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Dog Days

2011-10-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Zach & I took Marley to the Masonic Home in Union City for a fundraiser event for the school district. The event was called "Mutt Strut," which as you can guessed, was an event for dogs.
It was a gorgeous day in the bay and Marley had a blast!
It involved a lot of cute dogs in costumes, free gifts, a stroll around the masonic home, and many doggie events.

Marley ended up getting Microchipped there too! Here he is scared off his mind.

Tyrine comforted him afterwards. She's such a sweetie.

Some of my favorite dog costumes:

I had Marley participate in musical chairs, the King Mutt contest for small dogs, and a hot dog eating contest. He scarfed down his plate and also the other dog's plate who was next to us! He ended up losing in everything though. =(

Some cute moments...

All of us, excluding Gam, who was the photographer that day.

*In other news, excited that Zach & I will be moving out at the end of month.

2.8

2011-09-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

Ah, another birthday...
When I was a kid, I didn't get many gifts or had birthday celebrations. My parents were never into throwing parties and such for us.
Now here I am, much older, and very thankful for the people in my life for making up for those lost childhood moments I kinda longed for. I blame TV for that.
@ work my coworkers lavished me with flowers & goodies, and dim sum. My sister got me this:

one of the main contributors to my bloated stomach this week

Then Zach took me to Santa Barbara :)

My first time there & couldn't have asked for more.
We took Marley with us

Met with Rose & Ryan who happened to be there that weekend & @ the same hotel as us!

Zach bought me the best case for my iPhone (I'm blogging for the first time on my iPhone btw) & he also got me the coveted petal by the metal mbmj bag!
I got the wallet & other bag @ nordie's, courtesy of my brother who got me a gift card there.

We got back yesterday & had dinner @ boiling crab with some family & friends. I had never gone to Boiling Crab, and it was pretty good! Messy, but worth it!

Kira eating plain ole white rice

Summer Days Pt 2: Yosemite

2011-09-04T10:08:00.000-07:00

August 13, 2011 was the first time I went to Yosemite & I fell in love.
Camping, dipping in the ice cold river, hiking the Sentinel Dome trail, Glacier Point, and sitting by campfire. Nature rocks.

Ty, Zach & Me @ Glacier Point

Glacier Point

Kira & Ron walking to Park Ranger event

Sentinel Dome Trail

Bridal Vail Falls

Gazing...

Campside

Group

Summer Days pt 1

2011-08-23T23:35:00.000-07:00

Since SJSU cancelled my summer classes, I decided to plan a trip to New Orleans.
Hands down, the liveliest city I've ever been to.
The trip was all thanks to Miguel since I wanted to see him in concert performing my 2011 summer jam, "Sure Thing."
I saw that he was performing at the Essence Music Fest, so I ended up getting tickets to go...
Highlights:

Food

Stanley's Restaurant: Bridge Breaux Benedict

Beignets

Sangria @ the French Market

Essence Music Fest

Miguel

Usher closing the night

Inside the Festival - Superdome

The City

Street Music

Jackson Square

Bourbon St

Southern Homes - St. Charles St

MS River

That was the start of my summer and now it's winding down.
Other highlights (with more posts to come) include:
-5k run
-Watching SYTYCD and loving it again
-Food shows! Chopped, Cupcake Wars, & MASTERCHEF!
-Doing Mission Peak 2-3x/week
-Pinball Museum with Tyrine
-First trip to Yosemite
-Lazy afternoons @ Lake Elizabeth with Marley/Ipad/Zachary

April Showers

2011-04-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

This week was eventful. I felt like I got a lot done, but I still feel far behind.

I went to the Cherry Blossom Festival in SF last Saturday, for a school project actually, but like most of the events I've been attending for school, it didn't feel like work. It beats taking tests and writing research papers. We took Marley with us. He was scared of the crowd. Poor guy

Sunday & Wednesday were the last two home games for the Warriors. They lost to the Kings on Sunday and beat the Trailblazers on Wednesday. 36-46 record, which is a huge improvement from their 26-56 record last year. I had a great time being the sole season ticket holder this year, but trying to make it to all the games was a little rough. Since starting school again this spring and working full time, Zach and I decided not to renew our account after 3 years of being season ticket holders.

Last Friday I attended the Fan appreciation event, and got Dorrell Wright to do the silly 3 point hand swipe with me. He was cool.

