An Easy Indulgence :)

Back when I was living in The Woods, my parents, brother and I used to go for our "Routinely Family Morning Bike Rides" to the closeby shopping center.. to get breakfast.. and what a scrumptious breakfast it was!

This Bagel Shop (how appropriately named) had baskets and baskets of freshly made bagels (I love carbs!) and delicious flavoured cream cheese... MMMMMMMMM! But the best thing I had there was by far was their Bagel Sandwiches.. to the point I would stare at them making it, and memorized how to do it step by step...

Put meat on the grill, Toast bagel, Melt cheese on top of meat, spread bagel, assemble sandwich, cut into two... Voila! Easy Peasy, right??

EXACTLY.

During my years in college, I have made this sandwich countless of times.. and really, it takes about 10 minutes to do.. or less! Depending on how well you multitask ;)

After hearing Nishan's sad stories about day after day grilled chicken sandwiches (aww!), I gave him a different option for dinner.. the Bagel Sandwich!

So here it is, I've tweaked my sandwich over the years to fit my tastebuds and apetite, but do what you do best: Pick your favourite ingredients and make it your own!

Pei's Bagel Sandwich (Easy, Peasy, Japaneeesy!)

4-5 Slices of turkey,ham, (or pulled grilled chicken) etc.

Pepperjack cheese :) <---I like it spicy!

1/2 an onion (or 1 small onion)

Salt & Pepper

(*Optional: 1 fried egg)

1. Saute onions on medium heat and add in s&p to taste ..
2. Cut bagel in half and toast .. spread with butter/margarine
3. Put slices of meat/turkey/ham slice on pan and heat (without oil)
4. lay cheese slices/grated cheese on top of the meat and let melt... top with onions
5. Scoop the whole thing and sandwich between bagel.
6. Enjoy Deliciousness!! :)

Tip: Sometimes I use a bit of garlic butter to saute my onions.. which makes it taste 10 times better! :) Try it!

Doesn't that just make your mouth water?? Thank you Nishan for making it :)

G'day!

Well, it's been about a week and a half since I last landed in the Sunshine state..a.k.a Brisbane.. and I've been wanting to update, but I've been in the throes of what classes to take (first week jitters), so bear with me for a bit :P

So far I have managed to bring the cursed rain to Brisbane.. it was raining when I landed, and it was raining the first day of school (which has been a normal occurance for most of my undergraduate first days of classes), and weather forecast predicts a whole shower of thunderstorms the rest of this week! SIGH! I DO bring rain.. :P

School hasn't been to bad, except for the fact that I'm "trying out" different classes by attending the one's im interested in to find out which ones I want to commit to.. the thing is, like what this new girl I met during a Biotech meeting said, "...either way, you're screwed. This class or that, it's still going to be equally challenging!" Yes, yes it is.

Well on to other news.. I've compiled a list of odds and ends that have caught my eye since being here, and I thought I might share it with you!

1. Queensland weather reminds me alot of Texas weather.. except worse! In a span of 8 hours, it has managed to rain and shine oh say, about 10 times! I promise you I am not kidding! The weather doesn't know what it wants to do.. just stick to one, I say!

2. My class is literally filled with Asians. If it isn't Chinese, it's most likely Indian. and a couple of splatters here and there.. like a girl from Canada, a guy from France, and another guy from UC Santa Barbara (Hey! US!).. my chances of being paired with an Asian person for my class is roughly 90%. Go Diversity! *grinn*

3. Although my parents live in a nice, spacious house (don't ask me what kind, I can't even tell if it's bungalow or semi-D haha!), the most popular mode of living is Queenslander houses.. which basically look like village houses on stilts.. this is so it's high above the ground, and you get more air coming in..

4. Speaking of air.. Aussies on this part don't have fans in all their bedrooms! It's annoying, and because a/c is expensive here, my parents refuse to turn it on.. so wide open windows it is. I've been spending alot of time taking showers now :P

5. Aussies like to think of themselves as "stress-free" so everything is pretty much advancing at a pretty slow rate.. which also means that everyone here drives like their grandmother :P No zipping through and cutting into lanes, you put on your signals and most of the time ppl give way..

6. Of course, there is an exception to every statement. This includes most Asian drivers, because unlike in the US where they're considered the sloowww drivers, here they basically dominate the roads and speed down the highways and lanes like it's the race of their lives hehe.. no more "Gahh! slow Asian dad!" comments from me :P Oh, and did I mention they have ridiculously small roundabouts??! It seems so silly, but I guess that's what Aussies do.

7. The prefered mode of transportation is public of course. Which I am starting to enjoy.. there's a WaterTaxi! and a bridge specially designed only for pedestrians only! How awesome is that! I've been taking the bus to and from school, and it's nice to know that the bus stop is right around the corner :)

8. Water is precious. Of course, when you live in a country where rain is sparce, that is bound of happen. I seriously took water for granted back in the US, and now I have to make sure that every drop counts ... I take quick (but clean, nonetheless!) showers, only open the taps when needed, and wash my dishes in as small flow of water as possible. You're not even allowed to water your plants! HUH!

9. Internet is a luxury. HAHA. No, seriously! We only have 2GB in our household, and trying not to have to upgrade it.. but it's a little tricky with video cams and downloads and streaming videos.. yea.. and we have 400mb given to us at the school computers, which also means if you go over - you pay to get more. Ahhh.. frugal, frugal, frugal. I guess less distraction?

10. Last and not Least, I am 8348miles, or 13, 435km or 7254nautical miles away from ppl in Houston, Dallas etc.! :( :( <---Yea, I checked it up.. don't believe me? Go look it up! hehe!
I miss having a group of friends to chill with, and no one likes being outside their comfort zone, but wish me luck!

