Updates

Things have been a bit hectic since the winds, I guess. With the winds came the fires, and the winds also kept us home for 2 days while the roads were closed. The winds caused a lot of damage to our area, thankfully none to our place except for dust and inch thick everywhere! That's all mostly cleaned up now, thankfully.

I haven't been able to sleep well, probably thinking about all my work piling up, but oh well. I must just sit down and get to it. I also need to update my resume... it's been a while since I did mine and it's seriously outdated now.

CJ's voice is slowly coming back, but it's still scratchy. Onie and Spinny got into a huge fight last Saturday (I'm not sure if it was just the both of them or if it involved other cats). I got a call after my yoga class from Anthony telling me to come home. Spinny was limping badly. But unfortunately, our vet was leaving for the day and asked us to keep an eye on Spinny, and if it got worse, to go to the emergency pet clinic. Thankfully, Spinny started doing much better later on in the day. So that made us feel good enough to go to Disneyland last Sunday.

Disneyland was a blast! I had never been there for the Halloween thingy, and I think I much prefer the Disney version to the Knott's Scary Farm one. The scary farm was... scary. For me. I got freaked out a bit. So I think I prefer cutesy to scary. We got our picture taken in front of the big Mickey pumpkin in front of the Disneyland park, and we got to visit Candy Corn Acres in Disney's California Adventure. It had been two years since we had been in DCA, and it was fun to go through the Bug's Land again. We did all the kiddie rides. I love the ride with the caterpillar. We also got a kick out of standing in front of the Harbor area watching the countdown for the California Screamin' coaster, seeing people scream as they got shot up the first incline to start the coaster ride. I didn't get to go on it, only because I don't want to go by myself, and Anthony and my friend Shirley both didn't want to go with me. Oh well :) We at least had fun just standing there watching people scream their heads off.

This week has been another busy week. I'll be gone all next week, so I hope I can get more sleep and not be a zombie.

Winds

Wow, I've never experienced wind like this. We kept the back door open for the kitties today, and before I knew it, there was dust everywhere. And then the power went out for about an hour, so we started getting ready for bed using flashlights. The cats were wondering what the heck we were doing walking around with flashlights. I looked outside our kitchen window and both my bird feeders are gone, and I keep hearing beer cans rattling outside. I wonder where those came from. I wonder what the damage will be like tomorrow when the winds die down.

Books on Tape (or CD)

I didn't realize how much books on CD help with long commutes. The past two weeks have been really pleasant with two audio books that I borrowed. I found myself being less bothered by other drivers, and I came home feeling less stressed. I was also driving better too! I need to get more books on CD, though the only detriment is the price. Anthony found a site where he can rent these audio CDs... maybe I can convince him to loan it to me after he's done before he has to return it.

CJ has lost his meow

I didn't know that cats could get laryngitis, but CJ is living proof. Poor CJ can't meow... well, he attempts to meow but no sound would come out. He managed a few terrified squeeks when we brought him in to the vet, but still no voice. I think it's been about a week. The vet thinks it's viral, but also gave him some antibiotics. I guess only time will tell if CJ will find his voice again. I hope he does. I miss his meows.

Oliver and the Spot on the Wall

Oliver likes attacking this particular spot on the wall... my first attempt at uploading a video on You Tube :)

Lobster Festival

This was the first time we had heard of the Redondo Beach lobster festival, so we attended this year's festivities. I have to say, it was an amazing experience. The cost of the ticket (pre-ordered) which included a t-shirt and the lobster, was probably cheaper than what you would pay at a restaurant. Add in the really relaxed atmosphere and perfectly cooked bugs, it was simply superb.

I couldn't look when they were putting in fresh lobsters into the giant cookers (yes, I'm a hypocrite), but I do enjoy the deliciously sweet meat these lobsters provided. I feel like Homer Simpson, when he decided to give Pinchy a bath. He enjoyed Pinchy, but he felt bad about it at the same time. We'll be back again next year!

In memory

*Sigh* This has been a rough day. My morning didn't start out so great, and I got the news that my parent's dog, Sam, had passed away also. I was bawling all the way in to work today. I was home for the summers while I was in school, but I grew really attached to both Sam and Vodka. My parents got Sam as a puppy, and he was the cutest little thing. They got him shortly after moving into their present home, which they're in the process of moving out of right now, since they have purchased a new home. In a way, a whole chapter is closing with their home. Sam was 10. He lived a really pampered life, and he was the stubbornest dog I've ever met! He was very strong willed too. And boy did Sam love his treats. He was my dad's first dog since Brownie when I was a baby, so Sam was his favorite. They rescued Vodka from the SPCA about a year after they got Sam, so Sam would have a companion. Vodka was the best dog you could ask for. She was wonderful, and was extremely protective of our family and our home. I miss them both very much.

I'm feeling a little melancholy today. The weather has been cooperating with my mood too, which is just as well. Since my parents will have to move out before the end of December, and I won't get home until December 28, I will never get to go "home" again. But, a new chapter is beginning. I have a new home to look forward to, which my parents are very excited about, and there is new life. My parents adopted Zar about two years ago, and Dash entered their lives earlier this year. I will see Sam and Vodka again someday, I am sure of it.

