Weekend Update

This weekend was low-key. I wish I had gotten more sleep though.

Friday
Went to Library Alehouse in Santa Monica for the first time. I'd heard great things about this place and have been wanting to try it for a long time. It was...disappointing to say the least. I think we may have just had a bad experience and hopefully it's not bad like that all the time. First, when Allen and I arrived, Fara & R had already been waiting over an hour for a table when they had been told it would take around 45 minutes. Then, they seat us at a table meant for two, so it was a good thing we weren't getting any food - there wouldn't have been room! The service was extremely slow and just poor in general. I got a sampler of beers ($7 for five 4oz. samples) and the waiter recommended one that tasted like rotten ass. I'd give them another chance and hopefully it'll be a better experience.

Saturday
Ran errands at Costco, where I picked out some new glasses. I hope I don't look too nerdy in them...

Sunday
Went to watch 3:10 to Yuma starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. It's probably the best western I've seen (I don't usually like westerns) but it still didn't blow me away.

Both leading performances were solid, as expected. It held my interest the entire time so there are no complaints on that front. I'm not entirely sure why I didn't love the film, but I definitely didn't hate it. If you're interested in seeing it, go for it!

Also went to visit the kids this weekend. My little niece has got to be just about the most precocious three-year-old on the planet. As we were looking at the fish tank (their new puffer fish, Rice, was the subject of our curiosity), my niece says, very nonchalantly, "Daddy's fat. Daddy, why are you fat?" We all burst out into uncomfortable laughter and shock, saying, "M! Why did you say that?" but her concern was genuine. Needless to say, Daddy didn't answer in front of all of us.

I'll update with DVD reviews later.

Labor Day Weekend Update

Friday
Allen and I decided to take advantage of the long weekend and drive to Vegas...to get some much needed laundry done! We left LA around 9ish and pulled into LV around 2.30am. Traffic wasn't too bad, but we had decided to take a different route and it turned out to be a little longer/slower than expected.

So my father has a house in LV in a little gated community - except the gate had never been enforced until now. We showed up in the middle of the night and of course the front gate is closed and locked. There's no guard or anything, just a piece of paper taped to the keypad saying, "Pick up your remote at X location Mon-Fri 9am-5pm. Call Jane Doe with any questions." Um...we were screwed. I notice there's a door to walk through and I try to give that a shot. I push some random buttons and it opens (although, i had been pulling and it turned out I needed to push, so i'm not sure if my button-mashing helped anything). I'm thinking, okay, the gate to exit is probably just pressure sensitive or has a sensor or something, so I walk over to that side and start jumping up and down, waving my hands - to no avail. Finally, we just leave the car by the gate while we move stuff inside (luckily my dad's house is fairly close to the gate), thinking we'd just deal with parking the car somewhere later. We're already out of the car and near the house when we see a few cars coming in (it is vegas after all) and we try to flag them down so they can open the gate for us, but apparently Las Vegasians aren't very trusting or friendly so no one stopped. Finally, someone was going OUT so we started running towards the gate. Allen jumped in the car while i physically held the gate open. I held one side open enough for my car to squeeze thru, but just as Allen was approaching the gate, the other side started opening too and was about to hit my car! I'm frantically motioning for him to back up and he does, just in the nick of time. Then the gate is wide open so we just drive on in. Finally!

Turns out the gates stay open from 8am to 5pm (or something like that) and we just followed a car in after the gates closed.

Saturday
Did five loads of laundry in the morning. Then, starving, we headed to the South Point hotel's buffet lunch - only cuz we know it's super cheap. (Hey, I'm not used to paying for anything in Vegas and especially hate the idea of paying for food.) The buffet was okay, not the best quality we've ever had, but for $7 each it wasn't a bad deal.

Did a little shopping at Target, took a nap and then headed to a mall on the strip just to stretch our legs for a bit. After browsing the shops, we hit up In N out for dinner (yum!) then we went bowling. I was doing pretty good at the beginning of the first game, but then things went back to normal. I broke 100 so it wasn't that bad (unlike the 45 i got one time).

Sunday
Decided to have brunch at the Silverton hotel's buffet (bellini brunch!). It was a little pricier at $16.99 per person, but well worth it. They had yummy food and homemade-tasting ice cream (not sure if it was actually homemade, but it wasn't dryers or anything).

Bummed around, did a little more laundry, and headed out to the Primm outlets before heading home. We decided to eat dinner in Primm instead of trying to find something on the road back to LA (we don't eat fast food except for In N Out). We asked around and a salesperson suggested the cafe at the Primm Valley Hotel & Casino. We gave it a shot and I got a monster-portion of spaghetti and meatballs, a dinner salad and garlic bread for...$5.95!!! It tasted decent too! Allen splurged and got the jumbo shrimp dinner for $8.95.

We finally hit the road around 9.30pm and were home in LA by 12.30-1am. :O)

Monday
Our apartment was way too hot to stay in all day so we went to Barnes & Noble to browse the books and leech air-conditioning. Flipped through this interesting book Allen spotted called PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives.

