Saturday, October 31, 2009

Agnes B Vins De France Wine Dinner


Friday, the end of a work week, a day to release you back to yourself.  Autumn is my favourite time of the year in HK.  No more sweat beading down my neck. 

After an all day jewellry beading class in Lamma, walking down small streets with bohemian store fronts and flip flop wearing westerner on bicycles, pace of life here seems almost like being in a small French Village.  But my loud metallic Prada platform, grey leather jacket and my fresh off the production line necklace reminded me that civilization is just around the corner.  25 minutes ferry ride and I am back into the luxurious cement jungle of IFC attending a wine dinner at Agnes' B. LaLoggia La Pain Grille hosted by Vins de France.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Food Diary


It was the Chung Yeung long weekend and every long weekend means lots of eating involved. But I did not expect that much eating!

Sunday-Chung Yeung Festival we went to Cheung Chau Island to sweep the grave of our ancestor. We say our preys, light fire crackers and had candy and snacks. Brought over a whole crispy Roasted Pork, chicken, goose, was suppose to be hard work. So we cooked up a big meal to feed our hungry souls.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Marco, My carrot

Another check off my lists to do in 10 years! 10k run, check! Thanks to Marco today, I ran my first 10k in 1 hour and 15 mins. Enough to qualify me for the 10k for UNICEF November 28.

Running is definitely addictive. Although I will walk like a penguin for the rest of the night, I am already thinking about how I can improve my run tomorrow. My mistake today is I ate too much at lunch and I ran 2 hours after I had a bowl of rice with chicken and broccoli. After today's run I actually have a stomach ache and feel nauseated. After all this is my first 10k, I have run 7k before but the last 3k was definitely harder. Another thing is I did not have my music today...such a dry run. Thanks to Marco who keep pushing me to run on time, or else, if I was by myself, I would have given up already! Marco was my carrot and I was the fat horse behind it trying to catch up!!!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Forest Gump


Sunny and dry at Blue Mountain, Canada. I decided to go for a run. We are staying at Janet's cousin's farm house and is about 6 km from the nearest town. She suggested that I take a run downtown and she will ride along with her and catch up with me at the local farmer's market with Cayenne. "It is mostly down hill anyway." She suggested. Sound good to me, not too difficult and something to look forward to after a nice run.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Old Navy Run




Woke up this morning with another day of sun shine. First up, feed the monster. Bananas, Muffins and blueberries. Her little fingers were working hard but still most of everything went onto the floor and Haley is getting the picture that Cayenne's surrounding is a good feeding ground.

Matt, Jonathan's brother left today after a nice dinner last night. Jeanie went setup at the Pontiac fair. She has a bling business that seems to be doing better each year even thought the Michigan Economy is in the shitter.

But today, I have an agenda, I hit the pavement for about 30 minutes, had some lunch and I am ready for Old Navy. I know it is cheap stuff but I have been craving disposable clothing and some good old American shopping, meaning shopping with a extra large trolley (Cart).

Friday, September 4, 2009

What I missed about the US


It is refreshing to be back in the states. The weather is just beautiful today in Michigan. Blue sky, sunny, in the 70s which is about 20s C.

Day 2: Family reunion with the Mather family

Woke up about 6am today, Cayenne slept through out the night with just a little rolling around.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Back to the US

After a year and a half, we are back to the US visiting families. It is also Cayenne's first time to the US. We were really nervous about this trip, partly because of the long plane rides and jet lag. We arrived monday afternoon to Michigan, and we will be heading up to Ontario, Toronto and Blue Mountain, then to DC for a couple of days and end up in Japan for 2 days to visit friends. This is really ambitious and I will have to keep a diary to see if this trip is worth it.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Turn a page

The past month went by so quickly. Turning a new leaf in HK. Started working for Shamrock catering to be their part time sales and marketing manager there. It is so nice that I finally found a company that I can work part time with freedom. It is also a flash back of what I did in the US. I was hired to roll out their boxed lunch program in HK. This is a new concept for HK, I think there are lots of potential but it is hard to get started when there is other fish to fry in the company.

Working for a small company is nice because your opinion is valuable. Your ideas really get utilized and your effort counts. However, you also get to do everything and trouble shoot is the best job description of this job. In a day, I could be do a flyer, then create a menu for client, drive to canvas an office building, sell some lunches at a school, translate a chinese menu to English, manage a kids birthday party and cold calling clients all in one day!

