an unplanned day off

Our front door lock broke and jammed this morning. We had to take a day off trying to fix it until we finally realized that a call to the locksmith was the best solution. The young locksmith came, spent almost two hours fiddling with the lock, broke it, got the door open, and installed a new lock for us. The entire time his two phones didn't stop ringing every 5 minutes. There must be so many people with broken locks out there today.

But out of all the trouble came something good (as it usually does). I get to stay home for a change! I love being home. All afternoon, I've been sitting on the deck enjoying the gorgeous early summer weather. The pond is splashing. The birds are chirping. Children are running happily on the playground. A cute couple are picnicking behind our house. Nice to camp out on the deck with my laptop working away. The best place to work away, I say. Life is good! :)

baby dylan is here

Remember that baby shower for my friend I was telling you about? She just had her baby earlier today. Baby Dylan was born at 19.5 inches and 6 lbs 10 ounces. His mom had to drive herself to the hospital at 3:00 am because her hospital was away at a job training. But all went well. Mom and baby are happy and healthy. This makes June 16 a very special day indeed! :)

sunset on the beach with david cook & company

Once again, I had a chance to be in Virginia Beach this year for the Patriotic Festival. Last year, the star of the show was Sugarland with Jennifer Nettles as its lovely bundle of energy and talent. This year we had David Cook. The crowd went crazy every time the announcers mentioned his name. The audience was 98% female!

Speaking of female, the single "girl power" for the evening was the talented Felicia Barton. She wasn't listed on the program, but was the unofficial energetic opening act for the concert. The crowd warmed up to Felicia's smiling face and powerhouse voice instantly.


By the time Matt Nathanson came on board, everyone was ready to rock. And rock the beach, Matt did! Not only that, he was surprisingly funny and charming. He repeated his name at least a half dozen times and so even if one came to the concert not knowing who Matt Nathanson was, one surely left remembering his name without a doubt. :)

As to David Cook, all night long I was waiting for him to do my favorite Billie Jean song (proudly showing my age here) ... but he didn't. Neither did he sing The Time of My Life, Permament or Come Back to Me either. There's no doubt whatsoever from the very first note that a David Cook concert was a pure rock concert. David plays the music he loves, not what we hear on the radio a dozen times a day. Since I have yet to buy any of the songs on his new CD, I didn't know a single tune that night while everyone else around me was humming along with every word. Starting with the opening act, the sound system was already terrible. We could barely hear David's voice or make out the lyrics he was singing. (Last year, they managed to fix the same problem for Sugarland after a few songs, but not so this time.) To make things a tad bit more interesting, the drummer in David's band seemed to beat the living daylights out of his drum set while violently whipping his long hair up and down all night long. At one point, I thought he was going to pass out of exhaustion or deliriousness. Thank goodness, he didn't.

As for the former American Idol champion who's been rocking his way into America's heart, bad sound system or not, he looked and sounded like a soulful, younger Brad Pitt on that stage and could do no wrong in the eyes of the female-dominated audience. Safe to say ... Virginia Beach adores David Cook!

If this little post still doesn't satisfy you (because you are such a huge fan of David Cook or at least secretly possess a healthy curiosity about all things cool), check out Marc Payne's blog. Marc is one of the two official photographers of the Patriotic Festival 2009 and he's sharing lots of details and pictures on this fun event on his blog and flickr site.

stay the path

Can't believe 2009 is here! Wasn't it just yesterday that I started going back to school at the beginning of 2008, all excited and happy to finally be on the path to do what I love? Well 2009 is here and the road to "happiness" continues. Just started my web design program at Sessions in October 2008 and things are going along fabulously so far! School means less travels, less free time, less sleep, and less play funds ... but in the same token, I'm having a ball!

Happy 2009! Hope you too are on the path to something or someone you love. Life's too short and money can't buy happiness. Never have I seen that as clearly as now. :)

is it winter yet?

Before we talk about winter, I'd like to share this one tip for all of us foodies out there. Never go to a Japanese restaurant without ordering tempura. That's my rule. Because the one dish that you can always count on to be conSIStently good, no matter where you're dining, is tempura. My favorites are zucchinis. They hit the spot every time!

It's been cloudy and cold all week and we (in the office) all wish it would just snow a good storm. That would make everyone so blissfully happy. We have this conversation about snow all the time in the elevator, and it always ends with ... "oh I wish it would snow a big one tonight!" Give us 2 feet of white fluffy flakes and a couple of days off to cocoon at home catching up on Netflix movies and magazines.

