Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Cheesecake Off!

I never thought I would ever say "I am so sick of cheesecake."
Well, I did.

Yesterday, for Memorial Day, my singles ward hosted a BBQ (with steak! Ooh la la!) and Cheesecake-off.
The Table of Cheesecakes
Since I love cheesecake, I naturally made not one, but two different types of cheesecakes!
The first was Paula Deen's Caramel Apple Cheesecake.

Crust, layer of apple pie filling, cheesecake and more apple pie filling. It was super easy and tasted really good, except the next time, I'm going to stop at this:
Notes to myself:
  • Not a good idea to sandwich cheesecake between two layers of pie filling- pie filling taste is too overpowering. Skip the on top layer, this way the pie filling inside would be a surprise to eaters thinking its just a normal cheesecake
  • Bake cake right before eating. Best admired and cut when just taken out of the oven, and it's all puffed up and "breathing"- effect is super cool!  
The second cheesecake I made was inspired by my Mom's mini cheesecake cupcakes and Giada's Orange and Chocolate Cheesecake. I combined the two recipes and came up with my own recipe.

I'm going to name it Valoy's Triple Layer Orange Chocolate Cheesecake Mini Cupcakes in honor of my mom. I seem to have a thing for layers (see previous post on double layer trifle). I'm *erhem* pretty proud of myself because it IS so dang good. I know it's good, because I'm not a fan of orange chocolate, but I love this! 

Thanks to my roommates for helping me decorate them at the very last minute!
3 Layers:
Oroe Crust
Chocolate cheesecake
Special orange cream

Made the batch for the BBQ on my 4th attempt- no wonder I'm so sick of cheesecake! The one with strawberries is plain cream, while the other one has orange cream.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Why I Love Being in a Singles Ward

Click here for the Washington Post article on 3 singles wards in D.C. yesterday.

My spiel:
It's okay. There are the usual inaccuracies (some of them listed and refuted at the end of the post), but what really irks me is that it makes singles wards sound like a freakish phenomenon. So, here is my defense of singles wards. 


1) Yes it is true that Church leaders hope that many of us will be able to find our eternal spouse in the singles wards. Is there anything wrong with that? No. In fact, isn't that great?! Your friendship and potential dating pool is widened ten times and it's a safe environment to meet people with the same religious beliefs and values. 

2) Singles wards better cater to the needs and wants of single members of the Church. It's commonly acknowledged that the Church is very family-oriented (which is probably why this concept of singles ward is so intriguing to the reporter). Here is an example of how singles wards can better cater a lesson based on marital status.
Married Ward: How to be a better parents
Singles Ward: How to prepare for parenthood
In singles wards, our leaders can focus exclusively on the problems we face and minister to us better. 


3) It's a testament to me of the Priesthood and divinity of the Church. Imagine, the only married people leading the ward are the members of the Bishopric. Everything else is ran by these young single adults- the sermons, the music, Sunday School, Relief Society and Priesthood, activities... EVERYTHING! As such, everyone is given a responsibility and contributes in some way. It really is a marvel if you think about it, that so many young single adults will actually band together and responsibly run an entire congregation, and all for free! 


Now, do I think the singles wards are the perfect solution? No. Every singles ward has their challenges and "Jack Mormons." And I would not want to be "stuck" in a singles ward forever. But I have come to love my experience being single in the church because of the various singles wards I've been in, especially the one I am in now.  


A note on marriage: In a world that has de-emphasized the importance of marriage, I think the Church is just marvelous in stressing the divinity, importance and benefits of marriage. The singles ward is just one safe way to get to meet your significant other, and you know what, it has worked for loads of couples. 

FYI, I attended a different singles ward than those mentioned in the article while in D.C.

Examples of inaccuracies and clarifications:
"The concentration of so many single men and women produces sexual tension that their faith forbids them to act upon. " ("Sexual tension?" A singles ward has about 150-200 people who congregate every week, and I am puzzled as to how having so many people in a room produces "sexual tension." In fact, dating couples tend to avoid such large gatherings precisely because they lack any privacy to *erhem* "court." If the case be true that large "concentrations of... many single men and women produces sexual tension" then all schools should be limited to only fifty students and gender divided- no need to worry about students acting upon "forbidden sexual tension!")


"While Mormons believe it’s possible to be sealed in one’s afterlife, unmarried people are barred from key leadership positions in the church and often worship in separate singles congregations." (I agree that single men are barred from key leadership positions in the church because, honestly, its kinda hard to find single faithful men who, uh, qualify. Not saying there aren't any... just saying it's extremely rare. Single faithful women on the other hand, are more "abundant" and are frequently found in key leadership positions.)


