Welcome to Jen Y. Lee's World!

(browser) window shopping...

2010-06-02T22:42:00.000-07:00

Hmm... i'll tag these for later... :)

Which do i like more?

http://www.6pm.com/kenneth-cole-reaction-sportster-convertible-tote-ink

OR this one...

http://www.6pm.com/nine-west-hailey-crossbody-flap-black-black

OR this one??

http://www.6pm.com/product/7693300/color/3

or... this one (yes, my window shopping never ends...)

http://www.6pm.com/nine-west-central-times-east-west-satchel-black-natural-black

OR... this one...

http://www.ebags.com/product/nine-west-handbags/vegas-signs-med-shopper/150256

My new cup holder...

2009-12-23T14:16:00.001-08:00

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Barklee Finds A New Toy...

2009-10-22T20:03:00.001-07:00

Yum

2009-08-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

my random yum rave:

See you next time Oahu!

2009-06-01T21:12:00.001-07:00

Yes... on a bus traveling to Honolulu Airport for the red eye back to LA. It was a fun filled 4 nights and 5 days... could stay a bit longer... but it will also be nice to be back to the comforts of home! (and change of clothing... ha ha ha) We'll be home soon, Barklee! :)

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Pearl Harbor

2009-06-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

Last day... (sob sob)... getting ready for the 9:15am USS Memorial tour...

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now this is a beautiful bus stop

2009-05-31T16:38:00.000-07:00

off the highway at the Waimea Valley entrance... :) now chilling for bus 52...oops! its here!

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Luau!

2009-05-30T21:34:00.001-07:00

awesomeeeee... you're looking at paradise cove!

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Andagi !

2009-05-30T16:30:00.000-07:00

A byron recommendation... otherwise known as an Okinawan Donut.... (i think...) :)

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morning !

2009-05-30T09:25:00.001-07:00

just a little internet bus route research b4 breakfast...

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hawaii... at night

2009-05-29T23:08:00.001-07:00

almost 8pm... looking 4 dinner...

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goooood morning!

2009-05-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

i love how 8am in hawaii feels like 11am CA time. wait... it is! :)

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cinnamon coated donuts... with mango custard filling...

2009-05-28T22:01:00.001-07:00

aka.... Malasadas from Leonard's! About to dig in... i expect it will be worth the 2 mile walk!

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num num num num

2009-05-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

cheesy chicken curry cutlet anyone? :)

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Taking the 2 dollar tour bus!

2009-05-28T15:29:00.000-07:00

we r gonna stop at the ala moana mall first to find grub... then get a 4 day bus pass 4 the rest of our trip.

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overcast but warm...

2009-05-28T15:06:00.001-07:00

... and sticky. :) We r going to be adventurous with Bus # 20 or 19

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the great escape!

2009-05-28T08:33:00.001-07:00

... and we're on our way!

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Doomed Grapefruit

2009-05-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

Sayonara

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pic test

2009-05-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

pic test

2009-05-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

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Chillin' on a Warm Sunday...

2009-05-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

Have you taken a moment to swing on the playground swings lately? Something about gliding back and forth brings you back to your more youthful carefree days.

Can't believe we're almost midway into 2009 (whaaa?) and the futuristic 2010 is a hop and skip away. Brand new Decade ahead... Lots of Changes... Life keeps on rolling and you're just along for the ride...

See, that's what happens when you neglect your blog for almost half a year. You get all introspective and nostalgic. :)

Let's chat about Today!

Well, it was definitely on the warm side (upper 80s)... Got up this morning and got Barklee out for his daily morning walk around the neighborhood. Came back and decided to give our newly planted trees a good dose of water for the week. All of them are sprouting their leaves rather nicely!

Then it was off to Eagle Rock, where I had a fabulous brunch with my friend and chatted about everything from Obama going briefly to Occidental College (in Eagle Rock) to strange Feng Shui reasonings for arranging furniture in your house.

Came home and caught the Laker's win in between a few Zzzs. (Yes, you can tell how into the games i can get.) Later on, we had an early dinner with some other friends (One of which has also been our realtor for the last 5 years) and had a great time catching up over yummy Mexican food. Now the rest of the day is free time to catch up on our Tivo queue and write updates to my very neglected Blog!

What a lovely way to spend a casual Sunday... :)

And this is Barklee's idea of a lovely Sunday...

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

2008-12-24T23:04:00.000-08:00

Please Enjoy this special Barklee Christmas Card...

and a Barklee wants to especially thank Merri... for the Delicious Gingerbread Santa Dog Biscuits!!

Holiday Baking...

2008-12-24T22:10:00.000-08:00

I decided to do double batches of my recent successful Peanut Butter Cup Cookies and Soft Ginger Cookies for Christmas Day...

... so on Christmas Eve - i prepped the dough...

Meet Bailey!!

2008-11-02T10:52:00.000-08:00

Meet the newest addition to Merri's family, Bailey!

We think she's part cocker spaniel and part labrador and All Cuteness. As you can see, Mom and Bailey are getting ready to cheer for our alma mater...

Later that day, we braved Rain & Shine and watch the Trojans shut out the Huskies... 56 to Zip...

The Jeff Ezell Magic Show...

2008-10-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

In case you missed Jeff's show last Saturday... here are some hilarious highlights:

Oldie but goodie...

2008-10-08T18:06:00.000-07:00

Random post...

But i've always thought Chevy Chase had some hilarious movies in the 80s.

This movie is so much fun to watch now that we can pinpoint some spots (at least the Italy parts)...

Hello, Goodbye, Hello.

2008-09-25T22:49:00.000-07:00

This was my description for this page for about 2 hours:

"In the late 90s (egad!) - I created a personal website and it took on the url "JenYee.com" and transpired into this Blog. It was registered MANY years back with no fees, yet finally on 9/25/08 - the domain hosting company decided to take the URL away. Perhaps it's a sign that after getting married on 9/8/07 - that i should stop procrastinating and just change to my married name. Maybe i should, and register a brand new URL... stay tuned to see if Jen ends her laziness!"

But at the face of having 'no time to say goodbye' to my URL and renewing it for one more year - I opted to renew one more year. (a voice from the back whispers, "Sucka!")

Oh well. So Jenyee.com lives a bit longer. But a year from today - you might see a strange page that just has a lot of paid key word search links...

Melissa & Jason's Wedding!

2008-09-07T11:53:00.000-07:00

Lizette & David's Wedding!

2008-08-31T19:18:00.000-07:00

Futon Trash

2008-08-28T23:28:00.000-07:00

So it started out as a simple, "Let's get Lunch" ... and ended with a broken Futon in the Trash...

... so why not put that... to music?

October's a comin'...

2008-08-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

And if you're wondering what to get a certain Birthday Boy in October...