Face mask in an airport?

I don't think I've written about this yet. On our trip back from Monterey, we observed a lady in a full-on face bright yellow respirator in the San Jose airport. She was attracting a lot of attention, to say the least. I wanted to take a picture but I thought that would have been rude. We first saw her when she was talking to one of the Homeland Security peeps, and even they were looking at her funny. We started wondering if she had a communicable disease, which is why she was wearing a respirator, but Elaine says that that's not the type of respirator they would use (she would know, she's a nurse). It looked like one of those that the field guys would have to wear when they go out to sites with hazardous materials. I wonder if she was really afraid of bio-terrorism, or if she was just paranoid.

Kayaking

This was my first experience with kayaking, and I was a little nervous about it. I was worried about capsizing, but we were assured by our guides that the kayaks we were on rarely capsized. It was a little nerve-wrecking listening to them explain about how to get out of your kayak in case you do capsize, but I'm happy to report that we didn't have to use any of the techniques they taught us.

It was an awesome experience being out on the water, and observing all the wildlife in their natural habitat. A couple of minutes into the slough we were kayaking in, we heard a gunshot ring out. Turns out there is a shooting range right on the edge of the water. It was a very quiet and peaceful otherwise. The birds and otters and seals did not seem to be bothered by the gunshots, so I figure I shouldn't be. The guide said that if it had not been for the hunters wanting to hunt the animals in their natural habitat, we would not be kayaking in the slough today. We were also told that a huge parcel of land on the opposite side of the slough is owned by HP corporation, initially purchased by Hewlett Packard to keep it as a wildlife refuge. It was a wonderful trip through nature. The wind in our hair, the smell of the water... it was a fantastic morning.

We enjoyed lunch at a local seafood joint right in the same parking lot where we parked to go kayaking, and then we headed back to the hotel for quick showers. We then went on the 17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach. WOW. The homes out there were amazing. The scenery was breathtaking. It was the perfect ending to our weekend getaway.

It rained!

The thunder and lightning woke me up at around 4.45 this morning. I didn't think I would actually see it rain, but I heard the rain pattering on the rooftop and went to the window to look out. I hope it helps cool the weather down, or at least reduce the humidity.

More of Monterey

We had a fun second day in Monterey. The day started off really cool and foggy, but that was such a welcome change from the heat wave we've been having in the Southland. We started off the day at the Aquarium, where we got to see otters up close, and also the huge 1 million gallon Outer Bay tank with two ginormous sunfish and 300+ pound tunas swimming around. We sat through the feeding frenzy, and I wouldn't want to be in the water with the starving tuna. The cafe in the Aquarium had the best french fries I've had in a long time. Mmmmm. The aquarium was built on the grounds of an old sardine cannery, and they kept an exhibit in the middle of the floor with the old boilers and lots of pictures and a description of the canning process. It was fascinating.

We then proceeded to the Fisherman's Wharf. Every food store was selling clam chowder, each claiming they had the best. We got a clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl from the store that has been winning an award for their clam chowder, and they did have good chowder! We then went on a glass-bottom boat ride (we only looked in the glass bottom for about 5 minutes of the trip), but the rest of the time we looked at otters and sea lions.

My sister and her boyfriend joined us later in the afternoon, and she gave me these cute little Somethings she picked up from etsy.com (they have really neat stuff!), and we had the best dinner at the Sardine Factory (thanks Dad and Elaine!). It was a fantastic day.

Monterey

I spent a wonderful 4-day weekend in the Bay Area and Monterey this past weekend with Anthony and his folks. My sister and her significant other joined us over the weekend too. It was so much fun. We woke up at the crack of dawn on Friday (even before the sun rose), and caught an early flight to San Jose. We drove to Chinatown and had a wonderful dim sum meal. I even got to buy some of my favorite egg tarts and moon cakes... mmm. We then headed for Pier 39, and just walked around and enjoyed the scenery. We did some shopping and we enjoyed watching the sea lions. I even started barking like one for the heck of it to add to the din :) After that, we drove down the road to the Ferry Building, my latest discovery thanks to my sister. Anthony's parents were so impressed! They wished they had a place like that down here to shop at all the time. Anthony's dad had been craving caviar, and there was a caviar bar in the Ferry Building. We did a little tasting with champagne, and started our trip in style. We left San Francisco with happy tummies and started our trek down to Monterey, after a little fun side trip of trying to find a restroom for me (the champagne went through my system at the most inappropriate time of our drive). We ended the day with dinner at the restaurant Anthony and I last ate at on our previous trip to Monterey a few years ago. I'm happy to report that their calamari is still excellent after all this time.

Facebook

I'm finally on there, and I am amazed at how much you can do with it. I have a Myspace page and an account with Friendster, and I'm also on LinkedIn, but so far, I like the interface on Facebook the best. It was a little confusing at first (but all of the other sites were to me), but after a little while I got the hang of it. It's pretty neat because you have groups and stuff you can join (I joined the Tt network there), but I don't remember my old e-mail account from college so I can't join that network. Oh well. I need to try to find some of my classmates from school that I've lost touch with. It was a really good find!

