Inspired

I am inspired!

I have a new goal for 2009! It will be working on our backyard! I was looking at whiteonricecouple's blog and their garden is just perfect!! Now I just need to pull all the information together. This will definitely be continued work in progress.

Christmas Came and Went

CRY!!!

I return to work tomorrow. I can't believe Christmas came and went just like that! It's been so hectic for the past several weeks that I just have not had time to blog.

The little down time I do have is spent vegetating on the husband's futon watching anime. I am just exhausted and the work week is about to start again. The good news is that it's a short week. The bad news is that I think I will return tomorrow with a pile of work on my desk. :(

I feel as if I am moving 100 miles per hour nonstop. I think I need to take a break soon and give myself a little R&R. This remodeling stuff is just kicking my butt! The good thing is that it is hopefully wrapping up soon. The bad news - I have about a million other things I need to accomplish as well. I really can't blame anyone but myself. My biggest problem is learning to slow down...

I've been so busy that I haven't even had a chance to review 2008's accomplishments and areas for improvements as well as come up with 2009 resolutions. Cliche you say? Why yes it is but I think it's good to evaluate how the year went. How else can I improve and learn? It is self-evaluating. I think everyone should self-evaluate more often.

Anyway...that is all I want to post for now. I must return back to my contract work now.

Tea Time

I have a new quest. My new quest is to try out as many "high tea" or "afternoon tea" places as possible. :)

This was from Chado Tea Room in Pasadena, CA in September 2008. The scones and devonshire cream were to die for!
My tea drink: Jasmine iced tea. I know it's not English tea nor is it hot but I like it that way. Very refreshing! :)Christmas tree 2007. What can I say? It's the holiday season!
We will probably put up our tree sometime soon.

Life Update

Finally a chance to update my life. It has been a hectic few months….

• New 9 to 5. I made the decision at the beginning of October to find a new 9 to 5. I am happy to report back that I have made the switch! I originally thought it was going to take some time to find something different but lady luck was on my side as I was able to find a new place rather quickly. It is strange. I encountered different emotions as the final days approached. I must say that the emotions changed from being glad for a change in scenery to being sad for leaving the familiarity. My former co-workers were so sweet as I had free lunches practically every day of that final week. As one chapter closes, another one opens with new dreams and experiences…
• The husband and I are in the process of becoming landlords! This was a project in the making for four months going on five months. I won’t go into the mechanics but it was stressful! Imagine trying to close on a property and interviewing at the same time! Anyway, it is major fixer upper so we have been in the process of fixing up the property for the past several weeks.
• Well, we are finally in December! The holidays are quickly approaching and before long, 2009 will be here. It is time to reflect on 2008’s achievements and figure what are my 2009 goals. This blog is more than a year old now and I am glad I have kept it up (even if it’s not daily).
• Video selection = DONE!! I have completed selecting the songs and images! I plan to send off the information to my videographer tomorrow! Now everybody can stop bothering me about our wedding video!).

OK, that's all for now.

Paris Hilton My New BFF

Argh...I think I just killed some brain cells watching this show. (Don't ask me why I am watching this show.) It's on TV and I guess I am too lazy to change the channel. Can you really buy a new BFF? OK, stupid question, I guess you can but is it really a BFF?

Argh...now it's the aftershow. There are seven people on the aftershow including Paris. It looks like the stage is a bedroom and everyone is in PJ's. I recognize Niki Hilton and Paris Hilton's aunt who looks a little bit like Demi Moore. Oh geez...

Mr. Cutie

I am not one of those people who are star-strucked but I must say, Raymond Lam is a cutie! Who is Raymond Lam? He is a Hong Kong actor with the TVB group. He is 29 years old and is just super cute!

Whining Post

Hello Blog,

It's been a few weeks since I have posted anything. I have some events going on in my life that has kept me from blogging the past few weeks. On a brighter note, I am starting to see light at the end of tunnel.

Anyway - this is more of a whining post just because I have the need to whine right now. I need to cook more. Yes that is my whine but I need to find the inspiration to cook. I have not been able to find that inspiration. So strange. I like to think of myself as a person who can do almost anything if she puts her mind to it. Unfortunately - I cannot seem to put my mind to cooking. I literally draw a blank when it comes to deciding what to cook. Sad. I try to come up with a weekly menu but that provides little inspiration as well.

Why all of the sudden this urgency to cook more? Well....I've always felt the need to cook more just because it is probably healthier to eat the food I make. The reality and practice on my part completely sucks. The other reason is because I am tired of eating all the fast food joints out there. McDonald's, Carl's, In-N-Out, you name it and we probably eat those at least once a week. I am fortunate that I am not a balloon and that my recent bloodwork actually came back normal. Amazing.

Anyway, I will try to update my life again when I get a chance. Don't go anywhere now. ;P

DMV - Go To Hell!

If there is a governmental organization that I despise, it would be the DMV. They suck big time and the information the DMV employees tell you is not the same at even the same branch!

I despise it so much that if I don't think I will talk about my encounter there as it just brings back bad memories and boiling blood in me.

9 to 5

It's time. I am ready to look for a new 9 to 5. After many months of going back and forth, contemplating on this and that, I have decided I am ready to move on. Now it's a matter of finding another 9 to 5. I'll bet it's going to take several months as well to find something, especially in this current economy. Boo.

Random Thinking

Gosh, I am on a roll tonight.

I want to see Flash of Genius. It's the movie about that guy who created the windsheild wiper and how Ford wanted to steal his creation and call it their own. Sounds interesting....

Furbabies

It's time to introduce my furbabies. I have six dogs. (It's amazing when I tell people I have six dogs - the shock on their faces can still amaze me.) I am not sure why some people are so shocked that I have six dogs. Is it because it doesn't seem to be possible in today's society to have more than, say, three or four pets? Is that the same shock that people get when a couple has more than the "social norm" of say three or four kids? Yikes, I digress.

Anyway, I have to provide a little bit of history on my six dogs. They are a family. What does that mean? It means I have daddy, mommy and their four kids. You see....at one point in my life, I had this brilliant master plan that I could breed and make money off of my pets. (Shock factor again for some people.) Yes, yes, I really wanted to make money on my pets. Hey, they have to earn their keep too! :P There should be a purpose for every creature on this Earth! Oops...by the way, my dogs are daschund breed. That's the weiner dog for those who do not know the term "daschund." Yes, yes, it's those little hot dogs with the long bodies, short stubbly legs and floppy ears.