This is the difference between working for a large company that you have to play by the book and work within the box. I am not sure if I can do that anymore and follow the rule book and punch in at 9am sharp. To be honest, it never worked for me. I always have to challenge authority.

I really enjoy the part where I get to make important decision and see a new project that I roll out mature and become a success. Although it is risky, it is the most rewarding thing being an employee. Talking about being an employee, wow, I am liking it. Especially after being my own boss for so long, it is so nice not to worry about much at the end of your work day and just go home and chill. It might be nice to say I am the boss, but deep down, you are really an under paid and under appreciated person that hopes to make it one day. It is never enough, it is never successful enough. You are always looking for investor, you are always looking for new avenue to improve your company. It could be fun but it could also be draining. It takes every ounce out of you having your own business.

That is why I decided to sell my business before I have Cayenne. I cannot handle the pressure and do both. I might not make as much money, but at least at the end of the day, I can relax and enjoy my baby. I never thought I would find an employer that will tolerate my feeling about work, but I am glad, this seems to be working so far. We will see!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Metro Wonderland


Had been so busy with work, baby and planning parties. The latest was our boat trips yesterday, so much fun! Hong Kong is just fantastic in that regards. Lots of avenue for lots of fun. Junk trips are on of the things that is a must have in the hot summer sea in HK. I have been to lots of trips when I was a kid but this is the first time that I planned with my friends. Nice weather, nice boat, good food, wakeboard, but the most important, good company. Everyone had such a good time and so chill and cool about everything. Having a good mix of fun and relaxed people is one of the most important element when it comes to a good party. You can only do so much to please the crowd but if they are all tight and stuck up there is nothing you can do to make them happy.

Picking the right people to party with is very important. It depends on the nature of your party and what you want to accomplish you have to pick the guest you want to attend. Easy said than done! We got lucky yesterday, everyone had the same goal, to have a good time and soak up the sun and sea. No agenda, no worries, just let go.

Why is it so hard sometimes for people to let loose and just surrender for some fun and laughter? Maybe it is my personality that I don't get it. I got a long list of things to do in life that I cannot waste my time in life. Got to have fun while you can or else, life will just past you by.

Anyway, I am talking smack now. But I want to just shout out to all the new friends that I met this weekend. Had so much fun! Stay chill and keep partying!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Low Fat Banana cake with blue berries (Cayenne's Birthday Cake)


I am going to bake a cake based on Cayenne's favorite foods. Blueberries, bananas and cream. I found this recipe from joythebaker.com and really enjoyed it. It is low in fat, not too sweet and the best part is can use all the old bananas that Cayenne cannot finish and make it into breakfast for the family. Here is the recipe for the cake

Low Fat Oatmeal Banana Bread

1 1/4cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp canola or walnut oil
1 large egg, beaten
2 medium egg white, beaten
3 large bananas, ripe
1 cup uncooked old fashioned oats

Preheat oven to 35oF. Grease and flour a loaf pan and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients including the oats and cinnamon.

In a small bowl, mash bananas with a fork. Add oil and whole egg and mix well.

Add wet ingredients into the dry and mix well. Batter will be thick.

In a medium sized bowl, with an electric hand mixer, beat egg whites until soft peak. Fold egg whites into batter in three additions.

Pour batter into pan and bake until top of loaf is firm to touch, 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Flip out and cool on a wire rack for another 10 minutes. Slice loaf into 10 equally size slices.

In this case, I use this as my cake base and I used a 9 inch and a 6 inch round pan.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Copy Cat


15 more days and my baby Cayenne will turn one! I spent the whole day blogging and hanging out with her. She is quite the copy cat full of tricks. Blowing kisses, clapping hands, refusing things that she dislike, dancing when she hears her favorite music, and the best part, giving juicy kisses. Just when I thought I am getting bored with motherhood, there comes a curve ball. I found myself starting to talk to her and she looks at me like she understands. Instead of lets play with the ball, now I have to say lets throw the red ball. She is addicted to Cbeebies from BBC, there is a lot of positive programs, talking about friendships, dancing and learning about animals. I caught myself watching with her as well. There are actually quite a number of kids channel, Baby TV, Disney, Nic..the lists goes on. I think they are all good, but for Cayenne being so active and need constant stimulation, Cbeebies works for her. She has no interest with Baby TV, I think because their cartoons are too slow and soft for her. She likes jumpy music and also looking at kids play. I am not too sure if I like Disney yet, their theme seems to evolved around princesses and fairy tales. I am not sure if I like the dreamy part of things and teaching her about the whole princess world. Why do one want their kids to feel like a princess??? I really don't get that. Can someone explain that to me? I was never brought up as a princess, maybe that's why I don't get it.

