Cold

Mon Nov 15 12:01:28 EST 2004
Hellooooo, people! I think I'm addicted to cold medication. I have been sick a while now... got worse (I think I caught 2 colds! One probably from my trip to the UK, and the other from sister or various kids.)... and now better. But, I felt really crappy until I took some Tylenol Cold... but, now I feel a lot better. I also have this kind of floaty feeling... which makes me wonder if I am addicted to my cold medication. Hehe. :p I feeeeel good.

Cold

Wed Nov 10 10:04:01 EST 2004
Hi, everyone! Hmm... I am ok... just have a little cold. I am actually not having very many symptoms (at least, not when I'm heavily drugged up). My favorite drug of choice? It has to be the new Tylenol Cold & Flu SEVERE. It is this blue liquid that looks like anti-freeze and tastes like mouth wash... but, it's really affective. :)

Hmm... Halo 2 is out!!!!!!!!!!! I have to go get it... and WHAT ELSE???? KARAOKE REVOLUTIONS 3 with DUET SUPPORT!!!! I AM soooooo excited that I could faint. ANNNNDDDD WHAT ELSE?????? A new EYE TOY GAME!!!!!! I think it has something to do with snowboarding... but WHATEVER, new EYE TOY GAMES are the BEST and MOST FUN, NO MATTER WHATTTT!!! WHEEE And there is another one.. with SpongeBob and other Nickelodeon characters that I will get for my kiddies. WHEEEE I AM SOOOO EXCITED!!!!

Home from London

Sat Oct 30 14:23:02 EDT 2004
Hi all! Last night in London--I am really itching to get back home!! Going to go to sleep soon... in a couple of hours, even though it is still afternoon in Boston. Then, I have to wake up wayyy early to get to the airport and get my flight back HOME! WHEEEEEEE. Miss you all--hope you all got my post cards! :) See you all soon!

You can see my London 2004 Photo Album.

London 2004: Day 8, Last Day

Just shopping and relaxing before returning home... had lunch at Yo, Sushi! inside of Selfridges, my favorite department store.

London 2004: Day 7, Tower of London

Woke up late due to too much partying the night before. Had Indian food for lunch... yum!. Went to the Tower of London where we saw the Crown Jewels of England.. 500+ carat diamonds and everything... it was insane and really amazing. Walking around the towers was very interesting--to think that they started building it in 900 and it is all still there... and you're just sitting on the bench next to it. :) Pretty cool stuff. Anyways, decided to come back to the hotel... was still tired. Then, went to Wagamama again for some yummy noodle soup.

London

Fri Oct 29 19:09:09 EDT 2004
Okay... so where did we leave off? We went to Cafe Pacifico in Covent Garden for my birthday, where we shared an entire pitcher of mango margarita... and it was NOT a small pitcher. It was one of those big plastic pitchers that you normally server water out of. We started out with some enchiladas: lobster and mango, some chicken one, some brie one with mango or papaya. And I had this sampler type platter that had a beef taco, chicken enchilada, and cheese quesadilla. Yum, it was sooo good... and, I guess we had drinks for dessert too--I had some type of vanilla liqueur. :) Mexican food in London, go figure.

Thursday: Woke up and actually made it to the British Museum. :) Had a light lunch and walked around... took a bunch of pictures, saw the Rosetta Stone--how cool is that?! It's all so very interesting, but being that the museum is so insanely huge, I predominantly visited the Egypt, Assyra, and Greece halls. Then, took a walk through Covent Garden and onto Picadilly Circus, where we did some shopping. Thought about going to see a movie, but instead went to Fortnum and Mason for traditional English tea! Fortnum and Mason is this huge, super-posh department store, known for their food hall. I bought a selection of teas and jams and marmalades. :) Anyways, we went to their restaurant on the top floor where we had afternoon tea for an hour and a half! (See my London Phone Picture Journal). Bottom up, there were sandwiches: cucumber, ham and cheese, chicken and taragon, and salmon. The next tier had scones: fruit and plain, with clotted cream and jam. The top plate had little cakes: a lemon tart, chocolate cake, chocolate eclair, and fruit tart. When it comes, it doesn't look like much at all... but it was a lot! And then, some more shopping and tried to walk the tea off. Walked up Bond Street... designer shopping mecca! I had to take a picture in front of the Chanel store. :p I didn't go in to any of the shops though... I can get that stuff back in the States (and for cheaper). Thursday night, went out... to some bar, and then another posh and trendy bar called Denim where the bartenders were rather cute, and then we went to some other bar/club thingie... well, that was a lot of fun. :)

Friday: woke up late due to too much partying the night before. Had Indian food for lunch... yum!. Went to the Tower of London where we saw the Crown Jewels of England.. 500+ carat diamonds and everything... it was insane and really amazing. Walking around the towers was very interesting--to think that they started building it in 900 and it is all still there... and you're just sitting on the bench next to it. :) Pretty cool stuff. Anyways, decided to come back to the hotel... was still tired. Then, went to Wagamama again for some yummy noodle soup.

As for the rest of the trip, I'm just relaxing now (Friday night) and going to finish up some shopping tomorrow... then, I leave early Sunday! It's been fun in London--it is a bit huge and sprawling, which kind of sucks. But, I really can't wait to get back home to Boston!! :) Sucks I missed all of the Red Sox games... I tried to watch, but fell asleep every single time. :p I even left the tv on until 4am during game 4 and woke up periodically to check the score. :) Well, I can come back and watch the Patriots... And, I'll have to have an English tea party when I get back as well.

London 2004: Day 6, British Museum

Woke up and actually made it to the British Museum. :) Had a light lunch and walked around... took a bunch of pictures, saw the Rosetta Stone--how cool is that?! It's all so very interesting, but being that the museum is so insanely huge, I predominantly visited the Egypt, Assyra, and Greece halls. Then, took a walk through Covent Garden and onto Picadilly Circus, where we did some shopping. Thought about going to see a movie, but instead went to Fortnum and Mason for traditional English tea! Fortnum and Mason is this huge, super-posh department store, known for their food hall. I bought a selection of teas and jams and marmalades. :) Anyways, we went to their restaurant on the top floor where we had afternoon tea for an hour and a half! (See my London Phone Picture Journal). Bottom up, there were sandwiches: cucumber, ham and cheese, chicken and taragon, and salmon. The next tier had scones: fruit and plain, with clotted cream and jam. The top plate had little cakes: a lemon tart, chocolate cake, chocolate eclair, and fruit tart. When it comes, it doesn't look like much at all... but it was a lot! And then, some more shopping and tried to walk the tea off. Walked up Bond Street... designer shopping mecca! I had to take a picture in front of the Chanel store. :p I didn't go in to any of the shops though... I can get that stuff back in the States (and for cheaper). Thursday night, went out... to some bar, and then another posh and trendy bar called Denim where the bartenders were rather cute, and then we went to some other bar/club thingie... well, that was a lot of fun. :)

London 2004: Day 5

Woke up, and went to St. Paul's Cathedral... Then, took the tube to Picadilly Circus, where we first went to a pub, and then lunch at Wagamama's, a Japanese noodle soup place, which is quite modern and lively. Then we walked around Carnaby Street and up Regent Street towards Oxford Circus. We walked down Oxford Street more, with the intention of going to the British Museum.... but we were just too tired so we came back to the hotel... and that is where my story pauses for now. I saw a whole entire Muji store--this really cool Japanese stuff. And, there was an Urban Outfitters!!! :) Not nearly the same as Boston... but whatever. There were so many people out and about today--tuckered me out. :p

Okay... so where did we leave off? We went to Cafe Pacifico in Covent Garden for my birthday, where we shared an entire pitcher of mango margarita... and it was NOT a small pitcher. It was one of those big plastic pitchers that you normally server water out of. We started out with some enchiladas: lobster and mango, some chicken one, some brie one with mango or papaya. And I had this sampler type platter that had a beef taco, chicken enchilada, and cheese quesadilla. Yum, it was sooo good... and, I guess we had drinks for dessert too--I had some type of vanilla liqueur. :) Mexican food in London, go figure.

London Cell Phone picture journal

Wed Oct 27 18:26:04 EDT 2004
Check out my London Phone Picture Journal.

London 2004: Day 4, Oxford

Took the "Oxfood Tube", really a bus, to Oxford, where my friend Holly went to school. We grabbed some McDonald's in the morning... I ordered a sausage and egg McMuffin... and the guy responded, "You want to know how much it is?", and I said, "No, I want one." Hehe... I guess they don't expect an American accent? Anyways, then we got to Oxford, walked around a bit... saw Trinity College and the Bodliam Library (where any book with an ISDN number has to be). We had a major curry chicken sandwich (must have had half a jar of mayonnaise in it) at Heroes... this small sandwich shop. Then, we started a little pub crawl... had some cider and wine, that was quite nice. The pubs were: the Goose (rather modern pub), the White Horse (a very small, traditional student pub), and the Turf Tavern (a larger tradition pub where we spent most of our time). Then, we were really hungry, so we went to Zizzi, an Italian restaurant with very nice thin-thin crust pizza. :) Yum!

Happy Bithday to me!

