out and about

Posted on by

Can you believe that I’ve actually been out doing stuff recently? I can barely believe it myself. 🙂 A quick rundown with pics…


A few weekends ago, Rob and I went to the Team LA store at the Staples Center to see what Lakers goodies we could find. Sadly, not much. They had A LOT of stuff but nothing particularly exciting. So disappointing. I mean, LA is a long way from Orange County. Wowzers. I did find this awesome Mickey Mouse tee and had to take a picture of it. No, I didn’t buy it. (They didn’t carry it in women’s sizes, heh).


The following weekend Rob and I “crashed” an old friend’s surprise 30th birthday party. HEE! We were invited by a friend who actually WAS invited. That’s not technically crashing, right? Anyway, he had a freaking In-N-Out truck at his party. I took full advantage and enjoyed a Double Double cheeseburger. Sooo good.

And yes, I cut my hair. I go back and forth between liking it and not. It’s a *tad* shorter than I wanted. Oh well.


Finally, this past weekend on the 4th of July, we went to a barbecue at Daniel and Carolyn’s place across town. There was this guy using the grill next to us (he’s behind me in the above pic) and he was wearing… get this… cargo shorts, white sunglasses, a red/white/green wristband, Louis Vuitton belt, Gucci loafers… and no shirt. He was such a character! My friend Rob (not to be confused with the hubs) really wanted a picture of him so he pretended to take pictures of me. Too bad I leaned over too far and got in the way. We’re so mean! I’m going to rot in hell, aren’t I? 😛

Anyway, no SYTYCD updates tonight. Rob’s out of town again so I have to wait to watch this week’s episode until he returns. Can’t wait!

Wedding: Walking Down the Aisle…

Posted on by

With our first anniversary coming up, I’ve been reminiscing about the wedding and realized I never finished my recap… so here we go again…

All photos taken by Apertura unless otherwise noted. Please feel free to click for bigger.

The ceremony’s about to begin!



The scene. Our guitarist, Pete Goslow, is serenading our guests as they take their seats. The “aisle” is the staircase on the left.



Over at the groom’s Tommy Bahama lounge, the boys are dressed and ready to go. (As an aside, they had a MUCH bigger room than us girls did — it was spacious, had a large TV, and a whole bar. Lucky ducks!)



Meanwhile in the bridal suite, my bridesmaids and I are toasting with my dad…



…and dealing with last minute dress emergencies. EEEK. The straps on my cousin’s dress wasn’t staying up very well so she decided to cut them off and turn it into a strapless dress right before the ceremony. Hee.



The boys take the “secret” route to the courtyard.



This is one of my favorite photos… such a unique view of the girls’ getting ready upstairs and Rob and our sponsors downstairs.



Rob’s view of the courtyard before walking out…



…and there he goes escorting his mom to her seat. The processional song was “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles.

Continue reading →

sytycd top 14

Posted on by

Too tired and frankly kind of annoyed at So You Think You Can Dance to write my normal commentary. But I wanted to make sure I posted my predictions to see if I can get 2 out of 3 again…

Bottom 3
Randi/Evan – good Broadway choreography but lackluster performance
Caitlin/Jason – see above; I also think the general public won’t “get” it
Karla/Vitolio – surprisingly, really good! But they’ve been in the bottom the past 2 weeks and I don’t think a quickstep will keep them out out.

Rob and I voted for Karla/Vitolio for good measure. Fingers crossed!

sytycd top 16

Posted on by

After a promising start in the first week’s eliminations, I thought last week was a little bit of a letdown (although I did predict 2 out of the bottom 3 again). I didn’t think Ashley or Max should have gone home — I would have sent home Caitlin (her technique isn’t any different than Kayla’s, imo) and Kupono (based on his lackluster hip hop performance and solo).

On to this week! Toni Basil is the guest judge. Her comments about “street” make me want to throw something at the TV so I fast-forwarded every time she opened her mouth. It’s too bad — I admire her dance and choreography career but she goes on and on and on during her critiques and doesn’t even really say anything constructive or helpful.