Many moons ago, I bought daddy doggie from somewhere out in the boonies like Hemet or Riverside. Then mommy doggie was given to us by our previous gardener. Mommy doggie happened to be the same breed as daddy doggie. After about two years of cohabitating, they had puppies on the night of September 12, 2003.

I was estastic! They had four puppies! Oh the good old days when the kids were puppies and how cute they were! Of course, they grew up and I decided to keep them all. I also decided I was not breeding material. After seeing them grow in front my very eyes, I just did not have the heart to sell or give them away. Of course I had many inquiries but I just could not part ways with the puppies. The other problem was that the people who were asking...basically, I did not see that they were fit to own pets. (Sighed) I really should not be the judge of that because I really am not that great of a pet owner as well. Do I hear double standards? Maybe but oh well....they are my dogs! :P

So in the next few weeks, I will slowly introduce my six furbabies and their personalities. Yes, really, personalities.

Year old cake. Yeah or Nay?

I never got a chance to blog about our wedding cake so here goes...

At exactly one year and three months after our wedding, I realized I had a piece of our wedding cake frozen in the freezer. Needless to say, I was not expecting the cake to taste its best so why did I bother to save a piece of the cake? Well...I guess it's partly tradition. I remembered thinking to myself that I did not want to save the top layer of our wedding cake because...frankly, a year old cake has seen better days but a part of me wanted to see exactly how bad the cake would taste. Weird I know.

So on that day, I told the husband, "Oh, oh, we still have a piece of our wedding cake in the freezer!" I gleefully took the cake out of the freezer and left it in the frig to thaw. After a few hours, I took the cake out and took a picture of the cake and then..........I digged my fork into that more than a year old cake.

Um, yuck! Not very tasty at all. The cake was slightly wet from thawing. The filling was mushy. The cream was refrigerator hard. I had the husband try a piece and he didn't have much to comment. After those two bites, I toss the cake in the trash. So much for tradition....
Who came up with this lame-ass tradition anyway??? It's terrible!

Inspiration

After many months of stagnation, I have finally put some thought in putting together our parents' albums. Yes, I know I still need to work on our wedding video! :P Patience, patience!

Vegas

The husband and I went to Vegas to celebrate the husband's birthday over the weekend. I don't have any pictures of Vegas because I was simply too lazy to take pictures but I did take pictures of some of my purchases.

We went to see Ka and David Copperfield. I think I've seen too many Cirque Du Soleil shows because the shows are starting to blend together for me. Well, I do like that Ka had a storyline but there was less acrobatic performance. The husband and I both enjoyed David Copperfield. Actually, the husband was mesmerized by David. The good thing about David's show was that he really interacted with the audience. The "magic" was cool but I won't say anything because I don't want to give it away. If interested, you will just have to see for yourself.

Here is a picture of an overpriced cranberry muffin that the husband ordered at Treasure Island's The Coffee Shop.

There was a fantastic sale at White House Black Market. Here are pictures of a few items I added to my collection for work. You can never go wrong with a simple black blouse with a skirt or trousers.

A sleeveless top with a skirt or black trousers.

This is such a cute top. It works well for work as well as play.

This top will go well over a dress.

I love that this dress has pockets!

I needed to buy a bag that will fit my laptop as well as a binder and papers so I got this bag from Coach. Why this color? I guess I wanted to add some more color to my daily life. ;) There was a ton of traffic coming back from Vegas! Apparently one of the problems was a big rig fire!
Look at that lone fireman working trying to put the fire out of that vehicle! Props to the firemen and women who serve our country!
The biggest thermometer in the world can be found in Baker, CA. It read 93 degrees Fahrenheit. Not too bad....Then this beautiful scene that I just had to capture.

The market is bleeding!!!!!!!!

It's a terrible day to invest. I take that back - it's a terrible year to invest.

• At the end of 2007 - we saw the demise of Countrywide, gobbled up by Bank of America.
• At the beginning of this year - JP Chase purchased Bear Stearns with the backing of the US Treasury.
• Flash forward to July 2008 - the Federal Reserve takes over IndyMac.
• At the beginning of September 2008 - Feds take over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
• This week - Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy while Merrill Lynch agrees to be sold to Bank of America. AIG is on the brink of bankruptcy and poor Washington Mutual is trying to hold on but will they be able to survive?

I was not alive during the stock market crash of 1929. Are we headed towards that era again?? I am sad.

Gardenia & Planting

Ha! They say I have a brown thumb and laugh at my feeble attempts at gardening. Well, I stick my tongue out at those who laugh at me. :P

My plants on our front porch are alive! So eat that! :P I walked out to the porch this evening to water my plants and there was the scent of gardenia! My face immediately lit up when I saw my gardenia shrub had produced buds and one flower! I am just super giddy to see all the plants surviving.
Aside from the gardenia plant I have on our porch, my oncidium orchid is alive! It's been more than a year and the plant has finally produced flowers again! My plumeria plant is also alive and is producing plumeria buds!

Please excuse the tacky wooden stick that is holding up my plumeria tree. I haven't had a chance to figure out where to plant this tree.

And here is a picture of my Schlumbergera Harmony also known as the Christmas catus or is it the Thanksgiving catus? Either way, it's one of those plants. I guess we should just call it the holiday catus. I purchased this plant last Christmas and it did not arrive until after the holidays!

Anyhow, I originally had this plant in the house but because the cave (oops that's what I called the husband's room), so I guess I mean our living room did not have enough light, I moved it out to the porch. Looks like that was a good choice because my plant is starting to grow new leaves.

So to conclude this post - I am a happy gardener and I laugh at all those who did not have faith in my "green thumb" capabilities. P

What the???

It's just wrong!

I was at the mall today looking for a bridal shower gift and as I strolled into Macy's, I saw Christmas trees!! I am just appalled! It's September for crying out loud! We have more than three months before Christmas. We haven't even celebrated Halloween or Thanksgiving!

It's not that I don't like Christmas. It's just that I want to enjoy all the other days BEFORE Christmas.

Seafood Village

I had dim sum with some great company to celebrate a birthday today.

We arrived at Seafood Village at about 11 a.m. (Great timing to arrive on a Saturday as we missed the crowd because the restaurant did get crowded about 30 minutes later.) We started the day with a few orders, well, at least what I thought was a few orders but I guess seven women and one man at a table can do damage. A few orders here and a few orders there and before we knew it, we had about over 20 dishes placed on our lazy susan! As I digged in to the dim sum, I was afraid to look at other tables to see if they were staring at our table. No we are not pigs but the saying, "Your eyes are bigger than your stomach" is so true. Yummy food and fun people!