Last night, after a strange week at work, I got a much needed escape by going to the Raphael Saadiq concert. He delivered. Sweat, tears, and his crotch in my face. Check. His talent reminds me to focus at the bigger picture and not let the small bumps in the road get you down. For some reason, I've been letting these little things get to me, and it's not a good look. So thank you Mr. Saadiq.

Fast forward and it's Saturday again. I slept for 4.5 hrs last night and woke up late for a Tech test, a requirement for the credential program, but managed to speed my way to SJSU and get there before the instructor.

Afterwards, my Dad took Tyrine and I to Thai temple in Fremont so I can start on another project for class, but it was also an excuse for me to eat great food. Met up with some coworkers who came out and ate lunch with them there. I gotta say, it was nice spending some time with a different group of people. And it was even nicer to be able to spend some time with Tyrine.

Ipad 2

2011-03-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

Wow. It's been almost a year since I've posted anything on this blog. At one point, I had two blogs! Sheez.

Zachary is encouraging me to update more because he actually likes to read what I have to say. Along with that, now that I have my Ipad 2...I really have no excuse. I need to utilize technology!

I guess I just have a hard time condensing what I want to show on this blog. That's why I tried creating another blog - this one for personal (family, friends, places I've been to kinda things) and another for random shopping ventures, stuff I want, etc.

But since it's MY blog after all, I can make it what I want. So hopefully I'll be more diligent.

Since my Ipad is my muse for this entry...here is what Zach and I endured to get to it.

4 hours in line at Valley Fair Mall, with a guesstimation of over 500 people ahead of us

Here we are alas

Marley could care less...haha

Shopping Adventures with my Niece

2010-04-24T01:06:00.000-07:00

I got to spend time with my niece today at the mall and it was just what I needed to end my week with.

It started off with us stalking this man who we assumed was a Warriors player - which was a great possibility because I've ran into 3 Warriors player on separate occasions - but it wasn't the player we assumed. However, I did learn that my niece is really good at spying on people.

Afterwards, we roamed around various stores, including Sanrio, Godiva, and Payless! We spent the most time at Payless just trying on random shoes to see if we could use the BOGO deal, but we were good and left empty handed.

One of the shoes I almost bought, but decided it wasn't practical.

My niece fits a women's size 6 already!

Salsa with Ochocinco

2010-03-23T23:39:00.000-07:00

Chad Ochocinco maybe known for his crazy antics on and off the field. If you don't know who the guy is, you probably will in the weeks to come because he is one of the contestants on Dancing with the Stars.

Anyway, the reason why I'm writing about him is because last November, he came to Oakland to play against the Raiders and tweeted that he would treat 100 fans in Oakland to a lunch at Jack London Square. Zach & I were lucky enough to be one of the 100 people to have lunch and meet the guy. The experience was surreal and Ochocinco actually appeared really humble and shy. He came to the lunch with no entourage and took a cab out to the restaurant by himself.

How many football players will go out of the way to do something like that...just because (no media attached to this event)...and he wasn't even a local football NFL player at that?!?

I'm rootin' for you Chad. You may not win a Superbowl with the Bengals, but lets hope you win this dancing competition.

The Tonight Show Experience

2010-03-22T00:50:00.000-07:00

One of my to-do things in life is to watch a taping of the Tonight Show. Although Leno really hasn't been the same since the switch from Tonight Show to Primetime to Tonight Show, I still went cuz I got free tickets and I needed to get away....bad!

The taping went by real quick. I didn't have to stay in line for too long which was pretty nice. Got there a little before 2pm,went through NBC gates by 2:45pm, was seated, and then by 3:30ish, we were inside the Studio. I was #80 in line.

I was disappointed by Jay's interview skills and his monologue though. There wasn't really any impromptu jokes and he kinda just stuck by the cue cards. And he had Heidi Montag as one of his guests! ugh. BUT, I was pretty happy to see John Cusack.

Anyway....some of the things that stood out to me about the taping:

-Kevin Eubanks looked pretty down and out. When he first came out, I shouted out "KEVIN!" immediately cuz I love the dude. His chuckle is contagious. He responded to my scream with an enthusiastic wave and air fist bump directed right at me. I was smitten. But after that, he just kinda stood there and did not react to any of the "jokes" and pay attention to any of the interviews that went on.

-Jay's Car was pretty amazing. Zach & I tried catching him after the show, but he ended up driving out through another exit and we couldn't get a good picture. We did get to hear his car and watch as he drove away from us.