LOVED
Melissa and Ade – They’ve been OMGSOGOOD these past 3 weeks. And this rumba was fantastic. They got the hip movements and emotions down… their angles were gorgeous, lifts steady… I think they’ve just become my favorite couple.
Janette and Brandon – I haven’t been overly impressed with them so far but they totally killed this hip hop routine. Especially Brandon. I was not expecting him to be so good! It was energetic and fun — definitely my favorite of the night. WOW.

LIKED
Kayla and Kupono – A solid Viennese waltz. Very “dreamy” and ethereal feeling. But is it just me or was that routine really short? It felt like there were more tricks and lifts than actual waltzing.
Randi and Evan – The concept of this contemporary routine is pretty ridiculous but it worked. They were cute and performed it well. No complaints here.
Jeanine and Philip – Jeanine really shined in this Broadway performance. Philip’s lucky that the routine relied heavily on personality because he definitely lacks technique. Overall, though, they sold it.

EHHH
Karla and Jonathan – This Dave Scott hip hop was SO. DISAPPOINTING. First. Jonathan was waaaayyy out of his league. He couldn’t get the steps, he wasn’t in sync with Karla, and he had absolutely no personality. He seems like such a nice guy but SERIOUSLY, he is dragging her down. Poor Karla. I think she’s an amazing dancer but she’s saddled with a below average partner. Second. I really like Dave Scott but I think part of the problem was the choreography. It’s like he put all the effort into Janette and Brandon’s routine and slapped this one together.
Asuka and Vitolio – I didn’t like this jazz routine at all. I normally like Mandy’s choreography but this one didn’t do anything for me at all. A lot of it didn’t seem to flow very well from one step to the other… or maybe it was the dancers, I’m not sure. I actually stopped watching in the middle because Vitolio was so obviously out-dancing Asuka that it made me feel uncomfortable for her. Just like Jonathan, I think she’s out of her element — she’s not a very versatile dancer (yet) and it’s definitely starting to show.
Caitlin and Jason – Even with the dramatic music, I was bored out of my mind with this paso doble. They lacked the power and chemistry needed to pull this off. And it didn’t help that I could see the effort and concentration in their faces.

Predictions for the Bottom 3: Definitely Karla/Jonathan (insert sad face here) and Asuka/Vitolio. I’m wavering back and forth on Caitlin/Jason and Kayla/Kupono for the third spot but I’ll guess Caitlin/Jason. Ideally, I’d like Jonathan and Asuka to go so that would make way for a new couple in Karla/Vitolio…

the hangover

Posted on by



I saw The Hangover a few weekends ago and it was HILARIOUS. At first, I thought it was going to be one of those movies where all the funny stuff is in the trailers. NOT SO. I haven’t laughed so hard in a REALLY REALLY long time. I loved it!

I highly recommend this movie to everyone. Ok, I take that back. If you’re female and get offended easily by stereotypes, I would probably skip this movie. The movie isn’t kind to women and the major female characters are pretty ridiculous (stripper with a heart of gold, girlfriend who cheated and is a raging b*tch). If you can get past those cliches, though, this is a good movie. Really.

This is usually the part of the post where I list some of my favorite quotes… unfortunately, I can’t post any because I would have to censor them all. Heh.

So go see this movie! And don’t forget to stay for the end credits. Trust me. 🙂

kobe at disneyland

Posted on by

Rob and I found out on Tuesday night that the Lakers (it turned out to be just Kobe) were going to appear at Disneyland on Thursday morning to celebrate their NBA championship. Now, if you know the two of us, you KNOW this is the PERFECT combination of things we love. So I managed to get the morning off from work and we made our way over to the happiest place on Earth. Thank goodness for our Annual Passes!



