Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone! :) Hope you all had a great day. I spent most of the day with my family and organizing the house. Have to get ready for work tomorrow--it should be really quiet in the office, just the way I like it :).

ZOMG Shoes!

My new Chanel shoes!!!! :) I got them on sale at Neimans (which only takes cash, Neimans card, and American Express btw.)

Mini S'mores

We had a fun little mini s'more adventure!.



First, we took a bunch of Golden Grahams and laid them out on a baking tray with a mini marshmallow cut in half and a chocolate chip. This is much harder than you might think because cereal isn't nice and flat like crackers. Then, under the broiler it went, and then when it was all melty, it was capped with another Golden Graham. It was pretty silly... but pretty fun to do :).

Miscellaneous Musings

When it's garbage day, after the trash pickup, our garbage can is usually upsidedown, on the side, or in the middle of the driveway, just thrown there. But on a day when it is raining or snowing, it is perfectly upright with the lid open. Do the garbage-pickup-people do it on purpose?

My most awesome deal of the last year... maybe 5 years? I bought 4 Chanel scarves at Filene's Basement! They were like 75% off or more of the price I would pay at a Chanel store. Yay! And, I did see this one Chanel scarf many years ago at a Filene's Basement that I didn't buy... and have regretted it ever since. I made sure this time, that I bought all of the ones that I like. So, if you're a fan of Chanel scarves--check out the FB in Newton! :)

Tis the season...

Hi, everyone! I'm excited to be participating in this year's Samaratin's Purse, Operation Christmas Child. Collection week is next week, so if any of you want to get involved--you should get in gear! I decided to do a girl's Christmas box for a girl aged 10-14. I think a lot of people tend to pick the younger children, so I decided to go for an older age group. It's a lot of fun picking out a bunch of stuff for my shoe box... necessities and fun toys or stationary. It's a really great idea and I hope it'll make a difference in some child's life this Christmas. When I was doing my shopping at Target, in front of a whole row of children's socks--a nice lady came up to ask me if I had any idea what size to get for a 2-4 yr old--and she was doing OCC too! It was pretty fun shopping, knowing that there were a lot of others shopping in the same store for the same cause.

Amsterdam 2007: Day 8, Last Day

Last full day in Amsterdam... :) and :(. I'm sad that my vacation is over and that I'll be leaving such a beautiful and fun city, but so excited to go back home to my own house, my own bed, my own kitchen, etc. :p

We started out the day just by having oatmeal in our room. And then we had a gevulde koek (almond filled cookie) with coffee :) yummm. Next... we went to our favorite store again, de Bijenkorf, but we didn't really buy anything. We had more coffee there and a sauzijebroodje (sausage croissant type thing) which was pretty good. We walked up and down the shopping street a bit--and actually tried on some clothes, which didn't really look quite right on us. Skirts are wayyyyy too long, for example--cuz we're not as tall as dutch ladies. More people getting in our way, but I was good and didn't push down anyone riding their bicycles or anything :p. Then, we met our friend for a late tosti. We then went to FEBO where they have the food in little doors, and got some kroketten and fries (with mayonnaise of course). I guess it was a day of eating a lot of typical dutch goodies. We then had an early dinner at the Chinese restaurant near our hotel again--Oriental City, and it was really nice and warm and filling.

Now, that's the end of all my Amsterdam 2007 entries... I'm signing out and packing. See you all when I get back!! :)

Amsterdam 2007: Day 7, Shopping

Hallo! This is Brandy, again, and still in Amsterdam :). Today was essentially a shopping day. :) After having a nice breakfast from the bakery, sis and I went to a souvenir shop and Chimera, which is this neat fantasy shop (coolest I have ever seen). Then, of course, we went to de Bijenkorf where I got a hat and we looked at lots of clothes (which we didn't buy). We had a couple of cappuccinos at de Bikenkorf cafe, La Ruche, and a slice of appel pie ... well, I think it is an apple cake or tart :).

After shopping, sis and I headed to get some Vlamise frites (Belgian style fries), and I had mine with fritesaus (mayonaisse essentially), while my sis had ketchup. Mmmmm. Later in the afternoon, we went to O'Reilly's Irish Pub to have a late lunch with our friend. Then, we did more shopping at the Magna Plaza, which is a nice shopping center right next to our hotel. We went to Albert Heijn again, mostly because we wanted to eat a little something healthy--so we brought fruit. I was just going to have fruit for dinner, but we ended up at Oriental City--our favorite Chinese restaurant in Amsterdam. My sister meant to order pipa tofu--which is fried tofu balls with diced shrimp in it... but we ended up with half a duck instead. It was still very yummy though... but I guess ordering in Cantonese in Holland isn't the same as Cantonese in the US :). After dinner, we ate the fruit that we got as well as some gevulde koek (filled cookie--with almonds). And then, we watched Hollow Man on TV... we're pretty good at picking out crappy movies to watch on tv.

Okay--side note about the whole Amsterdam trip... I swear people just walk into you here. In the department store today, sis was walking and then someone just walked into her from behind. I saw the whole thing... and it was very strange... how can you just walk into someone from behind while looking forward? This other time, I was between two small shoe display rows, and there was a wall at the end... so I was essentially standing in the middle of a U. So, this lady comes there and blocks my exit while looking at shoes, and I move towards her... and she doesn't move. I have to say "excuse me" to get her to move out of the way. Helllooo? Why would you just block someone's exit. Then, I was getting onto the escalator, and someone with a ladder wants to put it right in front of the escalator (and block half of the escalator entrance)... of course--I'm in the way and he almost hits me. But really, what's the deal with people getting in your way all the time. It is the strangest thing.. but on a sidewalk, if I am walking on the right, someone coming towards me will just walk right towards me and collide with me if I don't move (even though they could walk on the left). Argggggh. Hehe, time to go home before I start beating up tourists and crazy Dutch ladies.