Happy Bithday to me! Happy Birthday to me! It's my birthday and I am in London!!! Wheeeee!! Of course, I am soooo tired from walking around a lot and drinking lots of wine.. but hey, that is what vacation is, right? :) Everything has been going very smoothly...

Saturday: My friend Holly arrived, then we walked around Oxford Street (the main shopping street that my hotel is on). We had lunch in Momo, inside the huge department store that takes up a whole block. Selfridges. Selfridges is by far my most favorite store (better than Harrod's). Harrod's is just over the top--where Selfridges is pure, simple shopping. :) Then, quite randomly, Holly and I met up with one of Holly's friends and had dinner at their new "flat"--their flatmate cooked us dinner... quite nice... but weird.

Sunday: Went out for dim-sum at Harbour City restaurant in Chinatown (just north of Picadilly Circus--and walked through that area a little bit). Then, we met up with Holly's friend again, walking throught Green Park and St. James's Park. We also visited Buckingham Palace and walked through a lot of Hyde Park. Then, I went to buy postcards... had to find the cheapest post cards.. they were 15 for 95 pence. Then, it was raining, of course, and had Thai food at the Eat Thai restaurant.

On Monday, we went to the London Eye--this huge ferris-wheel (but does not go nearly as fast) observation thing... it is across the Thames from Big Ben and Parliament. It was a great view of London. After that, we went on a walk through Westminster... seeing Parliament Square and Westminster Abbey. I had fish and chips at a pub... and then we continued walking to Covent Garden. Where we had tea and dessert... sticky toffee pudding! :) Then, we tried to find something to do in the evening, but just went to a pub for a couple of drinks and came back to the hotel.

Tuesday: Took the "Oxfood Tube", really a bus, to Oxford, where my friend Holly went to school. We grabbed some McDonald's in the morning... I ordered a sausage and egg McMuffin... and the guy responded, "You want to know how much it is?", and I said, "No, I want one." Hehe... I guess they don't expect an American accent? Anyways, then we got to Oxford, walked around a bit... saw Trinity College and the Bodliam Library (where any book with an ISDN number has to be). We had a major curry chicken sandwich (must have had half a jar of mayonnaise in it) at Heroes... this small sandwich shop. Then, we started a little pub crawl... had some cider and wine, that was quite nice. The pubs were: the Goose (rather modern pub), the White Horse (a very small, traditional student pub), and the Turf Tavern (a larger tradition pub where we spent most of our time). Then, we were really hungry, so we went to Zizzi, an Italian restaurant with very nice thin-thin crust pizza. :) Yum!

Today, my birthday... woke up, and went to St. Paul's Cathedral... Then, took the tube to Picadilly Circus, where we first went to a pub, and then lunch at Wagamama's, a Japanese noodle soup place, which is quite modern and lively. Then we walked around Carnaby Street and up Regent Street towards Oxford Circus. We walked down Oxford Street more, with the intention of going to the British Museum.... but we were just too tired so we came back to the hotel... and that is where my story pauses for now. I saw a whole entire Muji store--this really cool Japanese stuff. And, there was an Urban Outfitters!!! :) Not nearly the same as Boston... but whatever. There were so many people out and about today--tuckered me out. :p

Be on the lookout for pictures... :)

London 2004: Day 3, London Eye

We went to the London Eye--this huge ferris-wheel (but does not go nearly as fast) observation thing... it is across the Thames from Big Ben and Parliament. It was a great view of London. After that, we went on a walk through Westminster... seeing Parliament Square and Westminster Abbey. I had fish and chips at a pub... and then we continued walking to Covent Garden. Where we had tea and dessert... sticky toffee pudding! :) Then, we tried to find something to do in the evening, but just went to a pub for a couple of drinks and came back to the hotel.

London 2004: Day 2

Went out for dim-sum at Harbour City restaurant in Chinatown (just north of Picadilly Circus-- and walked through that area a little bit). Then, we met up with Holly's friend again, walking throught Green Park and St. James's Park. We also visited Buckingham Palace and walked through a lot of Hyde Park. Then, I went to buy postcards... had to find the cheapest post cards.. they were 15 for 95 pence. Then, it was raining, of course, and had Thai food at the Eat Thai restaurant.

London 2004: Day 1

My friend Holly arrived, then we walked around Oxford Street (the main shopping street that my hotel is on). We had lunch in Momo, inside the huge department store that takes up a whole block. Selfridges. Selfridges is by far my most favorite store (better than Harrod's). Harrod's is just over the top--where Selfridges is pure, simple shopping. :) Then, quite randomly, Holly and I met up with one of Holly's friends and had dinner at their new "flat"-- their flatmate cooked us dinner... quite nice... but weird.

Greetings from London!

Sat Oct 23 04:07:58 EDT 2004
Greetings from London! Well, I had a crappy first day traveling wise... but everything is all settled now. :) Actually started to relax a little... took a walk outside... prices for clothes aren't that bad at all! Hehe, I think it's because most of the clothes are lower quality... but they still look nice. Anyways, I won't be buying any clothes for myself. *snap*--Should have totally brought my uGg boots... oh well. :) Seems like pink is really in here--good that I have like 4 pink shirts and sweaters with me. :)

I went to this really really huge babystore--and found some very cute things that I might get for little mui-mui and gummy. :) Kid's clothes are small enough to pack.

I'll have sporadic internet access here... It's funny--I have to essentially fix the internet access in the rooms... For example, I got this room, which had the (I assume DSL) modem plugged in to the hotel's fax port... so, it just did not work. I switched it to the phone port--and it worked. The room I had before... the phone jack was all messed up! There was a hole where the jack should have been in the wall... I tried to explain this to the people--and they said that it was just not turned on in my room. One lady from reception came up and I showed her--but I don't think she got it. Oh well... everything has worked out now... so, I am happy.

Leaving for London

Thu Oct 21 10:57:55 EDT 2004
I LEAVE FOR LONDON TODAY!!! My flight is at 7pm-ish... and I will be in London at 7am-ish!! Yay! I can't wait. :) I'll probably be online...

Books
DK Eyewitness Travel City Map London
Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide to London
Rick Steves' London 2004

Websites
http://na.visitlondon.com/index.html

Cell Phone Pics

Mon Oct 18 14:55:37 EDT 2004
I take off in 3 days!!!! Eeeeekkkk! I haven't even started packing yet! Check out the Cell Phone Pictures that I have been taking with my phone. Not too shabby, I don't think... it will help me remember things. :)

Cell Phone Ringtones

Sat Oct 16 12:44:14 EDT 2004
I got a new cell phone, and I am in love with it! I got the Motorola V505... and it is a camera phone (640x480) and bluetooth! It also has mp3 ringtone support... So, I made some ringtones! Check it out:


- boomboom.mp3

- nellyindaclub.mp3

- toxic.mp3

- usheryeah.mp3

Hello, Cutie.

Mon Oct 11 10:02:24 EDT 2004
Okay--I think I partied way too much this weekend. I woke up and looked in the mirror, and my first thoughts were, "need concealer". :p Friday night, I had a date with one of the cuties--I think he is probably 18 months now? :) Was babysitting him so his parents could go do their very wonderful hanging out with some teens (such patience!). Surprisingly, he was so good and didn't cry at all! He even helped me put on his PJs and everything... he was probably thinking, "Wow, this is a real pathetic auntie I have here, I better behave so she doesn't start crying when she can't get my sleeping suit on." Hehe. :)

Umm, then, Saturday--it was all preparation for a wedding I was going to. I was getting there early because my sis was one of the bridesmaids. And, it was a beautiful wedding. We had dinner late-ish and then danced the night away.

On Sunday, I visited a friend who had a cute baby girl! All that running around made me really tired--but it was a really fun weekend. :p

Pink uGg

Tue Oct 5 16:44:15 EDT 2004
I wore my pink uGg boots with a pink tweed miniskirt today... I got called a fashion risk. :) Well, actually, the guy said I was a successful fashion risk--but all I heard was fashion risk. :p Lots of conversation about my feet today... I guess pink uGg boots are not so common after all...

Hello, October!

Mon Oct 4 10:33:04 EDT 2004
Hello, October! Fall is finally here, and my annual vacation is approaching. I am sooo excited to be going to London, but I have quite a lot of planning left. This weekend, I did a lot of babysitting, and it's always so much fun--the kiddies were all sooo cute and growing so fast! :)

Little shopping update...

Mon Sep 27 10:19:36 EDT 2004
Little shopping update... got little scissors for my trip for 23 cents at Target, whee! And, a little ruler too, to help with the scaling on my map. :p Did some major damage at BR and Chanel to get stuff that I needed for my trip. Also, got a pair of walking shoes for London! Whee, everything is falling in to place nicely. :)

I won an award at work today!! :)

Wed Sep 22 16:20:02 EDT 2004
I won an award at work today!! :) It was for my contributions as project lead on the last release, on top of my other parallel development responsibilities. Whee--though, it took a lot of team work to accomplish everything--Go team! :)

An update on the London shoe situation

Tue Sep 21 09:29:36 EDT 2004
An update on the London shoe situation--I don't think I will bring any uGg boots... they just take up too much suitcase real estate.

