I have moved to another domain and WEGO will no longer be updated starting today (March 24, 2025) - My name Online Home is currently Under Construction but signs of old When Emily Goes Out are starting to show up: The Lair Cafe
Oh No, Oh Yes - Akina Nakamori
Written by Mariya Takeuchi, Oh No Oh Yes was released in Akina Nakamori's 1986 album Crimson. Later on, Mariya released her rendition, the version I first encountered after discovering Plastic Love during my stay-at-home mom days while on COVID lockdowns.
I don't normally enjoy live performance videos when I watch them on YouTube. However, when I watched Akina's live performance version and the official video, I could tell that Oh No Oh Yes, is meant for Akina.
Akina's renditioned a more sensual approach to Mariya's lyrics, from her soft vocals as she swayed in the intro of her live performance. Akina gives a femme-fatale energy to a song describing a complicated situation- a forbidden love.
The lyrics of "Oh No, Oh Yes" have few English lines, I will only post the Romanized version of the song.
Oh No Oh Yes
Hitotsuhitotsu kie te yuku
Ofisu gai no mado akari
Hiiru no oto mo hisome te
Anata ni au tame ni
Ashibaya ni aruku no
Kusuriyubi no ringu yori
Hitome shinobu koi eran da
Tsuyoi onna ni mie te mo
Kokoro no naka itsumo
Setsuna sa ni yure teru
[Chorus]
Oh no, tsumi na futari ne
But no, hana rerare nai
Oh yes, kono mama aisare tai
Oh no, loving you is not right
But no don't take me home tonight
Oh yes, so baby won't you hold me tight?
[Verse 2]
Sabirekake ta teatoru ya
Tobira o tozashiteru faamashii
Toori o watare ba sugu ni
Anata no matsu hoteru
Demo tomadotte iru?
Michi yuku koibito tachi wa
Nante shiawase sou na no
Itoshii mune ni kuzure te
Oso sugi ta deai o
Namida de ume te yuku
Oh no, kanawa nu omoi
But no, nani mo ira nai
Oh yes, anata ni daka rerunara
Oh no, it's not the way I planned
But no, don't let it be one night stand
Oh yes, so baby try to understand
Oh no, tsumi na futari ne
But no, hana rerare nai
Oh yes, kono mama aisare tai
Oh no, loving you is not right
But no, don't take me home tonight
Oh yes, so baby won't you hold me tight?
Oh no, it's not the way I planned
But no, don't let it be one night stand
Oh yes, so baby try to understand
Oh no, loving you is not right
But no, don't take me home tonight
Oh yes, so baby won't you hold me tight?
Oh no, it's not the way I planned
But no, don't let it be one night stand
Oh yes, so baby try to understand
Oh no, loving you is not right
But no, don't take me home tonight
Oh yes, so baby won't you hold me tight?
This song didnt received my Conchaboy paw of approval, Methinks he finds it too mellow or boring; he just usually sleeps it or keep himself busy looking for leftovers under the table while I sing away, but I do think Concha and me thought of same thing whenever this song comes up in the playlist, mine is the photo below...(/▽＼*)
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| This photo makes me say "Oh No..Oh Yes!" |
My Best Friend Conchaboy
Seven years since we welcomed Concha home from a breeder in Alberta. With the right combination of tough love and pampering, we got ourselves a garburator and half couch potato but by all means, he is a perfect dog.
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| Concha's photo by Hudson Wren |
He earned several nicknames since his "gotcha day", from his first nickname "Conchaboy", then there's: Conchaboo, Conchabels, Belsbels, Smelly Belly, Conchapie, Pie-pie, Bellyboi, Smellyboi, Concha-banana, Whitespot, Conchang, Fatso and the list goes on. I have composed a few songs about him that I regularly sing to get his attention and sometimes I can sense that he does his best to engage with me in his ways like a silent duet partner.
In seven years of being with us, Concha has gained a modest following on his Instagram account (@Conchaandme) and has been regularly mentioned in my little spot online. He is a dear family member, my daughter's pillow, and my 🐻's afternoon cuddle buddy, his loud snores are music to my ears, and being in his presence brings me comfort, he slept beside me when I contracted Covid virus.
