Category Archives: life

christmas wrap-up

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I took down the Christmas tree and decorations today. Always makes me sad. I can’t believe how quickly the days go by now. I still have a few hours of vacation left so I thought I’d do a quick recap of my Christmas…



Thanks Carolyn for the pic!

Christmas festivities began early when Rob and I got together with friends at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant at Knott’s Berry Farm for an all-you-can-eat champagne brunch. The food was ok but the company was great. I can’t believe I have friends who are parents now. !!!

I wanted to see the holiday decorations at Disneyland before our annual passes were blocked out for the year so we made it to the park on the very last day. I love Disneyland every time we go but there’s something extra special about the holiday season…



From the snow-capped turrets of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in the daylight…



…to the huge Christmas tree on Main Street (we tried to take a picture in front of it but the Disney employee obviously didn’t know how to use our camera)…



…to the colorful lights on It’s A Small World…



…and back to the night-time sparkly lights on Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. It’s truly magical.



Diesel got into the Christmas spirit too. 😀



And we took a quick family picture before heading out for Christmas Eve dinner at my cousin’s house. Yes, I’m wearing a candy cane headband. And yes, I did wear the same dress a few days later for a baptism and a birthday party. 😀

My family gets together on Christmas Eve, which is great because it leaves us free to spend Christmas day with Rob’s family. I would hate to shuttle back and forth between families.



As usual, we were super spoiled… a few of our treasured presents are pictured here — an acoustic guitar (!!!), Blu-ray DVD player, and DJ Hero for Rob and a pretty pink carry-on luggage, Cal tee, Starbucks mugs (I started collecting them — I have 9 so far), and an Anthropologie gift card for me. *love*

Rob and I no longer “surprise” each other with presents because let’s face it, I’m not the easiest person to buy presents for (read: I’m picky :P). So instead, we normally set a budget and give each other a list. But this year I found a cute ruffle-front coat from JCrew that I wanted and ordered my own Christmas present from Rob. Using his credit card, of course. I guess this is what happens when you’ve been together 10+ years. 😀

And it’s back to work tomorrow (nooooooo). I’m not looking forward to it but I *am* excited for 2010 and what lies ahead (gotta do a New Year’s resolution post next time)…

happy holidays

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It’s Christmas Eve and I’m taking care of some last minute errands before launching into the next few days of festivities. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

more list blogging

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I always seem to get hit with the lazy stick during the week. After work, I’m online reading various blogs or shopping but rarely feel like putting coherent thoughts together for the blog. Fail. So here’s another list because I don’t want to deal with paragraphs. 😀

1. I am SO SICK of Tiger Woods news. I was scrolling through news sites the other day and there were articles that detailed some of the “sex-t” messages he exchanged with his mistresses. I mean, really. Is this necessary? And is it really a surprise that he is a cheating athlete?!

2. I finally started my holiday cards! I sent the first batch out last week. Cards going internationally are going to be late (again)… sorry guys. I went to the post office on Saturday but the line was 30 people deep so I’ll need to try again this week. I didn’t do an official request this year but if there’s anyone else that wants a card, leave me a comment with your email address and I’ll get in touch with you.

3. Speaking of holiday cards, the first one I received this year was from Sarah. Thank you! You’re always so good at getting them out before Christmas. 😀

4. Went to a funeral this past Saturday for Rob’s godmother. I’ve only met her twice so I didn’t anticipate getting emotional. But at the very beginning of the mass, when her family was processing up the aisle with the casket, I totally lost it. Like I couldn’t stop the tears streaming down my face. I think what set me off was the choir singing “Eagle’s Wings,” which was played at my mom’s funeral too. It’s not really a sad song; just more a haunting one that really sticks with you.

5. But on to happier things! Like Christmas! Rob’s been wanting DJ Hero and when I saw that it went on sale for $88 at Target, I went ahead and bought it as part of his Christmas present. Of course, he couldn’t wait and played with it right away. So much that he already has a callous on his finger.



6. If you look at the bigger version of the above pic (just click on it), you’ll see that Diesel’s wearing clothes. It’s a Snuggie! Bwahahahaha. So cute. We picked up a few more to give as presents to all the doggies in our family. No nieces or nephews yet… just doggies.