Uh oh, I just got a 10% off coupon for ashford.com... And there is a CHANEL bag that I want that only costs $950... EEEK.

Have a condo meeting tonight...

Mon Sep 20 18:44:57 EDT 2004
Have a condo meeting tonight... I seriously don't want to go. Tired as well... I think I need to do less Groove and more sleeping. :p Got a lot of work done in between meetings today... so, that is good. Okay, buh bye.

I went shopping... Candy made me!!

Sun Sep 19 17:51:41 EDT 2004
I went shopping... Candy made me!! Bought some bags for my London trip... It wasn't my fault! :) Candy made me go shopping, and these bags really called to me... WAH! :(

Yay! It is FINALLY FRIDAY!!

Fri Sep 17 09:38:34 EDT 2004
Yay! It is FINALLY FRIDAY!! WOO HOOO. Plans for this weekend? Some major warddrobe planning for London, lists of what to pack... I need to pack scissors! It is very useful to have scissors... I didn't have scissors last time. I have a small pair to bring... or maybe I will get a pair of safety scissors. Wow... a whole blog about scissors.

Got drawn to the coffee machine before I even logged in to work this morning... cool huh. :) We had this long discussion about coffee... How Starbucks gives this guy at work a headache. Which I thought was pretty strange, but I guess it makes sense because Starbucks is stronger than other coffees. And, I said how at my previous company, instead of one bag of coffee... we would all put in one and a half bags. HEHE. :) The coffee here is adequately strong however.

During the weekend, I plan on playing a lot of video games. Tomorrow morning, Candy has a hair appointment, so I will go with her... And maybe do some damage for my London trip. :p I really must stop shopping for my trip... and my trip is going to be near all the major shopping places. Though, I do have a lot of will-power and self-control not to go crazy shopping when in a foreign country... probably because the dollar is so weak. If the dollar were stronger, I would go crazy. :)

So... besides that--I think we just need to do a lot of cleaning, and maybe some small projects around the house. Like, recaulking some windows. Okay... I guess that's all I have to say for now. :p

Got my karaoke mics last night...

Thu Sep 16 10:36:09 EDT 2004
Got my karaoke mics last night... and my voice is a teensy bit lost... :p Hehe. Also, woke up kind of late this morning. I woke up, and looked at my clock... 9:15 -- oopsies. I don't think it was from karaoke, I just think it was from lack of sunlight.

Hmm... it's only Thursday--why does the week feel so long? It feels very much like Friday. I was reading some of my London guidebooks last night--it seems like such a huge city... or, I just can't tell distances on the map. :p I think I definitely want to go to the palace and covent gardens. I am staying right near Hyde Park--so I will definately visit there. I think I will see at least one theatre thingie... :p. I can't wait!

Okay, well, let's do a wardrobe breakdown

Wed Sep 15 09:31:06 EDT 2004
I finally get my PS2 microphone tonight, so I can go wild and sing karaoke--yay!! :) Also, I think I have allergies, not the sickness that I thought I had... phew! So, I got my travel books for London, I'll link them and update my London website. I also need to start planning my wardrobe from bottom up... shoes! I guess I should wear sneakers on the plane, and bring a pair of uGg boots, pair of nice shoes (going out shoes), and another pair of comfy, yet dressier, walking (aka shopping) shoes?... Hmm, maybe that is too many shoes. Is it too many shoes? uGg boots do take up quite a lot of space... but, I think it will be great to have them to wear around--they are really comfy.

Okay, well, let's do a wardrobe breakdown:

Wardobe assumptions: 9 full days in London, assume 3 nights of going out and needing clubby clothes...

- Mix/Match Separates (casual - dressy): black longsleeved v-neck cashmere sweater, black pants, pink sweater (button turtleneck), shortsleeved red v-neck lace top, purple v-neck lace shell, black suit jacket, 1-2 camisoles, 1-2 skirts (tbd which colors, probable gray and... ?), red top with ribbon gathers on one shoulder, button down shirt for layering under sweater, another sweater?

- Casual Separates: cargo/super-zippered pants (either navy or khaki), black long-sleeved t-shirt with buttons on the shoulder, pink longsleeved t-shirt with buttons on shoulder

- Essentials: black raincoat with hood (my purchase for my Amsterdam 2003 trip)

Okay... more wardrobe planning needed... :p

"You are one of my doubts."

Tue Sep 14 09:11:19 EDT 2004
"You are one of my doubts." ... quote of the week (maybe year?!) that someone said to me... It was a compliment, go figure.

Last night, on Animal Planet...

Mon Sep 13 09:14:46 EDT 2004
Last night, on Animal Planet... I was watching the mating rituals of ostriches... and I was fascinated because it is exactly how humans behave!

- The female "flirts" with her head down and feathers spread out (totally PCD!!) and the male chases after her. She runs, making the male harder for it. Male backs off... she flirts teasingly again, chases her, does and impressive dance, and she accepts him.

- Another female, had two males chasing her, and the males tried to scare each other away by making noise through beating their wings. One does a feather dance for her, but she moves away. The other male starts chasing her, hoping to have luck, but she just teases back. He eventually sees another female off in the distance, and tries his luck with her.

- The male approaches the new female, but she pretends not to notice, grooming herself (hair toss). But he gives her an impressive feather dance, and she likes him.

We can learn a lot from ostriches... eh? :p

Eeek! I think I'm sick ...

Fri Sep 10 09:10:45 EDT 2004
Eeek! I think I'm sick ... as in the sore throat kind of sick... not the mental kind of sick (everyone already knew I was that). Umm, I burnt my tongue on my hot tea this morning. :( Waaah! And I don't think my ps2 microphones are coming today... double wah!

Hmm, besides that... yay for friday! :) I really have to finish cleaning my room. I took it in my head to rearrange my room a couple of weeks ago... and it is a mess. This was the 2nd major rearrange since... oh, I don't know... last month. :p I guess I've been pretty bored.

Ok, so my London trip is booked!

Wed Sep 8 21:45:19 EDT 2004
Ok, so my London trip is booked! And I got a PS2--thanks to my friends Regina, Allen, and Gummi. PS2s were sold out everywhere--but R & A found one for me! Wheee! :) And, I played eye toy (my karaoke microphones haven't come yet)... The eye toy is SOOOO awesome. I like the kung fu game the best because it is like tae bo. I wanna do da tae-bo. And, the music in the eye joy groove (dancing game) are kind of ehhh, and it is a little cheesy, but it is fun. :) Hehe. I just need a memory card or two.

So, back to my London trip... I guess I have to launch a trip planning website and start deciding what I want to pack. :) I've already bought 4 new tops for my trip... But, I have to pack really light. Wow, a whole nine days in London! Yay! Which pair of uGg boots should I bring? pink or blue? Ooooh, I got an uGg catalog in the mail the other day... it makes me want to order stuff realllly bad... like the pink fluffy boots... but I think some of my friends would disown me. Maybe I am getting old... and turning in to one of those grannies that is really in to sequins. Hmm, maybe I can bring some knitting for the plane! I got plastic knitting needles-so, they won't think I am trying to hijack anything. :)

Well, I blogged twice in one week... maybe I'll remember to keep it up. But, I think all of my following has ditched me. :( I had people asking why I wasn't blogging all the time. Now, I say that I blogged, and the response is, "You did?" Come on people--start reading my blogs again. :) I am interesting person--I promise!

London

Sat Sep 4 21:46:13 EDT 2004
Wow, so now I actually have something to blog about... :) I AM GOING TO LONDON! Wheeee! My 2nd annual, "get my ass out of the country for my birthday" trip. I will be gone from October 21 - 31... which means that my birth will be somewhere in that range! So, start buying the presents now! Also, this means I have busy trip planning, and all, to do! I am SOOO excited. :p I'll have to have a whole plan and all sorts of stuff like that. Best of all, one of my friends from the UK, Holly will be able to chill with me that week!

Hmm, so my sister is coming to the same company as me! Yay! I told her that she has to buy me things because I referred her to the company. So, she is buying me a PS2--and I am going to get an eye toy for it. :) I am happy for that.

Tomorrow, I'm going to B-o-b's BBQ Pit... And, I think it is going to be cold enough for uGg boots! What do you think?... pink, or black?

Alrightie--I better finish redecorating my room... :p Wheeeee! London, here I come!

Wow, played a lot of tennis today.

Wed Aug 4 20:27:24 EDT 2004
Wow, played a lot of tennis today. I think I am improving a lot. Hmm... more news? Well, at work, I am the release's "project lead" ... what does that mean? I guess in addition to the insane amounts of coding that I have to do, I also run the rest of the project and make sure everything goes smoothly--schedule, QA, other logistics...

Also, starting to think about where I want to go this Fall for vacation... :) Will be pretty exciting to travel again. I have narrowed it down to London, Stockholm, and Amsterdam.

I had a fabulous weekend...

Mon Jun 14 09:53:45 EDT 2004
I had a fabulous weekend... Friday night, I did some major grilling and gorged myself on grilled veggies. Saturday--went shopping--yay! :) I didn't plan on buying all that much... but ended up buying a lot of cosmetics, a pair of orange shorts,... I think that's it. Then, had a BBC dinner at Erawan in Waltham. Then, another great shopping day at Wrentham--Candy and I cleared out the BR outlet, and I got some more tennis shorts and a tennis skirt at Nike. Candy made us go in to the ECCO store, and I made us both buy a pair of super comfy sandals (I'm wearing them today). We actually didn't buy anything at Williams Sonoma outlet!

