Introducing the `3 in 1'..

JOLLYAM

I've coined a new name today for the 3 Js.

I used to have a self-made keychain which I put the word `JOLLY' - which signifies JOjo+JeLLY. Now that Jam is here.. the new name for the three of them would be:

`JOLLYAM' (JOjo+jeLLY+jAM)

Anyway.. Jam has grown quite a bit.. but have not taken photos of the 3 of them, I mean Jollyam together. The pix here are from the first week..

Will upload more new pix of Jollyam soon!

Little Jam with his elder siblings - and photo gallore!

Jam has been here for six days already! I've changed the title of this blog - well, it's only appropriate.. So, now it's officially `Jess' three Js'!

It's quite funny to see how the two Js got on with him.. Of course the initial reactions were curiosity from both Jojo and Jelly. But soon, Jelly somehow had an adverse `feeling' or should I say `reaction' of Jam! Well, I think party she feels jealous and her `queen' status threatened, but also because Jam loves to `terrorise' her!!

He is really quite active and is at a stage of teething so anything becomes his `target' - not only he likes to nibble at our feet or fingers but he also always chasing Jelly to bite her tail!

No wonder she couldn't stand him.. in fact, she runs away from him and at times even growls at him.. :(

Jojo, on the other hand is always his gracious self. Like how he welcomed Jelly as his sister, so he seems to be quite to have the company of little Jam too! And he doesn't seem to feel threatened at all by Jam's presence. In fact, he seems to adore him and always getting near him..

For the first 3 nites, Jelly refused to come into my room to sleep like she usually did! Reason being Jam is inside with me. But for the last few nites, she came.. and made sure she is a good distance away from her younger brother..

As we can see from the photographs - it's quite an interesting `triangular' relationship the 3 Js share.. well maybe things will be different later.

At first Jelly was very curious and was trying to sniff Jam out!

Jam sleeping in his bed next to my bed.. :)

2nd night - taking photos with Jam!

Jelly is so reluctant to have her photo taken with Jam!!

Finally a more decent one where Jelly succumbed to struggling!

look how grouchy Jelly is! :S

The next day getting all the three Js together!

Yes you can see Jojo is quite taken by Jam still!

The diva looking unhappy :p

Jojo welcoming Jelly at his side

But Jelly rather stays a distance from him!

Once-in-a-thousand years

09-09-09

Ya, it's that kind of a date. Remember last year - 08-08-08 - had illicit quite a bit of excitement and buzz esp. among the Chinese? (coz 8 in Chinese sounds like a very auspicious no.)

This year when it comes to the turn of the 09, it also signifies something very special. Because in Mandarin - 9 is pronounced as jiu, and that's the sound-alike of another word meaning `lasting'. Thus, we can imagine the nos of Chinese couples tying the knot today - ie their marriage is `chang chang jiu jiu' (long and lasting)

Actually I was only reminded of this `special' day when I interviewed the people from the KL&Selangor Assembly Hall for a story I'm writing. I was told that they're organising a mass wedding on this date! Originally they aimed to get 99 couples (again, playing the auspicious no.) but due to overwhelming response, they now have close to 110 couples or so! And mind you, this is just ONE of many venues / organiser that's conducting such mass wedding in the Klang Valley or nation wide!

I'm not a stickler for nos and the sound-alike. I am perfectly at peace and happy to stay in hotel room that's no. 444 (4 sounds alike to death in Cantonese). But since I'm just running out of things to blog about besides telling people of what I do, buy, work etc.. (how boring!) Might as well just commemmorate this day since after all, it does ONLY happen ONCE in a life-time. ie. The next 09-09-09 would be in the year 3009!!

So may we all have a happy `lasting day' today.. ;)

P.E.T.

That stands for `pre-exam tension'.

I can't remember when was the last time I sat for an exam.. could it be my uni final exam almost two decades back?! (oops, there gives away my age again.. :p) Anyway, I'm kinda feeling it now.. because, tomorrow afternoon I will be sitting for my first vocal examination!

I'm taking the London Trinity Guildhall's First Concert Certificate which is considered the basic for vocalist (with some music background). Although the decision to sit for the exam was made less than a year back, my teacher had already been `preparing' me for it by letting me sing some of the exam pieces.