Last Sunday, I burned our last 3 logs of firewood trying to stay warm while working on the computer. I think winter is finally here ... time to take out the Christmas tree. I'm so late putting it up this year. December comes way too fast while I'm still in October mode.

how proud we are

... to be a part of all this.

(Video courtesy of my brother who lives in Brooklyn. This was filmed minutes after the news broke out that Barack Obama is now our President-Elect. Thanks bro!)

our new president-elect

... that we did it. Here's to the man who's united not just our country, but many others around the world. He makes me proud to be an American. First time ever there's a presidential-elect that I truly believe in. And that says a lot.

donut love

Just something to sweeten up a cloudy day. Mine had a rocky start this morning ... another fight with my mom. Hope yours is better!

"i am deeply humbled ..."

... by this this man.

autumn love

My most favorite season of all is here! Yay!

And even though things are so hectic this year, I'm squeezing in a mini-getaway to soak in the New England foliage. Nothing more beautiful than fall in New England for me. We are heading up north later today to visit my friend's mom and then ... New England ... here I come!

friday night happiness

it's friday, and not just any friday but the one linked with a 3-day weekend. i'm ecstatic. about to head out for a late dinner and movie. the sing-along "mama mia!" too! i love movies with happy endings!

the cherry tomatoes are for pizza toppings at my cousins' bridal shower and baby shower. nono, not one person with both, but two lovely cousins each celebrating her very own lovely event. that was last year. i'm late posting. very late.

will let you know how i like the movie. :)

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sometime later: nope! didn't go to the movies. staying home and watching gilmore girls instead. :)

Manic Mondays

On the way to work today, Manic Monday was blasting on the car radio. The Bangles surely know what they're talking about. I especially love these lines because I so miss Sunday already:

It's just another manic Monday
I wish it was Sunday
'Cause that's my funday
My I don't have to runday.

With all the morning rush which today included the commotion that came about after my friend had accidentally stepped on my cat's tail, I forgot to add sugar to my iced coffee. My Manic Monday has already started and it's barely 11:00 AM ... hours to go before I can escape this fluorescent, modern, overly air-conditioned cubicle. Feeling a bit blue today and can't get out of my "bird-in-a-cage" mood. :(

Though looking at one of my favorite Peppa Studio mugs always cheers me up! I'm slowly but surely collecting Peppa's beautiful ceramics. Every single piece makes me happy. :)

Btw, did you know PDN has a new website? Been browsing all morning. All is good except I wish they have links to their older issues as well.

Twirl Till Your Heart Drops & Funnel Cake Story

We were on our way back from Virginia Beach, all tired and sleepy and hungry. Up came the familiar debate of where to grab dinner, do you feel like Chinese? How about pizza? Or Vietnamese? Or plain old ramen noodle we already have at home? OMG! But look! There's a fair at the mall! Do you think they might have funnel cakes?! Do they? Mmmm ... I can't see any food stalls. Mmmm ... oh they do! I see funnel cakes!


Minutes later, we're walking the fair, a huge plate of funnel cake sprinkled generously with powdered sugar in one hand, a camera in another. Life is awesome like that! :)

To remind myself never to go on a certain ride again, I took a couple of snapshots of that nightmarish ride. If you can handle this ride, you're made of some really tough grass, dudes! :P

A True American Idol

David Cook - Billie Jean



The best Idol performance ever! Hands down! I had chills! :)

And of course, David Cook had me at "Hello" ... :)



Btw, congrats to David Cook! His talents are undeniable and already I'm ready to buy a CD with all the songs he's done on American Idol this season! :)

Happy Belated ... 2008!

Oh my goodness! I can't believe I'm starting the blog for 2008 today ... 2 months after the fact. Life has been so busy that I'm so far behind in everything ... even the things I love to do most. I've said this many times, but I sure wish there are extra hours in a day. Even one hour would help!

Let's see what's new in my corner? I've started Photography school! Something I've been wanting to do for so long and finally decided to just do it. I still have to work full-time to pay the bills (and the hefty tuition) but my evenings and weekends are now totally devoted to doing the things I love most ... taking pictures and making photographs! This is mainly the reason I've been so behind with blogging these past few months. Will try to be better though.

I've never been happier going to school in my whole life! It's worth all the sacrifices I have to make (including traveling ... the #2 thing I love).

Happy 2008 everyone!

PS - Yes, a wintry image to start off 2008 ... it is after all still winter here. But where is all the gorgeous snow?