And then, in the evening, we went over to play with our favorite kiddies. The whole night, Miss J was screaming "Brandy jia-jia" and asking if she could have candy (chocolate covered cherries from Harry and David) or watch tv. I said no more candy (I had already given two pieces)! And, she was being kind of bad--didn't finish her dinner and kept on screaming "Brandy jia-jia, Can I watch tv?" And, I said "No, you didn't finish your dinner." And she said, "No tv! Brandy jia-jia, no tv!" And I said, "Who said no tv?" And she would respond, "Me!" Hehe... and just imagine this over and over again--so cute! :)

"I'm too young to date younger guys."

Mon Jul 12 11:09:48 EDT 2004
"I'm too young to date younger guys."

Is Friday my new blogging day?

Fri Jun 11 12:54:27 EDT 2004
Is Friday my new blogging day?

So, what have I been up to... well, this week, I've been doing a good amount of exercise. Tuesday, went to the gym and did some cardio. And then, I've played tennis the last two evenings. It's actually MUCH more fun than doing gym stuff... so, I'll leave the gym for the winter, and play more tennis this summer. The downside... I've been eaten alive by mosquitos!

Parents are coming mid-July for a 10 day visit... so, I'll be out of commission for 10 days. :p

Did my first round of grilling... and more to come tonight! Fun fun fun, building fires is fun. :)

Did Habitat for Humanity...

Sat Jul 10 2004
Did Habitat for Humanity... it was HARD. The task was to put up dry wall... or, in our case, I guess it was dry ceiling. And, the fundamental lesson I learned? I'll hire people to do any dry walling I might need. :p

Started off having a mega breakfast of corned beef hash, eggs, toast, and tater tots. Then we went to the site and got a little primer in drywalling. There were about 5 supervisors on site--and they must have the most insane amount of patience for people totally messing up those houses... :p Okay, so we didn't totally mess up--but it is very hard to configure the drywall so all the nice seams are in the middle--especially when you have to cut holes for sprinklers and light fixtures... and it is supposed to go on the ceiling. But all in all, it was pretty fun. The only casualties were a few pieces of drywall and my head (which was nudged gently by a 2x4).

After that, we went to Minado... where I ate enough salmon sashimi for... well, dinner at Minado. :p

"Men are really quite simple--they're like plants."

Fri Jun 4 14:41:09 EDT 2004
Oh, also been watching a lot of Sex and the City... one of my favorite quotes so far: "Men are really quite simple--they're like plants."

And just on the side... "Why spend money on therapy when you can spend it on shoes?" Don't worry, I don't need therapy (I know I'm a princess already.) Seriously considering changing my business cards from "Software Engineer" to "Software Princess."

So, the much awaited DL on the NH trip.

Fri Jun 4 13:56:00 EDT 2004
So, the much awaited DL on the NH trip.
Trip Log (Saturday, May 29 - Sunday, May 30)

Sat., 6:00 am
I woke up. Yeah, Candy was yelling at me. I think we had to leave at 6:20.


Sat., 6:30 am
Called Bob because we got lost. (Yes, we HAVE been to his place a few times before).


Sat., 6:35 am
Arrived at Bob's for a breakfast of bagels and juice. The car door was trying to trap me in the car (Bob's driveway is on a slant.) Had breakfast and distributed FRS radios and began our trip up north (New Hampshire is north, right?).


Sat., 8 am - 11 am
Drive to North Conway, NH. Our car was named Black Mamba. The other cars were Bill and Copperhead (references to Kill Bill vol. 1 and 2). We also had discussions following the suggested car discussion topics (see approved list). We only got to the "light" conversation: How often do you check email? We have a lot of geeks in our car, so the answer was, "It's checking right now."


Sat., noon
Lunch... I had a burger.


Sat., 1 pm - 4 pm
We actually went hiking! Our "hiking" trip actually turned into a hiking trip! Can you believe it? I got a mosquito bite on my hand, and it is still bothering me! WAH! Ok, have to admit that nature stuff is pretty.


Sat., 4 pm - 6 pm
Hung out in our room watching FoodTV.


Sat., 6 pm - 10 pm
Dinner at Horsefeathers... it was pretty cool. I got this Maine Lobster crab cake and a beef and snowpea salad. It was great. And then, we walked around a little bit and got coffee.


Sat., 10 pm...
Watched the Laker game with a "liker" (liker of the Lakers) until bed time. (Note: I am a "hater" -- hater of the Lakers.)


Sun., 8 am
Woke up. (Took the guys a long time to get ready... I guess it was worth the wait cuz they looked all shiny and new when then came out the door.)


Sun., 10 am
Breakfast at Bill's. (Was it Bill's?) I got a hash omelet, and it was great. The waitress thought we were exchange students (I think it was our odd behavior).


Sun., 11 am
One more trip to some river place. And, we had a nice little Sunday service a la Bob and Vince.


Sun., noon ...
Went outlet shopping! Spent about $10 a minute. :p Began the drive home... Had some interesting conversations... tried to decide who was "fun" and who was "ma fun" (according to Bob). Took the scenic route through some mountains... people had to tell me which was scenic. (Note: "ma fun" means... things that cause trouble. A little Chinglish pun. :p) Stopped for some ice cream (Oreo in a waffle cone) for "lunch."


Sun., 6pm...
Dinner and Green Papaya, and then we went home! Yay!


Hmm... highlights of the trip:

- Hanging out with Jeanie. (I asked Jeanie for some highlights of our trip... and "Hanging out with Jeanie" was numbers 1, 2, and 6 on her list.) Once Jeanie was in the middle of a picture, and she said "Oh, sorry, am I blocking anybody?" And, I said, "Does it matter? You're the prettiest." So, she stood up and took her rightful place in the center of the photo. :) HEHEHE.

- Watching two people (shall remain nameless... or, can be provided with a $5 fee) act like fools. :p

- Redefining the English dictionary: "hiking" = outlet shopping; lunch = ice cream.

- Taking GQ shots of Bob (also available for $5 fee, $10 for autographed copy).

- Having to be told when areas were "scenic." (Hey, I don't know the nature thing, ok?!)

- Getting to hang out with new people...

- Whattup, GangSTAaaa!?

So... went to Kimball Farm

Sun Jul 4 2004
So... went to Kimball Farm and did my first ever "pitch n' put" on a mini 9 hole golf course. It was a lot of fun, and a really hot day. I got super tan. Hmm, my golf skills suck--but I did learn that you shouldn't use a putter to pitch the ball, even if you are a good putter (which I am! Well, ... I put better than I pitch. :p)

After the "golf", we had ice cream... I had pistachio and butter pecan. YU-UMM. They really have the most awesome ice cream. Then, I watched Last Samurai with daBob--It was a great movie. :)

Yay, going on a "hiking" trip this weekend.

Fri May 28 09:27:03 EDT 2004
Informational update: I've started doing occasional upgrades to the server... so sometimes (though rarely) the server might go down. I plan on doing maintenance about once a week.

Yay, going on a "hiking" trip this weekend. It's kind of exciting since I normally don't go "hiking". Also, my grill is coming today! So... grilling season at my house will open up soon.

*bouncing*

Thu May 27 14:01:44 EDT 2004
Whee, got a sugar rush from the cake I had after lunch!!! *bouncing*

Ok, I have to admit that I am a major geek... I am bloggin from my pda.

Tue May 25 20:13:16 EDT 2004
Ok, I have to admit that I am a major geek... I am bloggin from my pda. Don't worry--I have a keyboard attached to it. :) So, does that make me more or less geeky?

Watching American Idol... blah. I don't normally watch it-but it's on before the season finale of 24--which I am majorly anticipating! Whee. Ok... back to tv. :p

Geek Test

Mon May 24 09:46:58 EDT 2004
Took the Geek Test: 37.27811% - Major Geek. 'nuf said.

Had a birthday party to go to...

Sun May 23 22:02:53 EDT 2004
Hmm, busy Sunday! Had a birthday party to go to... was fun. :) Then, came home and took a nap... woke up to watch Alias. Good show! Finally, Lauren is dead--she was way too annoyingly wily.

Let's talk car colors. I doubt that the Lexus RX 400h is going to come in a metallic pink (to match my miniIPod), so I think the next color I would go for is the gunmetal grey... it is sufficiently badass and matches with pink pretty well. I would go for dark blue or something--but I just don't think it is badass enough. And, Candy did point out that if I got a fuzzy pink seat cover, it would match the grey nicely. :)

Whattup ppl?

Sat May 22 10:52:31 EDT 2004
Whattup ppl? Has anyone seen the show Pimp My Ride on MTV? It is soooo awesome. They take crappy ass cars and pimp them out--to make them pimperish (ADJ. A quality or posession of or pertaining to that of a PIMP). Anyways, I was toying with the idea of getting a Vespa for my commute to work... but then Candy busted my bubble--noting that there are lots of hills. Then, I thought that MTV could maybe pimp my vespa... like, a vespa with 4 wheels and 20" chrome wheels and Pirelli tires. Sounds good, huh? And... well, I don't have a vespa, so they would have to buy me one as well. :)

Jeanie and Eva came over last night to watch the Lakers game because their cable broke (wah!). It was fun, except for the fact that J&E like the Lakers...