Amsterdam 2007: Day 6, Vondelpark, Movie

Another day in Amsterdam filled with shopping and food. We started out searching for breakfast at McDonald's--but they only have egg McMuffin here and nothing else. So, we went to the bakery instead, where we got ham and cheese croissants and apple beignets.

Then, we went to do our massive shopping at the Albert Heijn supermarket--stroopwafels, chocolates, curry ketchup... even sauce for the boerenkool stampot that I make every Thanksgiving. My sister didn't let me get the typical sausage that you put on top, which is a pretty good idea since it probably wouldn't get through customs. Then, after we dropped off goodies at the hotel, we did some more shopping on Kalverstraat and de Bijenkorf. It is just SOOOO awesome being right across the street from the de Bijenkorf and across the square from Kalverstraat. :) I got mini-stroopwafels from the HEMA. I also got few accessories at this store, Bijou Brigette--which is completely overwhelming, but because there was no one that early int he morning, it was manageable and I was able to find a couple of things.

In the afternoon, we went to the Three Sisters, which is a typical Dutch Bruincafe--a brown cafe known for it's nice brown walls of wood. Then, we headed to Van Dobben, which is essentially this Dutch fast food place where I had Van Dobbin kroket (their specific brand of kroket) and pea soup. It was really good :). We then took a walk to Vondelpark (kind of like Amsterdam's mini Central Park) and watched a movie. This is funny... the movie in America is called "War", but here it is "Rogue Assassin", which I think is a much better name than "War". I thought the movie would just be an okay thing to kill some time, but it was actually an excellent movie where action films go. I highly recommend that everyone see it. It was kind of wierd with the Dutch subtitles on the bottom--but it was cool. Also, I was pretty confused when the movie began, since I'm used to seeing a screen, "Now, for your Feature Presentation...". But, it was my first movie in Amsterdam, and really nice.

After the movie, we had Indonesian rijstafel (rice table) at Sahid Jaya (I have to doublecheck on the name) which is rice and a lot of little dishes, salads, and sides. It was soooo yummy, and we had tis great "iced coffee", which was a scoop of cappucino and vanilla ice cream with coffee poured on top. Mmmmm. Another amazing day and a very full tummy.

Amsterdam 2007 - Day 5, Utrecht

This was another great day of holiday. In the morning, I had a little bit of oatmeal because I felt that I had been eating too much stuff. Then, sis and I went out shopping, and we were feeling in need of a snack after a little bit, so we got apple beignets (apple doughnuts essentially). We just got some small stuff here and there, nothing big.

Around noon, we took the train to this town outside of Amsterdam, called Utrecht. Coming out of the Utrecht Centraal train station, you are right inside a mall--the first mall I've ever seen in Europe I suppose. So we did a little walking around and shopping in weird mall shops.

Utrecht was a really nice old town--pretty typically Dutch, I would say. There were a lot of small shopping streets and nice houses. The canals were interesting because, unlike Amsterdam, the street is much higher than the canal, so that there is a lot of lower groung right next to the canel (between the street and the canal), where there are many terraces for restaurants and such. However, these are closed right now because it is just much too cold to sit outside and right on the canal.

After we walked around for a bit, we had a typical dutch lunch of broodje gezond -- a "healthy" sandwich of bread, ha, cheese, and hardboiled sliced egg. It was really yummy. After lunch and some coffee, we walked around some of the shopping streets in Utrecht, and low and behold--what do we find? My favorite Dutch department store, de Bijenkof! :) But, it was awesome because this de Bijenkorf had the bag that I wanted in the perfect style AND color! It's this faux-crocodile handbag that they make in several sizes and a few colors--but the de Bijenkorf that was right by my hotel didn't have it in exactly the right size and color, so I was really happy to get this one! After walking around some more, we stopped for another coffee, of course. :)

Then, we headed back to Amsterdam among the rush hour working people--which was pretty interesting. We relaxed a bit at the hotel before heading to Lucius, a Dutch seafood restaurant for dinner. It was absolutely fantastic! We had a Muscadet wine, which was really quite nice to go with the fish. As our starters, we all ordered the same thing--mussels in a cream sauce. Where I'm used to getting mussels int he shell, they removed all the mussels from the shell (except one for decoration), and the sauce was wonderful. Then, as my main course--I had a fish stew in tomato stock with cilantro pesto. It was sooo yummy (I'm still full from dinner). For dessert, I had this pina colada mousse with pineapple ice cream. Mmm, so yummy :). Then, we relaxed in the hotel and watched one of the stupidest movies ever. :p

Side note: in the business center, when someone walks in--why do they say hello to me? I don't know them. So, I just ignore them :).

Amsterdam 2007 - Day 4, Jordaan

Hallo! Today was a very relaxing day in Amsterdam. First, I got up late... again :p. But then I went to the Bakkerij de Waal and got ham and kaas croissants and an appleflap (apple turnover croissant) for Candy and I. Then, we did a little bit of light shopping at Xenos, which is this dollar store like place. We got some koffie cups (they say "koffie" on them), and the handles have these little slots of a little ceramic spoon that comes with it, so it is rather cute. We also go other little random goodies there. Next, we went to the HEMA which is another department store-like place, and we had to just get some more random gifts quickly since we had to meet our friend.

