“Nice”

Case 1: I was at a eatery downstairs at my work. A new girl, she seemed to be, was ready to serve me. I politely asked for two kinds of salads: a beet/avocado salad and a pasta salad. I'm never satisfied with just a leafy salad, so I was banking on the tuna and pasta to fill me up. I guess the girl didn't hear me properly, because when I went to go pay, I noticed that she gave me a romaine salad instead of the pasta. When I was just about to alert her, I saw her boss walk by. She looked so nervous. I didn't want to embarrass her, so after a brief moment of hesitation, I just smiled and took the leafy greens. I was hungry again in 1 hour.



Case 2: It was 10:15 pm. I was just leaving my office after a looong day of work. I was exhausted and yearning to be in my bed. The next bus that takes me home was at 10:40. I knew I wouldn't be able to catch it via walking or street car, so I decided I would take a quick cab ride to the station. I rushed down to the street and flagged a cab. 10:25. I quickly asked to go to Union station while he's yapping away on his bluetooth head set. 10:29. We're almost there but he seemed to be taking his time. I asked myself whether I should tell him to hurry up a bit. I concluded that maybe it wasn't nice to rush the driver. 10:33. Felt nervous, but thought 'I can get there on time. I can just run out when he takes me to the corner.' 10:36. There were 3 cars in front of him making turns, the right lane was empty but he wouldn't take it. "Do I ask him to hurry it up? Do I?" 10:38. SHOOT. 'I'm going to miss it I'm going to miss it'. He was still taking his time. I finally decided to speak up. "I'm trying to catch a 10:40 bus. Could you please hurry a little bit?" He finally heard the urgency in my voice and quickly dropped me off by the station. 10:41. I watched my bus ride home drove away in front of me. Next bus came at 11:40.



Feeling frustrated yet? Unfortunately, I have many many more instances of being too "nice", which makes me think if it's actually me being genuinely genial or me just being incompetent in speaking up. And I'm not just talking about little things like salads and taxi rides – but bigger things, like with relationships or the working world. In some ways, I feel that it's actually an act of benevolence: I'd rather feel discomfort than impose that on someone else. Sometimes I take the blame or stay quiet, believing that one way or another the truth will surface. But in other ways, maybe I'm just plain wimpy to stick up for myself.



Truth is, it's a bit of both. I'm sort of a "big picture" person, so I often easily persevere little things when I see the greater good in it. I know that even if it feels a little unfair or disadvantage me right now, somehow it will benefit me or someone else in the end. On the other side, truthfully, I am scared. I know that when I speak strongly about something, that means I need to take responsibility for the consequences. It's not always easy to stick up for yourself, you know. If you're going to challenge something, you better be ready to fight. And when it comes to fighting, I'd rather lose to avoid it altogether.




So am I a saint for being able to stomach personal discomfort for the benefit of someone else or am I a loser for being completely non-confrontational? Hmm.. I guess it comes down to balance. I think it's about developing confidence and assurance in myself, while being considerate and attentive of others' needs too. In the end, it's about finding my own voice, while also being able to harmonize with the people around you too. I think that's where my solution lies. :)



Speaking of balance, let me tell you about a perfectly balanced cookie. This cookie is a solid combination of chewy and crispy and soft and dense. The delicious cookie dough is matchless with the abundance of chocolate chips. The recipe, carefully crafted by Food Network's Alton Brown, was specifically engineered to be the "CHEWY" cookie, using bread flour (additional gluten), melted butter, higher ratio of brown sugar, and extra drop of moisture from milk. Pop the dough into the fridge before you bake it, and it really is the perfect chewy cookie. I made these at a cottage with friends, and they couldn't stop raving. They couldn't stop moaning with delight. Now, that's nice.

The Chewy

recipe from Food Network
yields 2 1/2 dozen

ingredients

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

3. Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

A short discussion

Sarah the Baker Yoon: Feeling really overwhelmed. And tired. And scared. And headaches won't go away. Where's the tylenol?
Reader: Don't be sucha downer, Sarah. Chin up and keep moving on!! You're doing a good job.
SBY: I don't feel like I am. I often times want to give up. But at the same time, I don't want to. What's the point of giving up?
R: That's right. You're on a trek up the mountain – once you get to the peak, it'll be a piece of cake going down.
SBY: But how do I know where the peak is? I'm at the base and I'm struggling already. What if it's like this for a really reaaally long time?
R: You'll find a way to get there. You've got amazing people around you to go through the climb with you. Every now and then you'll find some easier spots where you can sit down and enjoy the breeze.
SBY: I'm hoping that little break comes soon.
R: It will. But for now, just focus on moving onward. Okay?
SBY: Okay.
R: By the way, I miss your blog entries. You need to blog more.
SBY: UM I'm barely clearing my full plate, here. Give a girl a break.
R: That's no excuse, but since I'm nice, fine.
SBY: Thanks.. I appreciate it. I miss them too, you should know.
R: I know.
SBY: Okay well I need to get back to work and finish this, once and for all.
R: It's 12:30 am.
SBY: Exactly.
R: Good luck Sarah. You're on the right track. Keep positive.
SBY: YES. I will. Thanks.