Here is a picture (taken with my new toy - the Blackberry - I am just amazed at what a little phone can do but that will have to be in another post) of what was leftover from our dim sum escapade. This was after we finished about 2/3 of the food!
After dim sum, a few of us headed over for boba. You can never have too much to drink and I am more of a drink person than an eating person! :)

Completely stuffed, I was dropped off at home around 3ish or so. The husband was such a worker bee today. He replaced several problematic lights as well as fixed the clogging sink in our bedroom. Anyway, I took a long power nap, woke up and fed my silly dogs.

Random mundane thoughts

1. Have you ever wondered why people put salt when cooking pasta? What does it really do to the pasta noodle anyway?
2. Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday.
3. Why does it seem like the Democrats cannot get their act together?
4. I bought a diffuser the other day. The scent is Jasmine. It smells great!
5. I cannot find anyone besides a coworker to discuss the stock market and investing.
6. I still need to put together our wedding video.
7. I always feel like there are a million things to talk about on the blog when I am away from the blog but when I am in front my computer, my mind draws a complete blank.
8. My dog is silly....she's lying on her back with all her paws in the air. Wait, she's flipped on her side. Gosh...dogs sleep a lot.
9. My in-laws' dog passed away this past Monday. He fell and drowned in their fish pond. The husband had to go over to their house to get the dog out of the water. (My in-laws were in Las Vegas.) It turned out the poor dog was placed in the trash bin and my in-laws, basically, threw him away, like a piece of garbage. Sad. Sometimes I hate how some Asian people have no attachments to their animals. It's almost better if they did not have pets. I mean, this dog was with them since his birth and he was 8 or 9 years old. The irony....the dog's birthday was on Sunday, a day before his death.
10. I have a dentist appointment tomorrow. Knowing my dental luck, I'll have a few cavities.

Disney Half Marathon

I finished the Disneyland half marathon in 2 hours and 35 minutes without stopping and beat my previous time from the OC half marathon! What an accomplishment!

Excited!

I am excited for the weekend! YEAHHHH!! The husband and I are getting new phones. I've been toying between the iPhone versus a Blackberry and I have decided to go with the Blackberry Curve 8330 in PINK!! I can't wait to post my new toy! I don't usually get excited about phones and I don't like to spend money on phones as well as data plans but I am just ecstatic about getting this new phone! I'll be able to text but the best part is being able to go on the web and check on my stock portfolio. OK, I am a nerd to be excited over this but I am so there. :P

The husband is a sweetie! I know deep down he probably wants an iPhone but I don't want AT&T so he is going to try out the LG Dare. If he doesn't like the Dare, he will probably return it and get a Blackberry.

I also want to stop by the farmer's market in Long Beach. I am excited about that as well. Hopefully I will be able to buy something scrumptious to eat!

Cheesecake Factory

I do not like Cheesecake Factory.

I've been to the Cheesecake Factory severals times and I can assure you, I am never the one to recommend this restaurant chain. It amazes me to see how many people like this chain when, in my opinion, it must be geared towards people who want to eat big portions for overpriced mediocre food. I believe in quality over quantity. Do I sound snobby? Yes, I may be a little snobby but to be honest, I have no problems eating at hole in the wall restaurants as long as the food is good and I welcome tasty street food any day.

I remembered the first time I was introduced to this restaurant chain. It was my college years and the husband and I were at this restaurant to celebrate the husband's friend's birthday. I remembered ordering the Orange Chicken. I should have known that I cannot order Chinese food at a chain restaurant but whatever happened to Asian fusion? The husband (boyfriend at the time) ordered some pasta dish. When the dishes arrived, I just remembered watching in amazement how humongous everyone's dishes were! Each portion was enough to serve two if not three people! Needless to say I remembered my order but I can honestly say that my dish was not "yummy" memorable. I did not finish my food, I must have eaten about 3 pieces of chicken and I did not want to take my dish home either. That was the first experience at Cheesecake Factory.

Over the years, I have been back several times for business lunches as my colleagues like this restaurant. I'll admit that there is an abundance of items to choose from on their menu list but when the dishes come out, it's always oversized and mediocre. I remembered one time ordering the strawberry shortcake dessert and the strawberries were not fresh and the shortcake was hard. How can you go wrong with dessert?

As time progressed and when my friends and I had get togethers, sometimes they would want to go the the Cheesecake Factory. The fortunate thing is that there were usually several restaurants to choose from and Cheesecake Factory would be beaten out by other tastier restaurants except last month. I decided to give Cheesecake Factory another try as the time we were going was for Sunday brunch. Since it was for breakfast, I figured, you really can't go wrong with breakfast menu. Can you?!!??! I remembered ordering the Belgium waffle. Luckily, my friends ordered other items so we were able to share and get a taste of everything. Again, oversized portions enough for 2 plus people. My Belgium waffle was o.k. Nothing to note about.

So today, I was craving for breakfast food but I did not research for a restaurant so I ended up deciding on Cheesecake Factory, even though I wanted something more authentic. The husband and I headed over to the restuarant. I ordered the eggs benedict and the husband ordered pizza.

Again oversized portions, my eggs benedict which consisted of spinach, grilled tomato and bacon, was, one word, terrible. When the dish was brought out, it looked messy. The sauce, which I don't think was Hollandish sauce, was this eggy mess that was draped everywhere. (I wished I'd taken a picture.) Why must I torture myself with this restaurant? The food is just awful. I feel like I gain 5 pounds everytime I step into this restaurant. And for those who tell me that they like the cheesecake at this place - are they out of their mind? I've tried the cheesecake here. The filling is not moist, it feels as if you are eating a stick of cream cheese.

I must try to avoid this restaurant at all cost. By the way, I also dislike BJ's and Macroni Grill.

Going to Cheesecake Factory makes me miss Ramos House in San Juan Capistrano. :(

Quick Update

One word: Busy.

The husband and I are in the process of a BIG project! I am super excited and, no, it does not involve a baby. If anyone else ask me about kids, I will scream. If my parents or his parents mention kids again, I will scream.

I ran 10.5 miles over the weekend! Yahoo for me!

I still have not finished selecting pictures for our wedding video. Yes, I am lagging. Why am I lagging? It is the process of sitting in front of my computer, going through hundreds of pictures and determining what to include, renaming them for the videographer and selecting the songs that make this project unpleasant. I must, I must, I must get off my butt and do this before month end.

Eagle Brand Medicated Oil

If you are Asian, most likely, you or someone you know have used this bottle at one point or another.

What is it? For the American folks and those who used it but do not know what it's called - the actual brand is called Eagle Brand medicated oil, commonly referred to the Asian folks as "green oil." It is an Asian remedy for aches and pains of muscles or joints as well as strains and sprains.

