Brunch

Monsoon Brunch & Blank Ideas

Brunch is always a good time. There's no better way to start your day than a good meal that you didn't have to slave over; and to top it off, no dishes to do after!

Yesterday morning, Michael and I slept in pretty late. When it's just so dark outside, who wants to get up, right? But alas, we did wake up--but to a very empty fridge. So we decided to go out for brunch. Instead of the traditional American fare, I had a craving for an asian savory breakfast so we decided to go to Monsoon, a modern Vietnamese restuarant that combines Pacific Northwest innovation. If you can believe it, we've lived across from the restaurant for about a year now, and not once had we ever tried it! Til now, that is.

And let me tell ya, it was good. Very good, that I am quite ashamed it took us so long to go in! I am Vietnamese, after all.

We ended up sharing an entree and some small plates. All of which, were amazing.


shrimp steamed dumplings


nem nướng - housemade pork shrimp patty sausage


bánh bao thịt - steamed barbecue pork buns
 I should mention, that I absolutely love steamed bbq pork buns? These were made oh so perfectly!


frittata with prawns, bacon, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, side green salad
 The fritatta was a hit with Michael! It definitely beats the standard fried or scrambled egg.

 
The other thing I enjoy about brunch is that it allows plenty of time to talk over the meal and even after as you sip on your coffee and tea. This past month, Michael's been up to some pretty cool things with his job. Though that means longer work hours, it allows us to be more present with one another during our scheduled time together.
 
Michael's really good about encouraging me with my writing, even though I've felt far from confident in it. It's strange, but I have a fear of completing my 6th revision of M2, because once I'm done with it, I have no idea what to write about next. I have a few incomplete manuscripts, but because I've lost interest in them, it makes it difficult to dedicate myself to those stories. I've thought about writing something deeply personal, but after typing up a page and rereading it, all I could do was cringe. I'm not a fan of talking about myself.
 
I know an idea will come eventually, but I'm just very impatient about it. For now, I'm just a canvas of blank ideas.


Happy Christmas!

Cheers to another Christmas! 

Christmas 2014

This was Michael and I's second Christmas together. Can you believe that? Time sure flies! Just last year I was posting about Christmas 2013 here!

Christmas 2013
Not too much has changed from these two photos besides our longer hair. Again, we spent Christmas with Michael's family and celebrated his brother-in-law's birthday. As usual it was a grand time filled with warmth, love, wine, good company, and such great food!

But before heading over to his parent's house, Michael and I had a little Christmas celebration of our own. Christmas morning I woke up super early! We had forgotten to turn off all of our weekly alarms so I was bright-eyed by six-thirty. It was agonizing waiting for Michael to wake up (as you can tell I'm very impatient when it comes gifts!). You see, last year we went shopping and picked out what we wanted for Christmas from each other, but this year I had no clue what I would be getting (though I had a few guesses). Michael wouldn't even put my gift under the tree and kept it hidden all week so I that I would be unable to shake it and use my deductive reasoning skills.

When 7:40 came around, I could wait no longer! I kissed Michael good-morning and jumped out of bed shouting Happy Christmas!


When the sleepy Michael appeared, he handed me this little box. And we all know what a little box means, right?


A very beautiful necklace!


I love it! Not to mention, I got a gift certificate for a massage! A Happy Christmas indeed!


Unlike Michael, I am terrible at surprises or secrets. I wear all my emotions on my face, making me very easy to read. So Michael guessed what I had got him two weeks prior to Christmas. Nonetheless, I appreciated his feigned enthusiasm!


After gifts I got to work on making brunch: mimosas, bacon, and baguette french toast with strawberries, bananas, and pomegranates. Yum!


Blaire also had a good Christmas. Thanks to some doggy friends of his, he got some neat toys too!




I hope you all had a Happy Christmas with your family and friends! How did you spend your Christmas this year? Comment below or answer in a post on your blog :)

Memorial Day Weekend

Photo Cred: Cristine
Last year during Memorial Day Weekend, Michael and I were in California for my sister's wedding. This year, we stayed in Seattle. Michael's parents invited us over for a barbeque Saturday, which is always a pleasure for us. Luckily, it didn't rain and the weather ended up turning out pretty nice.

Sunday, however, was a rainy day for us! Nonetheless Michael and I went to brunch, this week at Cafe Flora! Michael loved his traveler's chai and green tea and ginger waffle. I enjoyed coffee and a scramble!

 
After brunch we did our weekly grocery shopping and cleaned up the entire apartment. Afterwards we rewarded ourselves with some lunch and wine at Bottlehouse.
 



The rest of the weekend we took it easy. I finished proofing the second part of M2 so that It's ready to send to my beta readers and so that I can finally start writing the ending! My YA workshop will be done in two weeks, so I definitely won't have that to use as an excuse for not finishing. Also, almost done with the Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy. Review to come!