Dawn Rising Sun

There wasn't huge birthday celebration on SL's birthday, because it was a working day, so that SL and I only planned to have our dinner at Todai Seafood Buffet in Portland, this is a restaurant that Russ and Claire told us last month, they introduced us that the restaurant would provide free meal on your birthday. We left office early on 20th January and we arrived to Todai at about 7pm, restaurant's environment is look good and their foods are arranged in row, which are easy too find and take. Also, they provided crab and shrimp, but we didn't find lobster as CP told us. In the restaurant, we could eat sushi, fresh crab, shrimp, fried noodle, fried rice, lot of desserts and much more, I think I like the coconut shrimp the most, but I still think Saburo is better choice for me, I still couldn't forget the huge unagi sushi in Saburo until now. Perhaps, I went to a few Japanese buffet in Malaysia, therefore I didn't find Todai was too special to me, I still think ...

Hmm... I think I am too hard to entertain. When I was in Penang and seperated with SL, I kept saying that I miss SL and wanted to meet with him as soon as possible; but when I am in US now with SL, then I just complain that I miss my friend and want to gather with them then. What do I want? Am I really so conflict? I arrived here for about two months, but most of my time is with SL, I just feel this life is so isolated, I actually don't like this kind of life, I like to have friend with me, close friend. Though I still have some friends here, we still less to meet because everyone has their companion and SL is kind of homeboy, who seldom to go out, therefore I am his wife has to be together with him as well. I just suddenly feel my life in Penang was much enjoying. For me, I need to take time with people and build up trust before I can be really mixed up with them, therefore it is really hard for me to have close friends, then we can talk freely. Perhaps, I should change my mindset...

Time is ticking fast, SL's birthday is coming soon, just within 3 hours, I got some friends recommended on a cake shop in US, to be specific, it is an ice cream cake shop, they said it is heaven :P After checking online, SL found there are three famous ice cream/ice cream cake shops in US, which are Baskin Robin, Dairy Queen and Cold Stone. Among three, Cold Stone is the most expensive as they claim that their ice cream is daily fresh prepare. For sure, I would like to have a try. From the Cold Stone website, we found that they provide a free scope of ice cream for the birthday guy and there also will be USD3 off on a birthday cake purchase, if we provided the printed voucher to the shopkeeper. After work on today, SL and I just headed directly to Cold Stone Creamery in Tanasbourne, which is near to the Safeway, for our free scoop annd birthday cake. Finally, we got Peanut Butter Playground for SL's birthday cake, we also got a free scoop of Cold Stone ice cream. The most speci...

It's Saturday again, well I was not in good mood in morning, my emotion was playing by hormon, which I felt a little despair, I think I missed my friends in Penang, I just didn't feel good for our lonely life here, we spend most of our life here for being two people for about two months in US, which I find hard without other friends. However, SL is different because he would be happy as long as I am happy by his side, I know I need to learn for it. When I was emotional down, then I just tried to remember how good SL to me, then I felt better and we restored to normal in afternoon. Later, we decided to try pizza from Papa Murphy f0r our dinner because we got some coupon from the store, we would get a free cheesy bread with purchased a regular pizza. Papa Murphy's pizza was ready in raw, that we needed to bake it in oven when we were ready to comsume, the pizza was fresh prepare in store for your favor. Well, I like the taste of Chicken Bacon Artichoke deLITE, though it was a...

"The Lake House", one of my favourite movie, that I remembered I watched it together with SL in 2006, the story touched my heart so much, which I would cry at the end of the movie. Tonight, this movie is shown on TV in US, that I couldn't help wanted to watch it, twice. Yes, it was showing twice at tonight and I watched it twice. Though the same story repeated, my eyes still welled up at the end of movie, of course twice. The Lake House is really a great love story to me, I love it so much, it is about a couple who lived seperated in two years timeframe, they kept contacted through a mailbox at Lake House, they communicated and fell in love. Though they lived in different timeframe, they still could loving so long to each other, sometime I would think this is similar with my seperation with SL last year, but we were much better than them. However, it is different tonight with 3 years plus ago, I watched it alone, without SL by my side, he was just busy on doing his things...

I read a friend's blog recently, who likes to do baking and she was making Scottish Shortbread lately, which I found her recipe is quite simple to make, therefore SL and I decided to have a try with her Scottish Shortbeard. Finally, we found our result is great, which our shortbread is nice, I like this recipe, because it easy to make and doesn't take us too much time to prepare, and the more important thing is simple ingredients which we can simply get it in our house. Here I shared the recipes from her blog, also a reminder on my next scottish shortbread baking. Actually, I took longer baking time than 10 minutes until my shortbread went brown, this might because of my shortbread is too thick :P Surely, baking is the best activity for a couple during their free time. Ingredients: 200g all purpose flour 60g cornstarch (cornstarch can give a more delicate tasting shortbread, with melt-in-your-mouth texture) 1/4 teaspoon salt 226g unsalted butter, room temperature 60g powdered s...

Today is our last day of New Year long holidays, SL and I decided to go for ski for today, actually SL didn't want to go for the trip, it was insisted by me because I think that we should at least try once in our life for skiing experience. Skiing is a sport that we couldn't try in Malaysia, then this is a chance in the life for us to try in US, therefore I argued to SL that I surely wanted to have it try out :P Before we went for ski, we needed to find a waterprood pant, so that we won't be too cold if snow stained on our pant, fortunately we found a suitable pant in ROSS, which only costs us USD10, and we even got it is a ski pant, it is much valuable than other, because a ski pant normally would cost about USD100. Finally, on today 3 Jan 2010, SL and I woke up early this morning and prepared ourselve to Mount Hood, the highest mountain in Oregon, there are a few ski locations in Mount Hood and we chose Skibowl, because it is the cheapest (this is valuable to us as a firs...

It's new year again, I expected something special would happen especially in US, but it doesn't seem to be. On the afternoon, I went to gym to have some exercises, I didn't do proper exercise for a few months, which makes me felt good, at least I know that I had burnt some of my calories. Then, SL and I had dinner at "Taco Bell", a Mexican fast food restaurant, this was my first visit but I don't really like it, Mexican foods just don't seem suitable to my appetite, however I think the price is worth for a meal, as we paid about USD6.50 for two people and we still felt full until end of the day. Later at night about 9pm, SL and I decided travelled to Portland downtown, we expected for some special events there for new year celebration. There we travelled with Trimet train as Trimet provided free transportation from 8pm of new year eve until 3am, the journey took about 45 minutes to get to Pioneer Square. Once we arrived to Pioneer Square, we saw a huge Chr...

Finally, Year 2009 goes to an end soon and we move forward to a new year 2010, another conclusion for the past year. I would say my 2009 is quite a fructuated year, mixture with sad and happy emotion, but finally ended up with happy ending. This year is the first complete year for my newly married life, but I needed to stay apart with my hubby for about half of the year, we are seperated staying in US and Malaysia during May, June, August, September, October and November, SL needed to work in US due to work needs, I was struggling so hard between my marriage and career at March and April on making selection to stay in Malaysia or US, but finally we decided for seperation. However, we had planned for reunited at July and winter, which would finish up all my leaves until to get Personal Leave of Absence. Perhaps, it was a correct decision for staying apart, an opportunity opened which allow me to work in US as well at the end of year when SL got his assignment extension. Though it was re...