"While other faiths also run programs for singles and try to encourage young people to marry, few do so by separating the unmarried from the married or by promising rewards in the afterlife." ("Promising rewards in the afterlife"? It sounds as if the writer is comparing us to those deranged terrorists who kill because of a belief of harems in the afterlife. In truth, what we believe is that faithful members who do not get an opportunity to marry in this life will be compensated by God in the next. And yes we believe in an afterlife. God is fair- He wants to give everyone a chance to marry and experience happiness as a spouse./ parent, whether in this life or the next.)


The counter-arguments are my own opinions and in no way represents to the views of the Church.  

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

First Summer Book Club Meeting

We had our first Summer Book Club last night, and discussed Christopher Priest's The Prestige. The movie is based on the book, though it deviates quite a bit from the original novel. Kudos to Priest for his very original novel, as well as the screenplay adapters for being able to write a clever script that still pleases fans despite the major differences in plot.

This is my first book club I've ever been in, and I enjoyed the first meeting we had. It was nice to have a stimulating conversation that had nothing to do with school (or politics). I was also intrigued by the different interpretations that people had of various parts of the book. I get so used to thinking that my way is the only right way, and the conversation we had last night reminded me again that sometimes, my way is not the only way.

There are also several themes in the book that were highlighted and discussed, and one question that I want people to think about it, how far would you go to further your career? How do you know when to draw the line between dedication and obsession? 

Those who are major fans of the movie, read this book. It is very good. If not, read it only if you are interested in magic.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Softball Update!

So far, we've lost every game in the tournament, and placed last seed.

Until tonight.

We were on a ball (no pun intended). Not only did we finally win our first game, we beat them through and through.

And then to top it off, we played two games back to back, and the second game was with the #1 seed.

We trounced them.

YEAH!!! So proud of them boys

New skill

Last night, I helped Vickie wrap "水餃/ shuijiao"  and as we were working, she told me that the chefs at 鼎泰豐/ Ding Tai Feng  had to master pinching the 小籠包/ xiaolongbao skin with an exact 18 folds, before they were allowed to work there.

I'm not a professional chef of course, but here is my attempt to beat their record.
The one behind had 16 folds, while the one in front had a 21 folds!!! Not bad eh... Of course, my pinching is highly uneven, and wrapping 小籠包/ xiaolongbao takes a lot more skill than wrapping 水餃/shuijiao.
Vickie said that my record-beating dumplings have so many folds in them, they look more like 水煎包/ shuijianbao than 餃子/ jiaozi. Ha ha ha!


Yummy yummy! I am so lucky to have roommates that cook very well.

New Jewelry!~

A girl in my ward is getting married this week, and while packing to move, she decided to get rid of some of her jewelry that she did not wear much anymore.  She donated it to my ward's Relief Society, all for free. There were enough earrings, necklaces and bracelets to cover an entire table! Wasn't that nice of her?! I myself picked up a few pieces.



Hmm... excuse to buy new clothes? ;)

Monday, May 23, 2011

WARD ACTIVITY ON SATURDAY

After almost 5 days of continuous rain, it was a relief when the sun came out on Saturday in its full glory- hallelujah!

Perfect weather for a ward (church congregation) activity. I haven't really told anyone, but I am the new co-chair for my ward's activities committee. Not my favorite calling/ duty, but well, you trust that the Lord knows what He is doing, and that He called you to that position. So far, it's been alright, mainly because my committee has been very supportive.

The activity focused on helping people get to know each other's names. We had a spiritual thought, played two games and then had dessert. Short and simple, which is probably the best type of activity.
Fan's version of 3D Twister- hilarious! 
 Here is the "mudpie" I made for dessert. And yes, those are gummy worms to give extra "effect."

Made my own oreo crust, spread softened ice-cream, decorated the glass sides with chocolate syrup, added more oreos, gummy worms and chocolate sauce on top and viola! Completely sinful but *erhem* it was pretty good. Can't go wrong with ice-cream and oreos, right?! ;)

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

The men in my ward formed a softball team, and have played quite a few games already. Their last game before the championships play off was last week, and a group of us went to support them. 

Not hard to see why the team is named 'Orange Julius'... 
We lost, but put up a good fight. Plus, there was plenty of  ball action. Below is Ken, who slid his way to a home run!