In the afternoon, we took a stroll in Jordaan, which is this nice and typically Dutch neighborhood near our hotel. There were a lot of canal houses and a nice big church (big for Amsterdam, I think--nothing like Westminster Alley or anything). Then, we went to a typical cafe/brasserie, I believe it was the Cafe de Jordaan, where we had a light lunch. I had bitterballen, which translates to "meatball", but it is essentially exactly like a kroket but shaped into little balls. I also had some tea and coffee and talked to friends there.

After walking around a bit more, we headed to de Bijenkorf... well, to the cafe for more coffee and some tiramisu. It was more like a marcapone cake instead of real tiramisu (didn't taste like coffee or anything), but it was still good. I wasn't really finding much too much stuff that I wanted to buy, but coming downstairs and out of the department store, I saw in the corner of my eye a display of Oilily bags that were on sale! Why were they not with the other bags in the front of the department store? Well, obviously, they were hiding them for me so that I could buy them. :) Now, I am super happy that there was a bag that I wanted to buy and that I got it--perfect style and shape for me.

After de Bijenkorf, we relaxed for a little with some wine from the hotel (see Amsterdam - Day 1), and then went to dinner at our favorite Chinese restaurant here, Oriental City.

Amsterdam 2007 - Day 3, Hoorn

This morning, I went to the Bakkerij by my hotel and got a couple of croissants for breakfast. It's where I went last time, and very familiar and comforting for me. We had an easy morning (didn't wake up until 9:30am).

We took the train to Hoorn, this little port tow outside of Amsterdam to visit a friend of ours. We didn't end up doing much because it was a little rainy, but that's just fine for vacation. We had pannenkoeken met speck (pancakes with bacon) for lunch along with some capuccinos. Then, we walked around the shopping street--making stops at stumpel, a bookshop to get some cards (I have to stock up on greeting cards and note paper).

We then hung out more, wanting to grab an early dinner since our friend had to leave for a guitar lesson--and everything was closed! So, we got frites (fries) and broodje kroket (kroket on bread) for dinner. Yay junk food! Well, at least it's special Dutch junk food :). Then, Candy and I headed back to Amsterdam to have an early evening. I think I'll take a bubble bath tonight.

Amsterdam 2007 - Day 2, Getting Situated

Hallo, from Holland! :) This was a great day today in Holland, since my sister and I were getting situated. First, there was the time change for the winter solstice, so we got an "extra hour" of sleep. I fell asleep a little after midnight and woke up at 9:30am--so that was definitely enough, and felt like a whole new person compared to yesterday. Sis and I ate a little bit of oatmeal in the room (yes we brought it with us, as we did a little ramen and granola bars... we just like to be prepared and have some "comforts" of home"). That way, we could just get ready at our own pace and get ready slowly.

Then, C and I went to Albert Heijn grocery store to get some water, chocolate, and chips for the room. They have weird flavors here like "heinz ketchup", balsamic (we got that because it's the closest to salt and vinegar), and I think something like barbecue chicken. I can't remember... they were weird. Oh yeah, and a "vegetable" flavored potato chip... so, a potato flavored potato chip? Heheh, I dunno. :) We dropped off the stuff in the hotel room before we headed out for "pre-shopping".

So, our pre-shopping for me is a mental cataloging of the things we would buy. Of course, we would be going to museums and such, so we also didn't want to carry anything around. We went to Peet & Cloppenburg, a pretty large clothing store in Dam Square next to Madame Tussaud's wax museum (which I do not plan ever on going to) where they sold Mexx clothes. There was also a sale and some possibly cute kiddie clothes.

I then went on the hunt for my usual cheap postcards that I send. Yes, I get the cheap ones (you are lucky if you get anything--so no complaining! :P). It is essentially 3.50 euro for a pack of 14. I usually bring scissors because I need to cut the cards separately--but there is a new design... they are perforated!! Now, this is quite excellent except there is a lot of little paper flecks when I tear the cards apart. And, you still have to cut cards 1 & 2 away from the pack... so it's still not the best design.

Then we made our way down one of the major shopping streets, Kalverstraat, on the search for the English department store, Marks and Spencer, which we were not able to find. After browsing in a few shoppes, we went to lunch in the Kalvertoren (Kalver Tower), where I had two kroketten. For anyone who doesn't know... kroketten is like... fried breaded gravy with meat inside. It's rather yummy and just a typical dutch thing that I only eat when in Amsterdam, so it makes it kind of special. I am even on the hunt for a special store that sells a special brand of kroket, Van Dobbin.

After lunch, we took a walk to the movie theater because we wanted to see what was playing and perhaps catch a movie. I've heard the theaters in Amsterdam are really nice (used to be old classical theaters I believe), but there was not a single movie that we wanted to see!

So, we made our way to the museum of the day, the Van Gogh museum, and it was rather fabulous. Van Gogh is actually my favorite painter, but we usually go to the larger Rijksmuseum (but it is still under construction... it's been on construction ever since my first time in Amsterdam in 2003). I highly recommend the Van Gogh museum because I would say that 75% of the art in there is fantastic, and it tells a very cohesive story. You can see the art laid out with the perspective of Van Gogh's life. I addition, there are works by other impressionist artists like Monet and Van Gogh's friends at the time, and you can compare works and styles side by side. You can see how even though Van Gogh and one of his collegues used the same strokes, the works are very different. Unlike other bigger museums that have lots and lots of works, and you like only 10% of everything, this was a great focused display are art. It's realy a plus if you like Van Gogh and his style of painting... yeah, so if you don't--you should probably skip the museum :p.