He would love to get gift certificates from here:

Black Forest Industries

... for all the VW Golf car parts he plans to buy for his new pet project. :)

Pearly Whites

2008-08-06T21:54:00.000-07:00

I saw one of these as I was driving home today...

Isn't this cute?! So I immediately made a mental note to look it up on the internet, and lo and behold, there's a company (probably more than one) that sells TEETH for your car. And not just the "Wallace and Gromit" look - but sharp teeth, and buck teeth and more.

Herman won't let me get this for my car. Well, maybe he would... but they actually don't come in a size that would work with my car.... Bummer.

Back on the (Volks) Wagon...

2008-08-05T22:00:00.001-07:00

So the 'Bus' fascination is wearing off a little.

Last week I pretty much used the bus the full week straight... and it was a little unnerving if i got to the bus stop close to the estimated stop time for the last stop of the day - and not know if the bus came early and I missed it - or was running terribly behind.

And the incident with the Greyhound Psycho in Canada didn't help things either... (shiver)

Back behind the wheel this week... i reunited with my car stereo and mini Karaoke session. Nothing like singing Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" at the top of your lungs while sitting in traffic.

I might hybrid my bus commuting and car driving - that way i can better appreciate both... :)

Am i obsessed with the Bus or what!

2008-07-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

That's all i seem to talk about nowadays - but I can't get over how different your day feels just by a simple change of riding the bus to work!

This is probably my 3rd week of taking the bus to and from work regularly. I am trying to schedule my work day so that no meetings will hover into critical "Last Bus" hours - otherwise - those are the days I drive to work.

Somehow the fact that the Bus won't wait for you, or will sometimes show up 10 minutes before or after a scheduled stop time - forces you to really either leave the house or leave work at a set time. No dilly-dallying or else I could be stranded. And if I need to be at work Super Early - it's a little less unbearable if i take the bus to work to do so. Is it because you're surrounded by other miserable souls that had to wake up too early to get to their destinations as well?

Today was interesting - since I expected we would get off work early - I decided to go off the beaten track and take a detour on a different bus that also picked up at my stop. So I looked up the Bus Route, found out it drops off right by the Fashion Square Mall - and decided that was where I would go. Then, as long as i didn't miss the last DASH bus that picks up from the Mall to a stop close to home - I'd be home free. (Okay - more like Home after spending $1.50!)

Speaking of the DASH - I used to love riding these when i was in my USC days - because these Buses were always nicer and roomier than other buses - and they were always only 25cents! Bargain Lovers like me could hang out on a Dash Route all day!

So you get your random 'occurrances'... Like the Bus Drivers that are Honk-Happy, Tailgaters, Racers, and Gabbers. Like the random drive by whistlers - who can barely see you as you drive past as you're sitting at the stop - but they're bored and have nothing better to do. Like the scolding you get from the Bus Drivers if you started boarding before other passengers get off, or if you didn't properly wave to the driver to stop for you.

But then, what interesting stories they make for later, right?

First of July...

2008-07-01T23:40:00.000-07:00

Another Year, Another Tear... heehee... just kidding!

It was a rather festive Tuesday... I couldn't be very incognito about my birthday at work...

And I had a bunch of birthday goodies to open when i got home...

Goodies

2008-07-01T23:35:00.000-07:00

San Fernando Valley Choppers

2008-06-28T16:32:00.000-07:00

I made a visit to my regular hair salon (been going for over 8 years now!) and decided it was time to chop my hair.

This was a few weekends ago - when we had the 100 plus weather heat wave - so I guess it shouldn't be too surprising that I probably left about 5 inch chunks of hair on the ground after the cutting was over.

Then i proceeded to color it a reddish mocha color and voila - new chopped 'Do. :)

Now the reality of any haircut is that it ALWAYS looks the best on the day you get it done.

Here's me on the same day i cut it:

My hair has some natural (and unpredictable) waves in it - so sometimes it seems to work in my favor, sometimes not at all. With some curling iron help, here's how it turned out:

Then here's another day... where it's just kinda there. But at least it's not frizzy and dry... (how it would look if i didn't do anything to it after washing)

After having my hair on the long and shaggy side for the last 2 plus years - it was actually quite refreshing to have this shorter cut. Save on Shampoo, that's for sure! And Barklee won't have super long strands of hair stuck to his toys... hahahha

Bye Bye little Pumpkin...

2008-06-26T09:14:00.001-07:00

What a cute little pumpkin you say... How did you find a pumpkin this time of the year?

Well... this pumpkin was bought last September... and has been sitting in my office all this time. Amazingly - it's still pretty solid and could probably hang out a few months longer... but... nah.

Catching the Mass Transportation Bug...

2008-06-17T22:36:00.000-07:00

I like to think of it as an extension of my brief NYC experience...

I've been making a bigger effort to take the Bus to and from work. Before it was my backup if my car was in the shop - but there really isn't a good reason for me *not* to take the bus to work as often as I can.

My excuses used to be:

- The Commuter Express only travels during rush hours, making the last morning bus leave at 8am and the last return bus picking up at 6:40pm. Usually that's too early to make because I walk barklee and like hitting Snooze on my alarm - and I used to have frequent late evening meetings that ended past 7pm.
- It'd be a pain to lug my laptop, gym bag, lunch bag and other miscellaneous gear to work.

But lately the benefits have been shouting louder:

- With gas prices, i calculated that taking the bus was actually cheaper than driving my own car (plus I avoid wear and tear on my car)
- The bus stop is literally across the street and a block over from my house
- The bus drops me off about a block away from my office building
- I wouldn't need to worry about traffic anymore - and the length of time to get to work and back is only about 5 minutes longer than if i drove myself.
- I get extra exercise to walk to or from a bus stop
- I can check the news, email and facebook from my phone during the ride
- I'm actually forced to get to work early - therefore never late!
- I'm actually forced to leave work on time to catch the last bus of the day and not have the "finish just one more email" syndrome

So... we'll see how often i can keep this up. There's still the fear that once i get to work, i'll realize i had a dire need to have my car with me (Do i have a dentist appointment at lunch? Did i leave my key card in the car?) but if i go on the bus enough, I'm guessing that will pass.

This is definitely not the same as crowding into a packed Subway on 49th Street in New York, but there is definitely something neat about becoming a "regular" and having Bus Drivers recognize you or overhearing stories about a random passenger's bizarre day at work.

Well I better get ready for bed. Got a bus to catch tomorrow morning! :)

Someday I'll Visit New York...

2008-06-01T10:19:00.000-07:00

After years of saying "Someday, I'll visit New York" - I can finally say I have.

We took a few extra days off around Memorial day and made the plunge to visit the Big Apple. Perhaps it was because our last trip was to Italy, that I really felt like i was taking another international flight - except we could still read the signs and not have to exchange our currency.

