Tag Archives: holidays

christmas meme

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Mmmm, Christmas meme! Stolen from Nicola…

1.What is your favorite Christmas carol/song?
Surprisingly, I don’t have a favorite Christmas carol. I just love holiday music in general. However, hearing Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker score *always* reminds me of this time of year.
2.White lights or multicolored?
White lights. When I was growing up, I liked multicolored lights better but now, they’re just too much. White lights are far more elegant.
3. Do you have a cut tree, live tree or an artificial tree?
Live tree. Bought from Home Depot.
4. Eggnog, mulled cider, or hot chocolate?
Hot chocolate, definitely. With a shot of peppermint. YUM. I also like cider but eggnog? ICK.
5. Do you decorate your house with lights?
I live in an apartment so… no. I wish I had a house to decorate. *sigh*
6. Do you write a Christmas letter?
Like to Santa? No. I’m old.
7. Do you like receiving Christmas letters/photos?
Of course! :P I enjoy receiving any kind of mail actually.
8. What is your favorite Christmas story/movie?
I really love How the Grinch Stole Christmas. A Christmas Carol is another good story.
9. Have you ever made a gingerbread house?
My mom and I used to make them together and we used to put them out on the Christmas buffet table. Haven’t made one in forever though.
10. Poinsettias or holly?
Poinsettias.
11. Do you display a nativity scene?
My family used to have a nativity scene that we would place on top of our piano during the holidays but it hasn’t been out of the box in years. (My dad is lazy when it comes to Christmas decorations — the horror!)
12. Do you bake Christmas cookies?
Yes! I always make sugar cookies to bring to work. Decorating them with frosting and sprinkles is the BEST.
13. Ham or turkey?
Ham. Especially when it’s honey glazed. *drools*
14. In what languages can you wish someone a Merry Christmas (without cheating)?
3. English, Spanish (Feliz Navidad), and Tagalog (Maligayang Pasko).
15. Do you know all the words to Jingle Bells?
Erm… no.
16. Do you put presents under the tree?
Of course I do.
17. How do you eat a candy cane?
What?
18. What is your biggest holidays pet peeve?
Crowded malls/shopping centers. Argh. People become INSANE during this time of year… pushing and grabbing toys from people’s hands… EEK.
19. What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
Just being with my family and EATING. :D Also, buying presents for others. I love receiving presents, don’t get me wrong, but making other people happy makes *me* happy.
20. What was the best present you ever got for Christmas?
When I was about 9 or 10, I got a huge Barbie dream house for Christmas from my aunt. I remember being completely ecstatic. Nothing since then has really come close.

Taking the day off tomorrow to do some Christmas shopping in San Francisco. YAY! :D

memoirs

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Got the Harry Potter track jacket! *dork*

:D

Last chance for holiday cards! :D I really should have written them this weekend but I got lazy. Anyway, if you’d like to receive a card from me, please send me an email! They’re going out by the end of this week, I promise.

I got the chance to see Memoirs of a Geisha last Friday and I really, really liked it (it’s playing in select cities and yay, San Francisco is one of them). I read the book months ago but from what I remember, they kept all the major storylines and characterizations true to the source.

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holiday songs

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I’ve been listening to lots and lots of holiday music lately (I ADORE this time of year — holiday shopping makes me ridiculously happy) so I thought I would share some of the songs that I have on constant repeat…

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NSYNC – Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays
Britney Spears – My Only Wish (This Year)
Death Cab For Cutie – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
Love Actually OST – Billy Mack – Christmas Is All Around
Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You
Songs deleted!

If anyone has any holiday recs for me, please comment! I love finding new songs to download. :)

Speaking of music, I just want to say a huge THANK YOU to Sarah for sending me the Rent movie soundtrack. YOU’RE THE BEST!!!

And for your viewing pleasure, here’s a picture of my teddy bear Bub (he’s on the left) and his cousin Tiger (Rob’s sister-in-law’s bear) under my gold/cream-themed Christmas tree…

SO CUTE. :D

rent rocks

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I saw Rent today and absolutely loved it. It’s obviously not in the same league as the musical (which is my most favorite stage show ever) but it comes really close.