As we often do, we stopped in the museum cafe for some coffee. We made our way to the Leidesplein and there was an awesome set of street performers. It was kind of soft electronic-y techno-y stuff, but it was really good and had a great beat. It was at that moment that the feeling of vacation really sunk in on me... being in a nice little crowd (not overwhelming at all) with other people, Dutch and tourist alike, and just being on vacation! Then, time for more coffee, we went to the Three Sisters on the Leidesplein for more coffee until it was dinnertime. This was not the Three Sisters on my map, but another one :p.

After a long coffee, we went to Wagamama for dinner, yay!!! Love Wagamama. It's one of the few non-smoking restaurants, which I just love. However, the had no sake and their coffee machine was broken... so it was pretty disappointing. So, I had iki beer (made from green tea and other japanese fruits), which I pronounced "icky" :p. We also had duck gyoza and shrimp katsu as our side dishes. I had the chili beef ramen, of course :p. For dessert, I had banana katsu (so, breaded fried bananas) with yuzu ice cream... super yummy!

Amsterdam 2007 - Day 1, Arrival

Hey all, greetings from Amsterdam and Happy Birthday to me! :)

The flight on the way to Amsterdam was pretty fast and good, though the plane was a little small. We got here before I expected, so it was really nice. The we took the longest an dmost interesting hotel shuttle to our hotel. We didn't want to tell the nice shuttle driver that we had already been to Amsterdam, so he told us where the Anne Frank museum was, to eat at Wok Away or something, and a bunch of other random stuff. He was super nice, but a crazy driver. It's good we didn't hit any bicyclists.

When we arrived at our hotel, our room wouldn't be available until 2pm. So, we went to the department store across from our hotel, de Bijenkorf where we had a light lunch. We proceeded to walk around de Bijenkorf, but it was a madhouse and people were cutting me off. I was pretty tired and probably a little slower than normal, so they kept on cutting me off, which just annoyed me. But alas, it was disappointing since there wasn't any Mandarina Duck item that I wanted to buy. But, I did see a de Bijenkorf collection of a purple patent crocodile handbag that I might get. Wheeee!

At 1:30pm, my sister and I couldn't take it anymore--so we went back to the hotel to ask if the room was ready. And if it wasn't ready, we ould just camp out in the lobby, hehe :). But, it was all ready and clean, and my sister and I both crashed. Though, people knocked on the door 3 times... once for some type of housekeeping, once to give us a bottle of wine (eh? is it because it's my birthday or something?--no idea), and another to give us some "i amsterdam" pamphlet. Okay--note to self: put the do not disturb on the door. Maybe the hotel people were being nice, trying to keep us up :p.

After sis and I woke up from our 3.5 hr "nap", we got ready to go to dinner at Luden. I had tuna carpaccio, fried shrimp and coquilles (I had to ask what coquilles were--they are scallops), and creme brulee for dessert. However, I wasn't doing so well when the main course arrived, so I had to take a breather outside. I think it was because there is smoking allowed in the restaurant and it really messed with me. But, after a little air break, I was ok and able to have a little of my dessert (it was way too huge for me to finish the whole thing). Dinner took about three hours... ahhhh I remember what it's like to be on vacation now :).

Though, I did tell my sis before we even got on the plane that while I can't wait to get to Amsterdam, I also couldn't wait to get back home. Because, then I'd be home with a bunch of cool memories and nice goodies for all my friends and family. :) See you all soon!

PS It's daylight savings tomorrow Oct 28 here, so I'll have a 5 hr difference only until I get back, when it is daylight savings in the US.

Travel Technology

I haven't blogged much recently since I'm planning my trip. However, I am having a lot of fun using technology to plan my travels.

Specifically, I created an Amsterdam 2007 Google Map and putting all of the places I want to go on it. (And, even updating little icons with which places are food, shopping, etc. :)). If you have Google Earth--you can download the map and see it in Google Earth and pictures of all the places I am going. It is really awesome!

ZOMG New Game!

ZOMG I think I have to get this new game for the XBOX 360!

Busy weekends...

Alright, I do love October, but it is SOOOO busy! I haven't had an un-busy weekend for weeks now, and I'm getting tired :). It's a good thing I was sick partially this weekend, since it made me take downtime and relax at home. On Friday night, I was preparing for the diabetes walk on the next day by making trail mix and washing fruit for snacks. Plus, I had to get up early to cook a big breakfast in preparation for the walk.



On Saturday morning, it was our big Step Out to Fight Diabetes walk. I'm happy to have raised $670 to our total Team Luxe fund-raising of $3820! I thought this was great for our first year, since I really didn't know what to expect. The walk was on the most gorgeous day every! The sky was the bluest I have ever seen in Boston, and it was probably the best day I have ever had walking around in town. After the walk, we just vegged on the sofa and watched tv for a little bit, and then headed out to the Natick Collection for some dinner and shopping.

On Sunday, my sis and I got birthday haircuts and went to a little kids birthday party. :) It's a good thing we were in charge of the Balloon Time, though I had a pretty good time counting the number of meltdowns when kids got pelted by foam balls. :)

New Fall Jacket

I got a new Wildcat 3-in-1 Jacket in Iris for my trip to Amsterdam!

Coordinated, but not matchy-matchy

I think that fashion has evolved to being more about coordinating and less about matching. Matching your shoes and handbag or handbag and dress are out. It's more about coordination and things just "going" together.

