April Showers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.