Yes, as you can see. I like talking to myself. But HEY it helps get me through the hard times. Talking myself out of negative thinking into VICTORIOUS thinking. If any of you are going through a tough time like I am, you're not alone. Just keep going – there's always going to be an end to it and when you look back, you'll be proud of how far you've gotten. You only reap what you sow, so let's keep planting good seeds in our lives, no matter how hard it is right now. Good luck, friends!!



(Gotta just smile and keep going. There's always tons of things to be thankful for!!!)

UPDATE: I just remembered that I had one cupcake left over from my weekend baking. WOOHOO! What a treat!! See! There are tons of good things in my life! :D

Simplicity, rocks.

dreaming of lazy afternoons....


(Just a little sautéed garlic and grape tomatoes with butter, fragrant with basil and sprinkled with a bit of sea salt. Farfalle (butterfly pasta) and pasta water was added to the mix, along with a drizzle of olive oil and a generous mound of parmesan cheese. I added a boiled egg as my source of protein! YUM!)

Saving face

Hello dear friends!

Yes, it's that time of year again! Milk and honey cafe is undergoing another fresh redesign. I feel like the blog can use a little bit of a boost (since I left it dry and abandoned for too long). So pretty please bear with me as I make the finishing touches! :D

I hope you like it!!

Love,

Love — a magical feeling between a boy and a girl. Roses, chocolates, kisses, and hugs. Is always willing to fall into, be smothered with, and often leads to excessive gazing into each others eyes.

Love — a mother and child. Protection, patience, warmth. Father and daughter and son. Provision, strength, foundation . Easily the most powerful bond between two human beings.



Love – patient and kind. Does not envy, nor does it boast. Never ever self-seeking or easily angered. Keeps no record of wrong. Doesn't delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love – an action, more than words. A choice to make. Both the cause and the effect. And love grows. No matter how small it is, it starts with one, and leads to two, which multiplies to four and who knows where it will go?



What is this girl babbling about? Well, in light of the so called "holiday" that just passed by, I want to share with you my take on love. And hopefully it doesn't sound like boasting on my part, but perhaps it inspires you and urges you to join me in multiplying "love".

SO, last year, I had a special Valentine's Day Cupcake sale to make some extra cash. It went quite well, with more than 10 individual orders, and up to $200 in profit. So this year, I thought I could do the same. I thought, "Hey, more people know about my cupcakes, so maybe it will be an even better turn out." But as it turns out, whether it's the economy to blame, or my lack of advertising, I was wrong. I barely got 5 orders, but nonetheless, I was still really happy to be doing it.



As I was collecting my final orders, I read an article about how there's this guy in the States who wants to somehow ban Valentine's Day (and is trying to take it to court) since it's just another evil money-making day for businesses. Apparently, all it does is make men feel pressured and under-appreciated because of the unreal expectations of women. It's simply about how much dough a man can dish out for his woman. But the article goes on to saying that instead of the cynical view, why not just celebrate this day of Love? Why not have a chance to stop and really appreciate love? And I thought to myself, well, what is love then? Sure, it's emotional feelings towards your mate, but I believe love is more than that. It can make an even greater impact and produce greater fruits than that. So what better way to celebrate love than to show it to those who need it most?



And who needs it more than anyone at this time? Of course, the people of Haiti. I don't really think I need to talk much about the heart-breaking disaster, as I'm sure everyone is aware. With that said, I was moved to give what I have and share my part of love. So, last minute, I decided to donate all the money from the cupcakes, which turned out to be enough to provide TWO families with emergency kits. (Through World Vision). I know it's but a small initiative on my part, however I know every bit counts. It's my first step, and I don't want to stop here.



Andrew and I also started supporting a child through World Vision. His name is Mame, from Senegal. His family barely meets their needs, so I'm really hoping with the monthly donations that we make, it will make a difference in his family's lives. Imagine we could truly change someone's life? Imagine we can help pave a way of hope?



The power of one. Hundreds and millions of people start with one. That's from a song I've recently heard. And I really believe in it. I'm starting with one, but I'm confident it can keep spreading. Just like love spreads. ♥