As you know, i'm usually one to go 'budget' as much as possible, but with New York, I realized that we could really 'get what we pay for' if we went too thrifty with our lodgings and activities... So the hotel was a good 40% of our trip budget, but in the end I think it was worth it to have a totally comfortable place to stay and be local to so many things.

We did a whirlwind visit of Museums, mainly due to the fact that i purchased a Citypass for both of us (6 attractions for one low price!) - but it was only worth it if you actually went to all 6 attractions. It worked out though because it gave us a solid gameplan of things to do - and we made every hour count towards something.

Overall, i couldn't have experienced a better first NY trip... we got to do and see everything to our own schedule and liking - we had marvelous weather - and we made it back safe and sound. (Other than our colds)

To see a full recap, i blogged it here:

Hello New York!

Life's a Beach

2008-04-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

The summer temperatures are already hitting us and it was perfect because I had planned to be a Beach Bum on Saturday...

Joy was passing through southern california on business, so she's soaking up the sun for the weekend before heading back to Northern Cal. It was actually her idea to do a Beach day, and since I rarely try to hang out on the beach by myself - I was all for it.

The spot we found in Malibu is literally only 36 miles away from my house... I realized that i don't really need to have a beach bungalow to really enjoy the 'Beach life'. I just have to be less lazy about making the effort to go. :)

And as I sat lounging on my camping chair under my trusty Costco beach umbrella, sipping on a Yeo's Lemon Ice Tea box and kneading the sand like dough with my feet - I felt very thankful for having this available to me at any time. I really don't think most people who live around here appreciate how lucky they are... :)

Adventures with Food...

2008-03-22T21:20:00.000-07:00

As you may know, I'm not usually associated with "Cooking" as one of my favorite dinners happens to be the oh-so-hard-to-make Mac N' Cheese... but i'm working on it.

In fact, this Good Friday was another opportunity to spread my kitchen wings. With a small guest list, I loaded up on a great assortment of recipes from Allrecipes.com. I proceeded to the local market with my huge Grocery list and ran through the aisles as if on a shopping spree.

I actually started out with 6 recipes, but reduced my menu to 4 items after Herman's eyes bulged at my stack of print-outs, "That's WAY too much FOOD!"

To serve as an appetizer, I looked up a recipe that I had tried at a potluck a while back called the Veggie Pizza. This ended up to be the hit of the night, mainly with surprised tasters exclaiming "Oh my gosh, this is SOOOooo good!"

Next up was a salad, because the remainder of the menu was pretty heavy. Since Strawberries seemed to be in season according to all the Grocery Store Sale prices, I picked the Strawberry Almond Spinach Salad. For the main course, I found a delicious Slow Cooker Pot Roast, served with a Cream Cheese Ranch Mashed Potato side.

Everything turned out great and there's so much leftovers, I am glad that Herman made me shrink down the menu. Frankly, I wouldn't have had enough time to prepare everything, and we'd definitely be out of room in the fridge.

After the tasty meal and all the yummy drinks and desserts everyone brought over, we gathered in the living room to watch "LOST" from the night before... and then a first time screening of "I Am Legend" to round out the evening.

It was a Good Friday indeed. :)

Leap Year... really is leaping!

2008-02-26T22:01:00.000-08:00

I remember the days when I was so adament about updating my website, and updating my picture section, and writing reviews for all the movies and music albums I had come across. I'd sprinkle the site with images of Calvin & Hobbes and the latest and greatest animated gif out there. (OK, i still do that sometimes here too.) Gosh... That was in the late 90s!

Suddenly we're in the year 2008... the previous year flew by because of all the wedding hoopla and this year seems to be Catch-Up time. It's as if every weekend and every spare moment beyond work has been dedicated to something that was planned or needed to get done. And work has been crazy busy, which helps with the time warp I guess. It is the little things that you hope to remember when a year zips by this quickly. Like trying out all the fun kitchen gadgets we got from the wedding or Christmas...

Hanging out with family has been extra rewarding as well. With all of last year's celebrations and parties, it is just nice to chill with the folks and enjoy a sloppy BBQ rib or two. We even had a big family reunion of sorts at my Grandparent's house for Chinese New Year's... and we took a giant family photo. The last family photo with all of us together was probably taken when I was in my early teens!

I was very excited to plan a "Snow" weekend for Barklee's first encounter (to our knowledge) with the cold white anomaly. Thumbs up to all lodging locations that allow PETS and an even bigger Kudos to affordable chains like Motel 6 for locating themselves in the heart of Big Bear! For a short weekend getaway, it was perfect. We even got a bit of snow fall... but it didn't last long and most of the mountain-side snow had melted by the time we were heading home.

With the Superbowl came the annual Eat-All-The-Meat party in Pasadena with buddies from WB past and present. Not only was the game actually interesting in the last 5 minutes or so but we were also able to celebrate Lauren's Birthday and officially welcome Matt home from Iraq.

For President's weekend we embarked in our first camp trip in over a year. Somehow we lucked out and avoided the rain that weekend, but didn't escape the frigid cold nights! I wore to sleep almost every piece of clothing I brought and still could barely keep warm. It was also pretty obvious that we were rusty on the camping habits... it took us 2-3 tries to put together our otherwise simple tent. The weekend turned out awesome though. We explored the rocky coves of Leo Carillo Beach, discovered some neat creatures in the tide pools and enjoyed our share of basking in the outdoor sun, despite the pesky birds that used us as moving Poop Targets.

I'm definitely looking forward to hanging out with friends and catching up with people on a more personal basis... It's just so easy to lose touch... even with people you are in close vicinity to.

Okay, I need to get up early tomorrow so that I can catch the Express Commuter bus to work. Herman is picking me up on the way to a dinner party after work. I love every chance I can get to take the bus and reduce my Carbon Footprint! (I'd take it every day if they had buses that ran all hours of the day... but alas, L.A. public transportation is just not there yet.)

Good Night!

Good Morning, 2008!

2008-01-05T11:13:00.001-08:00

So here we are... eight years into 2000. Is it weird to feel like 2000 is still "new"? Is it strange that you can have a perfectly intelligent conversation with a person that has never lived in the 1900s?

Okay enough of my "feeling ancient" talk. This Christmas and New Year's was especially low-key, but we figured we had enough hoopla already with the wedding celebrations and the Thanksgiving parties and first-time-ever trip to Europe for our Honeymoon.

Staying in town was nice because we got to catch up with some folks who visited... meanwhile avoiding holiday traffic! :) Our friends who moved to Florida were in town for a few days, and it was nice to catch up and see how big the kiddies had gotten!

Being home for the holidays also meant that we could put to use some of our new kitchen gifts, which we love! Chopping bell peppers with better knives or turning potstickers in easy to clean, heavy duty pans was never so much fun. We still need to try out our Waffle maker and our new Panini press... (Thanks Mac!)

