Hark the herald angels sing

Posted on December 28, 2008 by The Giddy Tigress

A very happy and blessed belated Christmas to one and all out there!  It’s a belated Christmas wish because I had wanted to post something before I left for my Christmas vacation, but there was some booboo with my internet connection a week ago which caused me to have no access whatsoever to all of my blogs.  Thankfully though, I returned home yesterday evening and joy oh joy, the connection had been restored. 

 

This year, I didn’t have to wrap any presents, because the leasing office for the apartment I am staying in provided complimentary gift-wrapping services, complete with a selection of Christmas wrappers and gift tags.  Ain’t that cool?

Though amid all Christmas celebrations, we need to remember first and foremost what Christmas is really all about…

 
Credits: Elegant word art (love os the Savior) from Bethany

… and I am so grateful that I was able to celebrate it once again this year with my loved ones in a very memorable manner.  I’m thankful that despite the adversities life has thrown my way, Christmas still bears the same meaning each and every year, and every time, the meaning grows deeper within my soul.

So…where did my family and I head off to the past week for our Christmas vacation?  Well, here’s a glimpse of ONE of the several places we were at:

 

One word: MAGICAL

Of course, coming home was a sweet experience too, especially when we tucked in to a nice warm dinner in a local Vietnamese joint.

 

And hey, I must have been a pretty good girl all year through too, ‘cuz I got a nice little surprise from Santa in the mailbox as well. 

 

Santa’s quite telepathic, I’d say, for it’s something I had wanted. 🙂

So that was my Christmas in a nutshell post, how was yours?

Posted in Christianity, Relax & Celebrate, Thoughts & Scribblings | 12 Comments

Baby back baby back ribs

Posted on December 17, 2008 by The Giddy Tigress

Last Saturday morning, we had a poolside barbecue with hubby’s colleagues.  I tell you, I was already having second thoughts about being out in the freezing cold, but hey, only Malaysians are crazy enough to have barbecues in winter.  (Well, actually I take that back, because while we were there, we spotted an American couple – in swimsuits – having a swim and barbecuing after that too!)

Anyway, my hubby was tasked with preparing the barbecued ribs, and of course that task is lovingly delegated to his wifey.  I decided to use Pablo’s recipe for Fried Baby Back Ribs, and modify it for the purpose of barbecue.  I had tried his recipe a few weeks ago, and my hubby had given the thumbs up for the taste, so it was just a matter of whether it would work fine on the barbecue grill.

 

I gave the baby back ribs a real good marinade for about 18 hours, and because I had about 28 pieces to work with, I decided to move them around after a few hours so that they would all be equally marinaded, if there is indeed such a thing.

My first attempt at this recipe some weeks back actually left my kitchen and home smelling entirely of oil for a long time, although the ribs did taste good.  This is what they looked like:

 

They taste fantastic with hot steamed rice!

This time, with the barbecued ribs, I was somewhat glad that I didn’t have to get rid of the oily kitchen smell after, because all I had to do before bringing it to the barbecue was to microwave the ribs on medium heat for about 3 minutes.  This is just so the ribs are semi- to almost-cooked, at least on the inside, so that they won’t need to spend so much time on the grill later on.  This was indeed an excellent tip from Pablo.  I microwaved about 3-4 ribs at a time and brought them to the barbecue after that.

Here’s a shot of those babies getting that nice browning on the outside at the barbecue:

 

I’m glad my first attempt preparing baby back ribs for barbecuing turned out pretty darn well.  I guess no leftovers mean something eh? 🙂

Posted in Drooling & Cooking | 15 Comments

Let’s talk about calls now

Posted on December 17, 2008 by The Giddy Tigress

SIGH…it has been about two and a half months now that we have been here in the United States, and I have survived thus far without a cellphone.  I wonder if that’s a good thing or not.

Initially I did feel a tad empty when I go out, especially when we are in crowded malls and I needed to call my hubby to find out where he is, but it has worked out fine thus far.

I do intend to get myself signed up with one of those prepaid phone plans, and I almost did a few weeks ago, but procrastination got the better of me, and the sweet deal I was eyeing is now gone.

Maybe I should just get myself a calling card that will serve the dual purpose of making emergency calls when I need to, and also allow me to make cheap international calls back home, like these Malaysia phone cards.  What do you think?  Decisions, decisions, decisions…

Posted in Rainmakers | 3 Comments

Fare thee well dearest Fall

Posted on December 15, 2008 by The Giddy Tigress

Well, the weather is still as cold as ever, and we are ALWAYS glad to get back inside to our warmly-heated home.  When I go outdoors, I have started wearing my wool trench coat, which serves a dual purpose of keeping me warm and toasty, and looks chic to boot!  Oh, and lately we have also started wearing gloves out.  I’m gonna get a few extra pairs for backup soon.  Sandals are also making way for boots, and I am so glad I bought calf-length ones.  My black pair falls right below the knee, while my brown pair, which is slightly shorter, has some faux fur in its interior.  Both are getting their fair amount of usage nowadays.

With winter DEFINITELY making its entrance felt, I couldn’t help noticing how fall is graciously making its exit.  What with the glorious canvass of reds, browns, gold and orange, fall seemed to bid a pretty awesome farewell, if I might say so myself.

Often times, I wished I had the opportunity to capture these beautiful colors but sometimes, it is either raining or I would forget my camera.  But these are a few priced shots which I absolutely love…

… and bid a fond farewell to, as I admire them once more before winter sets in….

The falling leaves drift by the window…

The autumn leaves…

Posted in Thoughts & Scribblings | 11 Comments

Oh baby, it’s cold outside!

Posted on December 11, 2008 by The Giddy Tigress

Yesterday evening, while chatting with allthingspurple, the subject of weather came up.  She asked me how cold it was here in San Jose.  I didn’t really know the exact temperature then, save for the fact that I could *feel* it is immensely cold, what with me having to put on my new wool trench coat (present from hubby and an Anne Klein, by the way!).  So last night, I checked the temperature and guess what…it was below 10°C!  And I thought it was like 15°C or 16°C!

Man, that’s cold!  And this is the temperature registered this morning:

 

I think we’ll need to get some more warmer clothes soon.  But until then, we just had to make do with warming our tummies, now won’t we?

Yesterday, hubby and I had a lunch date for Indian buffet.  It’s a norm for Indian restaurants here to have lunch buffets.  The one we went to charged about $9.99 per head, but the food was good enough to satisfy my craving.

 

Naan is free flow and you can have as much as you like, if your tummy permits.  The spiciness of Indian food blends so well with the cold weather, I must say.

I can’t wait for my next Indian buffet.  YUM.

Posted in Drooling & Cooking, Thoughts & Scribblings | 11 Comments