The Loved Dog

Time flies, especially when Puchi is around. She is five months old now and weighs three and half pound. She had her first grooming visit two weeks ago (when I was away). She looks so different now. We still think she looks cuter with her long eyebrow. She is probably getting into her adolescense and starts to challenge her rights and boundaries. It means we need to be extra patient with her. She has been having problem jumping on guests. Because of her size, she often has to stand on two feet to reach people's hand. The problem is people don't mind her because her size makes it look cute instead of agressive or a threat. So now, we are working on training her "Sit on greeting".I've caught a nice deal at the bargain books isle. It's The Loved Dog by Tamar Geller. I have to say it's a GREAT book and totally recommend for all dog owners. It really helps me in understanding dog training and building a better relationship with Puchi. It's about the Loved Dog way not the old military way.

Have a great weekend!

Vacation Report

I'm so grateful that I can take some time off for my little long trip to Vancouver. I was surprised by the extremely smooth flight and the friendly crew from United on my way up. But I couldn't wait to get off the flight for the great food awaiting. Granville Island has always been my favourite place. Public market, delicious food, French Bakery, kids market, specialty shops, musicians... It is just so nice there.I found these little handmade pins by The Pin Pals at Paper Ya. So cute!!

There are a lot of Pitch & Putt parks in Vancouver. It's a lot of fun and great exercise. There are people practicing seriously and there are people playing like grown-up mini golf like me. =P
It is unusual but not surprising. From time to time, you may see mommy duck taking little duckies crossing the road and walking around neighborhoods.I wrapped my trip with one of my favourite food, poutine fries on my way back. It is French fries covered by cheese curds and brown gravy. So delish!!

Happy Tuesday! =)

Book and Artichokes

Like many of you, we went to see Star Trek over the weekend. I don't know if it is a coincidence, I ended up pick the Up Til Now by William Shatner, the original Captain Kirk, in the book store afterwards. We've known him from Boston Legal, Priceline, Star Trek and the book is much more than that. It brings us to his amazing life adventure in his humorous way.

I couldn't resist to take a snap shot of these beautiful artichokes.Happy Tuesday!

First Item Ever...

.... in my etsy shop. It is just a simple little green shirt. Is it me or what, I just think that's so cute and it looks amazing great with jeans. Happy Wednesday!

New drawing

I always have a special attachment with colour pencils. There's something magical about it that I can't explain. It brings me so much joy everytime I use them. These are the new works I was very excited about.

Freckle KidSnail

Happy Tuesday!

Story Time

We've been going to Ikea quite a lot recently. The children's section has always been my favourite area. I really like their recent storybook theme collection. (like the lamp we've bought earlier)This hot air balloon is too cute!We went to a Sunday brunch at a Chinese restaurant over at Anaheim. It was recommended by a co-worker. When I heard the name, Mandarin Taste, mmmh sounds very American Chinese. I was too curious to look at the reviews, it was mixed. But, you never know until you try it.I have to say it was a decent place. It reminded us of those Chinese restaurants on the road trip when we were small. The server brought us Hot & Sour Soup soon after we sat. It was pretty good, better than Panda Express, a bit too peppery tho. There were few cold dishes, around twenty hot items and some dessert. It was oookay. Service was good. But it was expensive for what you get. Overall I would rate it two out of five. It was a fun experience and brought back a lot memories.

Happy Monday! =)

Simply Black & White

I've planned for this new set for a while. And after many many experimental sewing, the making is finally come to an end. I'm so excited to share with you. Gingham check has always been a timeless classic and it happens to be super hot this season. I've used raw edges on some pieces to give a natural but rough boost. There are many ways to mix and match the pieces for different occasions.Happy Friday!

Fashion Bubble

There are too many things in this world for us to see and yet we only have so little time to explore. The cyberworld definitely save us a lot of time but only when we found the good places to go. I can't say I'm a big fan of fashion but I keep my eyes out for the latest trend like most girls do. Recently I've found a fabulous blog from the City Magazine, Style Bubble of Susie Bubble. I really admire her passion in fashion. Must check it out if you're into fashion! =)

Leftover Feast

We've got lots of leftovers from our dining out over the weekend. I started off with the mushroom pizza from an Italian restaurant at Laguna Beach. I like it a lot because their dishes are lighter than those heavy and saucey ones in other places. Don't get me wrong, I do like those too but it's nice to try something different.

Easy Reheat :
Lay two or max three slices on frying pan and add few drops of water (around one teaspoonful). Cover and cook over medium heat for five minutes. The pizza should moist on top and crispy at bottom. Happy Monday!

Eat, Shop and Relax

What a great weekend we had with Auntie Adela! It's always nice to have visitor once in a while. We had brunch at a small local Taiwanese Restaurant after we picked her. They served Shanghainese dim sum and dishes. I always got mixed up with Taiwanese and Shanghainese food because they are very similar. We had sweet soy milk, crispy Chinese donuts and a few delicious cold dishes. It was simple and good!
We went to Roger's Gardens because I need to pick up some soil and it's a nice place to go anyways. It is one of those places that you wonder if their stuff is actually better or the price tag make you feel they are better. I believe that their quality is better and they do have more variety.