Daisies

I love daisies, but I can't seem to keep them alive. I wonder what I'm doing wrong. They are great for a few weeks, and then they just wilt and shrivel up then die. I love the flowers, especially the fuschia pink ones. Instead of killing more daisies, I should probably just enjoy them when they come in bouquets. I can keep pretty much most plants alive and thriving (unless the kitties get to them), but not daisies, unfortunately.

The Simpsons Movie

After all the hype, the movie really did live up to expectations. It was awesome! Anthony has this theory that if it's overhyped, there is a teensy chance that the movie won't live up to expectations, but it did! It got us from the start, with Ralphie singing the theme for the 20th Century Fox opening. We absolutely love the Spider Pig song... too funny! We even stuck around for the end credits to see if they would do anything more, and they did! Awesome. We're going to get the movie as soon as it comes out on DVD. As Homer would say, WOOHOO!

Kwik-E-Mart

I actually got to step into a Kwik-E-Mart over the weekend in Mountain View! It was amazing. They even had the pink frosted donuts that were rolling around on the screen on Fox during the ad breaks. They had cratefuls of the pink donuts. I didn't buy any, thinking that the frosting was going to melt. I did buy some slushee cups though, so that will be my collectible.

I had the best time in San Francisco. My sister and her significant other took me to the Ferry Building and we caught the tail end of the farmer's market there. They had organic french-style yogurt served in ceramic containers that were the cutest things, and they had the awesomest lemonade. It was a cool place. I definitely have to go back there again.

I was also introduced to Bikram yoga, or "hot yoga", and it was amazing. I can't wait for the center in San Bernardino to open so I can start taking classes there!

Missing In Action

Wow... I guess it has been a while since I've added a post. It's been a crazy past month. I can only remember half of it. It's starting to get really busy at work since it's getting towards the end of the year, and we've had some kitty emergencies and surgeries as well as family things going on since Joe, Meagan and AJ are moving this weekend. Thing for the WJW Foundation are moving forward (I started the incorporation process), and we also received a wonderful gift from Anthony's folks this past weekend of a new TV. The Harry Potter movie is out, and I hope to see it this weekend, and the world will finally know what becomes of Harry and Lord Voldemort this weekend. Things can't get any better. Life, as nutty as it is, is good. I think I'm finally happy and comfortable. It's taken me a while to get here but I am extremely lucky to have the life I do.

Next up: more updates :) I think I will try to catch up with my blog.

San Diego County Fair

This is the third year in a row we have gone to the fair with Anthony's parents. We went this year for Father's Day, and we had a blast! Our tradition is to start out the day with a turkey leg and pork chop on-a-stick from this vendor by the Swine Races (they race pigs... we have never watched), make our way through the barn animal displays (I love the pygmy goats they have on display!), and then make our way to the garden exhibits. Some of the gardens they have there are so beautiful and creative, I could only hope to get a grain of an idea from these folks. We also love looking at all the bonsai on display. There is so much to do and see, and so much to eat! We also play this water game, so one of us always wins. I won this giant hippo this year, which was as hard as a rock. I probably should have picked something else. Elaine (Anthony's stepmom) won a Padres bear and a Chargers bear. She was really pleased. We also found this vendor who sold a lot of beautiful asian plants and bonsai. I got a desert rose and a tuber-like plant (I need to look up the name). I also got a 15 minute acupuncture massage... man were my shoulders in need of a massage!

We also found this machine/gadget that carbonates water for you, so you can make your own soda! We tasted just the plain water that they carbonated, and the water tasted different. We bought the machine, and we carbonated some water and just added a twist of lemon and lime to it. Talk about refreshing... hopefully this will make me drink more water throughout the day, and not drink sodas. I will keep you posted on the DIY soda machine. We are very excited about it!

WJW Foundation

I'm helping a friend of mine set up a foundation to help the elderly with costly vet bills. We hope to expand it and help with adoption fees, and hopefully someday, own some land so we can rescue animals and provide them a permanent home after their mom's and dad's pass on if no one else wants them. I finally finished reviewing the brochure... it's taken me a while to get to it. But I finally got it done! We hope to get it to print soon, so we can set up a fundraiser to raise enough funds to incorporate and file for non-profit status. Step 1 is done!

Empress Orchid

I am almost halfway through this book by Anchee Min that I just picked up on Saturday. It's a historical fiction about this young girl from the country joining the Imperial Court as the Emperor's fourth wife. It's really entertaining, and it sucks you right in to the old world. I can only imagine what life must have been like back then. I find myself going online a lot to look things up that I found in the book.

One thing that fascinates me is the eunuch. I wonder how young men and boys back then go through that process, and what makes them go through that process, and the pain they must have gone through. And what sick person actually performs that... thing. Did these boys do it by choice? It's the same thing with ladies who bound their feet (though there are none in the book). I've seen some of the embroidered slippers that ladies with bound feet actually wore, and I can't even imagine the pain these girls went through to have their feet bound. It's such a different world that we live in today. I'm sure that's the reason these books intrigue me so much... life was so different back then, I can only imagine what it was like in my head.