Growing up, my parents would use this "green oil" on themselves or us kids when we were sick. They would pour several small lines of this green liquid on our backs and start making marks our backs with a quarter or spoon. Within seconds, these reddish-purple line bruises would appear to mark their territory. The theory is that those markings helped to kill or alleviate the cold or illness that was in our body. I just remembered that it hurt! After the pain, you could feel the coolness of the markings. It was almost welcoming!

Nowadays, I use this bottle to alleviate some tension from a migraine (although I do not think it actually works but I do welcome the warm and cool feeling) as well as bruises and bumps.

(Picture was taken with a Canon Rebel XTI, no flash, focal length 51 mm, f/3.5, 1/80 sec under manual setting.) Don't mind me as you will see this throughout some of my pictures from now on because I am trying to track how my pictures come out. Well, just the ones I take under manual setting.

Randomness

It's been a busy couple of weeks! I've been meaning to blog but haven't really had much of a chance to sit down and relax in front of the computer. By the way, my desktop is quickly dying on me!! I so do not want to change computers because I am not looking forward to installing everything again. (Yes, I am lazy like that.)

I started carpooling two weeks ago and so far it's been going well. The husband drops me off in the morning and my co-worker takes me home in the evening. I do like the fact that I am not driving plus it's one car less on the road. The waking up early requires a bit of getting used to but I love going home earlier. I was able to re-pot my plants in the front yard the first week. Oh - I recently acquired a gardenia plant. I am praying that my lovely gardenia plant that has buds will flower soon and also survive. I love gardenia plants. I love how the plant can give off that sweet floral fragrant on a breezy summer night. I am so looking forward to being able to walk out to my front porch to that scent one of these days!

One Republic & Planting

The husband and I as well as ECA & his gf went to the One Republic concert at the OC Fairgrounds over the weekend. It's been awhile since we have been to a concert so it was nice to go again.


Here's the gigantic sausage dog that the husband was enjoying. It just screams calorie-overload to me!
The first band to play called themselves Carolina Liar. I've never heard of them until now. The husband thought that perhaps the singer was coming down with a cold or getting over a cold because he sounded hoarse = terrible.

The next band to sing was Phantom Planet. For those who don't know who they are, remember that TV show, The OC? Remember the theme song, "California, California, da-da-da-da-da...," well Phantom Planet wrote and sang that song.

Then it was One Republic, a local band I might add! Two of the five guys are from OC and another two are from LA!

Stop and Stare (this is the best I can do so don't complain).

Unfortunately, I did not get to take any pictures of them when they sang "Apologize," as my camera ran out of battery. Boo! :( After the concert, the four of us attempted to walk around the fair but it was getting late and the fair was close to closing. The good news was that we were able to pick up funnel cake! Yum! Yum!

I finally got a chance to pot my succulents this weekend. I've had these babies for several months but I've been so lazy. Aren't they cute?

Insomnia & Random Thinking

Crap! I have insomnia tonight! It's a little over 3 a.m. and I am awake. Boo!

Random thinking
Well, at least I've gone to the gym twice this week. I've been in hibernation for three weeks from gym practice and I have not been training for the half marathon. Oh boy, I am in trouble! Hopefully I can bounce back.

Economy sucks! I've been trying to avoid listening to the news (yet I am sitting here right now typing and watching CNN - go figures) because it's just bad news. Everything sounds depressing. The latest news - FDIC seized IndyMac over the weekend because the company is in big financial trouble due to the subprime meltdown. So sad. Reminds me of when Bear Stearns was about to go belly up and JP Morgan Chase had to step in (at the request of the government) to bail them out...eh..buy Bear Stearns. That was only a few months ago. Bear Stearns began business in the 1920's and was (see how I have to use the word "was" instead of "is") one of the largest investment company around until the subprime meltdown. Yikes - I hope they don't use the word that starts with the letter "D" and rhymes with recession.

It seems like a lot of the "old" companies are in trouble. Ford, General Motors, etc. Is this where the saying, "In with the new and out with the old," applies? I feel old now.

I am hungry but it's too late or too early (however you want to see it) to eat.

On a brighter note - I am going to attempt to carpool with the husband starting next week. He is supposed to drop me off in the morning and my co-worker will take me home in the evening. Yahoo! I don't have to drive! But it's more than just that - I don't really work THAT far but one less vehicle on the road equals less pollution.

I am not an enviromentalist. I cannot change other people's perspectives but I can try to change some of my habits to help the environment. And in the process of changing my own habits, if I inspire others to change as well, the world will be a better place. It starts with one person. Too bad not everyone thinks like me. Then again, at times, I am a person full of contradictions. Blah. BUT I try really hard not to be a hypocrite.

Book Review

My friend gave me two books for my birthday and I finished them!

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
Set in 19th century China, this book starts with a young girl named Lily from a less fortunate family and Snow Flower, from a wealthy family. Both girls are born on the same day and year and became laotong, bound together for life. Both girls' feet were binded (a custom that was practiced in China on young girls - if you ask me is similar to mutilation) at a young age. When they turned seventeen, they were married off in arrange marriages. This is where it is interesting in that Lily was married into a wealthy family and Snow Flower married into a low-status family. There's more but you'll just have to read the book if you are interested.

My personal review - the book was o.k. It was entertaining to read the book and gain a better understanding of the old days but I am glad I did not live in that 19th century China mentality where women were basically treated like they did not matter and were only put on Earth to give birth to sons. Bunch of crap. There's a saying in the book where it is basically saying that a girl should listen to her family when she is young, once she is married, she needs to listen to her husband and when her husband passes on, she needs to listen to her son. What the hell?? What a stifling atmosphere.

Peony in Love by Lisa See
Set in 17th century China, this book is about a girl named Peony, who feel in love with a boy she met on an evening at her home. She was supposed to be married when she turned seventeen but five days before her arranged marriage, she died because she was a lovesick maiden and did not want to be in the arranged marriage. The irony of it all is the person she was supposed to be arranged to was the boy she feel in love with but when she realized that, it was too late. She dies and becomes a ghost. Now you will just have to read the book if you are interested.

My personal opinion - I did not enjoy this book as much and actually scanned through some of the readings. The ghost part was not as appealing and it is a good 75% of the book. The thing I did find interesting is some of the cultural practices and rituals when a person is alive as well as when a person dies. This book reminded me a bit of The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I enjoyed The Lovely Bones much more.