Back to the monitors are work... my manager said there might be a new monitor policy now--that they are going to buy developers bigger monitors. AND, that was my freaking original question!! I didn't want them to buy me a monitor specifically if everyone else wasn't getting one--so, I brought in my own monitor, and I got the quality that I wanted. So... now they might get developers monitors because of this whole movement I started--hehe. :) Always causin' trouble. Oh well, someone needs to stir things up. :p Yeah, I am such a geek princess.

Taking care of some kids today... the parents are going to a wedding, so I get to play with the kiddies! It's going to be so much fun. I imagine they are going to want to play xbox all night. But, maybe I'll just let them watch a movie for some downtime. :)

Had the most amazing Thai dinner last night--it was sooo yummy. This duck royale--boneless and super super crispy--it was awesome. And, beef yellow curry--we were commenting that the curry was not too thin and not too thick... just perfect. And, this noodle dish (pad seeoh or something), and it was fabulous too. YUM!

Hmm... started some monitor wars at work.

Wed May 19 23:00:20 EDT 2004
Hmm... started some monitor wars at work. I got a big flat panel for myself... and then other people have been buying themselves big 21 inch CRTs! Go people!

Whee, kiddies are coming to play with me tomorrow--I can't wait. :) It's going to be so much fun. Hmm... Wednesday is blogging day but I have nothing else to blog about... ok, buh bye. :)

-silence-

Tue May 18 14:19:20 EDT 2004
Hmm, so I had another cute conversation with Juliana the other day:

Me: Hi, mui mui.

J: -silence-

Me: This is Brandy ji-ji. (big sister)

J: -silence-

Me: You want to come over and play?

J: Yes

Me: What do you want to play?

J: Game.

Me: What kind of game?

J: Raur-rau-raur

Me: Dinosaur?

J: Yes

Hehe, she is soooo cute. :) Okay... so what else is going on? Well, nothing really--yet, my social calendar is booked until something like July. What's up with that? Had a condo association meeting last night and yelled at someone. I just yelled at them and told them they were not listening... :) Hehe, I guess I can be pretty blunt, but they deserved it--cuz they weren't freaking listening!!! Anyways, people have heard of tunnel vision? Well, this is tunnel hearing... :)

I am MAJORLY going on a budget for the rest of the year. (Besides, I've bought enough Fendi purses and kate spade messenger bags by now.) Ok... maybe I'll get a digital camcorder... but only if I stop buying fashion accessories and clothes. (Let's just forget that I'm going 'hiking' Memorial Day weekend. And, people know my definition of 'hiking', right? Well, it's outlet shopping, :p. But, I see nothing wrong with that.) Hmm, I guess if I just make a rule that anything I get at BR doesn't count as spending is a good rule. Yes, it does.

Oh, by the way--just to make it clear... I AM SHALLOW. Just if people were wondering... It's ok to be shallow, as long as occassionally, you try not to be. :) But, that's another story...

Husband-Mart

Mon May 17 09:30:20 EDT 2004
Heard this funny ass commercial on the radio today... it was about a mother who was talking to her daughter and nagging her about finding someone and getting married... We've never gone through any of that, right? :) In one part of the conversation, the daughter says, 'I'm a vegetarian tax account, and he handles meat. What could we possibly have in common?' Mom says, 'You're both available.' Hehe. :)

Another funny thing that I heard recently from Bob (from cartalk.com):

Husband-Mart

A store that sells husbands has just opened in Ottawa where a woman may go to choose a husband from among many men. The store is comprised of 6 floors, and the men increase in positive attributes as the shopper ascends the flights.

There is, however, a catch. As you open the door to any floor you may choose a man from that floor, but if you go up a floor, you cannot go back down except to exit the building.

So a woman goes to the shopping center to find a husband. On the first floor the sign on the door reads: Floor 1 - These men have jobs. The woman reads the sign and says to herself, "Well, that's better than my last boyfriend, but I wonder what's further up?" So up she goes.

The second floor sign reads: Floor 2 - These men have jobs and love kids. The woman remarks to herself, "That's great, but I wonder what's further up?" And up she goes again.

The third floor sign reads: Floor 3 -These men have jobs, love kids and are extremely good looking. "Hmmm, better" she says. "But I wonder what's upstairs?"

The fourth floor sign reads: Floor 4 -These men have jobs, love kids, are extremely good looking and help with the housework. "Wow!" exclaims the woman, "very tempting. BUT, there must be more further up!" And again she heads up another flight.

The fifth floor sign reads: Floor 5 -These men have jobs, love kids,are extremely good looking,help with the housework and have a strong romantic streak. "Oh, mercy me! But just think... what must be awaiting me further on?" So up to the sixth floor she goes.

The sixth floor sign reads: Floor 6 -You are visitor 3,456,789 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please.

Thank you for shopping Husband Mart and have a nice day.

Now, as Bob was going through this joke, already at level 3, I was like "wow, that is really good, there are more than 3 levels?"... Hehe... Oh, and of course, there is a secret elevator for super-model shoppers (you know how they close down department stores for VIPs, or have a private selling room?)... and this elevator takes you up to the 7th floor--where Bob is sitting. :p

Ok, ladies--which level would you pick? :)

On relationships...

Sun May 16 17:44:39 EDT 2004
On relationships...

So, everyone has heard of a DTR correct? As in, a Define The Relationship conversation that you might have with somebody... For example, a conversation of this sort might start with, 'Are we dating?'.

But, there is also another type of (non)conversation that people also have to consider, the DNDTNR. This stands for one of two things, not necessarily the same, but could possibly be related:

(1) Do Not Define The Non-Relationship: This means that if there is no relationship to define, there is no reason to define it--and you should not define it. Its counterpart, DTNR (define the NON-relationship) might start out with, 'Just checking that you don't want a relationship with me, because I don't want one with you.' (Sidenote, if this happens to you, your response should be, 'As if, you are soooo not all that' or 'Please, you're ugly.')

(2) Do Not Disturb The Non-Relationship: This means that you should carry on as you were, and one or more parties definitely DO NOT want a relationship--so, do not disturb it!

What else is there to learn? Well, try to be honest and open. If you are a guy asking a girl on a date, don't ask her on a date by saying, 'I hungry, you hungry, let's go eat.' Well, besides asking a question in a grammatically correct manner to impress the girl with your intelligence, you should make it clear that you want to take her out to dinner on a date, with a statement like, 'I would like to take you out on a date, possibly dinner.' Now, if you are a girl, and a nice gentleman asks you in such a manner, always be kind. (Unless the guy is creepy, then you can tell him he is creepy--but, in a nice way.) And, as a woman, you can drop several hints to a guy that you might like, and if he doesn't get it, you can say something like, 'Hey, hottie, I like you--you should ask me out.'

Is this clear to everyone? Okay, buh bye.

Ok--so, I have to cut up my credit cards!

Wed May 12 09:25:33 EDT 2004
Ok--so, I have to cut up my credit cards! I guess I've been buying too many Fendi purses and flat panel monitors, hehe. :) I'll just forget the blue kate spade messenger bag that I got... it didn't happen. Candy got me a black one, but I saw Nordstrom had the blue one on sale (which I liked better), so we are going to return the black one. Bad bad Brandy.

Have to fix up some laptops this week! I should open up my own computer consultation services business... but, I don't think anyone would really pay up. :) Watched Mean Girls last night--it was really really good (surprisingly so). And, Val Helsing was really really bad (surprisingly so), but still made a lot of $$ at the box office? Go figure.

Why do I seem to blog more on Wednesdays? :p

LEGOs and Cream Puffs

Sat May 8 13:51:53 EDT 2004
Woke up this morning and was going to get out of bed and go to work. Then, I remembered it was Saturday... lack of any sense of time--again.

My conversation with an (almost!) two year old this morning:

me: Hi, mui-mui (little sister in Chinese cute-speak). Do you want to come over and play?

2yrOld: yes

me: Do you want to play LEGOs?

2yrOld: yes

me: What do you want to play?

2yrOld: donut

(background info: the 2yrOld loves donuts, cream puffs, and apple pie.)

me: You want apple pie?

2yrOld: no

me: What are you doing now?

2yrOld: play with goh-goh (older brother in Chinese cute-speak)

me: Are you being nice to goh-goh?

2yrOld: no

me: Is goh-goh being nice to you?

2YrOld: yes

me: You have to be nice to goh-goh when goh-goh is nice to you.

2YrOld: <silence>

Hello, everyone! It is finally Friday

Fri May 7 10:11:14 EDT 2004
Hello, everyone! It is finally Friday, and I am soooo excited. People say they like the nice weather and all that... but I think I am allergic to sunlight or something. Maybe I am used to dark rooms in front of computers, so real sunlight hurts my eyes. :p And, I do like nice weather! But, I think my favorite weather must be in the 60s. I was blowdrying my hair this morning and getting really hot... so it must have been too warm this morning.