She took us to a Foot Spa in Monterey Park. I've tried it before in Thailand. But it was the first time to try a Chinese one. The huge detail diagram on the wall seemed pretty intense. It was not bad. It was softer and more tickley than the Thai ones.We wrapped up her visit with a dinner at the shabu house in Little Tokyo. Before dinner, I've found this cute little iron on book at Kinokuniya. Iron Me On by Mike Perry.

Puppy Class

It was OUR (not only for puchi, in fact it's actually more for us) second class last nite. We switched because we can't make it to class this weekend. The class had much smaller dogs compared to the weekend one with Golden Doodle and Rottweiler. It turns out we think this is more suitable for Puchi.
It was a fun class. We let our dogs running loose in the room. Some dogs went crazy jumping on other dogs and people. Some started barking and did play bow to invite other dogs to play. It was quite a scene. Puchi was pretty shy. She sat quietly under our chairs and observed.
And we have an interesting classmate. She talked quite a lot to show off how much she knows. She called Puchi a runt and asked us how much we spent on her. When I was almost too embrassed to let people know how much we spent, she seemed so proud to tell us that she spent more on her dog. It's awesome! I'm like Puchi, I love observing others and always get fascinated by these small things.
Towards the end of the class, Puchi finally opened up and started introducing herself to other people and made one doggie friend. =)

Here are some different sides of Puchi.
Fluffy HeadSmiley FaceBoredHappyI guess nobody likes paparazzi.Happy Friday!

Drawings

I've been working on some new drawings recently. They are mainly childish related as usual. I'm pretty happy with this new series. Hopefully, will get them scan soon and share with you. And here is an earlier drawing.

Girl with Butterfly
Have a great week!

more books

There are two nice books I've been reading recently. One is the Trail of Crumbs by Kim Sunee. It's about her rough but fascinating journey of life as an orphan. She has also included some recipes of foods from different countries. They also seems pretty good.Another book is the Animal in Translation by Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson. It's all about animal, how they act and how they preceive the world. I totally recommend this book for anyone who has pets or planning to have a pet. It's important to see the world from the other way, the animal's eyes.Have a great week! =)

New Little Lamp

We found this little frog lamp at Ikea the other day. It adds a lot of storybook cuteness to our room. And it matches the stripes too!Happy Thursday!!

First Hair Cut

The pooch's hair is really growing out now. It makes her resemble a furry duster when she lies down, or a walking duster. And her hair started tangling, so we decided to give her a hair cut.

It took over almost two hours for the whole process. She deserved a lot of credit for her patience since it was her first time. We mainly worked on her body and didn't do much on her head. She has a slimer body now, kind of like a cat. It seems she will look good in a yellow sport jumper, like the one in Kill Bill.And I'm working on the crate cover which will make her little room darker so that she can rest better inside.shhh! She's taking a nap now.

Ramen and new perspective

We went to Santoka for lunch on Sunday after the swap meet. It is a little noodle place in the food court of a local Japanese mall. They specialize in made-to-order ramen. You'll always find a line of people waiting to order in the front. I guess one of the most special thing about them is that they do not take to-go order. My recent favourite is the Toroniku Ramen. It is crafted of sliced fatty pork (so tender) and ramen in their special soup. So delish!!

An interesting inspiring book about our brains by Daniel Pink. As the title reads, A Whole New Mind, it's about a different way to approach our rapidly changing world.

Bunny Cloud

Happy Easter!

The Pooch

Here's our new member, Puchi. She is only an one-pounder, the smallest one among her siblings and has the flattest face. She is surprisingly smart means good and bad at the same time. She is very serious about food and "lunch time" was one of the first few words she recognizes. Sometimes she goes crazy and runs in circles for few minutes. And she make funny sounds before she needs to go number two. She has joined in our family for almost a month. She is a bit taller and her hair is longer. She is now familiar with most of the basic commands. It didn't take long for her to learn this new trick.I had never imagine that we will have a pooch. I still can't believe it sometimes. The past month has really been a roller coaster and a big chunk of time was spent on studying about puppy.
Have a great weekend!

Easter Greetings

*Hope you had a nice Easter. Thank you very much for your support!*
Easter is just around the corner. It's time to fill your home with little chickie decos, basket of marshmallow bunnies and chocolate eggs. No matter what your favourite is, sending out a little greeting is always a nice thing to keep in touch. Here's my gift for you. It's an Easter card composed with my original drawing and some digital media.

Each template measures 8" x 10" and includes two 4" x 5" cards. And of course, if you happens to only have 8.5" x 11" paper, you just need to trim the edges. The template background is in white so that you can choose your favourite color paper to print on!! =)
It is available to download throughout this week. Since there's an hourly limit where the file stored, please check back if it prompts you for over limit. Or you can drop me a line and I'll email it to you.

Please keep it for personal use only.
Have fun! =)

Lazy Afternoon

Isn't that so sweet to take a nap in the country breeze?
Happy Thursday!