At seven years old, he is considered a middle-aged dog. Gray fur is showing up on his chin, and he doesn't crave long daily walks. He contentedly snores the day away as I work nearby. Conchaboy has mellowed down a lot, but he still occasionally goes nuts when he senses an upcoming surprise, like a walk with his "girlfriend" or being picked up by Boneheads for a day hike, to keep him active and socialized.
As we celebrate his birthday, I wonder if he's aware that he is entitled to a birthday wish. If so, what would he wish?
If I could wish on his behalf... I'd wish for him to live longer...
(っ´ω`c)♡ ∪･ω･∪
Hotteok - Seasonal Favourite
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| Bungeoppang ready to get in my tummyヽ(;^o^ヽ) |
We met Concha's favorite human "J" or we refer to her as Conchaboy's human girlfriend at Concha's old doggy daycare where she used to bring her dog, later I discovered that she's our neighbor and I started regularly met up with her to walk our dogs together. Aside from being pretty and kind, she radiates energy that excites the dogs when she enters the dog park! Eventually, our dog walks turned into drives to visit other dog parks and stopping by to Korea Town Centre for produce and our favourite --- Hotteok.
Kim's Korean Waffles and Pancakes is a popular food cart located in Koreatown beside the Hannam Supermarket. Aside from Hotteok, they also sell 'Bungeoppang 'or the Korean version of Taiyaki. According to "J", Hotteok and Bungeoppang are well-known winter treats in Korea. Following the Korean tradition, Kim's is only open around October till April, Going to Kim's has become my adapted winter season tradition.
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| Kim's Korean Waffles & Pancakes Food Cart |
There's always a steady lineup of customers whenever we visit Kim's. The comforting scent of sugar and cinnamon mixture creates a strong spell that makes me forget my diet....but it wont...it evokes a nostalgic memory of me on a line up for bibingka and puto bumbong, a popular treat during the Holiday season in the Philippines. Similar scenario but different flavour. I don't have picture of my beloved puto bumbong and bibingka yet so that topic will be saved in the future, So here's a link of me enjoying Hotteok.
Me, enjoying pancake in the 'cafe'.
Thank you J for introducing to Hotteok! Hope that all your prayers would come true! (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃
My Pandesal Story
The scent of freshly baked bread is very comforting, it's one of the best scents in the world.
It's funny that this scent was at some point a source of mild resentment to me. I remember being forced to wake up early as a child to buy pandesal at the neighborhood's bakery/ corner store. It didn't help that the owner/baker was a middle-aged man with quite an unfriendly, rough, and intimidating disposition. I can still remember his voice whenever he yells at his help in the store. He was not a pleasant man to deal with, his baseline facial expression was the exact opposite of the atmosphere of the warm inviting scent, as soon I got my bag of freshly baked pandesal, I zoomed out of his place to have it enjoy at home with coffee.
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| Freshly baked pandesal |
I figured I should start with the basic: semi-whole wheat pandesal, the taste has to be the same (slightly sweet, and milky) and can be enjoyed even with less white flour.
I found a recipe that matches my memory of how pandesal should be. I tweaked the recipe so the taste remains the same and whole wheat flour is not overpowering. If I don't add whole wheat flour, I could emulate the 'pugon'- style pandesal - bigger, fluffier, and buttery - the way I like it.
(っ˘ڡ˘ς)
The scent of pandesal emanating from the kitchen is now a source of excitement. Anything pandesal has become our bonding activity, we love it with butter, jam, cream, cheese, and Nutella, it doesn't sound healthy for now, but there are plans to add spinach or moringa powder in the future...I'll keep things simple for now as my dear daughter wants to get involved in the baking process.
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| My helper |
Mr. Grumpy Baker passed on a long time ago (may he rest in peace), not sure who is the new current go-to-pandesal person of the town, but I hope he/she greets the patrons better.