7. We’re still house hunting and went to another Open House yesterday to take a look at some model homes nearby. There was a *ridiculous* amount of people there. Seriously. You would have no idea that we are in a down economy with the insanity. We ended up not liking any so that was a bust. We’re on the waiting list for a few other communities so hopefully we’ll get one of those (the homes don’t go on sale until early 2010 and there’s a limited quantity and a looooong list of potential buyers).

8. Not a lot of TV to watch right now. Most of my shows had “fall finales” and then aren’t coming back until March/April. Is this a new trend? I actually really like it. I much prefer having back-to-back new episodes in chunks of time over what used to happen before when there would only be a month of new episodes, then 2-3 weeks of reruns, and I never knew when the heck a new episode was going to air.

9. This season of So You Think You Can Dance has been really disappointing. Not because of the dancers; they’re all great. Mostly because I feel like there’s a lot of behind the scenes “stuff” that is killing my enjoyment of the show. First off, I *know* that none of the partnerships or dance styles are “random” so why do they keep billing it as such? Bugs me. Also, the judges need to think about what they’re saying before they say it. I was really upset last week when Adam basically blamed Nathan for Mollee’s lack of “growth” in the first few weeks. WHAT.EVER. I don’t see how that is anyone else’s “fault” but Mollee’s own. I used to think Adam had a lot of constructive criticism for the dancers but now his comments are just like Nigel and Mary’s (ie. useless). I kinda wish they would go back to a rotating third judge because I think the panel desperately needs a non-contemporary voice. Finally, I really really REALLY hate that the final performance show is TOP SIX. Not top 4. WTF. AND it’s only an hour show not 2. 🙁 I know FOX had a wonky fall schedule with the World Series but maybe they could have done 1 less audition show and then been able to do a proper Top 4? And maybe pushed the Gordon Ramsay special to next week so the final performance show would be 2 hours? The dancers really got the short end of the stick this year. I really hope SYTYCD goes back to being a summer show… along with the old stage.

10. Only 7 more days of work until Christmas vacation! WOOT.

magic(al) mountain

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Last Saturday, Rob and I went to Magic Mountain with some friends. Pretty much only because we had $15 discount tickets. I haven’t been to Magic Mountain since high school (13 years ago!!!) so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was just excited to experience actual roller coasters (I mean, I love Disneyland but let’s be honest — it’s a theme park, not a thrill park).

I made it on to 5 rides, which was a good amount for me. I guess I’m getting old! Argh.

I didn’t take any pics because I kept having to put my bag in a locker for all the rides but I found some pics so you can see the CRAZINESS.


Viper


Photo from Joyrides.

This was our first ride of the day and we waited almost 2 hours because it only loads 28 people at a time. The first part of the ride is an incredibly steep incline that takes forever to get to the top. The anticipation going up the incline stressed me out because I couldn’t see the track at this point. Then of course, there’s an inevitable drop leading into twists and loops the rest of the way through. It’s an older ride so it’s a little bumpy but I was too busy screaming to notice much.


Tatsu


Photo from Wikipedia.

OMG. This ride is INSANE. As we got closer to the loading platform, I got ridiculously scared and almost talked myself out of getting on the ride. I’m glad I didn’t, though, because it was a great experience. Once you’re seated and strapped in, the seats get rotated 90 degrees so that you’re facing down. YES, THAT IS CORRECT. Because of your prone position, the track is above you on your back so you can’t see where you’re going but you can see EVERYTHING below. Like the ground. !!! I was scared for the first few seconds as we waited to take off. But once we did, though… WOW. It’s an amazing ride. And surprisingly really comfortable. But VERY intense. There’s an enormous pretzel loop towards the end (seen above) where you’re heading to the ground FACE FIRST and then you find yourself going backwards as you go back to the top. Like I said, INTENSE. I give it a HUGE thumbs up but it is definitely not for the faint of heart!


Terminator: Salvation


Photo from PR Newswire.