We did a holiday dinner at Herman's sister's house... I still forget sometimes that I now have two sisters... (in-laws)... One had just moved back to California from Michigan, and it's awesome to have them back!

I'm looking forward to a fun 2008... there's a bunch of weddings on the way (yeah mel/jason, rex/genie, nary/yuiwing & albert/shana!) and so many brand new babies, (melia, kianna, dylan, olive!) trips to hopefully plan (first visit to New York would be nice!) and a lot of catching up with friends we haven't seen in a while.

Cheers to a New Year!!

Guess who made these?

2007-12-24T17:33:00.000-08:00

Scrumptious! :)

Someone's having a birthday on Monday...

2007-12-14T23:27:00.000-08:00

Who could it be? :)

December, you sneaky devil...

2007-12-02T21:25:00.000-08:00

I barely got a chance to savor in the 2007-ness of this year. I've always been quite fond to the number "7"... Being a 7/1/77 kid, I've always agreed that the lucky number in this world must also be Seven! :)

So it seems right that in 2007, I get married... and turn another decade older... and watch my cousin get married... and visit Europe for the first time... :)

Wendy had the incredible challenge of balancing her wedding on Thanksgiving weekend... and she's now in Hong Kong (perhaps as I speak) hosting a Chinese Banquet to celebrate with her family there.

Weddings are wonderful, but I definitely do not miss the high stress chaos that goes with preparing and planning for one. I'm also thankful that I can actually eat anything I want and not freak out if a haircut goes awry. The other great thing about having a wedding done and over with.... is that you can once again focus on the everyday joys in life and spending time with family & friends. So sappy, yet so true... :)

why not

2007-11-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

So I'm doing some research at work, and I always forget that my job is supposed to be somewhat entertaining... because... i work for an entertainment studio! :)

Get this widget!

Something Spooky in the air...

2007-10-28T00:23:00.000-07:00

Some fun moments at the Devine Haunted Maze... :)

The Grand Poomba!

2007-10-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

Our Italy Pics Are Now Online!

Click!

We're Back! But I'm sicko...

2007-10-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

Been home with a stomach flu, fever, headaches, chills, hot flashes, and some other embarrassing ailments. I'm crunched up in a ball because my stomach hurts in waves, but at least not as weak so that I could try and catch up on my emails and uploading photos. I've got a doc appt later today, so hopefully i didn't catch some crazy 30 day virus.

Meanwhile, I'm trying out a new photo & video website called dropshots which looks pretty cool so far. It arranges the photos and videos by the date taken, has a cool blogging feature and is pretty easy to navigate through. Plus it opens to larger sizes, allows embed codes and makes it really easy to archive your life in photos! I'm considering upgrading to their 'forever' plan... :)

Anyway... this is just a quick hello to say, we're back! And we're slowly recovering from all the latest adventures.

Complete photos coming soon. :)

One Of These Dots Could Be Us Soon!

2007-09-21T01:11:00.000-07:00

This webcam is installed on the roof garden of Albergo del Senato Piazza del Pantheon - Roma

Amo le vacanze!

2007-09-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

Nyokki Forever

2007-08-27T12:23:00.001-07:00

Look, I'm still alive! (sort of)

Nyokki... born around April 30th... so he's about 4 months old.

What is the normal lifespan of a patch of grass?

It's hot, but let's sing about umbrellas!

2007-08-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

Meet Jen Yee Simpson...

2007-07-27T23:34:00.000-07:00

(might take a few seconds to load...)

Doesn't this look exactly like me?? ok, maybe not...

I have a few minutes to ....

2007-07-25T22:38:00.000-07:00

That's the story of my life... "I just have a few minutes to ...." and then a few hours go by and I'm bewildered as to why I always can't get to meetings early or sleep a full 8 hours or have time to go to the gym before starting work.

I guess it's to be expected that the time will be going extra speedily the year of something insane, like a Wedding... but wouldn't it be nice to have a slow-down button?

I am glad though, that a lot of the planning is done and in the past. This is definitely the calm period before the final mad rush occurs. (7 more weeks to go, but who's counting?) And i'm highly looking forward to the honeymoon that is 99% booked. (I'll feel more confident about the last 1% when we get the airline tickets in our hands!) We're going to Europe for the first time... and we picked Italy as the Newlywed Destination. It's a fully escorted tour through Rome, Venice and Florence...

As much as saving money by planning out the entire trip agenda and learning enough of the language to transport yourself around sounds great... I'm sure our brains will be fried from the festivities, and it will be nice to just follow a tour guide and only have to concentrate on which button to press on our cameras.

Look, i was going to go to bed early... I still have a chance to make it before midnight...

Good Night!

Rollin, Rollin, Rollin...

2007-06-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

It's about that time again, where my little silver car decides it needs more attention and starts getting fussy.

It has been giving me the 'shudders' as I sit in Idle... and then finally the menacing 'check engine' lights went off - so it was another visit to our VW doctors down the street. Whoo hooo, guess who got to take the Bus to work. :)

Of all the issues a highly computerized Turbo engined car could have, apparently the only conclusion they could arrive at was that an "Air Pocket" caused my car to prematurely run out of motor oil and cause all the other symptoms to occur. No leaks, no engine problems.... everything checked out A-OK. Here's some more motor oil, here's our labor charges... ChaChing!

Meanwhile, the Bus rides to work have been kind of fun. There's actually a 'commuter express' route that goes past my house and straight to my work. The only bad is that it only has a few really early stops and a few afternoon returns. So if I miss the last one, i'm stuck going nowhere fast.

Today, I had a major last minute report to send before the end of day... so i was racing against time to catch the last bus. I was lucky... just as I was crossing the street, the bus was pulling into the stop... and here's me waving my arms like a mad woman, so that I'd be able to make it home, and sit down to type out this blog entry. Happy ending. :)

Nyokki Einstein

2007-05-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

So after 3 days away from my desk, poor Nyokki began to look a little frazzled. I trimmed his frizzled frock and watered his noggin. I'm hoping it will perk back up, but i'm not too optimistic. I don't have a green thumb, that's for sure!

As you can expect, wedding planning has been in full effect since the beginning of the year. Things are slowly coming together though, and hopefully we'll have accounted for everything by the time the big day arrives. (yeah right, who am i kidding!)

A few weeks ago we discovered a great spot to bring Barklee to get some good yard time. Because of his "i-hate-other-dogs" issue, we can't go to dog parks to let him run around. And because we don't have a yard, this leaves poor barklee with only our short hallway to do his toy fetching laps. So we found a fenced off school yard in front of our friend's new place... and there's always been a gate unlocked. Too bad it's all the way out in Monrovia... but it's better than no place at all!