It all began with an idea Frank Warren had for a community art project. He began handing out postcards to strangers and leaving them in public places -- asking people to write down a secret they had never told anyone and mail it to him, anonymously.

The response was overwhelming. The secrets were both provocative and profound, and the cards themselves were works of art -- carefully and creatively constructed by hand. Addictively compelling, the cards reveal our deepest fears, desires, regrets, and obsessions. Frank calls them "graphic haiku," beautiful, elegant, and small in structure but powerfully emotional.

Some of the secrets are silly, like a woman who puts boogers in her husband's soup when she's mad at him (gross, I know), but some are sad secrets about self-loathing, betrayal, abuse and guilt. Check it out if you have time. You can also check out his blog, where this all started.

The Weekend Update

I didn't really do anything spectacular this weekend, but I'll share with you peeps anyway.

Friday
Allen and I thought about going shopping or watching a movie, but ended up being too lazy. I went to sleep at 11pm instead.

Saturday
Woke up determined to get some form of exercise that day. I really have put on a good 10-15 lbs since my freshman year in college. I MUST get rid of those excess pounds! Too bad I'm the laziest person on earth. I decided to try interval training again (remember last time? I threw up). This time, I was resolved to do it correctly - as described in detail by my latest Glamour mag: 20 second intervals of varying intensity. For example, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is walking at a slow pace and 10 is sprinting, start off at a 4, then move up to a 6, then up to an 8, then back down to a 5 etc. Interval training is supposed to torch the calories so I figure, in my lazy-minded way, that 10 minutes of interval training is the equivalent of 30 minutes of walking. I am going to try very hard to do 10 minutes of interval training five times a week. Yeah right. At least, three times a week.

I saw my doctor today for my annual physical and she agreed that 10 minutes of exercise is better than nothing so...it is medically sound and even advised! That is my justification for so little activity.

After exercising I was very tired and had to take a nap. Then i met Fara at the Barney's Warehouse Sale. We didn't have much luck; most of the clothing was still out of our price range, but I did pick up a new "fancy" tank top for $19.

We went out to dinner and had a drink at our usual haunt.

Sunday
Allen and I finally washed our cars! Mine was seriously so filthy. It hadn't been washed for at least a year and we took that car on multiple trips to Vegas and to the Sequoia National Park so it was covered in dirt and bug guts. Compared to what it looked like pre-wash, it's practically brand new! I have to get an air freshener or Febreeze or something though b/c the interior doesn't smell so great. Ick.

That's all folks. Boring weekend. Wish me good luck in my pursuit of fitness!

The Weekend Update

Friday
Nothing too eventful happened on Friday. A few of us went out for drinks at Ye Olde King's Head. It's nothing fancy, which is kind of why we like it. Call drinks are only $8! That's a steal in LA.

Saturday
Went to Manhattan Beach with BK and Fara to eat lunch at Uncle Bill's something Pancake restaurant. Yum! After stuffing our faces, we walked around the shops, spied on a few surfers and visited the mini aquarium place. It was a fun day!

Sunday
Hung out with family most of the day. Went to Lisa Klein Kids and saw...of all people...Brett Ratner. He's even more disgusting-looking in person.

And yet, he was still with a relatively attractive young woman. I mean...really. How desperate are you? And really, do you honestly believe he'll put you in one of his piece of shix movies? Poor dumb girls...

Haircut
I got my haircut this weekend. I made sure to choose an auspicious day - yes, I believe in that kind of stuff. The last time i made an appointment w/o consulting the Chinese calendar, I ended up with a mullet. Seriously. I do like my haircut. I like my stylist; this is the second time I've gone to him and he's consistently good. However. The prices were raised and no one mentioned it to me until it was actually time to pay!! It went from $45 (very reasonable in LA) to $60!!!!! Ugh. Needless to say, I wasn't exactly happy with that. I'm undecided about whether I'll go back.

The Weekend Update

Friday
VJJ and I prepared ourselves for Cry-Fest 2007, aka as the movie Evening, featuring the best actresses of our time, only to wind up somewhat disappointed. The movie itself was nice - lovely cinematography, fantastic acting, semi-interesting plot, Patrick Wilson. The problem? IT WASN'T SAD!!! And I cry very easily.

Do any of you remember that Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup commercial from a few years ago? A little girl is adjusting to just being adopted; it's her first day in her new house. In an effort to make her feel more comfortable her new mom brings her a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup. The mom doesn't say anything, just hands her the bowl, and the little girl smiles. Tears were streaming down my face by the end of the commercial. So you can understand how much of a letdown it was to shed only a few tears during this movie (if that - I only teared up once!).

Part of the problem, I think, is that the movie constantly shifts between the past and the present, which renders the viewer unable to really get into either of the stories. Plus, personally, I found the past much more interesting and wished they stuck more to that.

Although we didn't cry much, there was one woman in the theater who was deeply affected. For some reason she was SOBBING. I mean, heaving uncontrollably, trying to keep the snot in, practically hyperventilating. Okay, maybe it wasn't that extreme, but she really was crying quite a bit. We didn't get it.