Now that Cayenne really is registering knowledge in her brain, I have to be careful of what I teach her and what not to let her get away with. Like all of a sudden, she hates everything with straps. Car seats, high chair, strollers...O G she is one active little monkey. Other kids stay nicely in their high chair, but Caye manages to crawl out of the high chair and climbed onto the table. Not sure if that is teachable. But then, her monkey strength is what I admire about her too. She is strong at an early age. At two months, she already wants to stand. She doesn't like to sit unless we folded her legs and make her sit. She wants to walk, and now boy can she climb and crawl. On the couch, off the couch, all day long if I let her.

Before I have Cayenne, I always think, my dogs are more or like kids, they eat, wine, poop, make a mess, want to snuggle and know when they did something wrong. But with Cayenne, I now understand my responsibility just got bigger. I cannot let her see the ugly side of me, she will copy, she will learn and she will take advantage of me if I let her. She is already copying me and I just don't know it!

Art Jam wonderland


I have never heard of the concept of Art Jam until I moved back to HK. Bonart is the company that I used( highly recommended ). They bring all the things like paint, brushes, canvas, easels and all the special tools. The best part is, no clean up. So all you need to do is just to show up and paint your hearts out. The first time we had a bunch of friends at my house and I did and 7 course dinner with champagne and the second time we did it at my mom's gallery for an afternoon tea Jam session. It was truely an experience. Looking at how people paint and using different tools, people's true charactor really comes out. Family portraits, pets, daughters, smiley faces, abstract scenery, rain drops, letter Cs, favorite colors, so many different styles and thoughts. If you want to know them well, just ask them to paint with you and you will see what they care about.

I have always been scared about painting. The first time, I was really worried and scared of making the wrong moves. Is this color right, should I do this first or I should use this brush. I guess it was the unknown that caught me off guard. But then, the second time, I felt a lot more at ease. Free flow painting is always difficult, what do you really want to say, how should you say it and what people will think about it.

But with all the expression and looking at what other people painted, you really find out that art does not have a form. It is what you feel at that moment. You might not like what you painted, but others might think it is impressive. It is not like a conversation, you said something and you forget about it. When you paint on a canvas, it is perminent, unless you burn it, it will stay with you forever. It is a diary of your thoughts with colors and imaginations. Every time you paint, is different from the last, leaving you much room to desire for the next.

Painting is also risk taking. Kinda like daily lifes, should you do this first and then add this or should you jump right in to the hardest part of the painting. Do you second guess your decision? I wanted to paint flowers with long grass, but it didn't come out the way I wanted it, should I paint it all over again or how do I add something to cover up my tracks? This is all that went through my mind. Painting, is drama, is scary, is risky, is remembering, is releasing, is relaxing, is imagining, is an expression, is life!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Let there be cake


So another cake experiment. Not too shabby this time. I put a twist on Jonathan's childhood birthday cake made by his mother Janet every year. I turned it into a chocolate cake for my dad's 60th birthday cake. It was a chocolate cake mix with orange juice and zest, top with meringue and berries covered with chocolate whipped cream. I decorated the cake with Linden Chocolate thins, mixed berries and for the cake topper, I cut out big 60 with butter cookie and royal icing and added edible gold for glamor. The cake was so tall after all the decorations, I was pretty nervous holding on to it on the ride to the restaurant. It was only a 9inch cake but it was enough for 30+ people. I did had fun making the cake topper, butter cookie was a lot harder than I thought, the royal icing was a bitch to be clean, definitely need practice. The humidity and heat here make it hard to dry. Need to remember to work on it sooner next time. The taste of the cake was well received. I reduced the sugar in the recipe and also substitute with Equal for some of the sugar. Since it is a health conscious crowd, I want to make sure it is on the light side. That is also one of the difficulty in HK, people like light fluffy cakes, not the intense flavor that I am used to in the US. Lots of my favorite recipes had to be adjusted to HK taste. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it is just wrong. Always trial and error.