And finally, the four chosen ones are:

1. Se tu M'ami, Se Sospiri by Giovanna Battista Pergolessi
2. Have You Seen But the Whyte Lillie Grow by Anon (17th century)
3. Angels Ever Bright and Fair by Handel
4. I Could Have Danced All Night by Frederick Loewe
   

I've been pracitisign quite exclusively these four pieces in the last few months and also got an accompanist to play for me. My teacher on the other hand, gave some underlying pressure for he has conditioned me to aim high - in fact, he kept mentioning I should aim for a distinction!

Musicality aside, which needed lots of polishing and practising, I remembered having to learned the words by heart was quite a challenge but I finally did it. My teacher, who normally is not very strict, pushed me harder when the time got nearer. I remember just a month or so back after my holiday in China -with lack of practice - he became quite harsh with me and because of that, I vowed to work harder and finally in that few weeks, I made quite a bit of improvement.

I guess I did quite ok for the recital - he said most of the pieces except one was quite good. And then just two days ago, he actually praised me for two pieces..and said overall I am ready..

So i had my final lesson before exam this afternoon. My teacher advised me not to sing anymore but I still did a little just now, especially trying to make sure I'm 110 per cent sure of the words!

My exam is scheduled at 3:40pm tomorrow in a First World Hotel in PJ. The last time I ever went for an exam in a hotel was for my piano exam more than two decades ago..


To think of it, I know I'm quite well prepared by now but still cannot help but feeling some anxiety/tension. I guess it's normal.. Jitters.. ? oh, that's why i need to write this post!

Lord, I just pray and hope I would get a nice and linient examiner (at least not too strict!) On top of that, I must just tell myself to be composed and relax, and just sing it out the best that I could..

Lalalalalala.....

Amazing Awesome Adam

Presenting the next American Idol - Adam Lambert!



Yup, mark my word.

He is by far the most talented and a bomb of a performer.. Adam is in a league of his own. Not that others aint good but he is just far superior.

He has superb showmanship, and that's complemented by really amazing vocal as well..On top of it, this man simply exudes charisma and charm... a true artiste at heart, and a versatile one too!

One week, we would see him dressed up in punk-rock style belting and dancing to `I Can't Get No Satisfaction' or `Black & White'; and then he would suddenly turn into a demure gentleman crooning the most heart-felt and haunting tunes of `Tracks of My Tears' or `Mad World'. He even took the risk to present his own daring love-it-or-hate-it Middle-eastern sensual version of `Ring of Fire'.

Whatever songs, whatever genre or style he sang, he did them with such aplomb that the performance just stood out among the rest. So much so even the cynical Simon Cowell would give him a standing ovation!

Gosh, I can't help but admire such sheer talent! He is miles better than many established recording artistes out there! And it helps that he's pretty cute.

(ok, so certain `evidences' may point to his curious sexual preference.. but gay or straight, what really wow us is him the singer/artiste)

I can shower praises on and on. 'Coz ya, I have a confession to make.. I'm totally obsessed with Adam Lambert! For so many nights, I've been browsing YouTube, Googling and scanning Amercian Idol website just to listen to him, watch his video and read news about him..

Call me biased if you wish, but I also have met many others who aren't crazy about him yet could not deny that he's simply brilliant

So, thank you Adam Lambert, American Idol Season 8 is so much more a pleasure and excitement to watch just because of you.

Donnie The Man!

Pardon the pun. Thing is, I haven't watched a Chinese movie I like for quite some time - but now I can say Ip Man and Donnie Yen rocks!

So it's a martial arts biopic based on the life of Yip Man, Bruce Lee's first `sifu. It's hard to believe that the real Yip Man was really THAT cool. I mean, Donnie's portrayal of the kung-fu master is unbeatable, and completely invincible!

Well, fiction or not, I would say Ip Man is a good movie - one that balances the gripping drama and the awesome action. Oh boy, the way Donnie Yen executed his `Wing Chun' martial art was simply superb and thrilling to watch! Yes, there was quite some violent and brutal parts (the movie is rated 18SG) but I would watch again just for the martial art alone!