This is the newest ride in the park — it opened back in June to coincide with the release of the movie. I LOVE wooden roller coasters so this is the one ride I was most looking forward to. It didn’t disappoint! It was my favorite ride of the day. It starts out with a couple of pre-ride videos to set the scene for the ride, which really surprised me because MM isn’t exactly known for “theming.” That’s Disney’s forte! Anyway, the ride is spectacular. It goes incredibly fast up and down the hills and turns. It even has on-board speakers blaring exciting music. If the line wasn’t so long, I would have loved to ride this over and over and over…


Deja Vu


Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

I did not like this ride. Partly because someone standing next to me in line totally ran in front of me and swiped my seat so I didn’t get to sit next to Rob. I had to sit by myself. !!! Horrors. For me, part of the fun of thrill rides is sharing the craziness with friends and trying to out-scream each other. 😀 Anyway, this ride starts off backwards and brings you up a 20 story tower slowly and pauses at the top… then it suddenly propels you downwards face first at 60+ miles per hour. OMG. This ride didn’t have the same excitement as Tatsu for me — it was just flat out terrifying. After a revolution, you head up another tower, go backwards to the first tower and then do the face first drop again. UGH. To make matters worse, the ride is rough and it definitely thrashes you around. Not pleasant.


Batman


Photo from Joyrides.

Deja Vu made my neck hurt so I don’t think I enjoyed Batman as much as I would have normally. On this ride, you’re seated with your feet dangling free. Similar to many coasters, the ride starts slowly going up a lift hill then it gets going with twisting dives, turns, and multiple vertical loops. It was dark when we got on the ride so it didn’t seem as scary as it probably would be during the day when you can see exactly where you’re going. Still, it’s a solid ride and a good way to end the day.

If we had more time (we got to the park late and it closes early in the fall/winter), I would have liked to make it on to X2 and also my original favorite wooden coaster Colossus. Maybe next time… another 13 years from now.

😀

christmas tree 2009

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From one holiday to another…



*sigh* I just love Christmas time.



This year’s new ornament is one I picked up in Australia during our vacation — I’m not a good photographer at all so hopefully you can make out the Sydney Opera House in the above pic. 😀

Now I just have to get some presents under the tree…

turkey day

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Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

Rob and I are starting our Turkey Day at my cousin’s house for lunch then we’re heading to his parents for dinner. Food and family all day. YUMMY.

We decided to make dessert for the festivities and as soon as I saw these pumpkin pie bites on Bakerella (thanks to Sarah for the link), I knew that’s what we were going to make.



Our effort. Hee hee. DEFINITELY not as pretty as Bakerella’s but OMG! SO. GOOD. I might have eaten 2 or 3 to “test” them. 😀 Our apartment smells pretty amazing too.

It’s been a tough few weeks at work so I’m ready for the holiday break. AND! My boss surprised me by giving me Monday off so I have a 5-day weekend.

SCORE!

Trip Report: Part 7 (Cairns & Great Barrier Reef)

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Wednesday, August 12.

We stayed in tropical Far North Queensland for a total of 6 nights — we split up that time between Port Douglas (relaxed, resort-y town) and Cairns (tourist-y). So we didn’t do much this day except switch hotels to the Shangri-La in the morning. The best part about our new hotel was the FREE internet access. I guess I’m a huge dork because this made me ecstatic! 😀



The hotel was more modern and updated (compared to the Sheraton in Port Douglas) so that was a big YAY too.



I needed some random toiletries so we decided to explore downtown Cairns. And guess what we found? Target! But alas. It was a huge disappointment. The store we went to only had clothing and housewares from what I can remember but I wasn’t impressed by the products or the quality. When we got home, a friend of mine told me that Target stores in Australia have the rights to the name and logo but are owned by a completely different corporation than the ones in the US. Totally explains why it just didn’t “feel” like a Target.

We finally found a drugstore, though, and I totally giggled like a crazy person when I saw these…



I beg to differ. Starburst does not suck! HEE.



There really isn’t a true beach in downtown Cairns so instead the city has the Esplanade Lagoon that’s open to the public.



Later that day, we checked out the Night Markets, which was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. It’s basically a swap meet filled with cheesy Aussie souvenirs and one random aisle devoted to Chinese massages (???). I got a kick out of these sheepskin boots. They’re half as tall as I am!

At this point, we had been in Australia for a week and had watched enough TV to know that Law and Order: UK was premiering that night. So of course we did what any TV loving couple would do and made sure we finished our yummy Italian dinner to make it back to the hotel in time. LOL! I mean, come on. It was starring Jamie Bamber. 😀

Thursday, August 13.