-The Staff at NBC are pretty cool. The girl that guided the line was kind enough to answer my questions when I asked about Jay's car and if he drove in with a different car everyday. Which he does BTW. He has 2 hangers at the Burbank airport filled with cars that he goes to everyday before work to pick his vehicle of choice to drive.

-Unlike the Conan Show taping when he was in NY, not every audience member got a free shirt. Instead, they had a lame hypeman that only gave away about 7 things to people who were already seated in the front...and to some who had aisle seats. Guess who was seated at the spot where he did not even make any eye contact to?

-Front Row Seats seem impossible for a regular person to get. They have this special VIP line they reign in when all of us who have emailed tickets were seated outside the studio waiting to get in.

I've been a fan of Leno's since high school cuz I love Headlines. But now, everything about his show seems contrived. I am disappointed....not really about the taping itself, but more about Jay Leno. Be spontaneous once in a while Jay. Watch an old taping of Conan and take notes on how he interviews his guests!

**If you plan on going to the show, don't expect any interaction from Jay much unless you are in the front row. He speaks to the audience about 5-7 minutes before the show starts, to ask us to laugh at his monologue and to have fun. Seriously, he said that. And then, when he asked the audience if we had any questions, he picked two girls within the first 3 rows in the front, and they got take take a polaroid picture with him. After that, he took off and got ready for the show.

Feel free to ask any questions if you plan to go to a taping and have questions.

The Buttery Leather

2010-01-30T00:31:00.000-08:00

The gorgeous A. Wang brenda zip chain bag that retails for $725 and the Converse One Star crossbody bag at Target for

$19.99.

The latter is faux leather, but surprisingly has that super soft leather feel to it.

After X-Mas Sale

2009-12-28T22:58:00.000-08:00

Urban Outfitters had 50% off their sale items this past weekend.

I scrounged through the messy racks & mixed up shoes and it paid off.

I found the left shoe inside the shoe box and tried to play it cool while looking for the missing right shoe. It was the only one in the store & it was in my size!

It's just the higher and suede version of my J. Campbell Starburst, but I love it for its subtle differences.

They're currently on sale at UO for 129.99.

White elephant

2009-12-13T15:44:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, I went to the first white elephant where no one stole gifts from one another. Shows you how kind my friends are eh?

We had a potluck/white elephant/girls night out.

At Thuy's place. It was cute & cozy.

Opening gifts--these were the beautiful collages Thuy made for us

Draaanks

Couldn't ask for better company.

I can't wait to use my neck massager. =)

Thanks for everything ladies

Best Gift Ever!

2009-12-13T15:37:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Sis, Ron, BF, and parents.

Black on Black

2009-12-13T15:20:00.000-08:00

No matter how much I try to overhaul the crap that's in my room, I always fail! It doesn't help that I'm adding stuff constantly. But my goal is to weed out the stuff I seldom wear and stick to shoes/jackets/tops I can wear over and over again.

Hence, I got these.

Wanted this, but didn't get:

pictures via forever21.com

Giveaways

2009-11-25T22:51:00.000-08:00

It seems like every site I visit lately is doing a giveaway....and some of the prizes are crazy sweet! However, until I actually win one giveaway in my life, I can't be too excited. Nonetheless, giveaways are a great way to give back this holiday season. =) So thank you bloggers!

-Go to Style with Benefits site to enter to win a cozy sweater. She just got the alexa wedges I want. Gaaa.

-Then there's this. One of my daily reads & if I were to win that, her blog will be my homepage.

And I heard fabsugar.com will be giving away THE ultimate handbag. A classic! I can only guess that it's the Chanel 2.55. If it is, it'd probably be the holy grail of giveaways.

Bday Weekend

2009-08-30T23:45:00.000-07:00

On Friday, ate great Jamaican food and hung out with friends. Happy Birthday to my bestie Felisa & the other birthday girl Rosemarie.

On Saturday, my sis and her family along with Zach took me out to Sonoma & Napa for grubbin' and rubbin' (as in a spa massage).

Today, spent time with my immediate family for more grubbin and some shopping.

Ended the day with this:

Best cake to date!

Best company to end my weekend with.

On my actual BDAY, however, will be at work and school for 11 hours straight.

Getting old sucks.

Fall line up

2009-08-25T13:30:00.001-07:00

Remember your childhood days when kids would tease one another for wearing payless shoes?

No longer should one hide in shame.

picture via payless.com

The red rivington boots I got last time from Alice+Olivia were a little bold to wear on a daily basis, but I think

these will be just fine. Hello faux Stella McCartney's!