Where did May go?

May is gone. Wow. My dad-in-law has this theory about time that I'll probably butcher, but pretty much time goes by much faster when there are a lot of events going on. May was full of it... travel, time off, a visit from my parents, Mother's Day, Memorial day... it was jammed pack full of good things. It was a very memorable month indeed!

My mom also left behind an inspirational book that she told me to read, and I'm slowly trying to change my attitude about things, and to be happier with what I've got. I think it's slowly working. I'm almost done with the book, but I think I will have to re-read it... or maybe I'll re-read Harry Potter before the movie comes out!

Updates

Wow I can't believe May is almost over, and I haven't been keeping up with my blog. It's been a whirlwind the past week since I got home from my trip to Virginia. The very next day, my parents arrived for a 5-day stay and we were getting things ready for the Mother's Day brunch we were hosting, and we had errands to run too.

We woke up early to get my car in for a service, which never happened, but we managed to get to the farmer's market in Temecula to pick up some fruit and veggies. I also got my car washed, all before we picked my parents up. After picking them up, we had a quick lunch and drove to Moreno Valley to pick up this fruit-arrangement (www.ediblearrangements.com) which we thought was really neat! It was fruit arranged like flowers. That was our centerpiece for our brunch. Then we met up with Anthony's grandparents who had driven in from Arizona for the weekend to see AJ, so we all had dinner together in Corona. Talk about driving... I think I added 250 miles to my car that day!

Anthony woke up really early on Sunday, and by the time we woke up, he had already gone to the store to buy a chicken to rotisserie, and went to Polly's to pick up the pie. He thought it was weird for us to buy a roast chicken (that was our original plan) when we were cooking everything else. So he took care of the chicken, and I can't remember what the heck I cooked. I know I made deviled eggs, garlic bread and butter prawns. Oh and I think Anthony made garlic mashed potatoes too, and I made the gravy. Everyone had fun... I also got to give all the mom's their gifts, so everyone got to open presents too. That was fun! It was like Christmas in the middle of May :)

Monday was more of an R&R day. I had the week off, so I slept in. My mom cleaned out my kitchen pantry and organized it for me (I don't think she could stand the clutter), and we cooked some pontay (a Straitsborn-Chinese dish... will write more about the Straitsborn-Chinese in another post) and curry, and my dad cooked the veggies and soup. We had a lot of food. I remember driving around town to all the Asian markets I could think of looking for Cap Bangau Sweet Soy Sauce, but they didn't have any! Oh well... we managed to do without it for the food we were cooking, thank goodness.

Tuesday was more of the same... we took my parents out to Polly's for breakfast (they have THE BEST belgian waffles), and then we hit Target and Lowe's. That was fun. My parents got a lot of ideas for their new house. We cooked some more.

Wednesday was their last day, so I helped my mom pack her bags, and we cooked some more! Haha. We love food (and I think our bodies show it too... heh). We went out for Japanese food before heading out to LAX that evening. Thankfully, traffic was nonexistent, though the Tom Bradley terminal was packed! We stood with my mom in line to help her with her bags (my dad was travelling on a different airline), so we stuck around until she got her boarding pass. We said our goodbyes, and we headed home. We didn't get home until past midnight.

We slept for a bit and then had to wake up early again on Thursday to get my car taken care off... so that was Thursday. I was so out of it and tired. I worked at home on Friday, and just vegged out on the weekend.

*phew*. I'm a bit sad that my favorite shows are ending... I'm watching the final episode of this season's Dancing with the Stars as I'm typing this blog entry. Oh well... maybe I'll write more about my favorite shows in another entry :)

Trip to Virginia

I'm now at the Denver airport eating some french fries and a hot dog for lunch. I'm hungry, and the line for Mickey D's is ridiculously long. Plus I don't really feel like a box lunch from United. I'm on my way home from my second trip to Virginia. It's been a rather fun and intense week.

My flight to D.C. from Ontario was pretty uneventful, except that the video system didn't work and I didn't get to watch Music & Lyrics, which I really wanted to see! That sucked, and the lady who sat next to me kept chewing on her nails non-stop and that bugged me a bit too.

I didn't get to my hotel in Old Town Alexandria until 10.30 on Monday night. I was still working on west coast time. I got set up in a really ritzy Hilton hotel, since all the other hotels were booked up and the Hilton was within walking distance of the office I was to visit, Sciences International. Talk about plush... the carpets were so thick I had trouble dragging my suitcase along, and the towels were thick and fluffy. Very very nice furnishings too. I was comfortable, except they had feather pillows and they just don't give me enough neck support. So I slept really badly the first night, especially since my room was across the way from the metro station and train tracks.