Here were are en route to the happiest doggy place in Monrovia...

Bad Hair Day...

2007-05-15T16:14:00.000-07:00

Am I overwatering? or Underwatering? I'm not sure, but i just gave Nyokki more water, so hopefully it was just parched... and tomorrow his bouffant will perk up again...

Long Beautiful Hair...

2007-04-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how you'll gather up items, such as christmas gifts... and put it in a nice bag and tuck it away for later perusal... and layers of dust and months later, you notice that the bag hasn't been touched since...

I finally rummaged through it recently and pulled out some items that I thought I could bring to work. One of such things was a gift from Sonya... a little yellow ceramic Egghead character with seeds on its head.

Nyokki - the Egg Plant Pet.

Well i started watering it last week... and let it hang out on my desk over the weekend... and lo and behold... this morning to my pure shock...

It didn't take much work, but boy do I feel a sense of accomplishment! hahaha

I'm a great gardener! (not!)

So let's see if I will overwater this poor thing, or if I can maintain it long enough to grow super thick grass and start giving Nyokki some cute hair 'cuts'. :)

Thanks Sonya for the gift that keeps giving!
(Unless i accidentally kill it - hope not.)

I did it all for the Tofutti

2007-04-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

I bought a box of Ice Cream Sandwiches made with TOFU from Trader Joe's the other day.

Today I tried it... with the fear that it would taste as awful as the Sugar-Free Girl Scout Brownie Cookies that a co-worker pawned off on me.

And they were YUMMY! Dairy-free, but it still tasted totally like Ice Cream!!

But i'm not lactose intolerant, so there's no other reason for me to get these other than they are mini-sized, delicious and super cute!

I will definitely be trying their other ice cream sandwich flavors at my next grocery trip! :)

How you can tell a Giraffe likes you...

2007-03-31T22:02:00.000-07:00

I went to the Santa Barbara Zoo for the first time and was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful a zoo can be! Perhaps that is what separates a "Botanical Zoo" from a "normal Zoo".

Anyway, one of the most amazing spectacles was at the Giraffe Feeding station. But I can't describe what I witnessed as well as just showing you...

If the line to feed the giraffes was not so long, I would have ventured in to see if Mr. Giraffe liked me too! :)

Sondebar!

2007-03-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

As i'm going through a mad dash to find wedding ideas... I can't help but to run into some strange & fascinating websites.

Atelier Site

I can only guess this site is German...

Basically, if you flip through this website, you'll see uncommon uses for common household items.

What? Rain? Amazing...

2007-03-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

So after a wave of 90 degree weather in Los Angeles... it seems bizarre that a few days later we see strange water drops falling from the sky...

Webcam Pic:

Depending on when you are reading this... the above picture may now be sunny and dry like it usually is... :) (This pic automatically updates... how cool is that.)

Mr. Monkey Charm to the rescue...

2007-03-15T15:01:00.001-07:00

This message was sent originally from my phone.... but edited because the picture didn't show up! (so i've added it manually above.)

So this is an authentic good luck charm for Snake folks like me. It is supposed to combat the negative energy that my sign has for 2007. Think it will work? So far so good i guess... :)

Friends with Ears...

2007-03-06T20:34:00.000-08:00

I've got quite a few friends now that work for Mickey Mouse. Over the years, the amount of coworkers hopping the fence has grown exponentially.

Knowing that I've been a big fan of the park and the cartoons most of my childhood and adult life - it's funny that I haven't found myself working there yet. But perhaps it's better that way - so that my personal vision of this "Happiest Place on Earth" company will never tarnish. :)

Sonya was so awesome to ask if I was interested in going this weekend (as one of her free guests!) and we expanded the group to Niki and another new club member, Shana. Despite it being overcrowded for a non-holiday weekend, we had a LOT of fun and it serves as a reminder of why I may never be able to move out of L.A. :)

As you can tell, i didn't even realize we were at the 'Take A Picture' portion of this ride:

Paris Hilton, watch out! Shana also gained a not so secret admirer that joined the picture too:

I'm shocked at the current prices to enter the park though - and I'm more shocked that these admission prices aren't minimizing the crowds. Are all these other people also employees coming in for their free days?

KaYakity Yak

2007-02-26T17:05:00.000-08:00

I didn't get to mention that I had a lovely President's weekend camping in Morro Bay (just north of Pismo Beach). I was a little worried that of all the weekends of warm nice weather, that would end up being the rainy, muddy one. But we got lucky!

We spent about an hour one afternoon Kayaking. It was our first time in a Kayak, and it was really fun! The coolest part was where we Kayaked though.

We saw a sandy island in the distance with beached Kayaks - so we invited ourselves onto its shore. It was the coolest sandy island ever! Because you could only get to the island by swimming or by boat, the island was clean and as nature intended. It could have easily been used as a fake "sahara desert" setting for a movie.

On the other side of the sandy island was your more typical beach, full of bizarre looking dead seaweed and plant life.

A year of crashing waves, but no winds causing it...

2007-02-22T11:07:00.000-08:00

So I had really high hopes... extremely high hopes for 2007. I figured, 2006 sucked pretty bad... lost some loved ones, work had been unstable and moral was at its low, close friends laid off, bla bla bla...

I figured 2007 would turn things around... "7" has always been my lucky number (at least i make myself believe that) and things were going to be good.

Coming into 2007, drama has ensued in personal issues, people are still looking for jobs now, work is even more unstable and even the Chinese Horoscope is warning me that all the elements are against my sign and I should be very very careful and not do things like climb high places or get married. HMM... My mom translated from a horoscope that this year would have crashing waves, but no winds to be causing it. Sounded very confucious when i first heard it, but now in writing it down... it kind of sounds silly. Of course there's no winds causing it... it's the gravitational pull of the moon! Duh.

In general, my mood has been hovering on indifference, I guess? I'm not depressed about things, but i'm certainly not estatic and inspired.

I came across this video on Sharkle, which gave me a nice laugh today, so I thought i'd share it here. Don't watch it if you're afraid of lizard blood... I think it's especially cool because it's not in english... so you can translate their screaming anyway you want...

Does that make you interested in pressing play yet? :)

Happy Holidays!

2006-12-27T17:40:00.000-08:00

New leafy member of our family...

2006-12-10T20:42:00.000-08:00

Taking the risk that Barklee will mistake himself for being outside... we decided this would be the year we got our first real Christmas tree.

While growing up, my family had a well-used and well-loved artificial tree, which was nice and better than not having one at all... but I think it was about time that I experienced having a real tree for once. The place already smells pine fresh and ready for the holiday trimmings! :)

We'll see how my tune changes when it's mid January and we realize we have a shedding twig in our living room. :)

got it.

2006-12-03T11:49:00.000-08:00

View from the Top

2006-11-20T00:02:00.000-08:00

We got really lucky last friday...