The other characters in the movie was also pretty well casted. Trust them to find actors with real martial art background, which no doubt made the whole fighting that much exciting to watch.

I read an online review which was pretty well written but a little critical. It was interesting to read what writer said about Donnie Yen's real character is quite the opposite of the humble Yip Man he portrays. I don't know what Donnie Yen is like in real life but indeed, the martial art master's character is one that is pretty intriguing.

Well, I would definitely recommend this movie - and yes, you need to watch it on big screen for that real `ooomp!!'

Ah, and now I have become a Donnie Yen fan! He rocks!!

Happy Birthday.....to me!!

Haha, the older I get, the more shameless I am. :p Well, this is my blog after all and I always do blog about memorable occasions and events in my life. And after blogging on three birthdays that had gone pass without revealing my age here (tho most of my readers would probably know anyway!) Today, I suddenly feel like `coming out of the closet'.. as in I just feel like announcing my age to the world!!

After all, this is my last year being in the happening and hip 30s! And there's nothing to hide. Ya.. I have just turned 39 today!

It's weird.. cos just in the last few weeks or so I was moping the fact that I was growing so old already.. and really dreading for this day to come.

But guess what? Today I suddenly feel so ready to embrace this pre-milestone. Ya, I actually am at peace and even proud to be 39. I mean.. just one more year and I'll be entering a brand new decade - the 40s!! :0

This is the time when you are commanding more respect (ahem) and privileges in life.. I feel like I'm turning to be a real adult again! I know, I'm a late late bloomer.. :p

I had a nice celebration with my church friends last nite at a new place in SoHo KL (yes, more photos will follow) I was really tickled when the birthday cake arrived.. guess what - there were two large candles and two small candles on it!! Hahaha I take it that I act and feel and maybe even lookk 22?! I guess my friend who bought the cake was so thoughtful to not only not to remind me of my actual age but wanted to just cheer me up by `pretending' I was 22! (actually she said she asked for 21 but the cake shop gave one extra candle) But to be honest, I do feel young - like 22! Like some of my friends were saying, age is just a number, you are as old as how you feel! And i truly subscribe to that!

Another friend who turned 40 last month said `40 is the new 30!' and she felt great!

Well, today I'm having a lazy day so far.. Perhaps over exhausted myself over the events last week and weekend, I dropped the original plan to go (window) shopping at Pavillion and chose to just loiter back home.. and then I thought I should just blog.. after all, how could I tear myself away from my beloved PC and Internet! :p

Will be having dinner with parents tonite and have not yet decided where to go... actually the venue or even the food is secondary as long as I can celebrate with them together.. :)

Hmm.. feeling so sleepy now.. think I will take a nap and then go for my aromatherpy appointment later. And will enjoy and relax for the rest of the day..

Yay, I think I've finally come to terms with my real age.. but wonder how I will feel when I celebrate my 40th next December!!!

My baking endeavour: Walnut and Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's funny how my attempt to bake was always sparked off by a particular ingredient I have. The last time I decided to bake some brownies (but didn't blog about it) was because of a bar of imported cooking chocolate given my uncle.

This time, I had bought a packet of fresh walnuts from my trip to Yunnan in September and they have been sitting in a tightly closed jar for more than a month now.. In the back of my mind, I've wanted to bake walnut chocolate chip cookies, but procrastinated.. Until last weekend when I was at the grocery store, I suddenly remembered and bought some of the main ingredients..

For the record, I have done chocolate chip cookies before at least twice in my life! But I've lost the old recipe from secondary school cookery class!! So naturally I turned to the WWW for help. And yes, I did find quite a lot.. but can't decide which is best so copied three of them.

Then this afternoon when I chatted with boo_licious of the famed masak-masak blog, I told her of my baking attempt and she recommended this particular recipe, which she said has been a favourite of many. After looking at the recipe, I decided to go with it!

It's simply called `My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies' and it's adapted from BAKING: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.

Here is the recipe I followed, found here!