DC Trip July '09

2009-08-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

Had one of the best trips with Zach this summer.

Great food.

Great Company.

Great sights.

June 25, 2009

2009-06-25T22:44:00.000-07:00

My favorite MJ video:

I was only 9 when this video hit MTV, and I was hooked. When I saw that crazy dance segment, right before his acappella, I knew he was on another level. I remember thinking, "how??"

RIP

4 Day Adventure

2009-06-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

It all started on Wednesday night when Phili, Zach and I decided to head to LA to catch a taping of my favorite TV show at the moment, So You Think You Can Dance. It turned out to be one of the best trips ever. Everything just fell into place.

Entrance to CBS studio where the filming took place. First there was the 7:45am group dance, and then we came back to the live results taping at 3pm.

Picture Via Fox.com

I had a 'moment' with Brandon. Blew kisses at him like the little groupie I am. He smiled and blushed. So adorable.

Dinner @ Bossa Nova's after the 2nd taping.

Met up with Daryl @ Bossa Nova's and had yummy Sangria

Had Pink's at 10:30am to avoid the line. Haha. Zach and Phili never had, and they both loved.

Mmmm

After Pink's we headed to Chinatown and then returned home to the bay.

The very next day, I had volunteering to do at Scholastics, and afterwards, a mini Jr. High Reunion at BJ's.

On Sunday, it was Father's Day and the family traveled to Sacramento to meet up with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins to celebrate.

My brother got my dad the shirt. It was a nice day.

The four days were tiring, but it was all so memorable.

Dear Mama

2009-05-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

Mother's day started off on the wrong foot when my brother showed up late. Reservations for brunch was at 10:30 and we left the house at 10:30, making me not the nicest person that day. I even snapped at my mom a little bit...which is the ultimate "don't" on mother's day right? Yeah, I felt horrible...but I just brushed it all aside on the ride to Berkeley and during brunch, we all enjoyed ourselves.
Brunch was at His Lordships, and here was our view:

It's hard to see, but the Golden Gate Bridge was in sight from here.

Grandma and the grandkids.

Sister and Kira

Mom and I got my sister the Aldo Muane that she put on right away.

I am definitely ringing in Spring with this ensemble.

Oh so delicious food.

All of us

Siblings

Me & the Mothers.

My sister and I chipped in to get my mom this:

In honor of the Playoffs

2009-05-06T22:35:00.001-07:00

Zach took pictures of my Jordan collection because he's pretty proud of what I've accumulated so far.Here it is:

The infamous 11/12 package. Waited in line during the wee hours of the morning...and Zach wasn't able to get his. He's living vicariously through me when I wear these.

Jordan 1's. X-mas present from Zach

X-mas present #2 from Zach. Another pair of 1's

My first pair of 1's. The gold sold me.

Then I fell in love with the silver too.

Found these 3's on Ebay for dirt cheap. Love these though.

23's

Zach got these 11's for me...because they were "cheap." It matches my Royal Blue Warriors jersey though.

Got these in high school. These are very very old...and unfortunately, runs a 1/2 size too small now. Jordan 14 in baby blue.

My most treasured J's, but unfortunately, Zach got these in high school for me when my feet were a 1/2 a size smaller. Grr. I'm still looking to trade these. Anyone have these black and white patent leather Jordans in 4.5 or 5 Youth?
And my latest purchase were the Jordan 3/20 countdown package. I used the footlocker friends and family discount and got these for almost half off since it was already on sale.

Picture via Finishline.com

I think I've bought Zach just as many Jordans as I own. And he's got himself a good collection not counting the ones I got him. What a girl right? ha.

When it was Hot

2009-04-29T00:21:00.000-07:00

We had a little heat wave in the Bay last week, so Zach and I took Marley out for a day and one of our destination was the pier in Emeryville. We discovered a hidden Chinese restaurant at the end of a road that runs parallel to the bay bridge.
Picture taken with Zach's Iphone.For some reason the image turned out distorted like this, but it gives it a cool effect.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

2009-04-07T22:07:00.000-07:00

Celebrated Marty's birthday this past weekend at Temple in SF. I haven't been clubbing in the city in a long time...and I gotta say, it was quite fun and the club was pretty nice. Just happy to be with my girls that night though.