Think complimentary colors:
- Brown and pink
- Brown and blue
- Green and pink
- Gray and orange
- Purple and orange


It's all about the color wheel, and going for colors that are opposite so that each color stands out more. Analagous colors (those right next to each other) are out, where complimentary (directly across from each other) or triadic (three colors evenly spaced apart) are desired.

It's also important for people to be coordinated, but not matchy matchy. Remember the fabulous article, How to Dress Like the Perfect Couple? It's pretty important to have your man match your purse. A few weeks ago, my sister and I were wearing black and pink. That would have been too matchy matchy, except I had a pink skirt and black top; where my sister had a pink top and black bottom--so, it looked nicely coordinated. Take my outfit today, for example... I'm wearing a gray dress over an orange shirt and I have a gray and orange bag that matched exactly! Did I use it?... No! Instead, I chose a lighter gray bag with orange trip so it was more coordinated and didn't blend in with the outfit.

So, remember, go for coordinated and not matchy-matchy. Go for colors that compliment each other instead of "match" together.

Halo 3 is awesome

Okay, so Mr. Studmuffin got me an XBOX 360 for my bday (thank you!). I have to admit, that it is a super sweet gift :). Why get something like jewelry or a stuffed heart pillow when you can decapitate aliens with a big electric axe?

Harvard Square

Was in Harvard Square last night, and went to Pinocchio's for dinner--ate half a cheese steak and a slice of tomato/basil Sicilian pizza. It is soooo yummy. Then, we went to Herrell's for smushed ice cream. It was pretty good, but a teensy bit soupy. It was actually pretty muggy and humid for some reason.

On the T, we got into the nastiest body odor steam subway car, *cry*. Had to get out at the next stop to switch cars and it was so much better. This is why I don't take public transportation.

I need to go shopping! I feel like I haven't bought anything in the longest time (which I guess is a good thing), but still--MUST go shopping! Okay... this weekend :).

I <3 October

I LOVE OCTOBER! :) I am so happy it's October. It's a super-hectic birthday month (both my sister and I have our bdays in October), but it is a lot of fun. Plus, it's Fall... which means beautiful cool weather with the smell of fireplaces outside and the color of pretty leaves. It's just a fun time... maybe it's the quiet time before hectic November and December for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Halloween is really fun too, because it's all about the little kiddies and carving pumpkins.

I love apple cider, so it's the perfect time of year to drink hot apple cider. New fall fashion is always exciting too. Summer clothes are usually pretty crappy, where fall fashion is elegant and glamorous... and well, being my birthday, I can buy myself new clothes as presents :).

Proud owner of Lotus Rouge

I am the proud new owner of the new Chanel nail color, Lotus Rouge.



I went to Neiman Marcus at the "Natick Collection" (roll eyes), and the Chanel lady said that they didn't have anymore and "they could take my name". Whatever, I just told her I would go to a different store. And, so, off to Macy's I went, in the "old school" part of the mall, and they had one last bottle of Lotus Rouge! So excited! Yeah--I am SO anti-new fancy Natick stores. Oh, and the first Chanel lady at Macy's was kind of rude--she was with a customer and asked me if I needed help since I was looking at their new nail polish colors. And I asked if they had it in stock... and she said she thought they did--and it would be a minute (since she was working on makeup of another customer). That's fine with me--but don't make it seem like my fault that when she asked me if I needed help! And, if they were out of it, why would I stand there for 10 min waiting? Anyways, another Chanel lady (well this one was a man) came and helped me out--wheee happy. Maybe I'll go back and buy more stuff from him.

I did stop in Sephora beforehand to see if there was a similar color I would like... but there just wasn't! Not any of the 75 Sephora colors came close.

Margarita's

Yay, went to Margarita's and it was pretty yummy. Met two of Mr. Studmuffin's friends, and they were super nice. I had two original margatitas (I think I just get it for the salt). There was a long wait... Mr. Cupcake had called an hour in advance for "call-ahead seating" (not reservations, mind-you), and then it was an additional half hour after we got there. Okay--what's the point? I understand if you have to wait 10-20 minutes... but half an hour?! And, the waitress was slow taking our food order... I think they just torture you until you're starving and make you think the food is fantastic. I'm going to try eating there sober and not-starving one day and see how good the food really is.

Afterwards, we went to Lizzy's for ice cream (I got a kiddie black cherry) and then we went to the smelly geek shop. I don't understand why some geeks smell so bad. And, a lot of them were children... parents should really bathe their children.

Wagamama is awesome!

Wagamama was so much better than I remembered! The duck gyoza are sooooo tasty with a cherry plum sauce. I also had hot sake, a little edamame with salt, and chili beef ramen. MMMmmmm the chili beef ramen was so tasty--the broth was a little tart and spicy. It's going to be awesome to go to one when it's cold outside.

Also in the news today, sis got three wisdom teeth removed! Poor sis! :( Her cheeks are all swollen, but I'll be home to take care of her most of the time for the next few days.

Wagamama and upcoming vacay!

So excited tonight because Mr. Studmuffin and I are going to go to Wagamama at Faneuil Hall. It's a cool ramen/noodle restaurant. The food is good (not super spectacular), but I think I like the cool atmosphere and good memories of going to Wagamama restaurants in London and Amsterdam.



I would highly recommend the duck gyoza and the chili beef ramen.