I bought myself a 20-inch flat panel monitor at work... It's because I'm a major princess. I couldn't stand the 17-inch monitor I had. It's really ridiculous to give a developer a 17-inch monitor. I had to scroll across my src pane all the time in my IDE! That is just not acceptable. Ok... I am spoiled. :) But, hey, at least I didn't get a pink metallic monitor (even though it would have matched my iPod really nicely).

Candy found out that they have FREE watch band/link adjustment at the Movado store when you bring in your Movado or ESQ--all the more reason to get a Movado... but I don't usually wear a watch. Maybe that's why I have no sense of time...

Candy is soooo nice by the way and got me a Kate Spade messenger bag... don't know if we should keep it or not. Feel kind of bad getting that when I just got this Fendi purse a week ago. :) Hehe. I really should stop shopping.

Saw Kill Bill 2

Sat May 1 18:58:39 EDT 2004
Saw Kill Bill 2 last night, and it was great... there was really fabulous dialog. And, it was very funny, as in humorous, whereas the first one was comical. There's a difference right? Hmm... before the movie, we went to get chineeesseee fooood. One of the dishes was fried soft shell crab with spicy salt... one of those rare things that you don't eat everyday (well, at least, I don't), and it was SOOO GOOD. Unfortunately, we got back late, but I had to get up early this morning... sleepy!

Can anyone say princess?

Wed Apr 28 19:44:02 EDT 2004
Ok, so... been busy working and stuff. I've also been shopping a lot online--oops. :p But, I haven't gotten any pink shoes lately, but my last BR bill was a bit insane.

So, my cousins came to visit my sister and I last week. I FELT SOOOO OLD. I picked up a shirt, and asked my 16 year old cousing, "Isn't this cute?" And, of course, I get a "No", as in, "What were you thinking?! That is SOOO not cute." And, then, I picked up another shirt, and said "Do you like this?", and I got "EVERYBODY has that shirt." Oh... well, I don't have that shirt... :p My sister said we shop at a different level compared to teenagers, and I said, "Yeah, expensive." Can anyone say princess? :) I mean, I have some cool stuff right? Pink mini Ipod, pink UGG boots... and pink is in, right? Oh well, maybe I am getting old. I definitely related better to the moms in American Eagle Outfitters than the teenagers. And... my cousins were also obsessed with Krispy Kreme donuts! I had one... and it was good... but hey, Stop and Shop glazed donuts are good too. Oh no, I'm getting old. :( Time to go sit on the sofa in a blanket and put on some eyecream.

Like, hi people!

Wed Apr 21 13:15:30 EDT 2004
Like, hi people! So first off, let me tell you about this amazing shopping trip Candy and I took to Target! They were having one of their "Dollar Days" sales... and we had to buy some Tide, Ziploc bags, Glad Cling-Wrap and all that good stuff... shampoo, fabric softener... just a lot of stuff, ok? And it came out to... approx. $130!! So... is that what we paid? Well, if you know me at all, it would be a "no way". I also had $30+ worth of coupons! I had a ton... must have been almost 30 coupons... and we ended up paying under $100! :) Wheee... Got some stuff free with the coupons too! The lady at the checkout said "This is big savings" and then afterwards asked how long it took to do all of that... It really didn't take that long. :)

OK--Candy rocks! Like, congrats on a job offer!!! And, my friend/coworker from i2 is coming to work at my current company, Unica! Wheee.... it will be so much fun. :)

Oh, and pink shoe update... I LOVE my pink UGG boots... they are so soft and warm... (ready to wear them next winter), but I am disappointed with my BR pink shoes... so, I will have to have a new search for pink shoes. :)

Umm... anything else? Not that I can think of... :p

Wheee, pinks shoes are great.

Wed Apr 14 15:48:57 EDT 2004
Helllooo, people. The day is dragging by insanely slowly. I don't know what the problem is. Will be another two hours before I can leave work... how will I be able to stand it?! It is also kind of hot in my office... WAH. *whine whine whine* I guess the best thing is that I have two pairs of pink shoes coming! Wheee, pinks shoes are great. :) Okay... nothing else to report.

Like, hello, Good Friday!

Sat Apr 10 00:10:25 EDT 2004
Like, hello, Good Friday! 'Sup ppl? Well... been working hard; tired all the time. Went with Candy to Good Friday service @ her church, and then hit IHOP for a late dinner snackie with daH's. Had Thai food twice today. No more dl in my rl. Like, bye.

SoCal

Fri Apr 2 19:52:36 EST 2004
Wassah, all? So, I have had a very busy week. I was in SoCal last Thursday until Monday. Then, I came back to work in full force... Just working hard... but, I think I am doing ok. I am ahead of schedule, and I would like to keep it that way!

Trip log...

Thursday night: Had a relatively nice flight to LAX; and then Eric took us to Lee's sandwiches, where a Vietnamese sub is only $1.75, and watching two cops arrest some hoodlum is free. (No joke! Our first night, and something was going down! That shady Eric...)

Friday: I think we went ... either north or south... to the Ghetto Museum and Malibu Beach (where we had seafood at Malibu Seafood). We were in traffic a lot. :)

Saturday: Went to Corona Del Mar for lunch at this great restaurant right by the beach. I think we went south to San Diego (I can't remember) where we visited Balboa Park (see galleries). And then, we went to IKEA at night!!! I LOVE IKEA. It is what paradise is like! I think this was the day we sat in the car a lot... Eric had to put his car in park ... on the freeway!

Sunday: Rode the Christian wave and went to church with the gang, and then went to Cerritos to have dinner with some friends... Then the car ride home. :)

Monday: Had breakfast at some diner owned by chinese people... someone didn't want to go to IHOP. Then, we went back to Boston! Wheee good to be home.

All in all, the trip to So Cal was AWESOME. Mainly because of the company... Eric and Bob rock! And, Candy isn't bad either. :) Hehe... yah, we are all da bombs and had so much fun!!!! Okay... will write more later, maybe. :)

started new job this week

Wed Mar 17 12:13:54 EST 2004
Hi, everyone... started new job this week (and this is why I have not been blogging lately), but I decided to take a little lunchtime break and reflect on my new job. It's nice being here... the people are nice, from who I've met so far. It's going to take a lot of getting used to... especially because I am so jaded and cynical from my previous job. :p I can't get past the fact that no matter how good it sounds, in reality, it sucks.

On the plus side, we have free lunch. I was so happy that they had a baby spinach salad today instead of the crappy lettuce mix. And, I put on balsamic vinegar and olive oil as dressing instead of the vomit dressing I had yesterday. But, I did get some vomit pasta salad today... I guess I'll be staying away from that in the future! There are also free sodas and snacks, and a nice selection of fruit juices... but I mostly drink my own tea that I bring in... It's funny, in the morning, around 9am, there is a group of congregated zombies staring at the drip-drip of the coffee pot. Hehe!!! :)

Real work-wise... I have just been reading docs, looking at demos, and looking at some code. I am really anxious to get towards coding... but I have to just be sure that I don't get way ahead of myself and all. :) I am started to get excited at the prospect of coding. Wheee....

Last weekend, Candy and I did out taxes (FINALLY)... so, that's a big load off of my mind. Okay, I've decided to get the RX400h (hybrid version of the Lexus RX330)... so, if you want to donate some $$ to Princess's Luxury Vehicle fund... I would appreciate it! :)

Wheeee!!!!!!!!!! Last day at work!!!!! :)

Fri Mar 12 14:02:14 EST 2004
Wheeee!!!!!!!!!! Last day at work!!!!! :) Had a nice sushi lunch, and now drinking my boba tea. Rob finished his and has these major hiccups. :) It is so hilarious. Have an "exit interview" soon... I think they should be called outerviews. And then, I am off to have my two days of relaxation before my new job. I really can't wait... I really like my new boss. I am sooooo excited!

Plans for this weekend: taxes on Saturday! and then a little dinner at our house. And, on Sunday, having a little knitting/sewing party. :)

my penultimate day at my current job

Thu Mar 11 13:41:25 EST 2004
As my penultimate day at my current job, we went to dim sum for lunch, in Chinatown! It was yummy, but now I think I have an MSG headache. :( Walking around before and after lunch was nice though. :)

Hmm... ok, that's all I got to say.

Hmm... neglected my blog again...

Wed Mar 10 10:00:11 EST 2004
Hmm... neglected my blog again... let's try to remember...

