photography tips:
http://www.mycookinghut.com/2008/12/02/tips-on-food-photography
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/10-tips-to-improve-your-food-photography-styling
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/angles-for-food-photography
http://souvlakiforthesoul.com/food-and-prop-styling-for-food-bloggers

london fog

homemade london fog recipe:

Homemade London Fog Tea Latte

8-oz strong Earl Grey Tea, hot

4-oz milk

3 tbsp vanilla syrup

Pour hot Earl Grey tea into a large mug or other serving glass. 

Stir in vanilla syrup.

Steam milk, or heat it in the microwave and whisk until very frothy, and pour it into the sweetened tea.

Serve immediately.

this year's choice of winter drink is william's london fog. last year i was hooked on second cup's hazelnut latte (extra shot, half sweetened, skim milk). london fog's taste depends on the type of tea bag used and williams's (well at least the one by work) uses lipton earl grey which seem to have the best taste compared to second cup or starbucks (also near work). i bought a cup of london fog almost everyday at $4 a cup. i can probably get a sandwich for less from tim hortons. since i discovered london fog is basically harmony of earl grey, vanilla and steamed milk, i ordered earl grey with shot of vanilla and added the milk myself. it tastes very similar, bit milder. now at $2 per cup, i can enjoy a nice semi-london fog to warm me up :D

truffles and mini hottie

i got more awesome christmas gifts today. meichen, sista girlfriend, gifted me with delicious homemade truffles along with an awesome drawing of a cat. the truffles are filled with caramel and grand marnier. they are soooooo yum. i'm gonna have to ask for the recipe ☺ also shuyu, the adorable and talented embroidery master, gifted me with a mini pocket hand warmer in a cute cozy. awwww. this winter surely feels especially warm thanks to many ♥ i am receiving from friends ♫ thank you so much!!

making wishing christmas cards

this year i hoped to have screen printed cards for my families and friends, but due to scheduling conflicts, i decided to be crafty with paper instead. i bought a sheet of christmasy paper and recycled some of the old christmas cards from previous years. i didn't have a glue stick and used white glue, which resulted in bit of paper wrinkling... sigh... when i was drafting designs, i thought the snowflake was going to be the best but in the end, turns out the sweater and the hat became my favourite. i wish i had time to make more...

merry christmas everyone :D

agnes martin

remembering Agnes Martin (March 22, 1912 – December 16, 2004)

thank you for your inspiring works.