Then I also made some edible picture frames for name cards. It was so well received, I put some of my dad's best pics on it and made it look like a picture frame. When people found out it was edible, they were so excited about it. They most likely will not get eaten but it was the wow factor for the evening. I would definitely use it again for weddings or other events. I know Chinese thinks that its not such a good idea to have pics on a cake and be cut or eaten, but we don't have to put pictures, we can put logos, symbols, even fun clip arts. With some imagination, old tricks can be chic and different.

The waiting game

Today is not a good day, I had to deal with my least favorite, the waiting game. Waiting is definitely something that I am not good at. Why is it so difficult to wait for the right moment, why do I always jump into things. I guess sometimes I think if I don't do it right away, I will loose the moment or I chicken out and got lazy. I also hate waiting to open presents. It drives me crazy at Christmas when people send me gifts and I cannot open it right away. I also cannot wait for people to open the gift that I give them. I always get so anxious when they open my gift. Is impulse good? Impulse gets me up to do things and do something different. But impulse also got me into trouble before. So when is a good time to wait and when is a good time to jump into things, I guess, I still have to learn a lot more to find out.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Out playing




July 23rd, hottest day of the year! Woke up early today but not sure what to do. I hate that feeling. So I signed myself up for some tough yoga at Yogalimbs. I had no choice but to take Vincent's class. He always end up killing me, today is no exception. 4 Chairs, 4 triangles, 4 bridge, wheel, countless intense sun salutation and abs work. That did me good! Sweating bullets, who said yoga is just relaxing. I do feel really good after that, actually feel more energized. Then I went to the slowest nail salon to get my nails done for the weekend. I usually do my own nails, but once a month I get it done so it looks and feel nicer.

What's next? I took Cayenne to the playground at Po Lum. It was a nice big new park with lots of slides and swings. Cayenne was not so sure about the swing at first but after much convincing, she was doing it by herself. Then we played with the slides, then her shoes fell off and then she got wild and start crawling every where, up and down the slides. Besides from getting black toe nails and a few mosquito bites, she had a ball! I was worn out after chasing her around. Good exercise for the both of us. I really like all these facility at TKO, we have awesome pools, playgrounds and new malls. That's something hard to find in the US. Especially in a public estate environment.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Open rice or Throwing Rice?


It has been non stop eating since the beginning of July jam packed with dinner engagements and birthday parties. After being back to HK for a year now, I am getting back into the entertainment scene. Jonathan being a wine distributor definitely opens a lot of restaurant doors. Just for the past month or so, we have tried....ahaa........... Bo Innovation for people watching lunch and dinner; BLT Steak becomes our good steak for the buck; Roka which was ok, but feel sorry for them for not having much dinner business; Thai Basil, don't know why I keep going back there and getting pissed off; Top Deck, sucks when it rains and you are the only one table for the night; Vero Chocolate, too good to eat the chocolate, Cafe Deco, old but still remains; One Bar, endless oysters and not so noticiable New Zealand wine; Wooden Table, amazing cheese that took all the attention; The Pawn, to die for fish and chips and good drinks, not so much anything else; Morten's Steak House, The STEAK and The CARROT CAKE and The BILL; Classified Mozzarelle Bar, cheese is more expensive than meat. O my god, out of breath! Each of them deserve a page on their own...I will slowly work on it.

I have used openrice.com when I first came back to HK. Jonathan rely on me to read OR to see which restaurant to go to because he cannot read chinese. So at the beginning, I religiously check everytime I try some new place, I even wrote a couple comments myself, but then, it starts to disappoint me. It seems to me that the standard of people varies on openrice.com. Taste is so subjective, depends on age, ethicnicity and experience, I think it is wrong some people give such harsh and personal comments. Maybe I was once in the restaurant industry, I have an extra appreciation on what goes behind the scene. But I also have high expectation when it comes to service and price. If I am paying top dollars, I better get good service and a good piece of meat. But if it is a cheap joint, I won't complain if my utensils are chipped or the service is bad. Being realistic is very important when I dine. There are certain restaurants that should not make it and there are restaurant that simply is not your cup of tea. I think there is a difference. Openrice.com is a good place to find what is in your neighborhood, but don't take their word for it. Remember, they are not words of professional, use your own judgement!!!