Saturday
Met my sister and the kids at some park off Coldwater Canyon. There pond with ducks, turtles and fish. My niece was very intrigued by all the animals and kept shouting, "Ducks! Ducks! Ducks!" When we finally saw a turtle out of the water, I told her we had to be very quiet so as not to scare the turtle. Thereafter, she would shush any passerby and whisper that you had to be very quiet. One portly man did not heed her warning and practically stomped on the turtle, scaring it to death and thereby causing it to return to the water. My niece was sad and angry, saying to me, "He was NOT quiet!" She got over it in about half a second though.

Sunday
VJJ convinced me to take her ballet class. I must say, I was slightly inspired by SYTYCD, and haven't done ballet since I was six so I decided to give it a try. I remember liking ballet, especially all the accessories that accompany it - ballet slippers, little skirts, tights and leotards. I liked the class, but am not sure it'll fit into my schedule. I'm still thinking about it. I'm a little sore today, but I'm not sure if ballet is enough of a workout to keep me in shape, which is a new goal of mine. We'll see.

Pirate Adventure

Allen and I went to Pirate's Dinner Adventure this past Saturday as part of a field trip for his school. I must say that I thought the whole thing was pretty torturous. It's kind of like Medieval Times if you replace the knights with pirates. The show is a cheesy, low-cost (no-cost) musical. And, to make matters worse, the food isn't even good! It's like airplane food, which I find really gross.
The best part of the "adventure" was when I got berated by our pirate. Everyone is put into a different colored group and has a respective pirate. For example, we were seated in the yellow section and were assigned the yellow pirate (he also happened to be the only Asian pirate, wonder if they made him yellow on purpose...). So before the show starts, the yellow pirate walks up to our row and asks one of Allen's co-workers to go up to the stage with him. She immediately agrees. He then approaches me and this is what happened:

Pirate: I need you to come up to the front with me.
ME: Um. No thanks.
P: Why not? Just come up front.
ME: Really, no thanks.
P: I told everyone they would have fun! Come up to the front.
ME: I'll just have fun from my seat thank you.
P: You won't be embarrassed. It's fun. Just come up.
Me: Yeah, really, I'll just stay here and have lots of fun in my seat.
P: WHY ARE YOU BEING SUCH A BABY???? WHY ARE YOU BEING SUCH A BABY???
ME (about to punch this mother-effer in the face, but trying to remain calm so as to not embarrass Allen in front of his co-workers): NO thanks. I'll stay here.

Can you believe that?! He totally was shouting at me. When he was done with me and realized (finally) that i wasn't going to give in, he turned to the girl next to me and started yelling at her! He was such a douche bag. He even more disappointing when we realized he was the lamest pirate of them all, he couldn't do any acrobatic tricks like the other pirates, he couldn't sing or act (a required skill they all seemed to be lacking).

Anyway, don't waste your money. It was free for us and I still regretted going.

Hello

Okay, I know I haven't updated in a very long time. Sorry! Since leaving W. Beach, I've just been bumming around. Even though I've had all this time off, it's not a good time for Allen to take vacation since it's the end of the school year for him and lots of his students are graduating. Luckily, he was able to take a couple days off last weekend.

Friday 6/1
We woke up super early to make the drive up to Refugio State Beach, which is about 20 minutes north of Santa Barbara. We had packed up the car for a four-day weekend of camping and were really excited to finally be taking some time off to do something fun. We got to Refugio, but it turned out the campgrounds were full. The park services girl suggested we try "El Cap" (by looking at the map we figured out that she meant El Capitan State Beach), which was a few miles south. We drove down there and luckily there were four sites left out of over 200!

(We didn't take this photo. I was going to upload pics, but Allen took the camera today - sorry!)

We set up and took a nap - we were really tired from waking up so early! After we woke up, we took a quick walk on the beach. The campgrounds are right on the coast and the beach is only a few minutes walk. We only stayed for a bit to check it out, but after dinner (spaghetti and meat balls!) we went back to watch the sun set. It was so pretty! We even got to see some dolphins near the shore. We kept trying to take pictures of the dolphins but they were too far away and too quick for us.

After it got dark, we built up the fire and tried to enjoy the night. Unfortunately, there were a lot of kids in our area. And even more unfortunate, they were really annoying. Normally, I'm a big fan of kids. Everyone knows I dote on my niece and nephew, but man, the girls near our site were so bratty and one of them had a very shrill voice. Like banshee shrill. And she kept insisting that she was not afraid of the dark. So we gave up on sitting by the fire and went to our tent to watch an episode of The Shield on Allen's laptop instead. It was a good one! Then we went to bed.

Saturday
In the morning, park services told us we couldn't stay - the grounds were fully reserved for Saturday. It really sucked, but we packed up and tried to see if the other campgrounds had any open sites, but we didn't have any luck so we just had to drive home.

When we got home, we were totally bummed out that our trip was cut so short. Allen already requested Monday off so he decided to plan a mini-trip to Palm Springs! We'd never been there together and Allen had never been at all. We booked a cheap room for Sunday at the Palm Court Inn.