Rob’s 31st Birthday! And we were heading out to the Great Barrier Reef to go snorkeling with Calypso!!



We left the marina at about 9am and were promptly served coffee and pastries as we headed out to the reef. We were going to 3 different sites and had roughly about 45 minutes to an hour at each. It took 90 minutes to get to our first site and when we arrived, we promptly grabbed our fins, masks, and noodles and headed into the water. I’m not a very confident swimmer so I stayed right by the boat the whole time. Hee. The water was incredibly clear and we saw tons of fish. I couldn’t tell you what most of them were, though…



… Except for this Napoleon wrasse, which scared the living daylights out of me. I was looking off to the side and then all of a sudden, it was swimming in my direction. I’m pretty sure I hid behind Rob for a few seconds. It was actually really friendly — it let us get close and pet it. It was really slimy.

At our last snorkeling site, I totally gave myself a mini panic attack. There was A LOT of coral at this site and the waves were stronger as well. I tried to swim around the coral but the waves kept propelling me towards it. Argh. I felt like I wasn’t going anywhere so I freaked out thinking I couldn’t get back to the boat. I had to take my snorkel off because I felt super claustrophobic all of a sudden. *sigh* I’m such a wimp. Luckily, Rob found me and I felt safer with him swimming next to me.



Despite all that, snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef was an amazing experience and before we knew it, the day was over and we were back in Cairns.

Rob wanted steak for his birthday dinner so we ended up at Barnacle Bill’s. My seafood jambalaya was pretty forgettable but Rob had the most amazing fries with his steak. Seriously. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned before that overall I wasn’t too fond of the food in Australia but every time we happened to have fries with a meal, they were fan-freaking-tastic. Who knew?!

More pictures on the Flickr:
Cairns
Great Barrier Reef

Up next (someday): Atherton Tablelands

lazy list

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My head hurts but I really want to post something so… here’s some random thoughts in list form.

1. I’m not really a fan of the Twilight series nor did I enjoy the first movie but for some reason, I still want to see New Moon. The clips from the trailers already make it look light years better than the first. Plus, I can’t help that I’m highly amused by the actors off-screen. Kristen Stewart is so uncomfortably awkward in interviews and Robert Pattinson looks high ALL THE TIME. Seriously.

2. I just found out Star Trek is being released on DVD today. I think I’ll have to pick up a copy. Mmmm Chris Pine (GO Bears!).

3. I watched Skate America yesterday (yes, I’m a figure skating fan despite NBC relegating non-Olympics coverage to their lesser network Universal Sports) and I have to say that overall, I’m really disappointed in the (lack of) depth on the US women’s side. Especially with the Winter Olympics coming up! Normally, the US has strong medal contenders but I think whoever makes the team will be fighting for the bronze medal at best. I just don’t think Rachael Flatt, Alissa Czisny, Caroline Zhang, Ashley Wagner, etc. are that good. Technically, they’re ok but they don’t have “it.” I’ll be rooting for Yu-Na Kim all the way.

4. I realized that the reason I can’t watch The Office regularly is because I get second-hand embarrassment. Every episode Michael does or says something ridiculous and I have to look away.

5. Just came back from taking Diesel outside and it is FUH-REEZING out there. I’ve become more and more wimpy to cold weather since moving to Southern CA.

6. I (ok, Rob and I) have been doing a good job at keeping up to date with all our TV. Except for poor Fringe. We’re 3 episodes behind. Argh.

7. I haven’t read a book in months. EEK. So embarrassing. I used to do all my reading during my commute to and from work and now that I work from home, I use that extra time to get more sleep (hehe). I got the first 3 books of the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series for my birthday so hopefully they’ll get me motivated to read again.

8. The Starbucks red cups are back!!! I get my fave Nonfat Peppermint Mocha year-round but there’s just something special about getting it in the official holiday cup.

9. I can’t believe it’s almost Thanksgiving. A little more than a week! Turkey festivities will start off at lunch at my cousin’s house and I can’t wait.