On Monday, I went to my friend's/coworker's house, Rob, to help him with a big shipment of building materials. He is finishing his attic... so, he ordered a lot of drywall, insulation, and lumber. So... the first flatbed truck came with the lumber... and we had to get it to his attic--the 4th floor! It was a pretty good system though... he and the lumber guy who drove the truck put it on the steps, and I moved it inside. Then, up each flight, I would stand the lumber up and push it up the stairwell, and Rob would pull it to the next floor. And, we probably did this for all 3 floors up, and in 4 or 5 batched. Hard work! :) Then... we waited for the boom truck to come, which lifts a pallet up to his window. But the truck was too small... because of powerlines, it had to sit across the street, go up, and over the powerline... but the truck they sent was too small for that. So... no luck :(. Supposedly, they would have boomed the wood up and we take it off of the pallet to the attic... which meant they would have saved us a lot of work (Rob learned this on the phone). But... it's just as well as we did not wait for that, because the truck was too small anyways! Did I mention it was a wet cold snow??? :)

Oh, and a funny story... I lost one of Rob's gloves. He told me to throw it from the attic to the ground--where he was. But the wind picked it up and put it on the porch roof of the first floor! OOPS. :p

So,... what happened yesterday? Well, quite a bit of work for me... trying to finish up some things. And then, after work, I went to the mall to get my *bling*-*bling* sunglasses. :) I will take pictures of them to show everyone. They are Chanel, rimless sunglasses, with a pink CC logo with rhinestones on each side. The sides are pink, and they are a rose tinted sunglass with a gradient. :)

Today... more work... wearing my new blue sweater that I got on Saturday and my super comfy shoes that I got at DSW. Going to give my coworker a tour of MIT before he leaves this company as well! Wheee... what should I have for lunch today?

My inner domestic goddess kicked in again...

Sun Mar 7 12:46:10 EST 2004
My inner domestic goddess kicked in again... sure, I did the normal laundry and cleaning... but I also made some pillows! Well, really, pillow forms.

Ok, so the story starts with my shopping day yesterday at Wrentham outlets... it was great. :) I didn't get all that much stuff... but at Banana outlet, I got 2 v-neck t-shirts (black and brown), a brown sweater with a gather on one side of the neckline, a black sweater with buttons along one shoulder, and a light blue sweater (v-neck, silk/cashmere... super soft). Ok, you caught me. YES, I already have one of those sweaters in brown... but... I need one in blue too. :) Oh, and I got a really cute denim jacket. I actually don't have any denim jackets, so it is new.

I got a plastic ladle (all one piece so it doesn't get all nasty in the dishwasher with water getting in the handles or whatever)... at some cooking store. And then, I went to Williams Sonoma Outlet... heaven! :) I got another ladle (metal, more for fancy serving), other utensils, acrylic containers for flour and stuff... and some really nice pillow cases... the ones for sofa pillows! They were cheap, too. :) So, this morning, I made some pillow forms... usually pillow forms cost something insane--like $10 each! Just for some fiberfill. But, I used some standard pillows that I got from Target for $3. And, I made 4 sofa pillow forms from 2 standard pillows. :) There are pictures of the pillows in the Living Room picture gallery. The new pillow cases are the two striped pillows on the single chairs. And, the 2 smaller chenille pillows on the big sofa by the window. :) Wheeeeeee!

playing musical offices and cubes

Fri Mar 5 16:29:12 EST 2004
We had office moves today... just playing musical offices and cubes. So, I moved to my new office... and will be there for a week. :) I put all of my stuff on my chair, put my backpack on, wheeled it down the hallway, and I was done! Helps when I started clearing out my stuff last week. :p

So, I have been in a MAJOR shopping mood, and not buying anything! I am soooo disappointed. I was in the mood just to buy some cotton t-shirts or sweaters for my new job--to wear in the spring/summer--but I came up empty handed. I even tried things on!! No luck. You would think it is simple... but no...

Also went shopping for the bag that I want to get (see shopping list)... but they didn't have the color that I wanted! *WAH*

I am really looking forward to my weekend, since I'll be going out for a restful evening of dinner and coffee with J & M, and then outlet shopping with them tomorrow!! We will see how it goes... maybe I'll be able to find _something_!

Condo Assessment

Thu Mar 4 10:58:31 EST 2004
Last night, Candy and I went to a meeting about our condo association and a possible assessment that might be happenig. Our concern is not the assessment in general, but how fast and carelessly it is moving. As individuals, we feel that we are not provided with accurate information to have any sort of comfortable feeling about this at all. So, I think I am going to run to be on the board of condo trustees in April. It will get me a chance to get involved the the community a little bit and make sure we do the right thing.

Well, I will try not to stress so much, and I will think about happier things... :p Umm, ok, I guess I am done with the happy things.

going away lunch

Wed Mar 3 14:20:43 EST 2004
So, today at work, we are going to Cheesecake Factory for a coworker's going away lunch. :) My last day is Friday, March 12th. I didn't want a lunch... but turns out everyone else wants a lunch. So... unless I want to eat lunch by myself on my last day, I guess I will have a going away lunch, too! :)

Looking forward to my new job... but, I have compiled a shopping list of necessary items.

Kate Spade Messenger Bag (I think in blue)

iPod mini (in pink)

Tissot T-Touch (blue face, titanium band)

Lexus RX330 (Neptune Blue Mica, and navigation system)

... and, I need some shoes and spring clothes

Ok... I think that's it... :) Time to do some shopping!

I did some major cleaning yesterday!

Mon Mar 1 16:48:18 EST 2004
I did some major cleaning yesterday! Vacuum cleaners are heavy... I had a Hoover Floormate in the basement, and so I moved it to the 2nd floor and then the first floor to clean the floors... and then move it back down to the basement. And then, to vacuum the rugs on the first floor, I had to get the big Hoover on the 2nd floor, vacuum, and then put it back. It is a self-propelled vacuum. You know what? Self-propelled vacuums make you work harder, I think, because, when the vacuum propels itself ... you have to use a lot of strength to stop it so it doesn't run away crazily.

So, my process for cleaning the first floor is always, shaking out the rugs in the entry-hallway outside, vacuuming those, vacuuming the hardwood, and then swiffering. Then, I do cleaning and dusting. Cleaning primarily consists of throwing things away.

Ok, that's it. I'm bored. Whee, it's still light outside now (almost 5pm)! :)

hellobrandy has become goodbyebrandy...

Fri Feb 27 14:17:50 EST 2004
hellobrandy has become goodbyebrandy... well, goodbye from my current job, that is! :) Exciting times and changes this year. I gave my two weeks notice today at my current company... and I will be starting a new job on March 15th! I never expected things to happen so fast... but I am very much looking forward to doing something new. I will most of all miss the wonderful coworkers that I currently have... they really made the job amazing.

I'll keep everyone updated! This is looking like an excellent year for me... in terms of change and doing new things. Thanks to my family and friends for all the support! :)

Did some look and feel changes for my website today...

Tue Feb 24 11:29:38 EST 2004
Did some look and feel changes for my website today... :) I added some color to the scroll bars so they match the colors on my website--but, I might want to change them again... I don't know if I like all of that purple. I changed my navigation menu on the left so it is more compact. But, I don't know what I should put in the "What should go here?" titlebar. I also added a Website Info section to my website to keep track of the features. We'll see how long that lasts. :) Yesterday, I added some validation to the guest book (to require name and email address) and also to fix some bugs where the entries mess up if someone uses double quotes... so feel free to use them! :) I think I might want to do a complete color change... :) Maybe some pink?

Total domestic goddess day...

Sun Feb 22 19:34:54 EST 2004
Total domestic goddess day... did a lot of cooking. Made that saag paneer with tofu, chicken biryani (Indian rice pilaf with whole eggs, yum!), pork and shrimp wontons, and vegetable soup. Maybe with all of that, I won't have to do any cooking for the rest of the week... sounds good to me. :) Also, put a batch of oatmeal muffins (with orange zest and walnuts) in the oven... it's a diabetic recipe... I hope it isn't gross. :p To add to the domestic goddessness, I did laundry, cleaned, vaccuumed. It was a very productive day.

Had another interview on Friday... they said they wanted me to come in for a second round. It's a company that is really close to my house--which is great. My officemate is also going there on Tuesday for an interview. So, both of us might jump ship... or, maybe I'll go work in Europe for a little bit. :)

Also on Friday, I installed the new NEC DVD+R/-R/RW that I got! Whee, worked well... except that I had the jumpers wrong the first time... so, my machine froze. I also vaccuumed the inside of our server... so it is all souped up and clean. :) I was mad that the drive didn't come with any cables or screws (that's what you get for buying it cheap), but thankfully, I had everything I needed. It is an 8x drive for both -r and +r... which is harder to find. I definitely wanted the 8x for -r, since dvd-r media is cheaper for some reason. And, of course, it is black, to match my bad-ass black server. It also burned a regular cd-r at 32x--impressive! At least, I was impressed. :p

Oh, some funny thing. I got a little post card from Sony-Ericsson, saying they were giving me a FREE phone upgrade, with no strings attached... but, the phone is not as nice as my current phone. And, I didn't ask for it... they say on the card that they are just going to send it to me. So, how is it an UPgrade if the phone is crappier than the one I have had for two years? :) Hehe. Well, maybe I can salvage parts of the phone or something. :) Anyone use AT&T and want a color sony-ericsson T226?

I wonder when I will be able to smell and taste again...

Mon Feb 16 10:16:55 EST 2004
I wonder when I will be able to smell and taste again... I have the flu, and it is the worst flu I have had since... last month. :) No... last month it was just a cough... a perpetual cough. But, this was the real deal. I went to the cdc's flu info page, and I had every symptom.

Why did I even expend the energy to put honey on my toast this morning? I didn't even taste it. I did put butter... and I needed that, otherwise it would have been dry. I guess I could have sprinkled it with water, though--and it would have been nice and moist, and it would have tasted the same to me.