We were somewhat cheered up so we decided to go to dinner. We took BK to eat soon tofu at BCD Tofu - his first time. Yum! Then we got Korean dessert at Ice Kiss. It's this crazy dessert that has fruit, ice cream, jelly things, red beans, whipped cream and shaved ice. It comes in a doggy bowl! The only thing I don't really like is the red bean, so I won't get that next time.


Sunday
We headed out to Palm Springs and made a stop at the Cabazon Outlets since check-in wasn't until 3pm. It was pretty hot outside, but we tried to tour the entire mall. We bought some new salad plates at Crate And Barrel (love that store) and some other stuff.

(I didn't buy the whole set - I wish! But this is what our new salad plates look like)

After checking in, we went swimming. It was seriously hot in PS with temps in the 100s during the day and in the 80s at night. Swimming was fun and relaxing. I normally don't like swimming very much b/c I hate getting water in my ears, eyes and nose, which kind of defeats the point. But it was so hot that I just had to get in the water. There were these two foreign women who were also in the pool and all they did was work out. It was so strange. They were doing push-ups and swimming laps. Made me feel really lazy and fat, but whatevs.

We decided to go into town after it cooled down a bit. We saw a Cold Stone and thought it would be perfect because it was still pretty warm out. We had to wait for a LONG time before we were served because there were two groups in front of us. Both groups had only one member who could speak English (barely) so ordering took a really long time. I was getting pretty frustrated, but eventually we got our ice cream (Allen got a shake) and it was delicious.

Monday
We had to check out by noon so we ate breakfast and then went into town. We tried to walk around since most of the shops had been closed the night before, but it was so damn hot that we just decided to go home.

See? I haven't been doing much. The only thing I have been doing a lot of is reading and watching DVDs. I'll post reviews next.

Weekend Update

Friday
A bunch of us went back to Ye Olde King's Head for a low-key night. This time, however, the night didn't go as smoothly as we hoped. We were asked to switch tables twice and had to deal with a rude magician (really) and his rep/assistant. The rep was very pushy and kept shoving her odd-shaped boobs in our faces. In the end though, we got the last laugh - a free round of drinks AND no one showed up for the magic/comedy show!

Saturday
While Allen was taking his CSET Science test, I ran some errands at the promenade. Picked up some new undergarments at Victoria's Secret & exchanged some make-up for my mom. You know how third street has all those street performers? One of them caught my ear and I stopped to listen for awhile. It turned out to be a band (two guys) called the Ken Oak Band. One guy (Ken Oak) uses a cello as a bass and the other guy has a guitar and they both sing. Their music is kind of folksy, but I liked it enough to check them out on myspace. I'm friends with them now.

Afterwards, I stopped by the library and picked up two books: Girl With A Pearl Earring and Slammerkin. After reading The Other Boelyn Girl, I've been so interested in 15-18th century-based novels. I've already finished Girl With A Pearl Earring (I had nothing else to do on Saturday and it's a fast read!) and I really liked it. I'd already seen the movie, starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth, so I knew what the story was, but I still enjoyed it. I love the idea that there's a story behind every painting.

After Allen got home, we watched Pan's Labyrinth. All the bugs and weirdos totally creeped me out, but I really liked the juxtaposition of the real world against the fantasy world.

Sunday
Went to visit my mother, who is leaving again soon. We went to dim sum, where all the dishes are only $1.99 each! That's a steal. The place gets so packed that they started opening at 7am. After breakfast, I took my mom to Target to pick up some make-up. I wanted to buy the make-up for her, since I barely got her anything for Mother's Day. Part of her gift was supposed to be a mother/daughter(s) day out, where my sister and I would take her to lunch and go shopping. My sister ended up not being able to make it out, so I really wanted to make it up to my mom and I was insisting that I pay for her stuff at Target. I swiped my card before she could get her cash out, but then she practically pummelled me in the parking lot and forced me to take her cash. Do you guys ever have this problem with your parents? I took the cash, but snuck it into her purse when she was in the bathroom. When she's at the airport and there's nothing she can do, I'll call her and tell her where I hid it.

Weekend Update

Sorry this is late; I've actually been busy at work lately.

Friday
Allen, BK, S+R, and I wanted to do something low-key Friday night. We made plans to meet at Voda Bar in Santa Monica, but it turns out that Voda is about as big as my closet. All the tables there were reserved and there was hardly any standing space unless you squeezed in somewhere near the bar. Instead, we decided to give Ye Olde King's Head a chance. Guess what? It was pretty fun! There are two pubs to choose from, one rowdy and loud, and one that is more relaxed. We hit up the quieter one and had a great time chatting (yes, we could actually hear ourselves w/o shouting) and the best part was that call drinks were only $8! I'm sure we'll go back again.

Saturday
We didn't do much during the day, but went to dinner at my Mom's in the evening. She made yummy beef stew and something similar to shabu-shabu (in Mandarin, we call it "hot pot").