We arrived just after the 8am park opening and there were already TONS of purple and gold faithful lining Main Street waiting for the 10am parade. Rob decided to stake out a seat for us in front of the Fire Dept/City Hall area while I got my morning coffee and croissant. YUM.



Here we are happily waiting for the parade to start. It was cool and overcast in the morning but as it got later, the sun came out and beat down on us. It was so hot I was afraid of getting a sunglass tan. (I do have priorities).



Kobe’s approaching! You could *feel* the anticipation in the air.



The lead banner of the parade. SQUEE.





Finally. There’s Kobe’s coming around the corner! WITH MICKEY. WOOOOOOOOOO. The parade was just 1 float accompanied by a handful of Disney characters and dancers dressed in Lakers jerseys but there was something about being there with so many other fans that made the “event” feel bigger than it really was. I’m glad I got to be a part of it.



Before heading home to go back to work, we managed to fit in a quick ride on Space Mountain (still the best ride ever). On our way out of the park, I spotted this cast member selling purple and gold balloons so I had to get my picture taken with them. And no, I was not the only person doing this. It was a great start to my day. 🙂

sytycd top 18

Posted on by

The So You Think You Can Dance judges totally got it right last week and sent Paris and Tony home. Wow! I was very surprised. And pleased. They were definitely the weakest performance of the Top 20.

Tonight’s episode was a little underwhelming compared to last week. 🙁 BUT. Shane Sparks is back (darn ABDC for keeping him away) and he choreographed 2 awesome routines! Too bad the dancers who got hip hop were disappointing. UGH, what a waste. I think I got spoiled last season with all the great hip hop dancers (Joshua, Twitch, Comfort, Gev).

I have to wake up really early tomorrow so I’ll try to write up some quick comments…

LOVED
Melissa and Ade – I haven’t been a fan of Sonya’s jazz choreography in the past but I *really* loved this. And these two were so great. Everything looked so effortless and they were totally in character. I have to agree with the judges that in watching this routine you wouldn’t know Melissa is a ballerina. Ballet requires “lifted” posture and elegant port de bras (arms), which is pretty much the complete opposite of what this jazz piece required.
Karla and Jonathan – This contemporary routine was my favorite of the night. All the lifts and partner work! So beautiful. But Karla really carried the performance — Jonathan is good (not great) and I’m worried he’s going to hold her back.
Kayla and Max – Yay, Brian Friedman’s back! I’ve loved him since he choreographed for Britney and NSync back in the day. I have to admit that I watched Kayla for most of this pop jazz routine. Max just isn’t as charismatic on stage. Kayla is a beautiful dancer with fantastic technique and I thought she really pulled off this dance.

LIKED
Janette and Brandon – This disco routine was HARD. Damn, Doriana. But I thought they did really, really well. And that spread eagle lift! WHOA. They did have a couple of slip ups so that’s why it’s not in the “love” column for me.
Asuka and Vitolio – Beautiful waltz but for me, kinda forgettable. Which is too bad because I really like Vitolio.

OK
Randi and Evan – I had high hopes for them but their technique just wasn’t there. Their leg flicks made me sad. But their personalities and high energy saved this jive for me.

EHHH
Caitlin and Jason – This routine reminded me of Shane’s hip hop routine in s3 for Dominic and Sabra, which I LOVED. I can’t even think about this one because Caitlin and Jason didn’t do it justice. They weren’t even synchronized most of the time. 🙁
Jeanine and Philip – I cringed through most of this tango. Jeanine was FAR better than Philip but the whole thing was really sloppy.
Ashley and Kupono – There were parts of this hip hop that were promising but overall it was disappointing. Kupono didn’t have any flair at all and poor Ashley being the “shadow” couldn’t carry the routine on her own. This routine should have been so good.

Predictions for the Bottom 3: Caitlin/Jason, Jeanine/Philip, and Ashley/Kupono. I got 2 out of 3 last week… tomorrow will be interesting!

lakers

Posted on by

WOOOOOOOT. It’s a good day today because the Lakers WON the 2009 NBA Championship. !!! YES.