I have an interview tomorrow morning... but I think I might have to cancel it because I am really sick. If they don't want to hire me for that reason alone--then, I don't want to work there anyways. I did have an interview last Thursday... it was before the really bad parts of the flu... and it went alright... except towards the end. I was in the middle of an explanation of something, and had to ask what the original question was. :) I think my medication must have started to wear off... hehehe. :) Or maybe it was because I couldn't breathe as well as normally, and I had lack of oxygen to my brain!

Anyways, after the constant badgering of my sister, I implemented it so that comments show up in the blog archives. It's just stuck underneath each entry right now... but I'll improve that later, I think. I should probably start putting a feature-list or a help-doc to go with this website... I need to stop working on it, or it is going to get complicated, and I don't like that. :)

Going to try making some Saag Paneer today...

Fri Feb 6 13:30:02 EST 2004
Going to try making some Saag Paneer today... it is an Indian spinach curry with cheese cubes. But, I am going to try to make it with tofu instead of cheese. We will see how it turns out. :)

It was snowing like crazy today!! It has pretty much stopped now, but I can hear some ice pelting on my window. I guess that would be called sleet. :p

Yay, getting some new xbox games today!

Wed Feb 4 13:50:17 EST 2004
Yay, getting some new xbox games today! Prince of Persia and Splinter Cell (which came free with it). I hope it is as good as Ghost Recon. Last night, we had some salmon for dinner, with broccoli and broiled graped tomatoes. I used some garam masala to coat the salmon and then fried it in a pan--it was so nice and crispy on the outside. So, I am on a kick to find a nice place (online?) to buy some Indian spices along with other things. Anyone have any suggestions?

MIT Robot Competition

Fri Jan 30 14:48:57 EST 2004
Went to the MIT Robot Competition last night--it was pretty cool. But, we had to leave early because Jordan was bored. Besides that, been good about finishing lots of work-work ahead of time. At lunch, I had a "business lunch" with a couple of my coworkers to just touch base on a startup. I hope something comes to fruition soon, since I think we would all be happier working on something that is ours.

Tonight, going out to dinner with Candy and her friend... a nice Indian place in Waltham, I think. Going to Minado (Japanese sushi buffet, in Natick) for Jeanie's birthday, wheee! We have a superbowl party on Sunday! Yay!! So, seems like a pretty packed weekend.

Also, getting geared up to look for new jobs now. I don't know how the job market is... I think that I definitely have time unless something catastrophic happens with the project/office/company. But, still, the hardest thing is finding out what I want to do and where I want to go.

source control system was down...

Mon Jan 26 10:01:52 EST 2004
Came in to work this morning to realize that our source control system was down... again. I woke up this morning at 5am and couldn't get back to sleep until 7am! :( Poor me. Well, nothing is going on today... I am at work... then, I have a KSquare lunch. My sister told me to behave myself, and she was going to sit me between herself and Philana, so I don't launch myself at people to beat them up. But, Philana isn't going... so if someone is annoying, I don't know what my sister will do. Hehe. :p

"WHEEEE!"

Sun Jan 25 16:51:48 EST 2004
I implemented a little counter for my website... whee. Besides that, I did some vacuuming this morning... and laundry. And then, I took a nap. :) As Juliana would say, "WHEEEE!"

Decided to venture in to developing some applications for my pocket pc...

Sat Jan 24 09:40:27 EST 2004
Decided to venture in to developing some applications for my pocket pc... fun, huh? We'll see how I do.

So, what do people think of the comment system of my blog? I doubt anyone will comment on my blogs though... it was more of a request from Candy. I guess people have a lot to say about what she says. :p

Oh, went to the Chanel counter last night to get some night cream and some highlighter/blush--but they were sold out! It was the counter at the Chestnut Hill Bloomies... what kind of Chanel counter is it?! Sold out! as if! :p

Plan for today is to go to Home Depot and get an outlet/socket replacement for our downstairs bathroom... It has been broken for about 6 months. :) We'll see if that fixes it. If not... well, I don't know. We tried calling a contractor, but contractors are really busy and it is hard for him to get to us. Oh well... we can do it ourselves (or, at least try)!

bored bored bored...

Fri Jan 23 12:39:23 EST 2004
bored bored bored... today, I will work on a blog subscription and comment system... sounds fun, huh? :)

Haiku

Tue Jan 20 21:39:32 EST 2004
Some haiku:

Wind blows frigid cold

Teardrops of ice freeze on cheeks

Blink once and eyes close

Stayed home from work today because I was sick...

Thu Jan 15 17:34:48 EST 2004
Stayed home from work today because I was sick... and it was a cold cold day--what was it? a big whopping 0F or something? But, it gave me time to reflect on things...

Okay... I didn't come up with anything. But, I did realize that I was neglecting my blog. It's not that I've been busy--it's just that I don't have anything to blog about. So, maybe that means I need to get out more? ... nah. :p

So, this past weekend, I went wedding dress shopping. I went just for fun, hoping one day, I would find that special someone, and get married on October 27th of this year (I already have the venue reserved). HAHA, just kidding. No... one of my friends is getting married--and I tagged along with her and Candy (one of her bridesmaids) on a wedding dress shopping expedition. And, I've come to realize that wedding planning is insane. I do not want to have a wedding. The dress alone takes weeks of trying on and deciding... and then you have location, time, food, invitations, color-scheme, flowers, bouquet, bridesmaid dresses, what your mother is going to wear (one of those awesome sequin tops), what your father is going to wear (the same suit he wore to my graduation--college and high school and my sister's graduation--college and highschool), the millions of people you have to invite, the millions of people you can't invite, the millions of people you don't want to invite (but are inviting anyway for your parents)... and a thousand other things. Just thinking about it now is stressing me out... and I am not even getting married.

SO... most people who know me know my awesome super-processor brain... and know that I have come up with a very simple solution to this whole wedding thing. First of all, I think I'll wear black--I don't even have a white t-shirt or white underwear, why would I have a whole white dress? Second, I think I will simply send out an evite--no invitations, with an online RSVP system. Relatives who don't have email? Well... anyone who doesn't have email doesn't have to come to any wedding of mine. Actually, one of my friends had a great idea... just have a webcast--then, the location, time, people you invite, etc. is all solved. And, for the reception... just have it some where... like my house--I will buy massive amounts of chicken on a stick from Sam's club and heat them up in the oven (I love those things!).

Just my $0.02 on weddings and stuff... we'll see what happens when/if I ever get married. :p

peanut butter and banana sandwich

Thu Jan 8 11:20:58 EST 2004
Couldn't resist ordering some shirts this morning from banana. :p Also, enhanced my guest book... I will get email notification whenever someone signs my guest book. :) I had a peanut butter and banana sandwich for breakfast this morning. Lunch--veggie soup. Yeah, that about sums up the highlights of my day. :)

Yummm had Indian buffet for lunch...

Wed Jan 7 15:04:08 EST 2004
Yummm had Indian buffet for lunch... it was soooo good. Yay! Been a busy little bee at work today... doing some new graphing things (blah, I hate graphing). I think my major beef with doing user interface things is that it is so easy for other people to complain about them--because they see it. GRRRR. Also, at work, some guy's laptop broke, and they needed an XP cd, but no one in IS&T had one... hehehe, so I said I could make them one if they had a CD-R. Well, I don't know if they got one, or they couldn't find a CD-R (probably the latter)--but, they didn't get back to me. Ha ha, funny workplace.

Hmm, watched an episode of season 3, 24--I was a little confused. Started knitting a hat... I should really try to finish one knitting project before I start on another one. :p

I think I should be getting more work today--yay!

Tue Jan 6 10:23:38 EST 2004
I think I should be getting more work today--yay! But, sucks that I'm sick. I seem to have some sinus cold... but it isn't bad at all. Maybe it will go away soon if I get enough rest. I had an egg sandwich this morning for breakfast. For lunch, I have some salty rice porridge. Hmm... what to eat for dinner tonight?

Candy is going to cook tomorrow night! I'll help her and all... but she is going to decide what to make and go shopping for it--then cook for her small group, when they come over tomorrow night.

Hehe, funny thing... my officemate at work finally received the postcard I sent him from Amsterdam... like in October! Isn't that crazy? I wonder where it has been for two months! Anyways, at least he got it.

Ummm... Happy Monday?

Mon Jan 5 10:31:31 EST 2004
Ummm... Happy Monday? First day of work in the new year... blah! Woke up to a nice wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain... BRRRR. My most exciting event of the day was eating a french toast bagel from ABP--yummm!

I'm a little sick... started getting sick Saturday night, I woke up and was not able to get back to sleep so quickly. But last night, I got a lot of rest, and seem to be doing much better today.

Happy New Year!

Sat Jan 3 13:36:59 EST 2004
Happy New Year! This has been a busy year for me... had a milestone 25th birthday, went to Amsterdam (first trip to Europe and by myself), learned a lot of stuff about home improvement, and had a great time with friends and family.

This morning, I installed an 80GB HDD on my server at home! Yay! Lots more space. Maybe I'll make it a new year's resolution to blog more...