Also, made plans for an Amsterdam trip for my birthday--going with my sister. It's been two years since we've visited Amsterdam on our last trip and I'm really looking forward to it. I think that we are going to go to some new places like the Van Gogh museum and Den Haag (the Hague, the seat of the government). Of course, our favorite things to do will still be shopping and sitting in many of the cafes to relax.

200 geeks

So, went to the midnight sale of Halo 3 last night with Mr. Studmuffin (who pre-ordered the game--the super-geek edition with helmet :p).


There were like 200 other geeks there! Of course, none of them were in coordinated (but not matchy-matchy) Halo 3 tshirts or anything. There was a kid in line behind us.. I think he was about 11. There were also 2-4 police vehicles there at any time, but I don't think that they realize geeks are pretty subdued. There was also a huge box of bagels on the floor if anyone got hungry. The only person who I saw eat them was the 11 yr old because a big box of bagels sitting outside on the sidewalk is just a little too sketchy for me. Anyways, it took about an hour in line to get the game (we were there a little bit before midnight), but it was a pretty interesting experience :p.

I'm kind of disappointed that there wasn't a guy in the Master Chief outfit, like that had in NYC. (NY's 'Halo 3' launch was no riot, but it was close).

Funnest shopping day evar

So sis and I went shopping with Miss E and Miss J (our 5 yr old best friends!) this weekend in Natick. We picked them up and went to the Natick Collection which wasn't really that fun of a place for them. But they did each pick out a brown peasant top from Janie and Jack.



Then we walked around for a bit, but the chic part of the mall wasn't really for them. The little girls were not impressed with Zara, and when my sis picked up a dress with horrible drawn faces on it (on purpose, mind you), Miss J turned an gave Miss E a look that said, "What was she thinking?!" Good thing my sis doesn't have self confidence issues, otherwise she would have been taken down a few notches by a 5 yr old :).

We were on the hunt for a little messenger back for Miss E, and just couldn't find one at the mall! In our busy shopping, we broke for lunch, and then continued on our way to Shopper's World! We went to Marshall's and AC Moore, but there wasn't really a nice messenger bag.

Then, we needed a little pick me up at Panera to which Miss E said, "I don't want to sit outside, it's too hot." Hehe, that's our girl! :) We went to Target afterwards and had a grand time--we got them some fall/winter boots, a handbag they can wear across the body or over the shoulder, and watches... most of it on sale! (We taught them how important sale is.) But, I also explained to Miss E that it's about getting things on sale and that you like... just because it's on sale doesn't mean you buy it. It has to be special as well. But, after all that, still no messenger bag!

So--we hit Kohl's. Also, sis and I wanted to check out the new Vera Wang collection at Kohl's, and they had one or two cute pieces, but in general I have to say that I wasn't impressed. We did however, get a high school musical messenger bag for Miss E--success at last!

Worst date evar

So, I had the worst date ever with Mr. Studmuffin :). It was still a really fun time, but his tire went flat and he called AAA--it was no big deal though. We went to Target to pick out the new mySims game for the Wii, and then we went to IHOP :). Well, actually, I guess we got mySims at BestBuy since Target was sold out of it.



Mr. Studmuffin noticed his car was driving weird, so when we arrived at IHOP, he realized he had a super-flat tire... so he called AAA.

Yeah, I guess IHOP isn't really the most chic of restaurants but it was still reallly yummy. I got 2 eggs (medium because I like to mix runny egg yolks with hash browns), bacon, hash browns, and corn meal pancakes. The pancakes were really good, they are like a mix between corn bread and a pancake, and not too sweet. And, when we were done with breakfast for dinner, we hung out until AAA arrived and they put on the spare (which was also flat).

My mom called on the way home and I told her that we had a flat and she was like "You know how to change a tire?". I was like, "No, he called AAA!" :). But, yeah... why would you change a tire yourself? It's very easy to get dirty. On the way home, we did have to stop off at the Hess and fill the spare with air... and all was well.





My find of the day, Harajuku Lovers, Candy Tote, Expensive Taste

Focus on booties, shoe boots, boot shoes...

So, an awesome now style is a bootie or shoe boots (as described by Christian Louboutin [wikipedia]) or whatevah. I am looking for a pair of booties!

These are FIERCE!



Okay, so I've realized that I probably shouldn't (note the probably) get them because they are:
(1) $770, which is half (or maybe 1/3 depending on the bag) the price of a new Chanel handbag
(2) I'd probably kill myself in heels that high (though they do have a 20mm platform!)

Badminton and Shopping

Badminton (Wikipedia)
So, I have to admit that I haven't read the entire wikipedia article on badminton because it's just so freaking long! So far, I have gleaned:
- That my tennis serve is not appropriate for badminton, as it must be hit from below the waist and underhand.
- The general rules are like tennis from the way you hit the shuttlecock, but the scoring is like volleyball (play to 21).
- That there is no true badminton fashion. Badminton is rolled into fashion for tennis and squash... I don't know that I'm comfortable with that.
- That I like Ellesse tennis fashion.
- Having something to aim at is excellent for your badminton game. Like, the middle of your opponent's chest (especially if they have a target on their t-shirt) or their nose works well also.

Shopping
So, I went shopping with Mr. Studmuffin this past weekend for some transition clothes for him. I'm a huge fan of Old Navy when it comes to stylish yet comfy clothes that you know are only going to last a couple of seasons. We got some nice button down shirts that can be layered with t-shirts for only $8! Then I placed an online order for some jumper dresses for myself and costumes for my kiddies. :p

I envy men's fashion

Okay--so is it slightly unfair that men's fashion is not as big of a deal as women's fashion? Take Nordstrom's Fall Fashion Guide for example, women have trends for apparel, shoes, handbags, accessories, beauty, etc. What do men get? Men get peacoats, hoodies, puffy outerwear, and the cardigan. What men do you know who wears a cardigan?