Growing up in Southern CA, you can’t escape the Lakers. They’re everywhere. But it was definitely my grandma who first showed me what it means to be a fan. She took care of me when I was younger and the 2 things we always watched together were soap operas (on ABC, specifically) and Lakers basketball. Then of course, I met and married Rob, one of the biggest Lakers fans I know. The love he has for the Lakers is infectious and he’s taught me to enjoy and appreciate the game more and more each year. He even passed on the Lakers craziness to our “little ones”…



I like to think that Diesel and Bub were actually the secret weapons in this championship. Hee. 🙂

anniversary vacation

Posted on by

I FINALLY got approval for 3 weeks (!!!) of vacation from work in August.

So what am I planning to do with all that time off? Rob and I are taking an anniversary trip to the other side of the world — first stop is the Philippines to visit my grandma in Manila and then we’re off to Australia. We purchased our airline tickets as soon as I found out I could take the time off.

Here’s our plan:

Manila – 3 days
Melbourne – 3 days
Cairns – 6 days
Uluru – 2 days
Sydney – 5 days

YAYAYAYAYAY. SO exciting!

I know that airline charges have become ridiculous lately but can you believe that we saved almost $1,000 by booking 2 round trip tickets to Manila and Sydney from LAX when we’re only planning on flying one leg of each ticket (LAX to Manila then Sydney to LAX)?!? There is something seriously wrong with that pricing.

Now I’m off to research hotels… 🙂

sytycd s5

Posted on by

I know one of the girls in the Top 20 of So You Think You Can Dance — Melissa Sandvig (well, when I knew her she was Melissa Watson). We used to dance together at Long Beach Ballet and were in the same class from when we were about 5 or 6 all the way until high school when I stopped serious training. I must have seen her at least 3 times a week for years — even more during times when we were touring and performing. It’s really such a small world. CRAZY.

SO. It’s finally Top 20 time!!! WOOT. Tonight was the first performance show and it was probably the best of all 5 seasons so far. I don’t think I’ve loved this many routines ever.

LOVED
Jeanine and Phillip – I have to admit that I really enjoy Tabitha and Napoleon’s (lyrical) hip hop routines. And Jeanine and Phillip danced the heck out of this one.
Randi and Evan – I’m not a huge fan of Tyce’s choreography (plus he has serious bitchface all the time) but GUH. This jazz routine was smoking. I didn’t realize how technically gifted Evan is until this performance.
Karla and Jonathan – Solid cha cha routine. Plus, Karla’s pinay!
Melissa and Ade – I adored this. The LIFTS! Their LINES! GORGEOUS.
Kayla and Max – Fun fun fun samba routine. I can’t believe Kayla has never danced ballroom before. WOW.

OK
Janette and Brandon – Their foxtrot was good but there was no “oomph.”
Caitlin and Jason – Damn, that Bollywood routine was HARD… all those plies and intricate hand movements. But I’m not sure why the judges were gushing. They weren’t quite in sync in a few parts and as cute as they are, I just didn’t think it was that spectacular.
Ashley and Kupono – I didn’t like the whole crash test dummies storyline (sorry Wade) and honestly, I just couldn’t get past that to care about their dancing.

YAWN
Asuka and Vitolio – Disappointing. This was sooo boring. Tyce’s choreography wasn’t particularly memorable but they made it worse by phoning it in. No spark, nothing.
Paris and Tony – UGH. This hip hop was the worst of the night for me. The routine itself was ok but they failed to BRING IT. Not to mention I kind of have irrational dislike for Paris. I can’t help it.

I can never predict the couples in the bottom but I’m going to guess Asuka/Vitolio (really, the routine was terrible), Karla/Jonathan, or Melissa/Ade (the last two couples because they haven’t been “featured” enough so far and that’s going to hurt them). I definitely think Paris/Tony should be in the bottom but his teen girl fanbase will totally save him. GRRR.