There was another guy from the opposing team who tried to run back, but Potter had already caught the ball and was protecting the base. The poor guy did not have to time stop, and was forced to either choose to run straight into Potter (who is 6 feet 3 at least) or... jump over him. He chose the latter- it was SUPER ENTERTAINING to see his attempt. Not too bad...

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Pedestals and Podiums




Just completed reading this 400+ pages book. It was recommended to me by my scholar when I was her intern. The book is author Martha Sonntag Bradley's analysis of the Church's fight against the Equal Rights Amedment, the ultimate symbol of its fight against the Second Wave Feminist Movement. There is no denial that Bradley has done her research and as such, her work is very impressive.

However, this books will not sit well with conservative Latter-day Saints. I'm a moderate (okay, moderate leaning liberal) and I already don't feel comfortable with some of her claims. She makes no bones about her biasness, and outrightly criticizes the male leadership of the Church, including the prophets and apostles. Which is of course, a big no-no in our church.

I won't go into more details, because not everyone is as passionate about this topic as I am, especially in LDS culture where this is still a sensitive issue. If you want to discuss more about this with me, drop me a message and I will be glad to get back to you.

The only thing I want to share with everyone is, it really all boils down to faith doesn't it? Because how you view those events that transpired during the entire fight for/ against the ERA will depend upon whether or not you believe that the Prophets and Apostles were called of God. Your faith will shape your perspective. I'm not saying the members do not need to study issues out (the way some of the women conducted themselves during the Utah IWY conference was really shocking and embarrassing), but I am struck by how I am always abundantly blessed when I consciously choose to follow the prophet.

Drum Roll Please

Mr Smith Goes to Washington



Joins my list of Favorite Movies, which include Life is Beautiful, Amazing Grace, Ocean's Eleven, The Matrix, Independence Day and Jodhaa Akbar. And probably more than I can recall.

As you can tell, I can't make up my mind!

But seriously, this film made me laugh and cry. Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur were just terrific. Frank Capra (the director) is a genius. Watching the film made me think back on my time in D.C. and I confess that the transition back to "real life" has been very difficult. Thank goodness I have my friends here- Provo would be unbearable if it wasn't for them!

Watch this if you can get hold of a copy of it. It is simply wonderful!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

ANNOUNCEMENT

You are now reading the blog of the proud new owner of a 2000 Toyota Echo. Well, not mine alone, but it now belongs to my family. This car will be shared by my sisters and I come Fall. It's a cute compact car, 4 doors (definite requirement in my family), and is suppose to have super duper mileage. I'm pretty proud of myself because I managed to "haggle" the price down by $700, which in the end was off-set by dealership fee, car tax, registration fee, emissions and safety tests fees. Oh and of course, auto insurance (so expensive!). But at least the car was much cheaper than the stated price, so we saved a bit. I was able to ask for a lower price because I knew that the TVM of the car was not anywhere near the price asked for.

Moral of the story: DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE BUYING A CAR!

It's 11 years old, so don't expect anything fancy. In fact, the windows have to be rolled down manually and there are no power locks. Still, it's a nice cheap small car that runs well, and the interior of the car is still quite new. It's not big, but then, Asians are generally small in size so it's very spacious enough for us. I love it already! Especially since its small size makes its easier to parallel park between two cars... ;)

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

A Duck Derby

Heard of the Pinewoord Derby? Well, this was a Duck Derby. We each paid $2 for a rubber duck and half a J-Dawg. Not bad. 
On your marks, get set... 
GO!!!
That's my duck crossing the finishing line!
My duck took the lead for a while, but ultimately lost to more ferocious ducks. She still placed 6th, and even though she did not get a prize, she was one of three ducks selected in a lucky draw. I still won a buy-1-get-1-free bowling game- hooray! Would have loved the free Jamba Juice Prize instead, but oh well, winners can't be picker, right?
My "Lucky" Duckie
Aww... the cute family of ducks
These ducks are soooo cute! How ironic since I DETESTS the real ducks that infest the duck pond.

The Adjustment Bureau



Wow this poster looks Cary Grant-ish! Cool

It's quite smart and the whole concept of the movie was intriguing. Emily Blunt was adorable, and who can resist a good romance thrown into an action movie? The movie dragged on a tad too much while the ending was a bit too rush though. Overall, I wouldn't pay the full price of a movie ticket to watch it, but watch it at the dollar theater? Sure!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

On the Way To the Temple and Back

My dad remarked that there are hardly any pictures on my blog, and I said that's because there are no pictures to take here. I was wrong. There are not as many novel experiences to record, but there are still moments to be captured.