With You - Seiko Matsuda
This is my first post about songs I enjoy singing to our dear family pet. My long-suffering dog - the sole (loyal) audience for my out-of-tune mini-concerts in our household,
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| Concha, hoping to get my attention |
Let's start with the "Eternal Idol" Seiko Matsuda's With You. Based on my online search, this song was not well known like her other singles like 'Sweet Memories'. Her single duet with Donnie Wahlberg (yep, Mark Wahlberg's older brother) is still popular on the radio stations in the Philippines.
I discovered this song when I was rediscovering my appreciation for J-pop during Covid lockdowns. Seiko's demure vocals match the song's theme - a girl hoping for her crush's attention. So simple and so innocent. There's something nostalgic about the memories of our younger selves admiring someone and longing to be seen by this special person.
Below is my attempt at translating the lyrics into English, and the last column is the Romanji (in Roman letters)
I would like to credit the owner of KMNBT Translation for providing the Romanji lyrics.
♪( ´θ｀)ノ U＾ェ＾U
Brunch Life
I have been doing some home workouts since late summer of 2024. You know, I am at a stage where I have to watch my numbers...the ones that your family doctors check to evaluate your state of well-being...
But...I'd never stop dining out, it's my first way to celebrate, I have always been a food-oriented person
♨(⋆‿⋆)♨
Before 2024 concluded, I celebrated my few hours of being child-free by treating myself to brunch at Cafe Medina. Known for its long lineups and liege waffles, this is one of the places I hope would survive the pandemic, thankfully they did.
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| Les Boulletes - Lamb Meatballs |
Unfortunately that day, I could barely taste the lavender in their latte, but the chocolate-lavender dip for the liege waffle made up for the minor shortcoming.
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| Waffle and Milk Chocolate Lavender Dip |
Fast forward to January 2025, I had the opportunity to try the new brunch place near my home. Banette opened in mid-December 2024 in Uptown New Westminster, they offer a mix of brunch and baked goods. The first visit was with my dear daughter when we went out to do some errands, we just wanted a light meal so we split a Caesar salad and canelé, and I was so impressed with both of them that I decided to try to come back as soon as possible to try their other offers,
Below is the photo of Avocado French Toast. I like how Banette uses a black plate and a touch of edible flowers to elevate their brunch presentation. I don't normally order French toast at brunch places but I miss having avocado as dessert which is something I rarely see in most brunch places here in Metro Vancouver where avocados are normally seen in smoothies, salads, guacamoles, and toasts with poached eggs.
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| Avocado French Toast from Banette |
I have been thinking about food again...I guess it's time to do the home workouts to make space for the next round of brunching!
(*´ڡ`●)
The 'Lab' in the Garden Café
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| The "Mom" of my air layered quince |
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| Cherry blossom - lab's success story |
Maintaining lovingly the café always comes with few heartbreaks. I have experienced loss of some of my beloved plants thru various reasons, ranging from climate extremes, neglect, lack of info on how to provide proper care. A few years ago, I was delighted to be able to propagate my quince thru air layering. among the three air layered, it looks like only one might survives
(；´ﾟДﾟ)ゞ
Looking at my old photos I realized that I have probably performed plenty of experiments in the café/garden. Some were successful - survived, some perished eventually. I have read from gardeners' forums that all seasoned gardeners have experienced death of established plants under their care. I mourn the loss of my plant babies and eventually move on, hoping to learn from my journey and pray for more luck.
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| One of my early experiments, that perished... |
With all the losses and few victories in my gardening journey, I came to realize that the café conceals a laboratory, where my experimentations are being done to ensure my plants' survival. The lab is not an intimidating place, it's a space where my hope for my plants' healing manifests. Two of the success stories from the lab that I can share - the cherry plant that I bought online, with the lab's help, it survived the transport shock. The lavender (the last photo) that was left out during autumn and winter, it survived freezing temperatures and heavy rain.
The main goal of the "lab" for now is to hardened my Japanese Maple seedlings before placing them in their own pot, to avoid sharing the same fate of this unfortunate fella (photo above), while this gentleman in the photo below ensures the safety of my plant babies from pesky squirrels.
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| My "lab" in the café |
The future goal, I would love to have my dear Princess get involved in the lab/ garden / café, I wish that all of her beautiful memories from the café would inspire her to be a creative and smart lady.
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| The survivor |