Though, I do envy men and their ability to look fashionable in comfy clothes. All men need is a dark pair of jeans and a cool t-shirt or a nice pair of slacks and a dress shirt. Women have to coordinate patterns, textures, colors, etc. and pay attention to all of the other details, like accessories, handbags, shoes, hair, makeup, etc. Plus, there's the high heel thing... okay, maybe it's just me who is a little obsessed with high heels and am willing to suffer for fashion. :) But, I have to admit that women like the fuss, it's fun being girly and picking out outfits. I guess if guys had to do it, they'd give up and walk around naked all day, which would be rather inappropriate.

Shoot 'Em Up and Halo 3 and Fall Fashion

So saw Shoot 'Em Up last night with Mr. Studmuffin. It was a pretty awesome movie. I read that it was only 1 hr and 20 min, but then again--that's the right length for a movie like that--2 hours of the same type of humorous violence would get boring. :) I guess my favorite scene was the "love scene" of the movie and some cheesy quote after he shot a bazillion bad guys, which I won't mention here, hehe :). "Do we just suck, or is he really good?" And remember parents, a bullet proof vest for a baby is a much better investment than a crib. I, for one, have learned from this movie that getting a tank is much better than a standard stroller. Yeah, I don't mind violence in a comic book type of way with blood squirting all over the place--I guess it's reminiscent of the Kill Bill movies, which I really enjoyed (should go watch them again!).

So Halo 3 is coming out (Sept. 24)... and we're probably going to go to whatever midnight release thingie they have at Gamestop. And of course, I need something to wear. It would be completely unimaginable for me to wear my old Halo 2 tshirt--that is beyond "so last season", so I was very happy to see that for Halo 3, there is a new ladies' tshirt with bling! So, of course I had to order it.


Fall Fashion
One of the best fall fashion articles that encompasses all of the latest trends I've seen, Fall For Fashion (The Korea Times).

Fall's color palette is predominantly dark, but gray is this season's "it" color. However, there are flashes of jewel tones such as royal blue and purple and touches of metallic that brighten up an otherwise dark look.

Before you start shopping, remember to choose one or two trends to follow. Start off with last season's clothes, and update your look with key pieces. For example, flirty shift dresses can transition in fall, when paired with dark tights and ankle boots. The swingy dress look can be updated with platform shoes.

The verdict is still out on whether skinny jeans will remain a wardrobe staple for this season. Some fashion magazines are already urging women to throw out their skinny jeans, and replace them with the more figure-friendly wide-leg versions.

You can still get some mileage out of skinny jeans if you pair them with knee-high boots or ankle boots.

For coats and jackets this fall, it is a return to minimalism. Black tailored jackets are always a good investment, and can be used for several seasons.

No outfit will be complete this season without the trendiest shoes: platform heels and ankle boots

Don't forget the season's "it" bags. Chanel introduced Coco's Croco bag, a luxe quilted satin bag with a chain handle. Bags made out of exotic skin like crocodile and alligator, are among the season's most expensive items. For party girls, the colorful and embellished clutch bag is a must-have.

Badminton nets, face cream, pecan crusted tilapia, and code coverage

Badminton Net
Okay... looking for a good badminton net--anyone know what might be nice to find? I don't know if I want a set, one with posts, or stakes that go into the ground. Something portable would be nice.


New Chanel Face Cream?
Also, the Chanel lady told me about a new line of Chanel skincare coming out, called Sublimage.

Little did I know that it's $350 for 1.7 oz. Hehe, I think the $90 I pay for my Rectifiance night cream was a bit out there.

And, take a look at the first Chanel makeup studio in the OC--I wish I lived the the OC!


Pecan encrusted tilapia
Last night I made this great pecan encrusted tilapia, which was modified off of this food network recipe for pistachio crusted tilapia. Okay, I didn't follow the recipe AT ALL since I didn't have pistachios, but also... I wasn't fond of the heavy herbs put in the crust. Instead, I sprinkled salt and pepper on the tilapia, and then spread maple syrup on it. I then coated the fillets in pulverized pecans. Then, I fried up some slices of prosciutto so it was really thin and crispy and served that on top of the fish. The extra saltiness and flavor with the fish was really tasty!

Code Coverage and Unit Tests
I got unit tests and code coverage running in my project's build using JUnit (of course) and Coberatura. They are pretty cool, and describe the line coverage as well as branch coverage of unit tests. I've always had mixed feelings about unit testing... is there some magical sweet spot for unit testing? For instance, I don't want to spend 75% of my time writing unit tests, and have to change and manage unit tests whenever I touch any code (but if that's the case--I think that the unit tests weren't written properly or the functionality wasn't well understood in the first place). I am definitely NOT a test-first coder though. I do see the benefits, but it's just no fun writing unit tests. :) And, I have to add that I am extremely very proud of myself for actually getting this to work in the build considering how distracted I've been at work lately. :)

My old blog...

Very exciting (okay not really) news ... I've cut/pasted my old blog postings to this blog. :) I did so many postings that I had to enter in the stupid word verification thing after a while. All of the links on any old posts may be broken... but I will fix them at some point... maybe. :) My blog started in 2003 :p.