Me & the Birthday Girl

Football Head

2009-03-31T01:02:00.000-07:00

Hey Arnold seasons 1-2 have been available on DVD and I haven't been aware. I guess it has been a little while since I bought my last DVD (Wall-E). Gotta save up some extra dough quick to get these though. This is by far one of the best cartoon TV shows on Nickelodeon, if not in general. I don't know if it was the first cartoon to have a Vietnamese character, but it was pretty cool seeing my people in cartoon form. Being able to re-watch shows like these makes me nostalgic. I love you Arnold..and you too Gerald.

I'm on ASIID

2009-03-01T22:50:00.000-08:00

Just got back from a soulciety.org benefit and the show they put on was great. Supreme Soul and ASIID from ABDC headlined it, but unfortunately, not many people showed up. I thought for sure it would have been a pack show...so it was definitely disappointing to see so many open seats.
Despite feeling under the weather, I enjoyed myself. We met the crews afterwards and Ty was ecstatic.
I bought her an ASIID poster so she can get their autographs. She loves them. When she told them that she was a dancer too, one of the members told her that maybe they'll watch her one day on stage. They all were so sweet.

My sister really likes him. He's deaf, but definitely has better rhythm than most people who can hear.

Craziness! The dude is flippin over this guy. And the guy doing the back bend only has one leg and he dances like a mother.....

gold on black

2009-02-23T21:22:00.000-08:00

Just received the virgie aldo boots today. The distress leather, zippers, and ankle length are just right. They are a little spacious so I'm going to have to wear some thick socks with them.

I also went to H&M this weekend and picked up some black wedges with gold lace holes.
I'll have to post pictures next time cuz my camera ran out of battery.

The Academy

2009-02-22T23:39:00.000-08:00

I watched this year's Oscar in anticipation of seeing beautiful gowns, Jen Aniston, and Slumdog win Best Picture. I like Jen, despite the media always dumping down on her, or maybe it's in spite of that. Either way, she and John Mayer looked gorgeous. Love John's quote on Twitter:
"The problem I have with high style is that it's less about celebrating itself than it is about dismissing everything else."

The Oscars wasn't too boring this year though huh?
Highlights:
-John Legend singing with A.R. Rahman
-Kate Winslet & Dustin Lance Black's Acceptance Speeches
-The dude who balanced the Oscar off of his chin

gold & silver

2009-01-07T16:35:00.000-08:00

Ringing in the new year with some bling...on my shoes.
Been eying these Stuart Weitzman for a while. I saw them at Nordstrom Rack for $140, but then decided to pass due to holiday spending. But then I found them for $40 cheaper online.

The same day, I bought these sigerson morrison for target pumps. I had a gift card and they were much cheaper than the s.w.!

Thanksgiving Vacation

2008-12-05T22:36:00.000-08:00

Went to So Cal for Thanksgiving with my sister's family, mom, and grandma.

It was nice hanging out with my grandmama and hearing her talk so much!

Much thanks to my sis & ron for planning the trip. Everyone gained weight during this trip because of them! But no one is complaining......

Had Thanksgiving Dinner @ Fogo De Chao's in Beverly Hills

Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles!

Hsi Lai Temple - Hacienda Heights

More Food of course. Best Ramen to date!

Sister enjoying Pink's hot dogs.....

@ the grove, where I got to meet up with Daryl for some smoothies.

Santana Row

2008-11-23T23:50:00.000-08:00

Nina turned 25 and her boyfriend, Rolo, threw her a nice lil surprise birthday dinner @ santana row.
Everyone played dress up, including the boys...who looked quite nice when they're all cleaned up.

me and zachary. he probably likes playing dress-up more than i do! =X heh

neiman marcus - last call!

2008-11-16T20:51:00.000-08:00

it all started when i told my sister that sometimes @ the neiman marcus last call stores, they carry louboutins. she of course wanted to see it for herself. low and behold, we found a pair (but it wasn't very cute), but then there were other shoes to compensate! manolos, chloe, prada, gucci, and the list goes on....all in my size! they were all for under 400 and with an additional 20% off!

i considered these proenza schouler boots, but decided i shouldn't spend $200ish on myself during the holiday season.

then there were these robert clergerie shoes. marked down to under 150, and not including the 20% off.

i aslo wanted these beverly feldman booties. love the gold zippers! but passed on these too! i'm literally thinking about going back and getting the proenza schoulers? no, the clergerie.....sigh, i dunno.

and for kicks, here's ty trying on these d&g booties. she loved trying on all of the designer heels there. she was in heaven with me.