Vancouver

Being that we were in Seattle, we decided to stop in Vancouver. Believe it or not, we were able to tour most of Vancouver within a day's time. Well, the day started with us finding out that we had to pay $ 70 for 2.5 days at our hotel!! That really hurt! Note to self - the next time we travel, figure out if a car is really necessary. The whole reason why I rented the car in the first place was so that we can drive to Vancouver. Well, we didn't need the car for the entire trip! I should have just rented for the day! So we wasted parking fee as well as rental fee!

OK..back to our Vancouver day. The husband drove and I accompanied him. The drive itself took about 2.5 to 3 hours which included a stop at the Canadian border with the Canadian patrol man asking us where we were from and what we were doing in Canada.

So what was our first destination? LUNCH! It was close to noon and we hadn't had breakfast so we were definitely hungry. I was about to do research on where to dine in Canada for breakfast/lunch. The first destination:

Paul's Place

2211 Granville Street

Vancouver, BC V6H 3G1, Canada

604-737-2857

There was a line but it wasn't too bad. The restaurant itself is on a quaint corner on Granville Street. There are shops on Granville Street like Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware. Back to our order, the husband ordered a Spanish omelette with toast and berry jam.

I ordered a mushroom eggs benedict on one slice of bread and pototaes.
I also ordered a Spinach salad with sliced egg, bacon, mushrooms in vinaigrette dressing that the husband and I shared.
The food was yummy! I throughly enjoyed our lunch and would definitely recommend this place for those who plan to stop by Vancouver. After lunch, we toured Granville Street before heading out. Then we headed to Capilano Park to walk on a suspension bridge. For $ 30 a person to walk on this bridge and tour their park, I would say it's not really worth it but, hey, we were on vacation.

After Capilano, we toured Stanley Park in our car. Did I mention it was raining in Vancouver? No? Well, it rained. (See that couple in the above picture with the umbrella.) Anyway, we made several stops here and there throughout Stanley Park.

After that, we headed to Chinatown, bought rambutans for the husband to munch on. OK, I munched on some of the rambutans as well. We also saw the people getting ready for the night market but we did not stay for it. I do think that the Chinatown in Vancouver is much better than the one in Los Angeles. There are a lot more stores and Chinatown spreads to several blocks. However, Chinatown still feels Chinatown. I guess it wouldn't be call Chinatown then. To elaborate, Chinatown is still dirty, grimmy and there are hobos walking the streets.

After Chinatown, we headed to downtown for dinner. (Sorry no pictures of our dinner.) I did not research on dinner places so we just stopped by an Italian restaurant (more like a pizza joint). The husband and I split a pizza, a salad and dessert.

Update, Floral Arrangement

I am back! After almost a month in hiatus, I return to the blogging world. Don't expect me to be a consistent blogger because that is one thing I cannot promise. :P Anyway, we went to Seattle and Vancouver for the July 4th weekend break. The weather was great in Seattle as it did not rain. (Something Seattle is known for aside from Starbucks and Microsoft!) I have pictures and I will try to upload them one of these days.

Anyway, a few weeks ago, I was at my other job and I came upon hydrangea and peony centerpieces. They were absolutely beautiful, simple and refreshing centerpieces. So what did I do? I went home and a week later, I attempted to recreate the centerpiece minus the peonies, hydrangeas will suffice for now. I love my floral arrangement! Its simplicity and beauty is just perfect. Very unassuming and elegant at the same time.

Now the only beef I have is that my floral arrangement lasted a total of about 4 or 5 days. Why, oh why, is that floral centerpieces just do not last? I guess the saying, "Beauty does not last," is true. So sad!

Seattle Here We Come, Etc.

The husband and I are going to Seattle! We hope to also stop by Vancouver. I'm super excited as that was one of the places I wanted to visit this year as well! Another item I can cross off my list!

Just a quite update:

I've been super busy with my other job. It's been a great experience and I hope that it will continue to flourish at a constant speed.

Mrs. Texas and I are not on speaking terms. I thought I could get over her craziness but I've just about had enough so I told her off one day when I was in a bad mood. (Sighed) I guess if our friendship was meant to continue on, it will continue on. I wish her well in life, love and the pursuit of happiness.

My work sucks. Not so much the work but some things are just so de-moralizing. (Wondered if I have it termed correctly. Who cares, it's close to midnight.) They've taken away practically everything that is entertaining on the internet with WebSense. I strongly dislike that program. Big brother is on constant watch. UGH!

Today I jogged a little over 4 miles. I must thank the husband as I was feeling really lazy and was about to back-out of any type of exercise but he got my butt off the couch! Oh and I got a chance to use my iPod for the first time! It was a bit unnerving as the husband's sister uploaded all her songs for me. Unfortunately - we don't always have the same taste. Now - I have nothing against All American Rejects and I like some of their songs but if I have to listen to another song of theirs, I'm going to gag! When I came home from the jog - I quickly educated myself on how to use the iPod. (I know, I know, I should have probably learn how to use the damn thing before I went jogging - which I kind of did. I learn how to turn on the iPod and select the music but for some reason I couldn't skip a song and sometimes the song would repeat itself. Irritating!) This weekend - I am hoping to run over 8 miles! Wish me luck!

I met with a counselor for grad school. (Sighed) I don't think I will make the Spring semester. I haven't even studied for my GMAT and I have one month to take it before the application process. I guess the earliest I will return to school will be Fall 2009. Oh well..I have 10 years before I turn 40 to get my master's.

Scott McClellan sucks

I don't follow politics. I have opinions about it but I usually just do not discuss politics as this subject can get touchy. I actually rather talk about religion.

Although I am not a George Bush fan nor do I agree or disagree with the Iraq war, I just do not agree with what Scott McClellan did. It is such a stab in the back. His whole book deal just seems like a bunch of bs so that he can make a quick buck.

Is this what our society has become? People leaving influential positions to write about gossip. So sad.

Makes me wonder if the person who's supposed to have my back really will be there for me or stab me when I am not watching. Scary. Is this where the saying goes, "Trust no one but yourself," applies?

I caved

I caved. I got an ipod Nano today. I never thought I would buy into Apple's iPod technology but I did.

And then I got this. What is it? It's an armband to hold the iPod nano.

Why did I cave? Well, I've been training for the half marathon and I have realized that it is hella boring running with no music. I was at the gym one days several weeks ago running on the treadmill and a song came on. I felt a desire to jog faster as I was listening to the song. So I thought to myself, "I need to get an iPod." So yesterday I was training with Metea and we ran seven miles! So proud of myself! Anyway, Metea and I went to Pasadena for tea time and we did a bit of window shopping. We walked into the Apple store and I was looking at iPod's. Metea told me she has one and if I was going to get one, consider the iPod nano. I thought about it and today the husband and I were at Target and I made the purchase! Yah!!! I can't wait to try it out!