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt 3/4 tsp baking soda
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
12 ouncs bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or 2 cups store-bought chocolate chips or chunks
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchmentor silicone mats. Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed for about 1 minute, until smooth. Add the sugars and beat for another 2 minutes or so, until well-blended. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in 3 portions, mixing only until each addition is incorporated. On low speed, or by hand with a ruber spatula, mix in the chocolate and nuts. (The dough can be covered andd refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen. If you'd like, rounded tablespoonfuls of dough, ready for baking. Freeze the mounds on a lined baking sheet, then bag them when they're solid. There's no need to defrost the ough before baking-just add another minute or two to the baking time.)

Spoon the dough by slightly rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between spoonfuls. Bake the cookies- one sheet at a time and rotating the sheet at the midway point- for 10-12 minutes, or until they are brown at the edges and golden in the center; they may still be a little soft in the middle, and that's just fine.

Pull the sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for 1 minute, then carefully, using a wide metal spatula, transfer them to racks to cool to room temperature. Repeat with the remainder of the dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.

I went straight to it after printing out the recipe and then only realised that I needed to convert some of the measurement back to metrics - and thank goodness for the Internet again!

I would say I follow about 90 per cent of it but felt I needed to add a bit more flour as the mixture was pretty soft and wet. And since I don't have baking sheets, I used oiled-aluminium foil which I thought was ok. I also don't have an electric mixer so had to use manual labour to mix the dough.. which was also quite ok!

Anyway, I'm not a food blogger so there is no step-to-step photos to show.. I only remembered to take photos towards the end when I have the final mixture of the dough before putting them into the oven. I even forgot to take photos of the pre-baked cookies (ie small rounded dough)

Then came the slight disaster. It turned out that the baking time was actually shorter than stated. Either my oven is extra hot or I've just had it on for too long before that.. I had followed the recipe and put the timer to 11 minutes (between 10 - 12) when I put in my first tray of cookies inside. I didn't follow the rotation part but when it was about nine minutes, I took a peep and had a shocked! The cookies were already almost burned - very brown!!

But they're still edible, just that it's not the way choc-chip cookies should be!! So after that, I've reduced the baking time so the subsequent trays were ok, looked pretty normal! Phew.

Here is a mixture of the `brown' cookies and the normal ones..

Despite the boo-boo for the first tray, overall I must say the taste was more than satisfactory..(in fact the photos don't do justice to the taste! hehe) Only I hoped I've not over-baked the first batch! Dad's comment was `very good' and he ate quite a lot of it. Mom and the two helpers too! Since we had quite a lot, I brought some (the nice ones and not the burnt ones of course) to a meeting at church tonite and let some of my friends tried.. got positive feedback and all were snapped up!

Actually chocolate chip cookies are one of the easiest stuff to bake.. so shouldn't be too pleased :p Wonder if I am ambitious enough to tackle something more complicated next time. Maybe a cheesecake since mom loves it? ;)

For the love of ME - a narcissist's fantasy?

Presenting.. the FAMOUS ME - in the limelight around the globe !!
...or rather, a girl is allowed to have some narcissistic fantasies....

My photo is placed on this huge banner on the wall..

On the cover of Vogue!

I am the face of a new perfume

Seen on neonlight advertisements..

Another!

Featured in Andy Warhol paintings..

Look I'm just everywhere!!

Even on this huge billboard in the middle of nowhere

On construction site even..

Could be a fan who did this!!

Mmmm... am the object of desire (ok, this looks superimposed!!:p)

Yup, i'm so famous even the dollar note features me!

This is more subtle.. I love B&W photo

I think I broke this man's heart...

I'm an exhibit in the art gallery

Am the `apple of the eye'...

Oh i even made headline news in a foreign paper

Am I a wanted person - by this old man?

Look, even David Beckham has me as his tattoo...

Maybe because I am the President of this country

A portrait sketch

The nice finished work..

But I can't really recognise myself as Marilyn Monroe..

Errrr.. and I definitely look odd as Monalisa!

Such photos can go on but i think I've spent too much time on it. It's just sooo fun for a narcissisist like me. Ended up uploading these pix in my Flickr, Facebook phtoos and even use one of them as my profile pix! :p

Interested to try it out for yourself? check out www.photofunia.com