Sunday
A bunch of us have been planning a trip to Magic Mountain for quite some time now, but kept putting it off. This past Sunday we finally went. When Biddy and Spam told me they wouldn't join us because they don't like roller coasters I laughed at them and called them chickens. Well. As I was being strapped into my seat on Viper (our "warm up" ride), I realized that I am the ultimate chicken.

(SM, BK and Allen are actually on this ride, Tatsu)

I remember the days when roller coasters were exciting and fun. Yes, I'd be scared, but it was exhilarating and thrilling. Now, it's only terrifying and stressful. Alas, I am too old for roller coasters.

I had a ton of fun at Magic Mtn (thanks to my friends), but I won't be going back.

The Weekend Update

Friday
This weekend I seemed to be even clumsier than usual. First I bit my lip at lunch so it was all puffy then I burned the same spot eating hot noodles for dinner. Unfortunately, that resulted in a gross blister thing and I looked diseased for most of the weekend.

Saturday
Don't you just love those weekends where you have nothing to do? I visited my sister and the kids during the afternoon. My niece is just too adorable. Allen stayed home to draft players for his fantasy baseball team and my niece asked me why I didn't bring my friend Allen with me. How cute is that?! My nephew is just starting to try to talk and he's really only capable of making these strange guttural noises so far, but he'll get there.

Sunday
We went to the promenade because I had to exchange something and I did a little shopping. I got two new products at Sephora.

Benefit Benetint Pocket Pal
This glossy color wand is your best beauty pal. A mini Benetint - the original and still the best rosy lip and cheek stain is paired with a shiny clear gloss on the other end. Carry it in the handy pocket protector and you'll have kiss-proof, smudge-proof color with you wherever you go.

It really does smell like roses. So far, I like the product, but it seems a bit pricey ($18) for such a small quantity. I mean, half of the product is just a clear gloss that I could get at the drugstore. If I really like the Benetint, I'll just go buy the full sized product ($28).


Benefit Babe Cakes
Classic cake eyeliners that transform your eyes from beautiful to gorgeous in seconds.

I only played around with the product a little bit before I took my shower (silly, I know) so I'm not sure how it holds up during a long night on the town, or all day at the office. I'll let you know if I keep it.

That's all folks!

The Weekend Update

Friday
A few of us went out to celebrate MS's birthday at some lounge called 217 in Santa Monica. Allen and I had never been there before and it was a cute place. Since I'd been fighting (and still am) this weird cough/sore throat thing I decided not to drink so as not to exacerbate my illness. After a little bit of dancing and hanging out we headed off to Swingers for some late night grub. Yum! They have the best french toast.

Saturday
Went to Costco and Target to run some errands. I finally bought a bluetooth headset for my cell - it was only $40 and I knew that if I didn't like it I could always return it. I've only used it a couple of times, mostly just to test it out, but the sound quality is good. I haven't used it while driving yet so we'll see how that goes. It feels kind of weird, like it's always about to fall off or not very secure on my ear, but maybe I just have to get used to it.

After that we didn't really do much. I took a nap since I haven't been sleeping very well due to my persistent cough. I woke up in time to catch the second half of the UCLA/Kansas game - Go BRUINS!

Sunday
Recently, in three separate magazines, I've read about the benefits of interval training. Basically you're supposed to train really hard for a few minutes and then either rest or slow down for a few minutes and repeat the cycle so your workout is about 20-30 minutes total. This method is supposed to burn more fat and has the same cardiovascular benefits as a regular workout. Because I'm a lazy ass, I decided that this would be the type of workout that I would most likely actually stick to so on Sunday morning, Allen and I went to the park to give it a shot. We stretched and warmed up like good little exercisers and then sprinted as hard as we could down the lane. Our goal was to reach the end of the lane and then walk back and sprint again. Let's say the lane was 50 meters - I made it to 40 meters the first time and 35 meters the second. After our second run, Allen felt a bit lightheaded so we sat down, but I felt fine. A little winded, but fine. We rest for a few minutes and then start to get up and head home because there's no way that we can run anymore. As we're walking back, I begin to feel very sick, like I might pass out. I have to sit down lest I faint, but even while sitting I still feel really, really sick. Then I throw up. Yes, folks, my body is so unaccustomed to exercise that the mere act of running for about 3 minutes (and in intervals!) induced vomit.

Later, we went to Ikea and bought some more furniture (yay!) and then met my dad and brother(s) for dinner. My dad was in such a fun, happy mood so it was a very nice dinner. We came home and built our new nightstand, but Allen didn't have the energy to build the new dresser thing.

That's all folks. Tomorrow I'm hosting the Book Club's first meeting.

The Weekend Update: Las Vegas

Friday
A bunch of us celebrated Spam's bday after work at a cool wine bar in Santa Monica. It was lots of fun, but we missed VJJ and Biddy. Allen and I couldn't hang out afterwards because we had to wake up super early on Saturday to head out to Vegas.

Saturday
We wake up at 7.30am (this is considered a miracle; I have to be at work at 8.30am and I sleep until 8.10-8.15am every day) to pack up the car and head out to meet my dad. He is very anxious to get going to Vegas (his favorite place on Earth) and calls me at 7.45am to make sure I'm awake and getting ready. He calls again at 8.50am to see where I am. We arrive at his place around 9.05am and he's waiting outside by the curb, car all ready to go and everything.