Earrings

2008-11-10T10:45:00.000-08:00

I finally found a way to organize my earrings without having to take up vanity space. Best of all, it cost me $0. I just took extra shelf lining mat I had and stuck my earrings on there, and then hung it up.

Inspiring

2008-11-04T22:18:00.000-08:00

they get to bring a puppy to the white house....=)

golden gate park

2008-09-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

saturday was the grand opening of the california academy of sciences. it was free admission that day, so of course we wanted in on that. unfortunately, after trying to find parking for about 30-40 minutes and arriving there around 9:45am (admission time was at 9am), the line was wrapped around the park and they were turning people away.

at least we weren't standing in line for x amount of minutes/hours when they told us that.

instead, we made the most of our day by walking around the park, eating sushi for lunch, and getting ice cream (pistachio and mocha flavor for me)

i wore what zach calls my 'space shoes' aka the adidas by stella mccartney Lontu.

Jordan 11

2008-09-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

zach is an avid jordan collector so i too own a few since his love for them has transpired on me. one of the first pair he ever got me was the Jordan 11, black & white patent leather. unfortunately, it's about a 1/2 size too small for me now =( i guess my feet kinda grew after high school. i also have the Jordan 14, which is also about a 1/2 size too small too.

they sit in my closet, but i decided i will let my niece make use of them. she's 9 and she fits them, so i wanted her to wear these now while she still can.

ty can wear these when i'm around to supervise, or else zach will kill me if he sees any damage done to them. these shoes probably sits on top of a lot of people's jordan collections, so i'm still hanging on to them for value, monetary and personal.

i should have worn jordans too, but i was too lazy to change my outfit. instead, i opted for my coach shoes.

Birthday Celebration

2008-09-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

Felisa and I celebrated our birthdays together earlier this month.

Check out our shoes. Payless!

I'm wearing the Red Rivington by Alice + Olivia. Felisa thought they were funky looking, but I guess that's why I like them.

sister & the designated DJ & driver.
high school friends.

the boy, who barfed up a storm the next morning.

too much fun.

jessica alba

2008-08-20T00:53:00.000-07:00

if i was a dude, jessica alba would definitely be in my top 3.

she looks gorgeous. AND she just had a baby. how??

BEFORE:

prego, yet i'm still lovin her outfit

AFTER:

at the alma awards in august

***pictures taken from jessicastyle.org

i ate too much

2008-08-19T01:48:00.000-07:00

my 4 little cousins came to the bay this past friday to join us in our non-stop weekend of activites. on saturday, we went to six flags marine world. zach's company held a picnic there so we got discounted tickets and free lunch. however, we still gave in to the six flags food also and i ate some pretty good onion rings and garlic fries there. we did miss out on funnel cake so i was pretty bummed out..but also relieved i didn't get any since i know that would just throw my tummy over the edge, and by edge, i meant my pants.

on sunday, my family, incl zach and my lil bro's gf, and the 4 cousins, took my parents out for lunch in SF to celebrate their 30th year anniversary. we ate at the slanted door which is located right off the pier in the Ferry Building. the place is definitely overpriced, but the experience and the food made it worthwhile. the waiter was great, the vietnamese fusion style food somehow kept the vietnamese authenticity which my parents enjoyed, and they placed us in a sectioned off room in the restaurant where we all could hear each other (cuz the restaurant was packed). the atmosphere was relaxed, but still felt high end. my cousins thought the restaurant was fancy, but then again, they've never eaten in SF before. i would definitely go back again...but with a smaller party since gratuity alone for our tab was about $100. eek

***ty and i posing for pix while we wait for our food to arrive
i'm wearing richard chai for target (i went crazy for his collection)

***party of 14 ***2 out of the 3 appetizers: daikon rice cakes and imperial rolls aka egg rolls (my favorite)

***1 of 2 dessert trays

***zach and i about to eat the 2 of 2 dessert tray

***the cake we got for our parents
***view from outside the restaurant (and our group pix minus ron and zach)

so after the lunch, we went to the zuchinni festival in hayward cuz ty had a performance there. you would think after such a big lunch, we would steer away from the heavy foods, but nope. as we walked around, we saw fried artichoke hearts and garlic fries, which i definitely indulged in. and then there was this:

on monday, i drove the kids back home, but before i did, i took them shopping for school clothes. they found a lot of great stuff. i kinda just helped them with their purchases by browsing around with them. the only item i got was a jacket for zach at old navy and a pair for jordans at the nike outlets for $40 bucks. not bad huh?

richard chai & my new boots

2008-08-05T01:39:00.000-07:00

went out the other night to Palo Alto cuz one of my friend's BF had never been there. the two of them just recently moved to the Bay Area and Zach and I have been trying to take them out to explore new places. we went to a Mediterranean restaurant that had a belly dancer. it was a little awkward having her dance around since the restaurant was pretty empt y. i got to wear my new skirt from Tarjay...courtesy of Richard Chai. I got a few other things from his line. imma try to display them whenever i wear the other fits.