Herman got Box Passes from his work... so we got to watch the Lakers BEAT the Raptors from our VIP seats of Level B Box Seats...

Not a bad spot to be, while drinking $4.50 Aquafina water and $10 dollar burgers.

Good bye L.A. Palm Trees!!!

2006-11-15T14:44:00.000-08:00

Probably only 5% of the population will notice the difference, but it seems that L.A. will stop planting Palm Trees because they're all dying of fungal disease! (and they're not native to L.A.)

Here's the article:
Bye Bye Palms

Congrats to Morgan & Kiki!

2006-11-12T16:10:00.000-08:00

I do keep my promises, and Morgan... your pics are now on my Blog. :)

It's hard to believe that it has almost been 8 years since i first met this computer ner--- I mean expert.... at Paramount Digital. We used to robotically digitize tapes and cut sound bytes from celebrity interviews. He had crazy long hair back then and listened to Industrial music, which i assumed was music created in empty warehouses.

Look how much little Morgan has grown... Now with a sunny outlook on life and his new wife Kiki - Morgan is ready to live life to the fullest.

Meanwhile, the rest of us unmarried folks can still be childish and silly. (We have a good 10 months left to go.)

Ok. I admit that after marriage, we'll probably still be childish and silly. :)

Straight Up!

2006-11-05T19:09:00.000-08:00

Hello Blogger Buds,

It's been way too long between Blogs and I apologize. But in the grand scheme of things that means I've been busy... and so far it's been a good busy... so I'll just be happy for that.

So the latest updates, and then i'll work backwards...

The late-bloomer that I am, after the craze of japanese hair straightening had hit the mass population a year or two ago - I finally decided to get it done to my hair this weekend. Luckily my hair salon of almost 9 years offered it and at a fairly good price. (some Salons don't, i hear, because it takes so friggin' long to do!) It was a long process of chemical treatment... flat ironing... retreatment... and lots of waiting around in between. I also got a trim which made a big difference in the weight too. For at least a few months... i should be poofy wave free and flat iron safe.

Working backwards... i had a wonderful 5 days in Michigan and Toronto. Traveling - even if it's in your own country - makes such a big difference in your perspective in life. My friend Cristina had once said that she missed the "seasons" by living in southern California... and I was just so shocked anyone could not LOVE having warm weather all the time. :) But it was actually fun to romp around in 40 degree weather of Farmington Hills... have a reason to be clutching a hot cup of coffee to keep you warm... see the gorgeous autumn foliage... and not wear scarves and colorful mittens as fashion accessories... I didn't even mind the rainy snow we had one afternoon. That doesn't mean i'm about to go move out there and experience an ice cold winter, but at least i appreciate the differences a lot more. :)

Working backwards still... we've chosen a wedding date! September 8, 2007!!! It's been confirmed as a 'good wedding' date in the Chinese Calendars... and our locations are booked as well! But that's about as far as we've gotten on our wedding planning, and I feel like i'm already behind... probably because I am...

At some point, I hope to ask folks for recommendations for folks they know in the Flower business, DJs that might also work with a fun "MC" partner, non-demoninational minister suggestions, people/places to rent a projector, photographer referrals, bridesmaid dress referrals (maybe a dressmaker that will create custom dresses for all of the bridesmaids for a discounted price), hair/makeup folks in the Long Beach area... hm... well, that's a good start, isn't it? :)

I wonder if i'm going to walk to work smelling like a hair salon for 2 days... heehee...

I'm on vacation, eh?

2006-10-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

So, it's reading 7pm on my clock, but it's really 10pm... because i'm in TORONTO CANADA!

We flew the red eye to Detroit to visit folks and then immediately drove across the border to Niagara Falls!!!

For some reason the Blogger image uploader is not working, so here's a quick video glimpse of the view:

Niagara Falls Video

:) Then we drove to Toronto ... will stay overnight and check out the sites in Toronto tomorrow.

...and so that there's something to look at, here's someone else's picture of the falls:

Yo Ho Yo Ho, a Camper's Life for me...

2006-10-18T22:16:00.000-07:00

Another successful October Camping trip!

We've definitely improved in our camping abilities in the last few years. One sign is that we now have 2 bins always ready to go in our storage room. One is labeled "Group", and that contains all the extra plates, utensils, cups, paper towels, etc that is a must have when camping in groups. Then we also have our "single" bin, that contains our Lexan reusable utensils, bowls and cups. It also holds our cooking utensils, lighters, foil, string, tape and other misc items that are basic necessities.

Our camping stove and grill works great... but I'm really impressed with the Hibachi ovens that you can get at Korean markets. The propane cans are smaller, the oven lights itself, and it's super portable.

Another discovery from this trip... Soccer socks make great leg warmers. You can still wear shorts on a semi-warm day - but feel like you're protected from thorny bushes during hikes. And you gotta love the fashion trends you're setting at the site....

Onion Ring Tower!

2006-10-10T23:18:00.000-07:00

Since I got a ring for my birthday... I had to get Herman "rings" for his! :)

Music Binge

2006-09-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

You know how there are certain diets you avoid, because it initially keeps you from eating certain things for a while - but then you miss that food so much that it always backfires and you end up eating 10 times as much of what you were avoiding?

I think this is what happened to me with Music.

I'm pretty old fashioned in the fact that I still want to buy my music on CDs from real stores - and then I place them on all my computers at home and work and in the car until i get so sick of the songs - i sell them on Ebay. Well, i went a little bizerk and added 3 new albums to my collection in a week, after maybe a few months of a music starvation.

I finally caved and got James Blunt's CD and must admit that even though his song got oversaturated on the radio - it's *still* pretty to hear on the album. He's got a few other recognizable hits on there, but the good news is - the rest of the songs are GREAT. The instrumentals sound awesome, his lyrics are interesting and catchy.

Next up, i got Christina's double disc. I wish I loved the music more - but it's not like i'm regretting that I bought the album. She's got an awesome voice, hands down... but her songs are fairly surface level and predictable. Here's a song about my fans, here's a song about me still being edgy, here's a song about what i think of the press, here's a song about me getting married....

Lastly, i splurged on a third purchase before the other receipts' ink finished drying... All-American Rejects. I've got to say the VIDEO for Move Along sold me to their music. They're energetic and have a cool sound... and they have fun with their videos. Dirty Little Secret was the first song i heard from them, and thought it was pretty catchy for a no-name band... Anyway... i'm still getting used to the rest of the album... it's not one of those First-Listen-It's-Amazing albums, but it's so far not a disappointment either.

Well, there you go... hope this helps with your future music meal... :)

my yahoo avatar... :)

2006-09-09T22:54:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you spend too much time on the internet...

You try to create avatars that look like you... sort of.