Clean Slate






The day that I found out I was pregnant with Cayenne my whole world changed. I had a successful Catering business, I had employees, I had clients, I had respect and boom! I can care less. All I can think of is how I can take care of both babies. My business was my baby. I sleep and eat with my business. Always trying to find new top clients, try to introduce new things to the menu. Always busy on the go, one Christmas after another, one party bigger and more challenging than the other. Then the idea of Cayenne comes around and all the drama and hard work seems less important. I became lazy with work, I don't care as much and to the point, I am done with it. It is like I fell out of love with Y.Lo Epicure. How is that possible, something that I have worked so hard for all of a sudden felt unimportant. I was luck enough to have sold my business to a passionate young lady. She was perfect at it, if not even better than I was.

Fast forwarding to now, me sitting in my living room writing my blog, Cayenne taking a nap in the other room, me thinking of what to do in the afternoon with Cayenne, playroom or swimming? Why not do both! haha...I would have never guessed life would be so different from a year ago. I don't think the stay at home mode will last forever, but at least for now, I am taking a break from being the career women. I think when Cayenne is in grade school, then life will be different as well. I learn to never say never, there is always a time and place to everything, so long if you give yourself a chance and live it up with no regrets.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Wooden Table at Fortress Hill


Under the threat of typhoon signal #8, Jonathan, Maggie and I tough it out to try out Wooden Table at Fortress Hill. Here is the invitation and details:

Wooden Table
French Wine, French Cheese & Ham
Buffet Evening
Sat, 18th July., 2009
13 French wines; 8 French cheeses
to taste!!

Cheese (air-flown from France , unpasteurized!!)
Iberico Bellota ham(24mths)
Canapés salad
main course
cakes & desserts
$335HKD
6:30 – 10:00pm
reservation recommended.
Tel : 2570 3939
1/F., AT Tower, 180 Electric Rd. , Fortress Hill, H.K.

Living in the US for 15 years, I don't think I have tasted that many unpasteurized cheese all at the same time. It was truly amazing!!! The cheese were fragrant and sharp yet delicate. We tasted a settle blue, two super creamy brie, a strong goat cheese, a cows milk hard cheese and several others, I wish I know all their names, they were all in French. I need to remember next time to take the information instead of just chowing down. The cheese were flown in through a french distributor who collect different cheese and aged them on their own. She said if we like we can order directly from them. I have to get their info. We must have 4-5 rounds of cheese along with many tasty wines. My husband is the wine expert(check out his wine blog), but I just know when I taste a good one. One of the highlights of the night was the 24 months Iberico Ham, it was moist, rich and creamy. Serving in thin slices room temp, I really can taste the sweetness of the meat and the tenderness of the aging process. That totally brings me back to Spain in Valencia where we tasted all different kinds of Iberico ham. And all the ham sandwiches that we ate at road side gas stations. They were not your typical Subway sandwiches, these are Iberico ham with sharp local cheese served on a really thin and crisp French Bread sandwiches. Truly the best sandwiches, let along from a gas station. Europeans really have it down when it comes to enjoying life. In the US, you will find Twix and Diet coke in a gas station but in Europe, the gas station is equipped with chic restaurants, nice bathrooms and modern furniture. Just a different way of life.

Back to Wooden Table, the vibe was warm and inviting with friendly low key staff. Brick wall, wicker chairs and wooden table was the interior elements. Although we did not try their regular menu, we did see some good stuff coming out of the kitchen, from pasta to oysters. For our entrees, we tried the Sea bass with butter cream sauce and the 2 cut beef stew. Not sure where the sea bass was from, it was fresh but definitely no comparison to Chilean Sea bass. The dish overall was light and simple. Jonathan had the beef stew which consist of ox tail and chuck roast. Flavor was well balanced and layered. Oxtail was juicy and tender but I found it lack salt.

Dessert was Tirimisu cake, chocolate mousse, creme brulee, Oreo crusted NY style cheese cake and butter cookies. I thought that was the mute part of the evening. The taste was OK but we all felt that it was not worth the calories, we rather eat another plate of cheese. Well, maybe we were too into the cheese and it took the taste buds away from the dessert. Maybe serving more citrus or berries would be a better combination with the rest of the dinner.

I think we definitely picked the right place for a stormy night, cozy and lay back. Will definitely come back for somemore wine dinners, we all thought it was good bang for the buck. The manager said they have these wine dinners through out the months but this is the first for the cheese tasting. I hope they do it again!!!!