There's something about old colonial style brick buildings... I think they're cool. To think that they have been standing there since the late 1600's. Just amazing. I walked down to the river and all the way back up to my hotel mid-week. I got a lot of shopping done for Mother's Day, and there were so many neat stores in the old buildings. I stopped by the Ramsey House, named after the founder of the town or the first mayor... I can't remember which. It's now a visitor's center, but they were closed by the time I got there. I picked up a guide to Alexandria while I was there, but I kicked myself for not reading it first before I started walking again. I missed doing the walking tour of some of the more historic buildings there... George Washington's old townhouse was just a block away! All in all, I think I walked about 24 blocks that day... which is a huge accomplishment for me!

I met up with a buddy of mine who lives out there. The weather was beautiful! We had a really nice dinner and he drove me around some of the monuments at night. We didn't stop anywhere, and he had to work the next morning so we didn't stay out too late, plus I had to pack.

I had a really nice ride to the airport... I guess the driver who took me to the airport has this secret road he takes to Dulles, that doesn't involve traffic. It was such a scenic drive! Drove by some of the monuments by day, and this area by the river which was just woodsy and oh so green. I made it to Dulles with plenty of time to spare, and there was almost no one at the check in counters! The last time I was there on a Saturday, that place was packed, so I planned for extra time just in case there was a line. I hate rushing anyway, so this worked out just fine.

Anyhoo... I got some breakfast and took it on the plane, and I got an ice blended drink from Dunkin Donuts. Pretty good, but not great. Anyway... the freakin stewardess who was asking us what to drink didn't see it or chose not to see my drink, so when she leaned over to drop napkins on the other folks tray tables, her sleeve or skirt or something caught on my drink and she spilled it! And instead of apologizing, she said "Jesus Christ! That wasn't a very good place to put a drink!".... uh... excuse me? SHE spilled MY drink, not the other way around. How rude. She never did apologize for spilling my drink, and she almost didn't ask me what I wanted to drink... b*tch. That kinda spoiled my mood. I think I will go to the UA website and write a complaint.

Anyhoo... the United Economy Plus seats are pretty nice. I didn't realize how much more space an extra 6 inches gives you. It was a really good flight otherwise. They were showing the Painted Veil, so I finally got to watch it. It was a pretty good movie. By the time the movie was over, it was close to landing time.

I want to get home to get some sleep... sleep has been eluding me this week. My folks arrive tomorrow, and we're hosting mother's day brunch on Sunday. It'll be a busy weekend, but I'm taking next week off to spend time with my parents, so I'm very much looking forward to it.

To all the Mom's out there... HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Sinks for Beds

My cats love sleeping in the bathroom sink... they don't care if it's wet or dry!

AJ Kenniston is born!

I am officially an aunt today! Anthony Joseph (AJ) Nicholas Kenniston was born at 9.40 a.m., weighing 6 pounds 11 ounces, 19 1/4 inches in length. I got to hold him when he was just two hours old! It's amazing. He's the best looking baby!! Mom Meagan and Dad Joe are tired, but doing great. That's Anthony with little AJ.

Closet update

I DID IT! I finally cleaned out my closet and organized it! I never thought it would happen (neither did Anthony), so now my challenge will be to keep it cleaned and organized. It was a little disturbing to see how many clothes I had "outgrown". I guess that will be my next big long-term goal... get rid of some excess baggage. But either way, my closet looks great. I should have taken pictures before, during and after. I have a big pile of clothes to donate. I still have a few more things to put back in there, but it's pretty much there. Next: The guest room. My folks are coming in two weeks and I'd like to get that room ready for their arrival.

Drama!

Shortly after I posted my last update, I saw someone slamming the side gate to my back yard shut, and my door bell rang. A police officer was standing out there. The first thing I blurted out was "Those aren't my dogs".

Let me back track a little bit... remember the dogs I wrote about in "Terrors in the Night"? I know they get loose and roam the neighborhood, and they always bark at the kitties outside their window, but they usually go away when we close the blinds and don't bother us. They also usually don't get into our yard when the side gate is closed. For some reason, maybe it was the rain, they decided to bash through the gate anyway, and the latch isn't very secure so it gave way. They left after a while, and I went out to close the door, and I made sure it was latched this time.

I heard a commotion outside, and a lot of barking, so I went to the kitty room to see what was going on. I saw the kids across the street from us shooing the dogs away. I guess they scared them enough that one of the dogs decided to squeeze his way in (the gate is warped), even though the door was latched. The other one kept running around trying to get into the yard every once in a while. I saw the other dog who squeezed in trying to get out, so I decided to brave walking outside to open the gate for him. He was as huge german shepard. His buddy was a pitbull. He started growling and barking at me when I got closer, probably because he felt cornered, so I slowly backed away and came back inside. After his buddy left, I went out from the front to get the gate open, hoping they would both get out, but the other one decided to come in, and they both just stayed! That's when the police officer came by.

He told me that they had tried to attack the kids across the street, and that they needed to contain them in my yard until Animal Control came. He asked if I knew who they belonged to, and I said that I suspect they belong to the folks two doors away from us. He told me that they would be contacting the owners, and I should just stay inside the house. So I sat in my living room, watching the dogs, and they must have sensed something, because the pitbull decided to dig under the fence to get into my neighbors yard. After a while, he tunneled his way through, leaving the shepard behind. So I went outside to tell the officer that, and he swore. He told me to just stay inside the house again.