2007 ... The Best Year in a Long Time

I can't think of anything cuter to leave you with in 2007 than this.

Have a rockin' New Year's Eve!

See you in 2008! :)

Coffee with the Gilmore Girls

What is the perfect treat for a Sunday morning in bed other than a nice cup of coffee and a hardy breakfast? Gilmore Girls Season 7 of course! The long-awaited for DVD set is out! It's the last season and we GG fans hope that Amy Sherman-Palladino will pick it up again soon. We love this show so much, it's so hard to let go.

Please please please, Amy! Don't wait too long to take us back to Stars Hollow!

By the way, if you don't have it yet ... the complete series collection is now available on DVDs!

into the wild

Since today is Friday ... let's feature a movie for movie night!

My pick for this week is Seam Penn's "Into The Wild", recommended by my friend Ngocster. Not sure if it's playing at a theater near you yet, if not and you still want to check it out, Into the Wild, the bookhas been a bestseller for a long time now. The movie itself has also gotten rave reviews.

Btw, I've stumbled upon this fun widget that can feature all my favorite books, movies, DVDs, products, etc. It's scrolling on the right hand side of the page ... see?

Don't you just love widgets?!

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Updates logged on Sunday, October 14, 2007

We saw the movie last weekend, and it's everything I expected plus more. Definitely a must see. Bring some kleenex though.

my sister's wisdom

My baby sister sent me a beautiful poem a while back. I have to blog it below just in case I lose the original pages one day.

We don't live close to each other now, but we dream of one day living down the street from one another so we can have more coffee dates like this one (on a summer afternoon in Raleigh).

[IF] ~ by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise.

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools.

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

parenting tips

I'm not a Mom but I have a 2 adorable rambunctious nephews so I do feel Mommiehood knocking on my door now and then. Being a parent and knowing the right things to do for your kids is not an easy job. I learn that from watching my little sister these past 12+ years. She's an incredible young Mom. I don't know how she does it!

So for all the parents out there (including my sister), I found these wonderful "Parenting Tips" from Susan & Bill Belfiore, parents of 5 children, in an old issue of Real Simple (February 2002). Enjoy!

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Parenting Tips

• RESIST OVERSCHEDULING. Give peace, family time, and good old hanging out their due. The Belfiore children (5 in all) ride, swim, play hockey, and more, but they spend their weekends at home together.
• SIT DOWN FOR MEALS AT LEAST ONCE A DAY. "We get Bill when we can, but the rest of us always eat dinner together," Susan says.
  
• ROUTINE, ROUTINE, ROUTINE. "The more routine I gave them, the more secure they'd feel," Susan says. So the Belfiores now have breakfast and dinner at the same time each day, do their homework immediately after school, then have a bath and dinner. They get things ready for the next day, then hang out.
• TEACH THEM TO LEAN ON ONE ANOTHER. When they get hurt, they'll want to come to a parent for comfort, but encourage them not to pass up a brother or sister on the way.
• APPOINT AN ENTERTAINMENT DIRECTOR. That would be Bill Belfiore, responsible for planning trips, coming through with *NSYNC tickets, and rounding everyone up to attend theater or hockey games or to stay overnight at a nearby Marriott and pile into the pool. "It's a simple thing to do," says Susan, "but it's so much fun."
• CREATE MEMORY BANKS. Make a conscious effort to capture memories together. At their last dinner of the summer this year, the Belfiores reminisced about the season. The children had taken lifeguard training, so it became "the lifeguard summer."
  
• HOLD FAMILY MEETINGS. The Belfiores call a meeting whenever any family member thinks one is needed. Everyone has to stop everything and shopw up, no matter what. Meetings have been called for matters as profound as Bill's father's death and as routine as sibling squabbles.
• DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN IN ADVANCE. Last-minute rushing leads to short tempers, so the Belfiores make lunches, lay out clothing, sort and label vitamins and medications, and pack for trips ahead of time.
• ACCEPT SUPPORT. It's hard to meet every child's emotional needs. If a friend or relative can take someone out for some fun, welcome the help.
• EVERYBODY CONTRIBUTES. Since the age of six, the Belfiore children have each had chores, now posted in the kitchen, with individualized notes. ("Ionel: Remember to bring your books home!")
  
• USE AFFIRMATIONS. If there's family difficulty, say to yourself, "We're getting along in a peaceful way." Even if it isn't true at that moment, you can always hope.