*in other exciting news. my sis and i came back from costco and there was a package for me. i thought it was my botkier bag, but it turned out it was my shoes that i ordered from nordstrom. my sister ended up getting the black version they had at the store when we went last week to order my boots (they ordered these from an east coast nordstroms since these were no longer avail online). here's how mine look.

botkier!

2008-07-31T18:48:00.000-07:00

got my first botkier bag...the vixen hobo. the elephant charm did me in! it is being shipped to my house and i can't wait to caress it. =)

as for the botkier for target handbags, i ended up getting one there too. it's just nice to have back up handbags.

another jacket

2008-07-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

love/want this monrow motorcyle jacket that rachel bilson is wearing. sigh
$278 on leelush.com

my 2 fav. shows

2008-07-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

ABDC: i had a feeling supreme soul was going to be kicked off the show this week. it seemed like the judges have been gunning for them from the beginning and just like last year, they want to get rid of a west coast crew. if the voting system is real, then it's faulty because they have an online voting system that allows people to use automatic clickers to vote excessivley. i for one am old school and use the phone to vote (yes i actually vote) and it doesn't seem like that's enough. the remaining crews are too boring to watch, so this season of america's best dance crew is done for me.

SYTYCD: love this show more than the latter because they have a more well rounded group of people whom i like to watch. along with that, their voting system seems to actually work and is fair (top 10 individuals get chosen by votes, not by the judges). mark's performance this week was not getting love by the judges, but the votes was what mattered and the fans saved him from being in the bottom two. i was happy. asian people seem to be dominating the dancing shows....which i absolutley love. i'm rooting for katee and mark.

<3 target

2008-07-23T16:28:00.000-07:00

***selected old navy stores had a sale where they took 50% off clearance items. the white shirt was only $9, and that was one of the higher priced items i got that day. the bf and i definitely stocked up on stuff from that sale.

i am a bargain shopper 85% of the time. however, if i truly love something, i will definitely splurge. target helps me splurge less though (in terms of $$) and unlike some people, i appreciate and love the fact that they bring in top designers to help with their merchandising. i know other stores are bringing in top designers to help brand their products too (i.e. gap, payless, old navy), but target is the only place that gets it right for me. oh, and also the bitten line from SJP for Steve & Barry.

Some things I am (and will be) eyeing....

Botkier for Target:

the fuscia bag caught my attention online, but when i went to the store and looked at the collection, i ended up liking the smaller rose gold bag more.

i didn't buy any of these (yet).

Richard Chai for Target

I am an outerwear person. these 3 outfits are my favorite so far from what i've seen. i'm most excited to see the blue blazer and the dress in the second picture =)

2 hours of terror

2008-07-18T21:04:00.000-07:00

i thought for sure marley was gone today. he somehow got out of felisa's backyard and was last seen running around her neighborhood.

thank god felisa found him (somehow) in someone's garden trying to hide from people.

i dont know what i would do if we didn't find him...

*thanks to ruben and billy for helping me, zach and felisa in our rescue effort

Davis...

2008-07-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

not talking about Baron Davis, but actually UC Davis. I went to my alma mater with Zach on monday to go pick up his brother, who will be attending the school this Fall. i miss the campus, the food, but definitely did not miss the weather. it was over 100 degrees and we were tired. however, we did get to make pit stops to some of my favorite places.

first stop was Sam's where I got to eat one of my favorite dishes, chicken schwarma on rice.

2nd stop was cicolat, so i can get my white chocolate mocha, with whip cream and chocolate sprinkles. i love this place. they make their own whip cream and their pastries are delicious.

on our way back home, we stopped by the outlets. zach and i dropped by Coach to get Marley his 2nd coach collar, since the first one is now too small for him. check it out...he looks so fancy. haha

2008-07-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Kira is home from the hospital, on the day of Ty's 9th Birthday. Ty had her birthday at "club libby lu," a place in the mall that allows little girls to play dress up and do the girliest things in the world. She had fun and that was all that matters.

