The Last Two Weeks

I blink and two weeks have gone by since my last post. Last week was a whirlwind of activity and I wouldn't remember everything unless I consulted my calendar. I definitely remember being totally swamped at work and hurrah-ing R coming home. Yeah, he's home now (Yay!), having survived his two-week holiday in the Philippines. He flew home on Saturday and basically crashed out for the entire day. I did manage to prod him awake for lunch (at 1:30 pm mind you, at which time I was absolutely starving) but then he slept for the rest of the day. Red-headed Jessica's graduation party was later that night, which called for more Mexican food. Yummy. Her dad's house is absolutely gorgeous (if a bit too Romanesque for my taste) and I want the closet. Peach, Potato and I were the only brownies there; Ryan was in Hawaii.

My cousin and brother's birthdays were also last week and we, along with R and a couple of my friends, went out for happy hour drinks at The Parlor. I love their Mango Madness drink, and that's saying a lot since I don't drink, but I had a Coke as usual; I was also designated driver anyway. The birthday kids drove down to SF on Wednesday, leaving me plenty of quality time with R. Hehehe.

Friday was Wendy's birthday dinner get-together and that was really lovely. It was great to see her, Jill, Heather (whom I haven't seen since Christmas) and Alexis. Ah, my Crabtree girls. R came to dinner with me, too, so the girls got to meet him and they all gave me two thumbs up. Too bad Wendy's man couldn't make it down but we're all meeting up again for her housewarming party as soon as she gets herself settled in at her new place.

I also picked up my bridesmaid dress but it's a bit longer than I remembered so I've got an appointment with a seamstress on Thursday. It shouldn't be too hard, since it's only a hem. Forget David's Bridal; Dem's dress has been with them for six weeks and it's STILL not done. Geez louise. If only Ros were here...

Finally, the weekend arrives and I can take a break from the hectic madness that is work. Saturday was Em's bridal shower. Yay! It was held at her soon-to-be sister-in-law's house. BEAUTIFUL house by the way. The hardwood floors, black furniture (which I've been wanting for months!), color palettes...just everything! Best of all, they have two adorable chow chows! They're SO cute!! Made me want a dog so bad (all over again). *Sigh* When I finally get my own house... Gab's an awesome hostess, too. Everything was so perfect, from the invitations to the food to the games (and, of course, the house). Perfect Mickey and Minny-ness. Did you know that if you send a bridal shower invitation to Minny, she'll respond with an autographed photograph and an apology for not being able to attend? How cool is that?! (To wedding invitations, you get a response from both Micky and Minny.)

Later that night, I found myself in Qwest Field, in the middle of a massive rave. Wow. Random! Exactly. Frank texted me about it. Then R called and mentioned it. Then I asked Frank how much. Then R called to say that he was going with some friends and right after we hung up with each other, Frank texted me with an extra ticket. Whoa. Serendipity? I guess. So that's how I found myself totally not dressed for the occasion (but looking super cute anyways!), standing in the middle of a huge crowd of ravers, staring up at one of three stages, and thinking to myself, "I can't dance to this stuff." All I could do was bop up and down, bending slightly at the knees. That's not dancing by the way. There were people dancing - and yes, seriously dancing - and I have no idea how to move that way. A lot of bouncing was involved. Toto, I don't think I'm at R Place anymore...

Ravers are an interesting crowd. Wonder what my anthropology professor would have to say about them. To use some clichés, there were quite a few goths and punks, anime convention types (unicorn packpacks, fairy wings, hats/headbands with cat ears) and go-go girls (knee-high furry boots, torn fishnet stockings, scraps of cloth passing as a top and skirt), and my gaydar was going off like crazy. I must admit, though, there were quite a few really hot guys strolling around. There was also a lot of half-naked bodies (of both genders, mind you), the most memorable one being a girl wearing a corset-type top, minus the bra cups. Literally. Her ladies were out for the whole world and their mother to see, and a couple of guys came up and took pictures of her. I managed to stay awake until 2:30 am, letting R see Paul Van Dyke for a half an hour, and then we went home. That's my first (and last) rave, and now I can check it off my 'been there, done that (never doing again)' list. Exciting.