Saturday, July 18, 2009

The Truth Comes Out at Weddings

What is the real purpose of having a wedding? As a host, that is the first thing you have to think about. Do you care about your guest's well being? Do you care about the people who helped make this dream come true? I always say, a wedding brings out the true colors of people. I once lost a dear friend at my own wedding, and I think I am not the only one to have that experience.

Being slow roasted in the hot July sun and then rained on with Typhoon #8 on the way were the highlights of the day. Today I volunteered in a HK wedding where I was in charged of booking the music talent, video crew, taking pictures for the planner and the design of a golf ball chocolate gift. I worked on this event based on the idea of seeing what a professional Hong Kong wedding is all about.

We were lucky that the rain did not come until after the signing ceremony and magic show. Yes they have a tent with air con, but no, they don't have a back up plan in case of rain. I just really feel for the bride and groom that melted in the heat, volunteers who worked at the venue and people who brave out the wedding. To say the least, it was memorable. The venue was beautiful but the service did not live up to the view. With no anticipation of rain, knowing Typhoon # 8 is coming, guests ended up having hors d'oeuvres on bare bone banquet tables with no tablecloth indoor.

However, the most memorable part of the whole day was when I was trying to leave the venue. Venue had shuttle bus that drops guests off at the parking lot or nearby bus and taxi terminal. There were no taxi available at the club house because of heavy rain, so I took the shuttle bus with a few guest from the wedding. Hopping into the shuttle with me was a lady dressed in a very nice silk dress along with her exhausted cute little 6 years old daughter dressed in a pink chiffon dress. We took the shuttle to the parking lot to try to catch a taxi only to find out there were none available. Everyone from the neighboring theme park were just let out because of rain. The bus lane were jammed with frustrated sweaty tourists, trying to avoid the rain and climbing onto the already full bus. Without an umbrella, the pretty mom willfully picked the little girl up and covered her head with a tissue paper and cue in line with the rest of the crowd. Finally jammed into the bus, they managed to squeeze into a wet seat and finally left the venue.

As an event planner, I really learned something new today. What is your true task? Sounds like everything. To satisfy your client, keep things under budget, ensure events go according to schedule, think about all the unthinkable, predict all the unpredictable, satisfy your guests and make sure your event ends with a high note. Like the end of a meal, who cares about the juicy steak when your dessert sucks. For all the event planners out there, keep up the good work and remember there is always something new to learn.


Friday, July 17, 2009

Swimming


Just took Cayenne swimming at Silver Strand Beach. It was such a nice afternoon, water was clear and not that many people. I am so glad I took Cayenne for swim class at an early age. Now she enjoys swimming and she loves crawling on the sand. She learned how to dive in the water and do a small swim from A to B. I highly recommended Harry Wright Swim Class. Everyone saw her at the beach and thinks that she is so brave at a young age. I think every kid is capable of swimming and doing everything, you just need to expose them to all the possibilities. I am very conscious of not influencing her on my own fear.
Like Skiing, I would love to be good at it but my fear completely over power everything when I am on the ski slope. Therefore, after numerous tries, I made a conclusion that I am happier as a ski bunny having hot cocoa at the lodge. But I really hope Cayenne will take after her dad and will enjoy skiing.

New Beginning




This blog is my food for thoughts about family life, work, and most importantly food and restaurant experience.

To begin, lets talk a little bit about my life. My immediate family consist of Jonathan, my husband , Cayenne my 11 months old daughter, Molly my black lab and my nanny/housekeeper Lina. Watching Cbeebies with Caye while thinking how my life has changed since her birth, I cannot help but wonder, what is my next move. I have always been a career oriented person but ever since I found out I was pregnant with Cayenne, that button just got turned off! It is until recently that it has come back on and itching to be pushed again. Still, I am more confused than ever! I don't quite fit in to the full time motherly figure, yet I am not interested in the career woman idea. After living in the US for 15 years, Jonathan and I moved to Hong Kong( my home town) about a year ago. Very dramatic, I lost my beloved my french bull dog meimei, gave birth to Cayenne, helped Jonathan get through numerous job interviews and his EMBA admission, adjusting to HK lifestyle and attitude, the death of my Grandmother and on and on all in one year! Win or lose, give and take... lets begin!