Spring is turning into Summer, and the flowers are in bloom. Yipee!
These pictures were taken during my walks to the Provo Temple. I love walking there and back, and am glad it's pleasant enough to do so now without the freezing Winter or blazing hot Summer. Wish the weather would stay as such.






I've uploaded plenty more pictures on a Shutterfly photo album- http://myzestylittlelife.shutterfly.com/!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

New Equation

2-3 bananas + a handful of blueberries + a dash of milk ( + possibly some chopped up spinach)

=

Yummy milkshake!

Enjoying early morning deliciousness


I am a HUGE fan of Agatha Christie.

So it's no wonder I "devour" her books whenever I can get hold of one. That's me- I like taking my time reading classics and other books, but when it comes to mystery books, I am very impatient to get to the conclusion when the killer is unmasked. Sleep is usually the only thing that forces me to put a book away for the night.

And since Christie is the QUEEN of mystery writing, (don't judge me!) I read two of her stories in four days. It's like my new addiction... BUT I'm still working on my writing sample, so it's not all leisure reading!


The first is Agatha Christie's A Caribbean Mystery. I think I've read too many of her books, because I identified her "writing pattern" and successfully guessed who the murderer was before the end!

Pretty proud of myself because I've NEVER been able to do this.

Anyway, the book is a Miss Marple novel. (Miss Marple is one of two Christie's famous detective characters.) A colonel asks if Miss Marple would like to see a photograph of a murderer. Yet, just as he's about to show her, he seizes up and shoves the picture away. He is found murdered the next day.

Who and why...

Rating: 7/10- Liked it a lot, but not enough to want to read it again. The other murder suspects were involved in too many "scandals"/ sub-plots, and this made it a bit too distracting (but I guess that's the whole point right?).

The other novel, After the Funeral, featured my favorite detective character, Hercule Poirot. Love his idiosyncrasies!

This time, I was not able to guess the killer at all. In fact, I was nowhere close.

After the funeral of a rich tycoon, his family gathers to hear the reading of his will. His youngest sister un-tactfully blurts out, "He was murdered, wasn't he?" The next day, she is discovered dead, with a hatchet to her head. Her family does not really feel sorry and have no wish to investigate further. Unfortunately (or fortunately) the family solicitor already called in Hercule Poirot.

Hint: DO NOT let the cover fool you

Rating: 7.5/10- Hercule Poirot shines (as usual) but not his finest case. The plot twist at the end was brilliant but also a bit... "pulling the wool over my eyes."

Friday, May 13, 2011

Quote of the Day


Is there nothing then worth living for, but to be petted, humored and caressed, by a man? That is all very well as far as it goes, but that man is the only thing in existence worth living for [,] I fail to see. All honor and reverence to good men; but they and their attention are not the only sources of happiness on the earth, and need not fill up every thought of women. And when men see that women can exist without their being constantly at hand, that they can learn to be self-reliant or depend upon each other for more or less happiness, it will perhaps take a little of the conceit out of some of them. 
Emmeline B. Wells
Woman's Exponent 3 (Sept. 30 1874): 67 

Quoted by Martha Sonntag Bradley in Pedestals and Podiums

Thursday, May 12, 2011

AM I CRAZY?!

I found a job for three weeks in the summer!

I am going to be a resident facilitator to high school students coming to BYU's STARTALK Chinese camp in the summer. It will be for three weeks, and I will eat and stay overnight with them, and spend all 3 weekends with them. In other words, it'll be YOUTH CONFERENCE all over again, but this time I'm the "chaperon" for THREE WEEKS.

Am I crazy?
Yeah.

But the weird thing is, I'm actually excited! And if you know me, I am NOT Youth Conference leader material (too introvert to enjoy such things). Hence, it's even a puzzle to me why I feel good about it.

Oh well, it pays good money and if I don't like it, I will just have to suffer for 3 weeks right?! I will eat breakfast and dinner with them everyday, help with their Chinese homework, play games, and stay overnight with them in the dorms for the entire camp duration. On weekends, we might go to Temple Square and on a hike. Sunday is their "day off" and I will take those who want to go to church with me (I think).

Cross my fingers things work out!!! :)

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

My Feeble Attempt at Creating

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul... Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter."
Pres. Dieter F. Utchdorf
"Happiness, Your Heritage"  October 2008 General Relief Society Meeting 

May I present to you my very own creation:

Keshia’s Double Layer Trifle


Indulge me a little while I boast a little about it please?! :) I confess that this recipe is based on a trifle recipe by Sis Dalebout (family friend). I helped her make her Christmas trifle, and loved it so much, I wanted to make one myself. After some trial and error (and with some inspiration from Above), this is the result- ta dah! I have to say, I'm very pleased with it. It did taste simply wonderful! 