Weekend Recap

It's been a busy weekend but when are weekends not busy nowadays? This also happened to be a mother's day weekend. Just a recap:

Friday
The husband and I called it a quiet night on Friday and didn't do much. We rented 27 Dresses. The movie was o.k., a bit sappy at times but overall enjoyable. I like Katherine Heigl and I like the fact that she is not a stick skinny actress like most Hollywood actresses.

Saturday
I woke up early to take # 2 (my dog) to the vet to remove the stitch she on her left front chest. Two weeks ago when I brought my dogs in for dental cleaning, the vet removed this huge mole that was growing on her front left chest area and to send it for lap work. (I'd been concerned about this mole too but she seemed healthy.) The vet called me last Tuesday to tell me that it was a benign tumor. Thank goodness! Anyway, after I brought her in, the stitch removal was quick and I was too early to head out for my lunch appointment with my previous co-workers. I drove over to drop off # 2 for the afernoon at my parents' house. I hung out at my parents' house for about an hour before heading out. I was chatting to my mom and on occasion, my brother would stop by my parents' room (where I was with my mom) to chat. It was just catching up and my mom venting or is it gossiping (?) about some of our relatives. For the most part, I try to stay away from family gossip. I am probably the most removed within my family to our extended family. My mom usually complains that I should try to make more of an effort to socialize with my extended family but the reality is that I don't have much in common with these people. There are always so much petty drama with them that it makes my head hurt to think about them. Anyway, I soon realized that it was time to cut the out before I got annoyed and said something to piss off my mom. I did mentioned to both my mom and brother they needed to be ready by 8:30 a.m. for Sunday brunch.

Anyway, I headed out to San Juan Capistrano for my lunch appointment with my former co-workers. It was a lovely lunch at the Ramos House. I've always loved this restaurant but Saturday's lunch was rather expensive. I guess they only serve weekend brunch even though it's the same menu as their weekday menu except the price. Whatever. I think the bill came out to be about $ 45 a person for this lunch. That hurt a bit. I didn't mind spending about $ 30 but another $ 15 kind of made me want to cry bloody murder. Oh well. There was still time to hang out so we headed over to The Coffee Bean for some coffee and more catching up on things. Mostly it was my former office manager and me. My other former co-worker would occasionally chime in here and there. It's always fun to catch up and get an update on my former clients.

After lunch, I stopped by my parents' place to pick up the brat, oh wait, I meant # 2. heehee. Oh, I had time to pick up my present at the post office!! I stopped by the post office, carried # 2 with me since I didn't want her to bake in the car and got my present!!! I have a confession. As I get older, I find that I have a bit of a fetish with collecting handbags and matching wallets. It's rather an expensive hobby but I so enjoyable!

After picking up my present, I went home and the husband and I went shoe shopping. Since I am training for the half marathon, I wanted to get training shoes. By the way, it is about time too. My old sneakers were starting to fall apart, the bottom piece was no longer glued to the top shoe. So we headed over to a Snail's Pace and a young man by the name of Alex helped us out. The husband paid for my shoes and his! YEAH!!! My shoes cost $ 90 and the husband's shoes are $ 120!! Hella expensive but I hope they are worth it! Disney half marathon here I come!

After picking up the shoes, the husband and I headed over to our in-laws. Secretly we wanted to visit Boba (the new puppy that the in-laws got) more than my in-laws. ;P Boba is such a cutie and a smartie pants! She's a 3 month old German Shepherd and I can see that she's stolen the hearts of those she is around. (Not to say I don't adore my dogs cuz I still do!) She knows how to shake hand, sit, down and we were trying to teach her to play dead.

Oh, we headed out for an early mother's day dinner with the in-laws at Black Angus. My MIL wanted to try Black Angus. It was a lovely evening. I like Black Angus. The prices are reasonable for the entrees. Not much to complain about. Yikes, FIL is starting to talk about more grandkids! Argh! Kids.shutter.responsibility.reality. OK, OK, I will just let time take its course for kids.

After dinner, we rented Mad Money with Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes. The movie started out slow but I thought was interesting. It's definitely a rental though.

Japan

Just a random picture from our recent trip to Japan.

Weekend Update

It's been a busy weekend for me. Actually, it's been busy ever since I came back from vacation. I haven't really had time for a break.

Friday night recap - I made a diaper cake for my friend's baby shower on Saturday. This picture is from another friend's camera. Isn't it cute? I marvel my work. heehee

Saturday - I attended the surprise baby shower. My friend was so surprised, it was so cute! She's due in June 2008. The husband and I visited our parents and we also dropped off gifts from Japan. My in-laws got a German Shepherd puppy. The puppy is so cute!

Sunday - I trained with my friend, Metea. Unfortunately, it was so dang HOT!! We started jogging at about 9:30 a.m. and OMG, it was so HOT!! I ended up only jogging a little over 2 miles and probably walked 2 miles. We must jog earlier or at a park. It doesn't help that I haven't jogged for two weeks. After the training, I had to drive to Simi Valley to meet with my bride. That was hella far! The meeting lasted longer than I wanted but I believe we accomplished a lot. I drove back home and had a phone meeting with another bride at 7:15 p.m.

I'm ready to go to sleep soon.

It's been a month!

It's been a month since I last blogged. I haven't meant to be MIA but I got lazy and busy. We went on vacation to Japan and Hong Kong (highlights hopefully will be written one of these days before I forget all the details). We got back in town late Tuesday. I had a to run errands on Wednesday and returned to work today.

Just an update....

A good friend of mine (Mrs. Texas and it's compliated) just recently told me she went through a miscarriage. I guess what I mean by complicated is that I've been friends with Mrs. Texas for a long time and I've always thought of her as a really great friend if not my best friend but over the past year, I have started questioning if we are still good friends. It's kind of sad. At times she really really annoyed me or (eyeroll) to be pyschologically correct or whatever you call it, I allow her behavior to affect me. Anyway, Mrs. Texas is a drama queen and OCD. Although she says it's the Type A personality in her...I really don't see it.

According to wikipedia (OK..so maybe I should probably not use wikipedia as my source but they are the quickest response search), "People who fall under Type A exhibit characteristics such as being impatient, excessively time-conscious, insecure about one's status, highly competitive, hostile and aggressive, and incapable of relaxation.[1] Type A individuals are often high-achieving workaholics who multi-task, drive themselves with deadlines, and are unhappy about the smallest of delays. Although they may exhibit some or all of these characteristics, it does not mean that people with the type A personality are incapable of showing love, affection or other types of non-pessimistic behavior."