10. Then of course, the day after Thanksgiving is another day I look forward to. BLACK FRIDAY. YAYAYAYAY. Rob and I never really have “big ticket” items that we need to buy… for some reason, we just like checking out the random items that are on sale. Thanks to Black Friday Ads I feel very well-prepared to hit the sales at Best Buy, Target, K-Mart, etc. I’m planning to get some DVDs and also a new wireless mouse for my laptop. ALSO. And possibly more importantly, Black Friday is the day we get our CHRISTMAS TREE. OMGSOEXCITING.

… That’s it for now. Back later.

Trip Report: Part 6 (Kuranda)

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Hmm. I’m pretty predictable. I’ve neglected my trip report again. I’m totally finishing it no matter how long it takes.

Tuesday, August 11.

This was THE DAY. The day that we would get to cuddle a KOALA. The only reason Rob wanted to visit Australia. I’m not sure why and can’t seem to find a quick answer via Google at the moment, but the state of Queensland is one of the only areas in the world where this type of interaction with koalas is allowed. So we were heading up to the village of Kuranda to go to the Koala Gardens.

There’s a few ways to get to Kuranda and we decided to take the Skyrail (a cableway ride above the rainforest) to the village and the Scenic Railway (train) back down.

The Skyrail was awesome! You’re seated in a gondola that’s suspended on cable wires and travels above the rainforest. It’s a little scary for the first few seconds but that feeling quickly goes away. Plus, the view is so amazing that you forget how high you really are.

Here’s what the gondola looks like…



And here we are on our way!



The view is just gorgeous.

When you arrive at Kuranda, they snap a photo of you in the gondola before you get off — just like an amusement park. We didn’t purchase the photo because it is SO CHEESY.



Just look at that blatantly fake background!



It was an absolutely beautiful day.



I just loved all the signage in the village.



We made a beeline for the Koala Gardens. It’s pretty small — you can see a few crocodiles and lizards when you first enter. And there’s also wallabies and kangaroos, which you can feed.



This particular wallaby was SUPER hungry cause he kept taking food from everyone that approached him.

And of course, the star attraction…



We got in line for our turn to cuddle a koala and had our camera and video camera ready. The interaction is really fast so the line went by quickly. The handler basically places the koala in your arms, a photo is taken, and then it’s whisked off to the next person.



There’s us with the koala! Her name was Princess. I think she was sleeping the whole time, lol. She was so cute and wasn’t very heavy at all — maybe 20 pounds? Honestly, it was like holding a stuffed animal. We had individual photos taken and since we were last in line, they let me hold her a little while longer so Rob and I could get this photo together. Awww.



We didn’t have any plans to visit any of the other wildlife attractions so we got some lunch and leisurely walked along the main drag, which consists of about 2 long blocks of shops and restaurants.



We were taking the train back down so we made our way to the station. The trains and station have a real old world charm — love it.



It’s not particularly comfortable on the train, though. In coach, seating is on benches and there are 4 “seats” on each bench. It’s a tight fit.



The train ride is beautiful and scenic but I much preferred the Skyrail. Mostly because you have your own gondola so the experience feels more personal. I think if we took the train up to Kuranda and the Skyrail down, I would have appreciated the train much more. As it was, though, it just couldn’t compare.



Even with this amazing view.

When we got back to the hotel, we did laundry (exciting!) and stayed at the Sheraton for dinner. We were too lazy to go into town. Bad move. I don’t know why we thought the food would be any better than the first night. *shrugs* Oh well. If I’m lucky enough to return to Port Douglas someday, I’m definitely staying in town instead.

More pictures on the Flickr:
Kuranda

bikes

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A few weeks ago Rob decided that he wanted to get a bike for fun and exercise. This meant that I got one too because of course he had to have a biking buddy. 🙂



Helmets are so stylish.



Our bikes! The baby blue one is mine. I just need a bell and (possibly) a basket and then it’ll be perfect.

I haven’t ridden a bike since high school (13 years ago, yikes) so I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to pick it up again. But I guess the saying’s right — you really don’t forget how to ride a bike.

So far, we’ve just been biking around our neighborhood, which is fun except that I’m TOTALLY afraid of getting run over by cars. :/ I prefer going to a nearby walking/biking trail (no cars! yes!) but HOLY COW, the incline kills me. Sadly, I’m also SUPER slow so I think Rob is starting to regret getting me a bike too. He always has to wait for me at the end of the street or at the bottom of a hill. OOPS. I’m sure I’ll get better. Or at least have fun trying!