Sunday was a long day, too. I took my mom, cousin and sister to Chinatown for dim sum, then down to Pike Place Market to see the fish guys (the yummy one was working that day!) and for a stroll along the waterfront. After that, we went to SAM's Olympic Sculpture Park and to Kerry Park up on Queen Anne. Friday night was the first time I'd ever been there, but I'd heard a lot about it. Our postcard pictures are mostly taken from there. Anyway, R took me up there after Wendy's dinner and it was really romantic of him. Then the rain decided to spoil things for everyone except for one couple and their friend - it was a proposal! At Kerry Park, in the rain, with Downtown Seattle as a backdrop. What a perfect Seattle proposal. And he was down on one knee! Their friend was videotaping the whole thing. Awww!

Anyway, everyone but me needed a nap after all that so I dropped them off and R came by to pick me up for dinner: Jewel of India in the U District. Indian! Chicken tikka masala! Garlic naan! Ohmygoodness, the food was so good and I was so happy. Y'all know how much I love Indian food.

Now it's Tuesday. I've got a baseball game and a burlesque show to attend, a measuring appointment with a seamstress, a website to throw up by the end of this week (hopefully!), more hectic madness at work, and a trip up to Canada for this week. Bring it on!

Continue Reading

TOO FUNNY

Continue Reading

Pictures!

So I finally got my lazy self to upload my recent pictures. If you're not on my Facebook, here are the links:

Snoqualmie Falls on the Fourth of July
Fourth of July fireworks
Leavenworth
Kris Kringl - the Christmas store in Leavenworth
Coulon Beach Park - we took Emily there yesterday for a stroll along Lake Washington at sunset

Continue Reading

Ceroc (Finally!)...

My weekend saw me busy running around all over the place, as usual, and it was GREAT.

Friday evening, I closed up the office at 5:30 right on the dot and booked it up to Canada, to Ceroc. That's right, I finally went to Ceroc! I was SO excited and it made me SO happy, you've no idea! Emily came up with me and we had such a blast. It was just like the old days when we were little: I'd suggest something to do, usually something a little bit crazy, and she'd totally agree and tag right along with me in the madness. Awesome.

Our adventure this time involved us racing up to Canada to dance Ceroc and then driving straight home afterwards. Easy simples, right? Ha. Life with me is never dull, as my cousin said (funny that, I said the same thing to Flick when we found ourselves seated at a table at Bassingbourn's Officers' Summer Ball). I made the drive to the border in less than 2 hours (don't ask how fast I was going) just to get stuck there for literally an hour. So there's me banging my fists on my steering wheel argh-ing about the stupid traffic at the border crossing, and my cousin's chilling in the passenger seat laughing at my road rage. Fun times. There were five lanes open but everyone was so slow for some reason! Argh!

Anyway, we finally made it across the border, with my cousin getting a new stamp in her passport (yay), and it took us just a little longer to get to the Ceroc venue since I was unfamiliar with the roads. We got in about 2 hours of dancing and it was sooooo great! It felt so good to be dancing again (obviously, my dancing shoes were quite happy with me)! I met three dance instructors and danced with two: Kerri (with awesome green hair!), EJ and Tom. My poor cousin's never danced before, let along Ceroc, and I just threw her to the wolves basically. An older gent grabbed her hand and dragged her out onto the dance floor for two songs in a row as I happily waved her on. As for me, well, I just plunged right back into the fray (not that I had much say in it!) after having not danced at all since October. Then again, Ceroc's so easy that it's hard to forget how to dance it once you've learned it. The only things missing were my Ceroc friends, my (former) Ceroc partner (I miss you guys so much!) and my boyfriend. Nonetheless, Emily and I had an amazing time - I'm sure she's hooked on it now but sadly, there's none in Taiwan! - and I'm hoping I'll be able to make another trip next weekend, if not sooner.

We left around 11pm to make the drive home. Yeah, we drove straight home because I had something that required my presence the next day so we couldn't stay the night, but I wasn't going to sacrifice my Ceroc time even if it meant that I wouldn't be getting any sleep! We were starving by the time we left and for the life of me, I couldn't find anything that was open besides Subway, but by the time I noticed the 'OPEN' sign was on, I'd already passed it and didn't want to backtrack. So I figured we'd stop at the next gas station to pick up some snacks until we find a place that was open.