I was happily surprised by Rosario Dawson’s performance. Her voice sounded great… I have to admit that I had my doubts about her but she proved me wrong. I’ve never cared for Maureen but Idina Menzel is seriously amazing (she looked so cute in the catsuit on New Year’s Eve). I could listen to her sing all day. Tracie Thoms also blew me away… just WOW. Her voice is so powerful. I loved her version of Joanne. And who could forget Jesse Martin? I have a soft spot for him. But was it just me or did he play Collins as a bit of a drunk? I don’t remember the character being like that in the stage show… but then it’s been about 5 years since I’ve seen it so maybe I forgot? Whatever, Collins and Angel are still the best, and most meaningful, couple. *sob*

My favorite number was La Vie Boheme. Such a great group song. They’re all smiling, having fun, dancing on tables… such an awesome scene. My other favorite songs include Another Day, Without You, Finale B… and they definitely didn’t disappoint. All the songs were spectacular. I think the movie soundtrack has a much MUCH edgier/harsher sound to it than the Original Broadway Cast soundtrack… it sounds fantastic. I wasn’t planning on purchasing the movie soundtrack since I have the OBC but now I’m so tempted.

The one thing I was upset about was Benny’s diminished role. Again, maybe my memory is failing me but I remember seeing him more often in the stage show. Regardless, it was a GREAT movie (I’m so proud of Christopher Columbus). I highly recommend it. GO SEE IT!

I also bought my Christmas tree today. Whee! It’s so tall and fluffy and smells SO GOOD. Ahhh, the holidays rock.

thanksgiving

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Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends!

:)

I think I’m going to explode. I have eaten SO MUCH food today. Rob and I had his brother and wife over today and we split the cooking responsibilities. I was in charge of the ham (which I bought from Honey Baked — yum!), candied yams, stuffing, spinach/artichoke dip and pumpkin pie. Susie, Rob’s sister-in-law, made the turkey, biscuits, garlic mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. HOLY COW. It didn’t really sound like THAT much food when we were planning the menu but seriously, we each had about 2 rounds of food and we barely put a dent in any of the dishes. I’m going to be eating leftover Thanksgiving dinner ALL WEEKEND.

Tomorrow Rob and I plan on checking out a few Black Friday sales… possibly Target and Best Buy. Yeah, it’s going to be a zoo but they have toys and DVDs on sale! We can’t resist.

Anyway, before I head off to bed, I want to wish Cat a very Happy Birthday! Hope it was a good one.

american dreams finale

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I’m listening to Christmas music right now. LOL. I’m so ready for the holiday season… it’s definitely my most favorite time of the year. I’ve even started my Christmas shopping. HEE!

I downloaded all 13 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire clips from The Leaky Cauldron and NONE of them had sound for me. Grrr. I guess I’m not meant to spoil myself for the movie, hee. (And Sarah, you’re totally right — the movie comes out on Nov 18. I’m just too excited! I can’t wait any longer, lol).

I think I have a new favorite celebrity couple — Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling. I had absolutely NO CLUE that they were dating until I saw the cute pictures of them grocery shopping. Aww. It’s like Noah and Allie come to life!

An entry wouldn’t be complete without some TV stuff (possible spoilers ahead)…

Am I totally out of the loop? Has Kitchen Confidential been cancelled?

Prison Break is getting another 2 hour Monday event tomorrow so it has me wondering…

Everwood 4.05, Connect Four
This episode made me so happy. I am totally back on the Amy/Ephram train. Not that I ever really stopped loving them… it’s just that after the end of last season, I haven’t actually liked Ephram, which makes it pretty hard to ‘ship them. But as soon as he revealed to Andy that he came back because he’s still in love with Amy, I just melted. That said, I also like Reid/Amy. I was smiling so big during their first kiss. It was so sweet. I’m still not sold on Bright/Hannah but I am beginning to like them. Is that weird? Like, I still feel like they have nothing in common but I can appreciate their scenes now, particularly the one at the end of the episode when Hannah looked so happy to see Bright and he gazed down at her with such a sweet look (aww). Or maybe I’m starting to like them because I foresee a painful break-up? I do love angst, you know. Anyway, my favorite scene of the episode was when Bright was talking to Ephram about breaking up with Hannah. Those two have come so far since last season. I’m so proud. Plus, I just love the way Tom Amandes directed that scene…. with the camera looking up at B/E and the gorgeous mountain backdrop. Soooo pretty.