I peeked outside the kitty room window, and I saw two police cruisers out on the street in front of my house and my neighbors house, and neighbors just peeking out through windows. Jeeze! I hoped the neighbors didn't think it was our dogs.

Anyway, Animal Control finally came, and man did they have a hard time catching the shepard! They kept chasing him all over and they finally cornered him on the other side of the house (I didn't see it), but I did see them leading him outside on that leash-thing that the AC officers use.

Then they went into my neighbors yard to corner the pitbull, but he kept squeezing his way back and forth until they used my wheelbarrow to cover the whole he had dug. They finally got him too. Man. And the owners never showed up the whole time.

When the officer came back to let me know that the dogs were caught, I asked him if the kids knew that the dogs weren't ours, for fear of retribution to our kitties. He said everyone knew who they belonged to, so I was told not to worry. I feel a little sorry for the dogs. They never bothered us, but I guess they crossed a line today when they bothered the kids. I hope they will be safe from harm where they are. Shame on the owners who let this happen to them! I took a picture of the dogs. What drama!

Disney Pin Trading

I didn't realize how big a deal pin trading was until this past weekend when we went to Disneyland (again). We walked through Downtown Disney and next to the pin store, there were these hard core folks with suitcases full of pins to trade! Man. There's even a pin trading etiquette guide I found online. I just buy pins that I really like. My friend Shirley found these really cute flip flop Minnie and Mickey pins for me (it was a pair), and Anthony found me my little green men pin this weekend. I was stoked! I just wear my pins on my lanyard that I have to hold my pass.

Working at Home

I have to say, when I worked at home on Friday, even though I got a lot done, I didn't feel stressed out at all! It must have to do with being in your own environment, or not having to dress up. It was a fantastic work day. I think I may have to convince my boss to allow me to work from home more often. It's a great idea... and less stress for me, and my work still gets done. It's a win-win situation for everyone. I don't have to spend hours on the road, and my boss gets a happier employee.

Terrors in the Night

So for the past week or so, I've been trying to figure out what's been making the dogs in our neighborhood bark all night long. At first I thought it was the full moon, but that came and went and the dogs are still barking like crazy. Two nights in a row, Milo and Oliver came home super late, and they came home terrified.

Easter morning, we had to get up early to get a couple of things done around the house before Anthony's family came over, so I set my alarm for sometime before 7. I was lying in bed, savoring the really nice cloudy morning, and I heard really loud barking right outside my bedroom window. I got up and peeked out through the blinds, and I saw a huge pitbull mix and a german shepard barking in front of my window. I think they're the culprits. Later that night, after Anthony's family left, I heard Onyx growling at the back sliding door, and the two dogs were in our yard! I got Anthony to secure our side gate, and I thought that was the end of it. We were getting ready for bed, when I heard this huge crash and scramble from the kitty room (yes, we have a spare room, and it's for the cats). I got Anthony to investigate and there were the dogs again, terrorizing the cats through the window! So we closed the window and the blinds, and went to bed.

Well, it happened again last night! Same crash, growling and spitting... Anthony had to get up again to close the blinds (we left the window closed). So tonight, we're just going to keep the window and blinds closed, so hopefully the dogs will leave our cats alone from now on. I'm curious to know if their owner lets them out, or if they are just escape artists. They seem to roam only at night, and not during the day.

Candy

We co-hosted a baby shower for my brother-in-law and his wife, who is due on the 27th of April this past Saturday. So I thought it would be a really neat idea to try to make our on party favors. So off to Michael's we went, and we ended up in the candy isle. I found the cutest little molds... a big teddy bear and some rubber duckies. So we bought two of each, plus all the tools and colors we needed. We also bought some cellophane treat bags and I found some mini clothes pins for the packaging.

We started this endeavor on Friday at about 8 pm. 4 hours, 10+ bowls of colored candy, 24 ducks and 6 bears later, we were done. I thought I used the wrong kind of chocolate, because it kept getting a bit melty everytime I handled it, but it was too late... we were commited. Anyway, after freezing it overnight, it looked like the candy held up ok!

Kittens

I was going through my online photo albums and I started looking at some of the pics I had online. Here's a picture of the three of them sleeping in a basket (they were tiny enough to sleep in a basket!). From left to right: CJ, Milo and Oliver.

Accomplishment!

Finally we had a day home where we puttered around the house. What a nice feeling! We got a wall fountain up that had been sitting in our garage for months, I repotted two big houseplants that we bought a couple of weeks back, repotted several other plants, cleaned up the front yard, planted a few more things in front, and did laundry. *phew*. I think when your weeks are pretty much gone with work, weekend become so much more cherished. I am just plain exhausted by the end of the work day, though I am going to start trying to get to work earlier and leave earlier, so I can do more stuff around the house now that spring is around and the sun stays up longer. I think my next goal will be to reorganize my closet. Weed-whacking out in the back yard would be a close second.