We were nearing the border when I saw a gas station sign, next exit, so I exited and turned right as the sign directed. Now usually it's soon after the exit but no, several miles in and I still couldn't see a bloody petrol station!! ARGH! I didn't want to stray too far form the freeway at 11:40pm in a foreign place/country, so I U-turned...and then I couldn't find the stupid southbound on-ramp! WTF?? There was a northbound one but no southbound! We drove past the freeway then U-turned again and this time, there was a sign and a southbound on-ramp. Why wasn't there one going the other direction??

As we neared the next exit, I see a Wendy's. Yay, food! We turned off, got food, fed ourselves then got out of the shopping plaza...only to find that there's no southbound on-ramp AGAIN!! Omfg, are you kidding me?!?! No, seriously, there wasn't one. I looped around a couple of times and only saw a northbound freeway entrance, which I ended taking so that I could turn around at the next exit (the one we were just at!) to go southbound! Geez fucking louise! As we passed the exit with the Wendy's, we looked and there really was no on-ramp to go southbound; I wasn't being a stupid driver after all!

We made it home at about 3am and just crashed, but it sure was exciting. Life really is never dull with me around!

Continue Reading

...Shopping...

I love this time of the year, not only because the weather's absolutely gorgeous (unless you're in the UK, where there have been floods and barely a lick of sunshine) but also because everyone's having sales! I've been taking my cousin on shopping trips and this Saturday was no different. We'd had a totally insane Friday so needed something really chilled out, so shopping it is.

My sister and I took her around Downtown Seattle where the major shopping area is, and we kept finding deals after deals! I love shopping - window, grocery, even for other people! - but I seriously cannot buy anymore stuff for myself. Thank goodness I'm a total bargain hunter and refuse to pay full price for just about anything (picture this: a one-shoulder flapper-style dress and T-bar peep-toe heels - totally retro and only $15!! Gotta love Urban Outfitters and their additional 50% off all sale items!), otherwise I'd be in serious trouble. As it is, I've used up my shopping budget for the month and no more! The funny thing is, I said the same thing but added "except for shoes" as I was paying for my dress at Urban, then made about 10 steps away from the register only to be distracted by my sister, a couch and a pair of black, T-bar heels. Shit. I did say "except for shoes" though!

My sister called me over after I'd paid to show me a pair of (men's) Vans then wandered off, so I decided to wait on a couch that was conveniently placed by the (men's) shoes. Safe enough by the men's shoes, right? Ha. Fate works in mysterious ways. I sat down and saw a pair of T-bar heels. Now normally I wouldn't go for T-bar anything but my cousin had been looking for a pair of black (low) heels for work, so I picked it up, saw the price tag and nabbed her. This pair was so versatile, she could wear it to work and out...and it was in her size! They fit (of course!) and looked so cute (duh!) and, best of all, they were 50% off of $19.99 (it's Fate!)! (The website has it listed at a much higher price though.)

As we were admiring her feet encased in such cute shoes, despite being T-bars and all that, she looked over and pulled up another pair and said, "Look, your size!" Shit (again). I tried them on and they actually didn't look too bad, but not only that (there were so many pros to buying these shoes that I had to do a list format haha):

- they made my size 8 feet look dainty (not an easy feat mind you!), - my sister fit them, too,
- and she'd been looking for a pair of black low heels to wear to dances (seeing as she can't walk in either of my black heels as they're both 4 inches),
- having a pair of black low heels is rather essential to any female's wardrobe,
- they match the dress I just bought (not a crucial selling point but an added bonus),
- and they were only $10.

We bought both pairs of shoes (so cheap!) and hightailed it out of there before anything else could distract us. Gawd, I love shopping.

Continue Reading

...And A Bavarian Village

Leavenworth is Washington's very own Bavarian Village. It's a very cute little town about 2 hours from Seattle and a major tourist attraction around here. Since my cousin loves everything German (like how I love everything British), it was a must-see. I think the last time I was there was about 10 years ago but I seriously don't remember the last time I was there.