The drive wasn't so bad, aside from the verbal beating I took from my dad.
Dad: Ah! Why haven't you two bought a house yet?? Stupid.
ME: Uh...We live in LA, we don't make a gazillion dollars.
Dad: Ay-yah...You guys waste money paying rent. You should move to Vegas.
ME: Uh-huh. Well...I'm only 24 after all so I still have time. Big sis didn't buy her first house until she was 30 or even 31.
Dad: You should move to Vegas. No rent, then you guys save up your money, then you buy a bigger house! Then, when Daddy retires you can take care of me.
ME: Uh...I don't really want to live in Vegas. Anyway, there aren't that many jobs out there aside from hotel stuff.
Dad: Ay yah! You can get a job anywhere! So many jobs!
ME getting really irritated now: Right. Okay, I'll be a card dealer or a cocktail waitress.
Dad: Why wouldn't you want to live in Vegas?? Look, it's beautiful there! So nice, so many trees, you have the casinos, you eat free all day, you have a washer/dryer at the house, no rent, so many jobs. Stupid if you don't want to move here.
ME: FINE!!!! I'll move to Vegas! I'll look for a job as soon as we get back to LA okay? Are you happy now?
Dad happy now: Okay. Good.

I already talked this over with VJJ. I'll move to Vegas if she moves to Vegas. Er, Allen - hope that's okay. Just kidding!

Sunday
The whole purpose of this trip was to see AFI in concert at the Hard Rock Hotel. The venue, Joint, was actually really cool. Unfortunately, it's general admission/standing room only and I realized this past weekend that I am too old for that type of venue. I really did not enjoy being with the masses and having them jump up and down on my toes and have their hair stick to my arms. So, most likely, unless it's a band that I'm absolutely crazy about, I will no longer attend standing-room-only events.


Lead singer Davey Havok is a very theatrical and dramatic performer, which was fun to witness. He actually crowd-surfed! I kind of took it as another sign that I was too old to be there, but it was cool to see AFI in concert nonetheless. And even though he looks all goth and scary, he actually seems very soft-spoken and kind. He does wear lots more eye make-up than me though.

The Weekend Update

Friday
VJJ, CL and I went to eat soon tofu at BCD (yum!) before heading to a concert at the El Rey. Priscilla Ahn opened the show and, in my opinion, was the best performer of the night. The second band, Midnight Movies was pretty horrible. Their music was trying too hard to be edgy and intense; instead, it just sounded like Earth would be invaded by martians at any given moment. The headliner, Alexi Murdoch, was okay, except that he kept having sound problems. And he seemed too tired to give a good performance.

Saturday
Allen and I watched Stranger Than Fiction, which was very cute. I really liked it and, unlike how I normally am, didn't really mind all the weirdness or unexplained details. I just liked how it was innovative and fresh.

Afterwards, my friend from high school came over for a chat.

Sunday
We were going to go to Chinatown in the morning, but had to cancel those plans because of the LA Marathon. Instead, I took a long nap, returned a library book, picked up some food and a pie, and headed over to my sister's house. Too bad if you missed out on Marie Callender's semi-annual pie sale.

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It was a somewhat boring, low-key weekend, but I was so tired and didn't really feel up to doing much. Next weekend we're going to Vegas.

President's Day Weekend Update

Since I've been sick for the past week, I didn't really have the energy for a crazy long weekend. Instead, I spent most of it lounging about in my pj's, watching DVDs and playing sudoku.

Friday
I can not for the life of me remember what we did on Friday night. Maybe watched some telly? I really have no clue.

Saturday
We ran some errands - went to Costco, got my oil changed. That reminds me: all those reports you hear about chains like EZ Lube and Jiffy Lube ripping you off - they're true. The "mechanic" who was helping us at EZ Lube was trying to convince me to get my 30,000 mile tune-up. He spews some bullshix about how it's normally over $500 but since it's President's Day Weekend, he'll give me 30% off. He proceeds to show me on this ancient computer screen (still running DOS, I think) and he's adding up all the different services. For some reason he thinks I'm either blind or illiterate because he adds in no less than three oil change services. He has multiple charges for the same service and shows me the total - a whopping $578. Then he's like, "Now lookie here, I'm gonna give you a discount" and he just removes all the duplicated services. The total drops down to $468. Do people actually fall for tricks like that? I mean, come on! Why wouldn't he just take off 30% if that's the deal he was offering? Anyway, I think it's fine to go to those chains for oil changes because they're fast and convenient. But even if they say your car will explode if you don't get something fixed right then, do NOT believe them! Take it to a real mechanic and always get a second opinion.

After that we went back home and watched Office Space. I LOVE that movie. My favorite part is the beginning when they're all stuck in traffic. Ron Livingston's character (Peter Gibbons) keeps trying to switch lanes b/c he sees them moving, but every time he does this his lane stops and the lane he used to be in starts moving. Don't you hate that? If you haven't seen this, or even if you watched it a long time ago, you have to rent it.