We also put up our dart board that we bought on sale before christmas. It was so much fun just throwing darts in the evening. The air was nice and cool and the sun was up. It was a lovely day!

Allyson

Isn't she a doll? She's going to be 3 this October... she's grown up so much since I last saw her in December! This was taken last month on my family's trip to Barcelona.

The Couch Project, Part 2

ARGH! I wrote a whole bunch and lost it (@$!%@&%*&#^@). I'm going to try to recreate what I wrote...

Hmm... I was writing about my couch. That we moved it outside yesterday, in the freakishly hot 90+ degree day in the winter. WTF. It's not supposed to get this hot this time of year. It was record breaking heat!

Anyway, I have no idea what made me decide yesterday was the day to get the couch moved, but we went to Lowe's to pick up some 10 ' x 12' plastic sheeting to wrap up the couch while I contemplate how I'm going to sew up the cover.

After the patio was washed down (it had gotten to be really bad with the winds kicking up the dust in our back yard) and after the patio dried up relatively quickly given the heat, we moved the couch outside. With only one notch added to the house (my fault... I dented the bedroom door a bit), the couch made it outside. My wrapping skills were tested when we started wrapping up the couch with plastic and duct tape. But... we got it done. I need to take a picture of it to post here.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

I have FINALLY watched this movie! I fell asleep halfway through it last night (the super premium Ivory Coast margarita from the E-bar did me in), so we finished watching it tonight. Hilarious! Reminds me of watching the old Mr. Bean series back home in Malaysia :) Yay!

I needed something to write about... the past week or two have been a bit crazy. We get to go back to Disneyland tomorrow... at least we are putting our annual passes to good use.

Chinese New Year!

GONG XI FA CAI! Well, technically, the new year started yesterday on the 18th. It's the year of the fire pig, and it's supposed to be a golden pig year too. It's supposed to be super auspicious, and it only occurs every 60 or 600 years depending on which calendar you use. I read an article that said that China and Hong Kong are expecting a spike in birth... everyone wants a baby this year!

This is the first Chinese New Year's celebration away from home that was closest to the real thing. I spent the new year in San Francisco with my sister and her housemates. It was so much fun... just like family! We even cooked authentic new year's dishes, so there was a lot to eat too. We had our new year's eve "reunion" dinner and then everyone called home to wish our parents and relatives since it was already New Year's day in Malaysia.

We had a late start on New Year's day, but it was a fun day. We took a hike down to the beach at Lands End, right by Pacifica... and boy was the wind whipping! The little trail even had a mini Lombard street built into the trail down to the beach... I thought it was really funny. Everyone else was trying to protect their faces from the whipping wind and sand! We went bowling too, and it was safe to say that I sucked real bad! We went back to my sister's place after that, cooked a late dinner, and then played a really cutthroat game of Monopoly... I bowed out early. We ended up going to bed at around 2.30 in the morning, but it was a really fun day.

We came home today in good spirits... the new year has started out great... I hope it will be a really fantastic year ahead!

Rain!

FINALLY! It rained! Well it rained on Sunday too, but it was raining really hard on my way home from Pasadena today. I have honestly never seen such heavy rain here. I felt like my windshield was going to break from the onslaught of seriously heavy rain bullets. I finally washed my car on Sunday, that's why it decided to rain on Sunday and again today, when my car is finally clean. Anthony swears the draught is my fault, because I have refused to wash my car since it always seems that it rains right after my car gets washed.

Sensory Overload...

... and now I'm exhausted! We went to Disneyland today after lounging around in the morning. We didn't get there until 2.30 in the afternoon, but just 6 hours there were enough to exhaust us. It was a heck of a lot of fun. I don't know when I've ever been miserable at Disneyland... I am always excited and happy to be there. Even waiting in line to buy tickets (the second of many lines... we had to first get our bags checked), I got excited when they started playing Disney music over the loudspeakers. We decided to get annual passes since we would only need to go 2 more times to make the passes more than pay for itself.

Since we decided to get passes, we didn't feel the need to go get on all the rides we wanted to. We actually took our time walking around and just going on rides we really wanted to. The no-pressure approach was so much better than having to go around to all the rides to make the ticket worthwhile. We could actually just stroll around leisurely instead of rushing like made people going from ride to ride.

This was the first time we went to the Buzz Lightyear ride... and boy did we have a blast!! We want to go again. We didn't know they would take pictures of us during the ride, so we weren't prepared... but it was still a whole heck of a lot of fun. Disneyland did not disappoint us!

Traffic

I swear traffic has gotten so much worse on the I-10 in the past week! No matter what time I leave, there are so many more cars and trucks on the road this week. Even my office-mate (who takes the same freeway to work), has noted the same thing. Where did all these extra commuters come from? To make matters worse, they are doing road construction on the pass I take to get out of the valley. That's added another 15-20 minutes to my drive. Why couldn't they do the construction at night? I need to be more patient...

A New Month!