Grey’s Anatomy
I thought I was all about Derek/Meredith but I’ve learned… it’s ALL about Burke/Cristina. At the end of episode 2.04, when Burke got into bed with Cristina and held her, I think I might have swooned. That was one of the sweetest and most romantic scenes ever. I’m serious. I want those two crazy kids to work out.

One Tree Hill
Haley better not have kissed Chris at the Halloween party. How could he have known Nathan was going as Batman anyway? UGH. So I downloaded Peyton’s podcasts from iTunes out of curiosity and they’re okay. Nothing exciting, especially since Hilarie Burton has kind of a monotone voice. It’s actually an interesting way of tying the show to real life. In the first one, she talks through her feelings about her current storyline with Ellie and in the second one, she talks about music as a part of her life. If you’re not a Peyton fan, I’d skip it.

And for American Dreams fans, there was a good update on the extended finale on Ask Ausiello this week (Thanks to Robyn for the head’s up!)…

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new year 2005

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HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Aaannnddd I’m back. Hope everyone had a great Christmas! I sure did! But as nice as it was to be away for awhile, it’s even nicer to be home.

But before I start blabbing about what I did, I want to plug the following organizations that are collecting donations for the earthquake/tsunami emergency in Asia:

Please donate if you can! Every little bit helps! Many, many thanks to Christie for posting and letting everyone use the buttons.

Well, Christmas was pretty awesome. Very low key, which is just the way I like it. I received some great gifts which I’ll brag about here (hee)…
– money (from one of the account executives that I support — kind of a weird present, I thought)
– Nordstrom gift cards (thinking of getting shoes — maybe round toe heels? also want to get a purse and cosmetics)
– Abercrombie gift card (already used it to get a hoodie)
– Banana Republic gift cards
– pink Banana Republic v-neck sweater (which I’ve returned because it was too chunky and I’m too short to wear anything that chunky)
– 2 GAP sweaters — one ivory and one lavendar with sequins
– GAP mitten and scarf set (so cute! It’s blue and green and really preettyy)
– pink/red Express button-up shirt (yay, clothes for work!)
– lavendar Limited shell
– pink Ann Taylor button-up shirt
– snowflake flannel sheets
– winter spice candle
– set of frosted glasses
– chocolate covered potato chips (which sound gross but are really, really good)
– lots and lots of boxes of chocolate

Pretty fun haul. I did notice that my family refrained from feeding my DVD obsession. Humph. :P

I still have to buy 2 more Christmas presents — for my dad and for Rob. Rob and I *always* wait until after Christmas to exchange presents. That way we’ll have more money to spend (hee) and so we can take advantage of the after-Christmas sales. As for my dad, he spent the holiday in the Philippines visiting my grandma so I didn’t even get the chance to see him when I flew down to SoCal. At least I have more time to think of a really good present to get him.

During my time away from home, I got the chance to spend some time in Santa Barbara visiting my cousin who goes to school down there. I finally saw her apartment and just her environment in general. I was only there for a day (and I spent most of it shopping since she was working at Bath and Body Works) but I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s gorgeous. Very, very different from living in the Bay Area. However, I did get hit on by some guy who told me he had just been released from prison. Um, what?!? Great pick-up line there.

I also went to Las Vegas where Rob and I spent 3 days. I know, 3 days is a very long time. We spent a day with friends and then spent the next 2 days with his family. I don’t gamble nor do I drink so I basically watched Rob gamble the whole time… BUT he gave me an allowance from his winnings so I guess it was worth it. Hee.