Obviously they didn't have a boston terrier option... :p

Teach a Young Dog New Tricks

2006-09-02T13:08:00.000-07:00

Barklee is lovin' his time here in the East Bay...

a whole backyard for him to roam in... a bunch of people to shower him with attention... a seat at the Mahjong table...

This isn't Bull----, it's Suri's.

2006-08-31T09:22:00.000-07:00

"Tomkitten's" 'first poop' goes on display in New York

Wow...

Un...Believable.

Tom Cruise is ... _______________

Feel free to finish the sentence.

How Common Is Your Last Name?

2006-08-21T12:22:00.000-07:00

I know my name "Jennifer Yee" is somewhat common, because I've met at least 2 already.

But how common is your last name, compared to the rest of the folks in the USA?

---
Go to the following link and enter your last name to find out how common it is in the United States.

http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2001/thesweetestsound/popularityindex.html
---

My future last name will be even MORE common. Is that good or bad? I guess it could be good... (More obscure? Easier to remember? Already mistaken for it anyway?)

TOPZ RULES! How They Became My Heroes...

2006-08-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

I must give HUGE Props to TOPZ in Burbank
(Riverside Drive - (818) 766-9066)

Not only do these guys have Great Burgers & cool fixins for your food and drinks - BUT THEY RESCUED my PURSE, when i ditzily left it hanging from my chair.

I had returned with my coworkers back to the office... and realized i was missing it...

Meanwhile, a second group of coworkers who also ate there for lunch, was still there and heading back to their car... and because they remembered that these folks talked with our group, chased after them and asked if they could return my purse back to me.

A very horrible and scary ordeal was averted because of the honest folks at Topz... I owe them many more lunches for their awesome good deed! :)

Treadmill view of Beyonce in Person...

2006-08-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

So, I trudge to work a little early this morning to get a quick morning workout...

I'm blasting my Muvo Music and suddenly see some camera guys walking past the window wall facing the back alley. Then i realize they're all pointing their lens at BEYONCE herself!

I think i let out a loud "WOW" but the only other person in the gym had her earplugs in and probably didn't hear me.

Beyonce looked great! There are some celebs that look a little less than perfect in real life... (like shania twain or charisma carpenter) but Beyonce looked Fabulous! And all smiles. :)

WRONG on so many levels...

2006-08-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

Louie is a male Boston terrier/French bulldog mix who was recently adopted from Boston Buddies, Inc., Southern California Boston Terrier Rescue. Louie had been left at the gate of the Baldwin Park shelter like a piece of garbage. Boston Buddies bailed Louie out of the shelter and immediately took him to the vet where he was found to be infested with ticks and extremely underweight. Louie also had battle wounds on his neck from a previous dog fight. Louie was nursed back to health by his foster mom who found him to be especially nice with other dogs and a true lap dog who just wants to be with his people.

Louie was adopted by Paul, a nice man who already had Ellie, a beautiful female Boston terrier who was looking for a new friend. Ellie is the apple of her dad’s eye in her pink jeweled collar and she even has her own custom embroidered overstuffed doggie chair to lounge on. Ellie and Louie became the best of friends and were doted on by their new dad.

They were all on their way to Palm Springs last Friday, August 4, 2006, when Paul stopped at the AM/PM Mini Market at the Baldwin exit off the I-10 freeway to get Ellie and Louie some water – he left Ellie and Louie in the car with the doors locked but the windows cracked a few inches for air. While Paul was in the store someone reached into the window, unlocked the car, grabbed the dogs and took off in another car. In the 20 seconds that Paul heard the car alarm and ran outside the dogs were already gone. Witnesses got a partial license plate for the getaway car, but so far no real police work has been done on the case. Paul waited for three hours at the scene until a police officer appeared to take his report. The detective assigned to the case has left town on vacation and no progress is being made.

This is a terrible crime and the fate of these dogs is unknown. We need the media’s help to publicize the fact that this type of activity is occurring in our neighborhoods. We need to expose the scum who think it is their right to take the beloved pets of others for who knows what kind of horrendous activity, secure in the knowledge that the crime will receive no real attention from the authorities.

Paul has offered a large cash reward for the safe return of Ellie and Louie – no questions asked. He can be contacted at 310-498-4257. Or you can contact Boston Buddies, Inc. at 310-364-4543 or contactus@bostonbuddies.org.

Please help – Louie and Ellie’s lives are at risk!!!!!!!!!!!!

Creepy Cinespia?

2006-08-06T23:38:00.000-07:00

So I watched a movie on Saturday night in Hollywood.

Not so unusual huh?

Well, what if i said the movie was Pee Wee's Big Adventure?

How odd, that's an old movie, You say.

Well what if I said I sat in line for an hour to get in to watch it?

Why would THAT happen for THAT movie, You say.

Well, what if i told you it was projected on a wall in the middle of the Hollywood Cemetary and thousands of people were camped out on the lawn with food and drinks and pillows and blankets, and we were surrounded by the dearly departed??

Bizarre?

Well that's only the half of it! We soon found out that Paul Reuben and the majority of the cast of Big Adventure came too, and talked to the crowd just before the movie aired. Only in L.A.!

This Cemetary Screening phenomenon has been going on for Five Years now! I guess it only happens during the summer and you can catch everything from the scary to quirky...

It was fun to watch and neat to hang out in the open to watch a movie... but we had to really squish up close to everyone because it was so full, and there were definitely some 'odd' folks there. And leaving the cemetary afterwards was like a scene from those zombie movies. We got a parking spot inside the cemetary, but to get out, we had to drive among the mob of pedestrians holding their lawn chairs and coolers and blankets. It was very very very bizarre.

Extra Mugu

2006-08-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

Rick sent over his pics and he captured a great group shot from our June Point Mugu weekend...

Even Barklee is smiling! :)

Can't believe we've already hit August. There's still bad news trickling in and so it just keeps adding to the thought that the year of 2006 is just not a good one at all. But i'll keep the smile pasted on... keep the mind focused on the positive... and hope everyone else can make it through too.

I guess as you get older, life gets a little easier in some respects and a LOT harder in others. I know i'm being totally obscure, but that's all I can say for now.

Things to look forward to... the year 2007, good news about all the bad news that could become good news, my wedding (yeah!), nice vacation somewhere new.

Be safe. Live healthy. Shop at (insert advertising grocery chain here.)

Fighting the Groggies

2006-07-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

I was (still am) super tired on this less than spectacular Monday Morning.
It's been a heatwave everywhere we went this weekend (this included San Diego, Agoura Hills, Pasadena and Van Nuys)and although I was not running marathons or anything, I was feeling like a human fountain of sweat - so perhaps all my sweat glands are taking revenge on me by sucking my remaining energy from me today.