We also stopped by the promenade and I bought some jeans at GAP. They weren't exactly what I wanted, but I bought them anyway b/c I think they minimize the enormity of my ass.

Sunday
Went to the dutch town, Solvang. I hated it as much as the first time
I went. I thought that maybe I'd like it more now that I'm an adult
and not stuck on a bus with 50 Chinese tourists for two weeks, but no, the town still sucks. It's just a big tourist trap. Everything is overpriced and there's nothing to do or see. I did end up buying a new teeny, tiny glass piggy for my collection, but that's it. We bought a couple danishes to go and they were good, but nothing spectacular. I'm sure VJJ could make something better. Don't be fooled by this cute picture. It's not worth the two-hour drive.

Monday
We caught a morning showing of Music & Lyrics. It's a sappy, run of the mill romantic comedy. It wasn't a great movie by any means, but we both enjoyed it. It's an easy movie to watch and makes you happy. Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore are both totally adorable.

The Weekend Update

I'm too lazy to post a detailed blog about my weekend. Let's just say that I know more than I ever wanted to know about WWII and stuffed my face with dim sum.

Oh! I also got a new wallet for the bargain price of $11.99 (and a pen and a utensil set). Meet Monokuro Boo, my latest obsession:


If you are considering buying me any presents, please think about purchasing Monokuro Boo products for me. Especially the cell phone holder. Thanks!

Weekend Update

Friday
Lots of people from work gathered at The Shack to celebrate Sucka MC's birthday. It was nice to see a few old co-workers who have since moved on, and everyone had fun. Surprisingly, there were quite a few children at the bar. I'm one of those people who don't really like seeing kids at events or locations meant for adults. It seems irresponsible and possibly negligent to bring a small child to a place where people are rowdy and drunk.

Saturday
Lounged about for most of the day, ran a few errands and ended up watching the 10.50pm showing of Letters From Iwo Jima.

It starts of somewhat slowly but builds up to be one of the most powerful, yet disturbing films of the year. I am not a queasy person and can watch surgery scenes or people getting killed with absolutely no problems. In Letters there was more than one scene where I literally felt nauseous and sick to my stomach. I don't think it was because it was gory (it really wasn't), but rather that what I was seeing was so hard to accept. I'm looking forward to renting Flags Of Our Fathers this Tuesday.


At home, we watched Who Killed The Electric Car?. It's a documentary that investigates the creation and destruction of the EV1. Ford released the EV1, the first mass-produced, fully electric vehicle, then slowly recalled them and had them crushed for no logical reason. The filmmakers discover numeous reasons for the demise of the zero-emmision car. It's very interesting and you'll probably find yourself going, "Oh yeah...I remember that car. What happened to it?"


Sunday
Watched the Super Bowl of course. I was so excited at the start of the game; it looked like Chicago would be able to hang in there, but alas they couldn't pull it off. Oh well. My favorite commercial was the Snickers one where the two guys "accidentally" kiss and then pull out their chest hair. Haha!

Also went to Bed, Bath & Beyond to buy a new dish rack thingie, measuring cups and fruit basket. I love buying new stuff for the house.

The Weekend Update

Friday
One of my best friends was celebrating her 25th birthday Friday night so I dragged BK, VJJ and Spam to Hermosa Beach for dinner and dancing. Let's just say that Hermosa attracts a...different crowd than we're used to. Also, they have the nerve to charge $9 for alcohol that comes in a little plastic cup.

Needless to say, we weren't entirely pleased.

Saturday
I woke up around 10am feeling a little tired but not sick or anything. B and I met up for lunch and coffee.

At Starbucks there was a girl there who was really, really angry for some reason. Now, maybe she's has Tourette's Syndrome, so I want to be clear that I'm not making fun of her. But it was shocking how upset she was. She started stomping and kicking and then hit herself on the head with her clutch. She disappeared for a while but eventually left, kicking the door open and yelling " F**k It!" as she stormed out. Very bizarre.

Sunday
Watched football and visited my sister. Anyone who pays the least bit attention to sports knows that there has been lots of media coverage of the fact that two black coaches are going to the Super Bowl for the first time in history (no black coach has ever been to the Super Bowl before). I think it's great and all, but someone pointed out that it would be even greater if it wasn't a big deal. It is a little bit sad that it's the year 2007 and we still can't see past color. I wonder if the day will ever come when there's no media frenzy or announcement that someone is the "first (insert non-white male description here) to ever..." Anyway, while I'm happy for Tony Dungy, I'm upset that the Patriots lost. Poor Tom Brady.

Peyton Manning sucks.

Holiday/Weekend Update

I realized that I didn't update you on my holiday break. I'll just point out some highlights.

X-mas
My brother was my secret santa and he got me the 24 piece bakeware set by Pyrex - exactly what I asked for! I was super excited by that. Unfortunately he also bought and paid for an empty package that was supposed to be exchanged for real movie tickets - he forgot the exchange part. Duh.



Allen got me this awesome shirt with a unicorn taking a crap and he got my necklace fixed too!