Anyway, that’s that. I can’t believe it’s about an hour til the New Year. Craziness. Rob and I don’t have anything planned — but I’m sure we”ll probably watch some cheesy special on TV. So I’m off! Hope everyone is having a fun night!

holidays

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I can’t believe there’s less than a week left before Christmas! Squee! Plus, I only have two and a half days of work this week. Which rocks. After that, I’m flying down to Southern CA to spend the holidays with my family. I just have to figure out how I’m going to pack all the presents I bought! Eeeep. Then on the 27th, I’m going to Las Vegas with Rob for a few days. I’ll be gone on my little Christmas adventure for a week and I. CAN’T. WAIT.

Does anyone else have any fun holiday plans? I’d love to hear all about them!

Some New Year’s memes stolen from Maz…

FIVE GOOD THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN 2004
1. Getting 2 raises at work
2. I started a 401k
3. Dawson’s Creek seasons 3 and 4 came out on DVD
4. Finally moved to another host after the horrible experience with my last one
5. Got my first massage… Mmm.

FIVE MOVIES I REALLY ENJOYED IN 2004
1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2. Bend It Like Beckham
3. Mean Girls
4. Ocean’s Twelve
5. 13 Going On 30

FIVE BOOKS I READ IN 2004 (AND SUGGEST YOU READ, TOO)
1. LotR: The Fellowship of the Ring — J.R.R. Tolkien
2. LotR: The Two Towers — J.R.R. Tolkien
3. LotR: The Return of the King — J.R.R. Tolkien
4. The Devil Wears Prada — Laura Weisberger
5. The Nanny Diaries — Emma McLaughlin, Nicola Kraus
Hey, I *like* chick lit!

FIVE TELEVISION SHOWS I WATCHED ON A REGULAR BASIS IN 2004
1. The OC
2. Everwood<
3. CSI
4. Alias
5. One Tree Hill

FIVE THINGS I’M ASHAMED TO HAVE BECOME ADDICTED TO IN 2004
1. Teen Vogue magazine
2. The fashion board at Makeup Alley
3. Smoothies from Jamba Juice (well, I’m not ashamed of this but it is a real addiction)
4. The Apprentice
5. More MTV reality shows — Newlyweds, Pimp My Ride, Ashlee Simpson Show

FIVE SONGS THAT REMAINED ON MY PLAYLIST IN 2004
1. (I Got That) Boom Boom — Britney Spears
2. My Boo — Usher and Alicia Keys
3. Why Can’t I Breathe — Liz Phair
4. She Will Be Loved — Maroon 5
5. Vindicated — Dashboard Confessional

FIVE RESOLUTIONS FOR 2005
1. Learn how to cook
2. Save more money
3. Buy a new cell phone
4. Read more books
5. Make a new layout for my blog — this one has been up since April!

FIVE THINGS I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2005
1. Possible trip to New York in April
2. Possible trip to Hawaii in July (for a friend’s wedding)
3. The premieres of Alias and 24
4. Star Wars Episode III in May
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in November

FIVE THINGS I’M NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2005
1. Getting my credit card bill for all the Christmas purchases I’ve made recently
I honestly can’t think of anymore so I’m skipping to the next one…

FIVE MOVIES I WILL SEE IN 2005
1. Garden State
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
3. The Phantom of the Opera
4. Closer
5. Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith

FIVE BOOKS I WANT TO READ IN 2005
1. The Five People You Meet in Heaven — Mitch Albom
2. Middlesex — Jeffrey Eugenides
3. A Series of Unfortunate Events — Lemony Snicket
4. His Dark Materials Trilogy — Philip Pullman
5. America (the Book) — Jon Stewart

FIVE THINGS I’M GOING TO TRY TO CUT BACK ON IN 2005
1. Having Starbucks every morning
2. Buying clothes that I can’t wear to work
3. Spending money in general
4. Being lazy
5. Eating fast food

FIVE THINGS I’M GOING TO TRY TO DO MORE OF IN 2005
1. Bringing lunch to work — I spend entirely too much money on lunch each week!
2. Go to the gym
3. Keep in touch with friends
4. Go to the doctor on a more consistent basis
5. Visit my dad/cousins/family/friends in southern CA

And with that, I’m off to bed!