It's February and it looks like the weird funk I was in has past... or at least I hope. I have been really motivated this week, and I have gotten a lot accomplished at work the past few days. I'm amazed. Maybe it was the change in scenery... I moved offices on Friday. Maybe it's a fresh start... hmm. Chinese New Year is just around the corner, so maybe it's time for a second new year :)

January was just very very weird. I noticed a lot of unrest and unhappiness. I wonder why. At least it's over, and we're closer to getting warm again when spring comes and warms us up from the winter chill.

Weird Funk

I've been in a very strange and weird funk for the past week or so. I feel very tired, unfocused, and unmotivated. I'm not sure why I feel this way, but I'm not used to this and it's getting me anxious. Maybe it's partly because I'm trying to fight off whatever cold bugs are going around, but that can only be a part of the equation. I must do some soul-searching. A friend suggested that I'm just burnt out from work, and that just may be... I never really did get my 5 days off I wanted for x-mas break, and I ended up working over new year's weekend too. Maybe I just need some time off to get out of this mess. Whatever it is, it has to end SOON.

Comfort Dental

And it is as they say... comforting! What a relief to have finally found a great dentist with a great staff who treat you like a human. They were so accomodating of my sensitive teeth and gums, and I just was put at ease right away. Yay! I also found out that they get a lot of patients that went to Dentist #1 and then came to them... at least I am not the only one. Alas... we have found our dentist!

Dentists and the Warm Fuzzy

I had to go in to the dentist today since I've put it off for so long and one tooth actually started bugging me last week. Anthony went with me for moral support, cause I was actually getting anxious about the whole ordeal. The office seemed ok, the staff was ok, but I just did not get a good warm fuzzy from them. They told me I needed to get 2 crowns! Ouch. Plus a few fillings to do and a deep cleaning. Well I just made an appointment for the deep cleaning, but on our way back home, Anthony says he will never be going back there again. For one thing, he got pelted by rubber arrows in the waiting room! Come on people... watch your kids! The mother didn't bother apologizing. Blergh. Enough said about the clientele.

So I made another appointment with another dentist in the "cheeze wiz" building (it's painted bright orange) to get a second opinion. This other place is called "Comfort Dental", and the lady on the phone was already giving me a warm fuzzy. We'll see what happens on Wednesday. I hope they will be like our primary care physicians... I love our doctors. I have to drive 40 minutes to Murrieta but it's worth it. They actually sit, listen and talk to you when you have an appointment with them, instead of flying in and out. But that's another story :) I just hope I get the "warm fuzzy" when I see the new dentist on Wednesday. Maybe then I'll be willing to sit for hours on end listening to the hum of the drill and willingly subject myself to torture.

The Couch Project

Wish me luck. I don't sew very well, but I am trying to save our old couch from the dumpster. I've been hanging on to it for sentimental value... it was the very first couch Anthony and I bought second hand from our friends when we first moved into our own place in Santa Barbara almost 5 years ago. Instead of dumping it, I am going to put a new cover on it so that it can be an outdoor couch for our patio. I have the canvas, needles and thread. I have no idea how it's going to turn out. The picture I had in my head looked great, I just hope I can bring that picture to life!

Funky Manicure

WOW... I've actually started a blog. It's a new year, so why not start the year off right! Since I like to talk and I rant and rave and get on my soap box every once in a while, so I might as well put it in writing and get my creative juices flowing.

I think what got me started was I got the FUNKIEST manicure ever tonight, and I feel the need to talk about it. This is only my second manicure. The first one was in a really nice spa in Hawaii which charged an arm and a leg, and this was a huge nail place that's in the local mall that I've always walked past, was curious about, but never ventured in. Well today I gathered up my courage and stepped over the threshold of this brightly lit place with a whole bunch of Asians... somehow most nail places I've come across are run by Asians. I haven't seen a non-Asian nail place before. I've always been afraid of nail places somehow, I don't know why. I asked if I could get a manicure, and the lady up front said she had someone available. The lady who did my nails was very nice, but she had to ask me each question twice because I'd never know when she was talking to me, or talking to her neighbors in Vietnamese (I think it was Vietnamese). Again, this being the first time in a nail place like that, it was an experience. All the customers sat very quietly while the ladies chattered away. I couldn't help but smile every once in a while, it was so amusing!

First was the whole "tip" thing... she suggested doing "tips" with some flowers, and I said stupidly, "What's tips?". She had to show me. She muttered something to her neighbor, perhaps about my ignorance, but I'll never know. I told her that this was my first time getting a manicure like this, and she smiled and understood why I actually asked that question. So she went along, filed my nails, did the nail soak, but MAN did she clip and groom my cuticles like crazy! I guess I have bad cuticles. After that she did my "tips", then had to ask me (twice) which finger I wanted the flowers done on. Then she convinced me to put some glitter on my nails. I said sure... she kept saying "Very nice, very nice" whenever she suggested something.

Well. I've never seen this on anyone before. I guess that margarita at Chili's (which was very good by the way) did me in. This lady could convince me to paint my nails gold and I would have probably gone for it. As Anthony puts it, it's "interesting". I wonder how many comments, good or bad, I'm going to get. See for yourself. Of course, I've already managed to ruin one nail trying to feed the cats, but oh well. I'm going to see how long I can make the nail polish last!