Where are all the Msian ppl at??!!!!

In the Land Down Under!

Hello peeps, It's been 2 days since I arrived in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia a.k.a The Sunshine State.. and Boy, let me tell you.. it REALLY is alot of sunshine!

With exception to the day I arrived, which suddenly turned about a thunderstorm lasting 3 minutes and in sporadic patterns hehe.. my mom said, the heavens are crying because you left Houston :P

Anyways, the flight was pretty good, I made the weight limit for 2 checked in bags! 69lbs Wohoo! And then I got the best surprise of all - Thanks Nishan, Bel, Gaya, Jon and Prabu (and I guess the brother :P) for seeing me off! And the rest for texts and phone calls! :) :) Muahhss! I really didn't intend to cry at the airport.. but as I was lining up at the security check in, and looking at everyone leaving, I got all teary eyed and all hell broke loose.. haha :P It was tears and runny nose from that point onwards.. even on the plane haha.. Wow. Real classy. *grinn*

Flight went from Houston to LA, then LA to Brisbane.. total trip was about 18 hours total + layovers... not too bad.. seeing how I was passed out for most of the 2nd half of the journey.. which I obviously regretted because I intended to watch all the movies I could! Bahh .. hehe! But note to future flight bookers: Fly Virgin Airlines! It's freaking awesome.. they really thought of the whole package, I'm thoroughly amazed! :)

Got through the customs easily :) :) And actually arrived there just as parents were turning into the airport.. and the Airport Ambassador (funny, right?!) was super nice and used her calling card so I could call my parents hehe :P

I got the grand tour of the house, and then shower, then we took a little trip to the university.. yes, I gave my parents a semi-heart attack with my driving.. haha basically I still am not as used to the left hand side of the car and I scraped the curb once.. ONCE! (Don't judge).. and the occasional driving on the other side of the road.. haha! I plan to be better by the end of this week, just you wait!

The next day with oriention I basically sat through a general orientation and learned random Aussie things like the war cry: 1st group yells out "Aussie Aussie Aussie!" and the 2nd group replies "OI OI OI!!!!!" haha.. apparently this is very common war cry. Hmm reminds me of the Aggie Hullabaloo.. except this is much more country unified..?

I spent the whole time trying to look for someone who could direct me to an advisor to talk about the courses I should be signing up for.. and only 1 person was helpful enough.. and another 1 girl who was also in the Biotechnology program who showed me the way to the building! :) And the funny thing was that me and my mom had a good laugh about how some students came here alone from far off countries, and here I am in orientation ... with my mother :P haha.. and I'm living with the rents! :D

Aside from that, just been spending time with the parents..I think they enjoy having me in the house? (haha!) and my mom has someone to nag to and feed random vitamins and my dad has someone to force to eat fruits and clear the dishes.. tee hee.

Still have to rummage through my pile of boxes, at this point I'd rather have them be burned off and me not knowing what I packed :P Oh the joys of unpacking!

Oh how I miss thee(s).. <-------------------This much!-------------------------------------->

For being my "twin" that it's a little scary how alike we are :P hehe!
For always being goofy-fun :) And knowing how to embarass me with awkward questions!

For going on my crazy museum-sightseeing adventures :)

For making me a little more girly :P

Tella, niece #1: For giving me crazy kisses, and for not remembering the time I shoved you off the bed when you were stinky :P

For Prima, Niece #2: For being a good herder and always following me around and licking your paws in the middle of the night :P


For the girls, and the best conversations we always have ;) (you know what I'm talking about!)

For only wanting the kunaku jelly I made :P And for never making me forget I eat alone Hahaha!

For childhood friends who always have good memories to talk about!

To Have

"Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, a touch that never hurts.." -Charles Dickens

Happy Valentine's Day!

And coincidentally it also happens to be Chinese New Years! :D Whoop!! (but there's 15 days of that, so it's all cool :) )

I thought these quotes from Peanuts were super cute, and I just wanted to share them with you! In the words of Bridget Jones, "Hurrah Singletons!" I spent the weekend with the girls, talking and talking, and then going to watch The Valentine's Day movie, which was funny and cute! :) I'll miss this, really I will..... T.T

But back to the pictures.. "Love Is...."

And last but not least, part of Josh Turner's song tee hee.. because I am in love with it :D

Oh the longer the waiting, the sweeter the kiss,

It's better my darling, I promise you this,

Next time I hold you, I'm not letting go,

Will you wait for me darling, I need to know...

Love, Love, Love

Daily Thought:

"Love is always bestowed as a gift-freely, willingly and without expectation. We don't love to be loved, we love to love." - Leo F. Buscaglia

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww! <3 <3

Really?? Now?

I have to admit, I'm pretty bad with timing.. I just can't seem to get lucky with timing. EVER.

So 3 weeks before my scheduled flight, I got an email from a past interviewer asking me if I was interested in a position that mysteriously opened up that week. Hmm.. Okay, I figured that the amount of money I'd be making wasn't worth that much. And it wasn't exactly dream job either. Thanks, but no thanks.

Today, I get a call from MdA asking me if I was still interested in a position that I had filed for a couple of months ago. A week before I'm leaving! What is going on? Unfortunately I had to decline it but I'm still a little annoyed that I'm getting all these late replies.. come on...!! :(

It's like the day before your (future) wedding and an ex-lover comes to tell you that he loves you and wants you back.. REALLY??! hahaha.. *Cross my fingers that never happens to me!*

Job interview:Leaving for Australia
Ex-lover:Getting married the next day

Go figure.