We took Highway 2 and the drive was beautiful. The weather was gorgeous as well, at a hefty 94°F/35°C. I'm not really built for such hot weather but it was really nice. We had lunch there, checked out all the little shops (Kris Kringl was so cute!) and soaked up the sunshine. Lots of camera-snapping action, too, but they're on my cousin's and sister's cameras so they're coming when I get around to downloading them.

Continue Reading

Happy Fourth!

It's the first 4th of July I've spent in the States since 2004 and although it wasn't a blast, it was a good one - chilled out and fun. It's my cousin Emily's first 4th of July (of course, they don't celebrate this in Taiwan) and she was really wowed by the fireworks. Now, I'm not one for fireworks, really - I could miss them and care less - but there's something about them that just draws me in. I took my mom, sister and cousin to our Downtown Park and while we were some of the last people to show up, I think we got some of the best views.

I went to a 3rd of July bbq at Jimmy's house the day before. Georgia, Julius (I got his name right!) and Ryan were all there, as well as many other people. It was quite a good turnout and the food was delicious! We started with some kick ass mac 'n' cheese and potato salad, some finger foods, then hot dogs and fried chicken. I was done after a chicken wing and a hot dog but the cooking kept on going! There were grilled chicken, pork chops, steak, salmon burgers, corn dogs...not to mention the dessert! Georgia baked a cake, I brought ice cream and whipped cream (y'all know how much I loooooove that stuff), and someone else had made very yummy brownies. We were old fogies, though, because we were getting tired and left right before 10pm!

So the 4th of July dawned with blue skies and no clouds - apparently a first in 10 years! Ryan and a couple of his coworkers were heading up to Snoqualmie Falls and asked if I wanted to come along. I managed to drag my cousin and sister out of bed - quite a feat since neither of them hardly ever wake up before noon! - and we trekked out to Snoqualmie. It was a gorgeous day out and we had a really nice time. I've never been to the Falls but I've been meaning to as I keep hearing how lovely it is out there, and it was! The spray felt so good as we chilled out on the rocks and drank in the beautiful nature surrounding us (we'll just ignore the electric cables in the background). We worked up quite a sweat - and an appetite! - hiking back to our cars so we stopped in town for a bite to eat. My cousin really enjoyed herself, oohing and aahing about the scenery and the train relics left on the tracks throughout the town. We stopped in a the Snoqualmie Falls Candy Factory and Cafe, so she experienced the quaintness of a small-town eatery. Oh yeah, and the food was really good, too!

Later that afternoon, Ryan, my sister and I went to see the Transformers movie. It kicked ass! Optimus totally rocked! Even my sister, who's never seen any of the Transformers cartoons, loved it (although her main reason for seeing it was because Shia LaBeouf's in it). It was awesome. The eye candy was quite yummy, too. There's this one scene involving Josh Duhamel and a motorcycle (the super hot, crotch rocket kind) that I was, like, totally *drool!* about!

After the movie was a dinner at home, then I went to go the airport to pick up Frank, who was flying home from Thailand. He was so happy to be back, and the way he felt about coming home from having been in a country where English is not a major language was how I kind of felt like when I came back from Taiwan. Welcome home!

I went straight home to pick up the family after dropping Frank off at his house, and we went to watch the fireworks show. The park was completely packed but there was a lot of officers and mall security personnel to help direct traffic and everything went really smoothly I think. They launched the show from the fourth floor of the mall parking garage across the street, and it was completely sealed off until the last cracker went off and the fire department deemed it safe to let us back to our cars. Getting out was a bit of an expected nightmare, but it wasn't too bad once we got out of the parking garage.

And now, I'm back to work. Pictures later.

Continue Reading

New Family Member

One of my cousins (the latest one to have gotten married) had a baby girl back in April and she is TOO cute!!! Well, she's cute now that she's gotten over her awkward newborn-infant stage, y'know what I mean? Newborns look funny with their bald heads, barely-there eyebrows, skin that's so fine that you can see the lacy traces of blue veins, and she's got the darkest eyes. Choice pictures below:

Aww!

She's even cute when she's about to cry!

Check out her sleeping position!

She's driving!

(Okay, maybe it's only my baby niece who was bald at birth because my coworker's baby girl, who was literally born just an hour ago, has a head full of sparse hair...)

Continue Reading