On another note, as I was shopping for a birthday present for my niece, I stumbled upon a couple of items I wanted for myself.....

I found these shoes on my weekly updates from shopittome.com

i wanted these for the gryson for target bag i saw while shopping for my niece (of course). i didn't buy these shoes, just cuz they're not within my budget. it's on sale for about $87, a fair price, but not for someone who is still looking for a job.

michael kors alexandra criss cross.

i did get the gryson for target bag though, cuz i've been really wanting a white purse and it was on sale at target.com for 50% off ($22.49) as opposed to the 30% off at the store.

So since I wanted free shipping for this purse, I got these shoes to hit the $50 minimum needed. these are supposed to replace MK shoes above.

it's a much cheaper alternative and nothing like the michael kors (i know), but if they fit and look okay, i think i will be satisfied. we shall see once i get them.

Happy 3rd of July

2008-07-04T23:01:00.000-07:00

Kira is here!
born July 3rd and weighing 6 pounds.

she doesn't look part jamaican at all huh?

the hospital has tight security so it always takes a while before i can get inside the maternity ward. probably waited about 30 minutes in line just to get inside, but obviously, it's well worth the wait.

as for 4th of July, i'm spending time with my older niece since the bf went to Virginia and no one else is available to watch Ty. we spent the night watching plenty of illegal fireworks around the neighborhood.

Hitch*Cock

2008-07-01T22:26:00.000-07:00

Before a Will Smith movie is about to start, do you notice a vinyl record playing in the opening screen? I notice this because I've seen Hitch about 50 times now. So when I watched "Hancock" today, it stood out to me again. I told Zach that the vinyl record was in "Hitchcock" too, and he quickly pointed out my retardedness. The vinyl record, it turns out, is the logo for Overbrook Entertainment, which is Will Smith's production company. duh. Will smith is my male Oprah...he can do no wrong (except with Wild Wild West, which is equivalent to Oprah's production of Beloved...so they're even). Anyway, Hancock was pretty good. Nothing too spectacular stood out from the movie, but I thought the movie was entertaining and unique. Plus, the opening of the movie included Vietnamese guys as the villains, so it got my attention. When I saw a Vietnamese name (Vincent Ngo) in the credits as the writer for this movie, I saw the connection there. ha.

Another item that stood out for me in that movie: Will Smith wore Dior sunglasses (as one of the many sunglasses that he wears)

They're actually women's sunglasses, but Will Smith can make them look manly right?
If you have 200 bucks to spare, please get these for me. Christina Dior Mist sunglasses.

Weekend O' Niece(s)

2008-06-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

last weekend was my sister's baby shower, which i hosted (but my sister still helped a lot). i actually enjoy organizing and planning parties and stuff. the fun part was trying to find unique and creative things for the shower, such as the favors, the games, and the prizes. i wanted the cake to stand out at the shower so i didn't want to go to safeway and pick up the average sheet cake. i did some research and found positive reviews for this lady name Carolyn Wong. she made my idea come to life.

my 2nd niece will be named Kira...as you can see. The cookies were complimentary too. it matched the favors. everyone loved the cake and was amazed. i was happy!

the cake flavors were passion fruit mousse & carrot cake. my sister didn't want to cut the cake, but of course she eventually did.

me and my dress. i liked the dress, but it didn't look so flattering in pictures. i gotta lose some lbs...asap.

the following day, Ty had a dance recital @ the Alameda Co. Fair. she performed during the day, and we stayed afterwards 'cause boyz 2 men were performing there that night. ty got a bracelet for unlimited rides so we spent several hours watching her ride rides. luckily it wasn't too hot that day. we then waited about 2 hours standing in line to get in to the amphitheatre for the concert, and at least 150+ people were in front of us already. once we got in though and boyz 2 men came on stage, i went crazy. ty thought i was crazy. zach gave me the crazy eye. gam and ron enjoyed the show too, but in a more mellow state. our seats were great...5 rows from the stage. yes, that's me singing in the background in the video....eek.

ty and i tried to get a rose from Nate, but failed. she was bummed. but lookie how close we were....

ty had another recital yesterday in berkeley. i swear that girl is busier than me. sad huh? she's such a natural dancer that it's ridiculous. i don't think i will ever get tired watching any of her recitals.
next weekend is her 9th birthday. 9!?! i'm gonna cry. i guess my niece weekend will go on into the 3rd week.