I guess to me, a Type A personality is an agressive person as well as a perfectionist. Mrs. Texas is not aggressive and although she is a perfectionist at her tasks, she is not a perfectionist in her thoughts.

Anyway...I'm going off-track here. Mrs. Texas emailed me about her miscarriage. The first thing I thought was, "OMG, that really sux!" I had to fly out to see her just to make sure she is o.k. Despite my grumbling of her over the past year, she is still my friend. Is it times like this that you realize why you need a friend? I dunno. I know Mrs. Texas does not have a lot of friends. She has her sisters but sometimes I think her sisters are crazy! I don't have sisters so I don't know how it is but I get the feeling that her whole family tends to dwell on the past instead of just moving forward.

I have one younger brother who I know would probably be there for me when I need him but would also probably tell me when the time comes to get over it and get back on your feet.

Exercising

I went to the gym today during lunch. Holy molly...I did 45 squats in 15 increments and my legs feel wobbly NOW! I guess squats really work your legs! Then I went to the gym with DH in the evening. I attempted to take a step class but I was sooo disappointed! That class must be Step 2! It was way too fast for me. Each time I tried to catch up with the instructor, she was onto a different step style. Note to self - call next time and ask if the class is good for a beginner. I mean, I've taken step classes before but the pace is usually slow enough to where I can still keep up. So sad.

Exercising

I am finally getting back into the groove of exercising! I guess a couple of extra pounds added in about a year is enough motivation for me! The husband and I have been hitting the gym and trying to hit it regularly. This past week, I have gone to the gym on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday!

Today starts a new week and guess what? The husband and I went to the gym today too! I hope we can keep up the good work. I must try to get my jeans to fit comfortably not snugly.

Of course when you hit the gym, you also have a tendency to eat healthier so it is a plus. This past week we have eaten dinner at home on Monday through Thursday! It's great! I'm psyched about the progress.

So this upcoming week, I am hoping to go to the gym Sunday through Thursday and Saturday. I already have Sunday crossed off. I think I can achieve the goal as long as my co-workers do not ask me to go to lunch with them. I'm afraid then temptation will take over....I also need to come up with the meal plan for the week. Today we are going to dinner with my in-laws so I don't have to cook but what about the following 6 days? Hmm....my friend gave me this fish recipe that I want to try this week.

Unmotivated

I have a bunch of stuff to do this week and need to get the ball rolling but I am so unmotivated! I've been such a bad blogger. I haven't updated this blog for almost a month now. Everyday I keep saying, I will log on and update. Everyday I sit on my butt in the front of the TV. =(

Just a quite update, I was out with the flu about three weeks ago! I can't believe I got the flu. I usually get colds, maybe a bad cold, but I don't ever remember getting the flu. Unfortunately, as a by product of the flu, I trying to get rid of a cough! It's been about three weeks now and I still have THE COUGH!

On a better note, the husband and I have been going to the gym every Wednesday for the past two weeks. Now we just need to add 2 more days in that schedule to make 3 work-out days! One month and two days until vacation! I CAN'T wait! I'm so looking forward to vacation! I just need to remember to finish a bunch of projects (personal and work) before heading out.

I'm so proud of the husband today! Well, I must provide some history first. The husband is NO HANDYMAN! He avoids fixing things around the house until I give him a nudge (well, more like a kick in the butt ;P). It seems like there is always the excuse of "well, I don't know how to fix that" or "I don't know how to do this." You would wondered how they ever built skyscrapers if everyone kept up with those comments. Anyway, our place was built back in the 70's (1970's to be more specific). When we moved in, we made some cosmetic interior changes but we never fixed the bathrooms (limited funds ya know). Now, the outside bathtub on the second floor has a leak but we haven't fixed it yet. No one uses that bathtub so we don't want to spend the money just quite yet.

Anyway, we also have a bathroom in our bedroom. That bathroom has this faucet drip in the bathtub that is quite annoying to me. The husband seems to be fine with it but I really cannot tolerate faucet drips. If there's anything I can't stand (well...actually...there's probably a lot of things I can't stand), it's faucet drips. This past week, the dripping got worst. I mean, I used a one gallon tupperware to see how much the drip was for a day and the next day, it overflowed. This happened for a good 4 days. That's 4 gallons plus of wasted water! Today, we decided to head to Home Depot to buy a new faucet set. As we were getting ready to buy the set, this Home Depot employee, told us we needed a particular part to install the set. This part is called a "stem."

I had no idea what a "stem" was and of course the husband didn't know either. We followed the HD employee and he showed us the item. In talking to him, we also realized that we did not have to replace the whole entire faucet set, which would have cost about $ 80! Switching out the stem only cost about $ 15!

Anyway, we left HD and arrived home so that we could remove the original stem part. (The husband actually wanted to wait until NEXT WEEK to work on this project.) Can I say, eyeroll? I was, like, "No, we are fixing this dripping TODAY!" After the husband removed the stem, we headed back to HD and purchased the replacement part. The husband installed the new part and now we have a non-drip faucet! I LOVE IT! No more, drip, drip, drip, drip...... Plus, the husband learned how to fix a dripping faucet! Exra plus for him! =)

Movie List

I've decided to keep a list of movies I want to see on here because I never remember them when I am at the video store. This is in no special order.

1. 27 Dresses
2. There Will Be Blood
3. Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
4. Atonement (This one is questionable, I just want to see it because of all the oscar buzz)
5. Alvin and the Chipmunks Movie
6. I Am Legend (Seen on 3/22/08)
7. Charlie Wilson's War
8. American Gangster
9. Bee Movie
10. Michael Clayton
11. The Nanny Diaries
12. No Reservations
13. Georgia Rule

That's it for now. I will update when I remember.

Randomness

I did it! I signed up for my pilates classes! I bought a series of 10 classes to start out and I hope I like this new studio. It's close to home and actually also conveniently by the freeway as I head home from work too! I'm excited! My first class is this Sunday! I just hope this studio is as good as the previous studio I attended.

What other random thinking? Oh, I met with another bride AND GROOM this past Sunday and they booked me! Heehee...I think the groom was a bit taken aback. He said that I seemed kind of young and asked how long I have been wedding planning. Hmm...sometimes I think it's partly because I am short that makes me look young. Oh well...after 5 minutes with me, they were convinced I knew what I was doing! =)

As for continuing education, I printed out two sessions and I have been reading one session. My goal is to finish that session this month and read my February book, The Cider House Rules by John Irving. That's a lot of reading! I will have to cut back on web surfing which I really should because sometimes I can spend a few hours a night online wandering around aimlessly.