My roommates and I finished the bigger bowl in ONE day.
Good thing I gave the smaller one away- can't imagine the calories... 
FYI, the layers are:
  • Cake
  • Jello
  • Fruit
  • Real whipped cream
  • Crushed up Twix bars
Let me know if you want the detailed recipe!

All roads lead back to the mission

Yesterday I borrowed my roommate's bike to cycle to an interview about 15 blocks away. Even though I was in a skirt and had on nice shoes, I felt liberated and happy. Probably because it reminded me so much of my mission. 


This was me, approximately 2 years ago, near the end of my mission.
Yes I know- not very flattering. I was fat, make-up smudged, sweaty... But, who cared?! I was there to work! This picture was taken the last night of my mission. Vegas (my bike) and I had roughed it out for almost 15 months together. We've been through two mini-accidents, one complete makeover (yellow and red to blue and orange), conquered a mountain, and traveled marathon miles of rough road biking. I miss my bike! 


But the best thing about my mission is summed up very nicely by C.S. Lewis.

"Give me all of you!!! I don’t want so much of your time, so much of your talents and money, and so much of your work. I want YOU!!! ALL OF YOU!! I have not come to torment or frustrate the natural man or woman, but to KILL IT! No half measures will do. I don’t want to only prune a branch here and a branch there; rather I want the whole tree out! Hand it over to me, the whole outfit, all of your desires, all of your wants and wishes and dreams. Turn them ALL over to me, give yourself to me and I will make of you a new self---in my image. Give me yourself and in exchange I will give you Myself. My will, shall become your will. My heart, shall become your heart." 

— C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity)


This reminds me of the story of President Hugh B. Brown, as quoted by Elder Christofferson.
But even though he was fully qualified for the promotion, it was denied him because he was a Mormon. The commanding general said in essence, “You deserve the appointment, but I cannot give it to you.” What President Brown had spent 10 years hoping, praying, and preparing for slipped through his fingers in that moment because of blatant discrimination. Continuing his story, President Brown remembered:
“I got on the train and started back … with a broken heart, with bitterness in my soul. … When I got to my tent, … I threw my cap on the cot. I clenched my fists, and I shook them at heaven. I said, ‘How could you do this to me, God? I have done everything I could do to measure up. There is nothing that I could have done—that I should have done—that I haven’t done. How could you do this to me?’ I was as bitter as gall.
“And then I heard a voice, and I recognized the tone of this voice. It was my own voice, and the voice said, ‘I am the gardener here. I know what I want you to do.’ The bitterness went out of my soul, and I fell on my knees by the cot to ask forgiveness for my ungratefulness. …
“… And now, almost 50 years later, I look up to [God] and say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for cutting me down, for loving me enough to hurt me.’” 5
God knew what Hugh B. Brown was to become and what was needed for that to happen, and He redirected his course to prepare him for the holy apostleship.
It is hard, isn't it? Yes, but God is the Gardener, and I am so grateful for that. 

Quote of the Day

"My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?" 


Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Resurrection... with a twist

I've been going a bit nuts since I've stopped blogging about DC- I've been (unknowingly) bitten by the blogging bug!~

Therefore, I decided to resurrect my old blog. It's the one I started when I came back from my mission.

In case you did not know about my previous blogging posts, please feel free to scroll to the older posts where you will find outdated news about my life. For those who want to know about my wonderful time in DC, please visit http://keeshonadventure.blogspot.com. The next time I go on another adventure, I will probably resurrect that blog. Special times call for special blogs! Not that my life now is not special... you know what I mean.

HOWEVER, I've decided that I'm going to change things a bit with this blog. This will not be an online journal anymore, meaning I'm not going to write "Yesterday I... today, I..." Instead, I want to base my blog on the URL and title of my blog- "my zesty little life." I'm more interested in recording the nuances of my mundane life. So the things I will focus on will be

  • the books I'm reading
  • the food I'm cooking
  • the friends I'm making
  • other significant memories I'm making

Still don't get it? Don't worry. Check back and you'll see what I mean.

Meanwhile, feel free to read my older posts and my other blog.

(PS: Please visit my other blog ASAP because I will soon be changing the status of that blog to "highly private")