I still managed to get 25 minutes of dog walking in and about 25 minutes at the gym before starting work. Now at least i'll be tired, but not feeling guilty.

Comic-con was great. We spent all day Friday circling the booths and looking for cool random items to take home. Don't let the words "Comic Convention" fool you... I was there to find a great drawing to decorate our walls or neat t-shirts you can't buy anywhere else. It's a place where artists of all forms are there to display their goods... and some aren't so great... and others are simply magnificent. And San Diego is such as awesome city too. I would safely put it as a good second choice if i wanted to move out of L.A. :)

Cute as a Button

2006-07-18T00:09:00.000-07:00

These are real cars! I happened to see this on a flipped open page of Automobile Magazine...

Can you imagine zipping around in one of these? Snuggle up next to a motorcycle that's parked in a car's spot. Parallel park just about anywhere! Get colored covers just like a cell phone so that you can match your car to your outfit! Drive around yelling "Beep Beep!"

It's called a REVA - India's First Electric Car heralds a new era of non-polluting, cost effective, quiet city mobility - A boon for city commuters. This elegant, light-yet rugged, two-door sedan comfortably seats 2 adults in the front and 2 children at the back.

Welcome to the world of the diminutive, battery-propelled go-car, the Reva Classé. The Reva's designed for a fair bit of intra-city commuting - from home to work and from work to home, for that bit of veggie shopping, to take the pets to the vet and back, to a restaurant for a candlelit dinner for two. It is fully automatic and runs on battery, with a rugged two-door hatchback and is easy to drive (no clutch / gears), easy to park and maneuver.

I'd have to pick the purple one myself... ;)

Makeup Counter Confessions

2006-07-17T00:16:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or does it seem that when someone other than yourself does your makeup, it looks dramatically overdone?
I had a gift card to spend, and I decided that getting nice makeup that wasn't on clearance at Longs to be putting it to good use. (Not to rag on those clearances... some of my longest lasting eyeshadows were from those sales!)

I even went so far as to bring a magazine... in case i needed to point out faces that I felt were 'ideal' makeup looks. Then I chickened out from showing it because I didn't want to accidentally offend Shiseido by showing Chanel faces or vice versa.

My little makeup session wasn't so bad though. I asked for more day to day "work" makeup and the results were still a little much, but I think i picked up a few tricks in the end. (...and easily used up the funds on my gift card.)

So what does my little prince Barklee think of his owner's updated face?

"You woke me up for what???"

Coolest T-shirt

2006-07-09T23:50:00.000-07:00

Is this T-shirt by Esprit cool or WHAT!

a birthday worth remembeRING

2006-07-04T01:45:00.000-07:00

Wow. This is what it feels like to be Twenty-nine. The leap from Twenty-eight felt incredibly wide. One number feels firmly planted in your twenties. The other is one step away from a new decade of numbers.

I didn't really feel like making my birthday a big deal this year. It's been an emotional year, and I think i was just worn out. So Herman said he'd take care of my 'day' and that was nice.

"We need to leave by 10" was the only clue I would get on my big day. So at 10:08am that morning we were on the road heading north.

"Camarillo, in 11 miles. Are you taking me shopping?" But we passed the outlet exit, so I wiped the shopping spree imagination out of my head.

"I'm taking you to some guy's nice house in oxnard" That was what was said when we took a wrong turn and started driving into some nice neighborhoods with million dollar homes. After a brief Thomas Guide stop, we were back on the path to my mystery birthday location.

"A Restaurant within a Resort" We arrived at our destination... a gorgeous beachside location and we had reservations at Capistrano's. It was so nice, a waterfall was the centerpiece to it's underground parking garage...

"Open Your Present" Inside the giant purple gift bag was a brand new Sony Video Cam that would be an upgrade to my old school Panasonic camcorder - plus this thing carried 30 GB of hard drive space. Herman even charged the batteries so that he could immediately test it out...

"We've been together for a while now..." The camera is rolling. Herman's holding a camera and fishing around in his pocket for something... he's kneeling down... I guess whatever you have to do to get the shot... he's putting a red velvet box on the table......

The rest is embarrassingly caught on video, with my face zoomed in for most of it. (Like it's not big enough!) And I wouldn't be ME if I didn't edit something cheesy together with the footage and then sticking it somewhere online. However, I had made plans to visit my folks the following day... (still here as I type this) and I don't have the right editing software to alter these MPG files. (I can't believe my trusty windows movie maker won't convert it right!) So for now, I leave you with a still shot from the footage instead... :)

my 8 year old turtles...

2006-06-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

One of my coworkers just got baby turtles that hang out with her as she works. They remind me of my slimy boogers that are so big now, they each inhabit their own 10 gallon tank.

It's just amazing how long i've had them. At one point I had planned to let them loose in a nice lake, especially one that had these types of turtles already flourishing. But now that i've got them in their own little display cases in my computer room... they seem quite content and with their little aquarium pumps going... they're actually pretty low maintenance now.

Here's an old picture when they were still little squirts:

Puppy Dog Tails...

2006-06-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's the little things that make your day...

Like watching Barklee try to chomp at flying bugs (and you hear his jaws go, "chomp!") or the way he tries to 'lure' you into playing fetch with him by running to you with his toy, and then as he gets to your feet, doing an immediate u-turn and jetting off in the opposite direction. He'll sometimes do this 2-3 times and all you have to do is stand in the same spot and grin.

Then there's him just chewing. Chew Chew Chew. Cute Cute Cute.

Go Steven Go!

2006-06-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

The youngest of us cousins... has now walked the Grad walk, but not with just a simple Undergrad... He walked to the podium to recieve his handshake for a MASTERS in Aerospace Engineering! And boy did he look cool in his grad robe and fancy hood! :)

Even Barklee had to join for this wonderous occasion. Too bad the pizza place we went to afterwards wouldn't let him in! So a few of us took turns outside with him while everyone was inside...

Congrats Steven!!! :)

...

2006-05-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

My world shrunk as two amazing people crossed over to the non physical world this year. Although they were an ocean away, they always felt close at heart. I hear my grandma's unique way of saying "Jen-ni-FER!" and her signature head bob and smile when she's in a cheerful mood. I see my grandpa with his dapper golf hat and large cheek to cheek smile and a very british sounding "Hello!" to greet me.

I can only hope they are now holding hands and reunited in the great unknown that we will all see one day... and that they know how much they are loved and how much we will miss them.

The many faces of Barklee

2006-05-20T22:57:00.000-07:00

I know a Real Life Survivorman...

2006-05-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post this but keep forgetting...

My friend Jamal was known for going on cool camping trips and taking amazing pics to bring back.

Well his latest adventure is a 25 day, 300 mile, single person hike across Utah. He has a GPS Satellite phone to blog to his website and so anyone in the world can keep up with his latest daily recap.

Go Find Jamal!