Pregnancy Photos

So I think many women will want to flame me after I say this but I don't like pregnancy photos where the women are showing their naked stomachs. I don't see the point of showing one's naked and big-ass stomach. I don't think it's sexy or attractive. I actually feel a bit quesy and nauseated seeing a pregnant woman's stomach uncloth.

Another thing I don't like seeing is women breast-feeding in public. Good lord...I don't really want some lady to whip out her boob to feed her child in front of me. Although I try really hard to pretend not to see anything, I still do. I can't condemn other people for doing what they do but it doesn't mean I like it. Again, I'll probably get flamed for this paragraph too but the good thing is that I don't think a lot of people read my blog so I am probably safe! =)

Saturday Outing

It's been a little over a week since I've updated my blog I've been super busy over this past week and have been lazy to blog. Anyway, I'll try to do a recap of this past weekend as well as week.

Saturday, 2/2 - I went to lunch with a friend, E, I met on a wedding forum. We went to Felix Continental Cafe in Orange, CA. It is Cuban food. I've had Cuban food before as there is a restaurant called Florida near my work that serves Cuban. I absolutely love that restaurant. I actually went there today for lunch with about 9 other coworkers to celebrate some people's birthdays.

Going back to Felix Continental - this was actually my second visit to this restaurant. The first time I was here, I went with a college friend who introduced me to Cuban food. Anyway, I can't say that I am all that impressed with Felix Continental. I gave the restaurant a second chance but it just cannot compare to Florida. The plaintains at Florida is super yummy and sweet. The plaintains at Felix is bland and hard. Oh well. After lunch, my friend, E and I went to Main Place because I needed to buy a Stila pressed powder refill. Main Place does not carry Stila! That was a bit annoying considering the fact that we drove around for about 5 minutes trying to find a parking place. We headed over to SCP so that I could buy my pressed powder refill and E could fill out her HR termination paperwork. She was being laid-off from her workplace! It's o.k., the woman only works 4 hours a month at the place. It's about time they lay her off. =P

I think E was tired of walking around the mall with me as I wandered aimlessly window shopping for a purse. As E put it, she wasn't a shopper. Well, I'm not a shopper either but it's nice every once in awhile to just walk around. After going to several stores, we called it an afternoon and I dropped her off at her aunt's place. I ran some errands and headed home.

My friend, Metea, came over in the evening to hang out. We talked for awhile and then it was time for dinner. The husband, Metea and I went to Ebisu for ramen. It's funny but my taste buds have changed over time. I used to not like curry, specifically Japanese curry, but now I like it. I gues it's one of those things that you need to try more often and it will grow on you. Oh...back to what I was saying, I didn't really like Japanese ramen for a long while. Somehow, it's kind of grown on me. I would have to say that I would have to thank some of my forum buddies for our GTG's to different restaurants. Oh...I ran into a previous co-worker of mine when we were at Ebisu. We chatted for a minute or two and I got her email. I'll have to remember to send her an email to catch-up one of these days.

After dinner, we went back to our place. Metea and I continued our discussion way pass our bedtime (I had to catch a early flight the next morning). It was hilarious catching up with Metea. Although Metea and I exchanged email correspondence frequently at work, we cannot hear each other laugh. I think exchanging laughter is one of the most wonderful things about getting together with friends.

Image Change

This past weekend, I had an image makeover. Well, not quite a makeover but I got a haircut. I haven't gotten a haircut (except the occasional trim every few months) since early 2006. It's been two years! I don't keep my hair long most of the years except in those two years, I had an alternative motive! I was getting married.

The wedding day came and went and I still did not get a haircut. I was toying with the idea of doing a "Trash the Dress" session (more about this session someday) so I continued to keep my hair long. Well...the TTD session came and went but my long hair was still on my head.

Then, a thought occurred to me, I would donate my hair! I did research on the topic and found there was a LENGTH REQUIREMENT plus a bunch of other requirements such as hair cannot be chemically treated, must be clean, must be braided or in ponytail, yadee, yadee, yadee.

Anyway...so I continued to grow out my hair because I did not want to be bald when I decided to chop off my hair. After much contemplation, I went through with the process this past Saturday! My stylist asked me if I was sure. Hell yeah I was sure! Now I have a bob. It's a bit shorter than I had anticipated but I don't really care. The good thing about hair is that it grows back (well...at least for me anyway). ;P

So my brother, who I shall call ECA and his g/f, ECA g/f, came over on Sunday because ECA missed my furbabies and wanted to play with them. (I have six. One of these days, I will introduce you to my six furbabies.) The husband's younger sister (what shall I call her?) also came over with a foot long sub from Vegas. (Yes really, the sub really did come from Vegas but she didn't go to Vegas.) ECA and ECA g/f also brought us all Yogurt Pad! YUM! YUM! Unfortunately, they did not have mochi again. This is the second time they ran out of mochi. I'm disappointed! =( Anyway...we were all in the husband's cave and I remembered that the following item was in his cave:



I proceeded to grab the bag because I wanted to show ECA and his g/f what was in it. Heehee...let's just say they were freaked out by it and told me to put it away! Geez....it was only my hair. I thought it was kind of cool (o.k., so I found it rather entertaining from their expression and amusing) to see my hair in a ponytail.Here are some more pics. Look! My hair is longer than 12 inches! I have the ruler to prove!



What a momentous ocasion!! =)

Too much work!!

I haven't had a chance to blog for a few days now and I miss blogging. Blogging usually means that I have free time so I can talk about random nonsense or not. Unfortunately, I have a bunch of deadlines so the little busy me has been working when after work! =(

I was eating my lunch by my lonesome self in the kitchen today when my middle-aged co-worker came in. (Wait..practically everyone at my workplace is at least 10 years older than me.)

Anywho, my co-worker started to prepare her lunch and while she was doing that, she asked me, "Can I ask you a personal question?"
I said, "yes."
She asked, "Is everything o.k.?"
I nonchalently said, "Oh, I've just been really busy."
She said, "Oh, ok."
Silence for a few seconds.
Then I asked, "Why, do I seem a bit agitated lately?"
She responded rather quickly, "Yes."
I laughed and said again, "I've just been busy. Too many things to do. Not enough minutes in a day."

Maybe I should have also said, if everyone leaves me alone, maybe I can get some work done. Quit trying to engage me in every project. Lately...I get the feeling my boss does not like to interact with the people back east and they don't really like to talk to him either. So guess what? I get the calls!! WTH?!?!

(My dogs are annoying me because they will not shut-up!!)