Home Decoration
While Allen was gone I went to Bed Bath and Beyond to pick up a few things for the house. I bought a new shower caddy and a hand-vac.

When Allen got back we went to Ikea and spent $300!! I guess it's not that bad when I think about how much stuff we got.

New rug for the living room:
New coffee table for the living room:

New side table:
Plus a toy chest, 8 baskets for the new tables, 2 shower curtains, 6 plates, 2 bowls, 2 lamps, 100 tealight candles and 3 light bulbs. Good deal right?!

Also, we ate at the little Ikea Restaurant - it's not bad. I got chicken marsala, veggies and rice for $4.95. I wish there was an Ikea a little closer so I could eat there more often.

Anyway, that's all the updating I have the energy for right now. Feeling kind of sick today, but hopefully I'll be back to normal tomorrow!

The Weekend Update

Friday
After Allen got home, we went shopping so I could take advantage of a 15% off coupon at the Gap. I bought myself some new gray-ish straight-leg jeans (I know, very adventurous with my big booty), a thermal and a pair of flats; all for $75!

Earlier in the day, Allen had read some article listing some of the best places to get burgers. The Counter in Santa Monica was listed as one of them so we decided to try it. We both got turkey burgers (plus cheese and 4 included toppings), a shake and we split a 50/50 dish made up of onion strings and french fries. Sounds yummy right? My burger (the smallest they had) was so large I had to knife-and-fork it. I finished only half of my strawberry/banana shake and we barely put a dent in the 50/50.

I felt completely sick afterwards - like a bowling ball was sitting in my stomach. We pass out around 11pm and both wake up at exactly the same time, around 3.30am. Neither of us could fall asleep and both our minds were racing! We ended up watching a short film and then went back to sleep at 4.30am. Burger and fries? Okay. Burger and shake? Maybe. All three together - never again. I don't know how some people eat like that every night. I'm not a health nut, but geez, that really made me feel like crap.

Saturday
Allen and I went to pick up our new cell phones. I got so irritated because they didn't have all of the products we purchased, including the very-important memory card. Grr! I hate professional incompetence! Now we have to go back a THIRD time to pick up our memory cards and our car chargers. Ick.

We were so wiped out from our weird sleepless night that we didn't do anything except go to Target.

Sunday
Went to watch Blood Diamond. Personally, I'm not a big Leonardo DiCaprio fan, but (aside from his accent) he was pretty impressive in this film. In general the film was slightly depressing, especially for a diamond lover (aren't we all?). If you were planning on getting me diamonds for x-mas or any other gift, please consider a high-quality cubic zirconia instead. Conflict diamonds can not be tracked and therefore you can never be sure that you aren't funding terrorism or civil war.


Go watch it and give me your feedback on the film!

The Weekend Update (And Then Some)

I haven't updated since Thursday so this is an extended version of my weekend update. Here goes:

Thursday
After work we all went to Naraya to exchange gifts from our Secret Santa thing & to celebrate B's birthday. It was super fun and really one of the best gatherings we've had. (Perhaps I'll add pictures later). I learned my Secret Santa was Spam and she bought me a hilarious, yet practical, gift from my wishlist.
Now, this image really doesn't do Spam's gift justice because she got me the bright red pair, but you get the idea.

Friday
I joined Allen and his co-workers at Disneyland for their holiday party. It was a fun-filled day, but also very tiring. Poor Allen got so sick on Space Mountain. We left at 4pm to try and make it back for my holiday party. Needless to say, my holiday party wasn't quite a luxurious as Allen's. At Allen's party, the raffle prizes ranged from $500 travel certificates to 23 inch flat sreen TVs. At my holiday party, our raffle prizes ranged from a $5 gift card to Starbucks to a hand-delivered cup of office-coffee. Oh well, it's the company that counts and I still had fun hanging with my work buddies.

Saturday
A somewhat stressful day spent first at Old Navy, then at four different cell phone stores attempting to renew our contract. I eventually got us a great deal at this Asian place and we're picking up our new LG CU500's next Saturday. I hope I like this phone b/c I signed a two-year contract with Cingular. The phone is one of the new 3G phones (3G is supposedly some new technological breakthrough for cellies), is also an mp3 player and has a 1.3 mega pixel camera. We'll see if it's all that.

Sunday

Another fun-filled day, this time spent mostly at Ikea. We bought a new bathroom shelving unit and a new six-piece bathroom organization set. I love this stuff! So the rest of the day was spent re-organizing our bathroom. I must say, it looks quite nice now.

As a short side-story, on our way to Ikea, I spotted a large man wearing plaid shorts and Ugg boots. I can safely say that we all hate Ugg boots and I know now from first hand experience, that they manage to be even more disturbing on a man. They should be banned in the name of public safety. I tried to snap a picture of him with my phone, but couldn't get a clear shot w/o being totally obvious (we were driving, he was walking), but just to give you a general idea please see the image below. Keep in mind, the guy in the photo is old (he gets some slack for being old), he's not wearing plaid shorts and he doesn't weigh 300 lbs.