Football: the goal line extends to infinity

I was watching football with Mr. Studmuffin on Sunday, and he explained to me that the goal line extends to infinity, meaning that if you are in bounds and cross the goal line, even if you go out of bounds--you still make a touch down! I never realized it before... but I guess that was why the player running the ball decided to do a somersault over an opponent. :) Okay, so is it super geeky of me to say that the favorite part of the explanation was the "infinity" part? Not just, "it goes on forever"... which you might have to further explain--what do you mean forever? Infinity is much easier to understand.

What you want sometimes isn't what's best for you...

So, I've come to realize that what I want isn't always what's best for me or what I need. Take dating and relationships for example... would it be awesome if I found someone who essentially let me have my way all the time? You think it would, but really, that's not what's best for you (and probably not not what you really want). The best person for you is someone who challenges you (sometimes) and complements you (as well as compliments you). Same thing goes for arm candy... sure--you may want some sweet arm candy, but it's more important to find someone you have a lot in common with and who understands you. Though, if they're arm candy in addition to those things... I really can't complain. ;)

Another tidbit, I've ordered Chanel: Collections and Creations, which seems like a pretty cool book, and is one of the Fashion stars in 8 stylish fall reads from Dallas News. I'm starting to have conflicting feelings towards high fashion and luxury goods right now, though. While "fashion is good for the soul", a new book out called Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster really put into perspective the marketing of luxury and fashion to make it for the masses. In The conceit of luxury, they explain how some high fashion goods are made for cheap in Asian countries and then sold for a huge margin (OK, remind me to buy stock in LVMH). In an article entitled, Money Bags, they described Hermes bags ($6k++) as the last true luxury,... where you go to the shop and pick out the style, leathers, stitching you want and then your bag is hand crafted and prepared on waiting list that is 6 months to a year. Now... is $6k too much to pay for something made just for me? Maybe I should learn how to make handbags.

I'd like to think that I like old school brands like Chanel because I think they are timeless and classic. I also love the thinking of Coco Chanel and what she stood for. Buying my Chanel handbag was an experience, I went to the actual store that was once the apartment of Coco Chanel on 21 Rue Cambon, in Paris. I really love the way my bag looks, the pebbled leather, the silver hardware, and the way it smells. I feel glamorous carrying my handbag, and hey, shouldn't every woman feel that way? We'll see... maybe fashion is the new smoking.

Well,... if I go the anti-luxury route, I guess I would save more cash for vacation and video games... :)

What fish to eat

Ocean's Alive - Best and Worst Seafood


This is a really good link to look over as far as environmentalism and health go. I have definitely cut out all salmon from my diet (except for sushi).

Also, another thing to look out for is nitrates in cured foods like hotdogs and bacon. While they are a little more expensive, Niman Ranch's Fearless Uncured beef hotdogs are great. Now... uncured bacon is crazy expensive... I think it's close to $8 per package--yikes! I was thinking turkey bacon might be a good alternative, but I think even those have nitrates. In this Treating Diabetes Naturally article, it turns out that nitrates and diabetes do not mix--good to know for the family!

In this new world of mercury in fish, nitrates, trans fatty acids, refined sugars, hormones, pesticides vs. organic, it just gets harder and harder... especially for women who may want to have children one day. :)

My upcoming birthday

Well, now that my birthday is less than two months away... I have some planning to do!



First off, my sister, Candy, and I will be doing the Step Out! to fight diabetes with the American Diabetes Association for the first time. We hope to continue this every year from now on. We are doing a three mile walk on October 13 with fellow team members under Team Luxe. I'd appreciate any support you all can give me, like just an email or comment that says "yay!" ... or money :). You can visit my personal Step Out homepage to see my progress or support me.

Next--where to go to dinner? I'd like to take my friends to dinner on my birthday, and was thinking about having a private party at the Rustic Kitchen Cooking Show... but I'm not sure if I'm into having the show being aired on hotel tvs :). So... we shall see.

And finally, I'll be planning a one week vacation to Amsterdam (will be my 4th time there, and 2nd time for sis). Can't wait to have some of my favorite foods... broodje kroket, pannenkoeken, curry gewurtz, indonesian rijstafel... See what is aan bie den at de Bijenkorf, HEMA, and Blokker.

Fashion advice for your resume

From Why your resume annoys employers (CNN)

Fashion designer Coco Chanel had a personal rule: Before she left the house, the style icon always removed one piece of her ensemble to avoid the faux-pas of wearing too many accessories.

Were Chanel alive today and working as a hiring manager, she would likely offer similar advice to job seekers: You don't have to include everything.

"men are a little bit more important than handbags but less important than shoes"

How to Dress Like the Perfect Couple by Ashton Kutcher.

At any rate, [men] are merely accessories.

Mmm, arm candy.

Where's my cute geek?

So--I've been watching the first season of Ugly Betty on dvd, and I just want to know... where's my cute geek? Seriously, is it so difficult to find a cute accounting geek with glasses? Okay--so, I'd rather a computer geek, but whatevah. Even that dentist geek would be okay. Alright, I guess it's just tv, and maybe cute geeks don't exist (except for me, of course).

Most expensive handbags...

Forbes List

Even I have my limits. :)

Do you follow?

I was driving to work this morning, and there was one of those large signs on the road saying "Please Follow". And, I was thinking--what does that mean? Then, there was a truck in front of me, with a sign on that back that said "Construction Vehicle, Do Not Follow". I'm assuming if we are going in the same direction, you have to follow... and that sign is saying to follow--yet, how am I not supposed to follow?

But, this brought up a good thinking about whether or not we follow. Are you a follower? I have to say I try not to follow. It's so easy to follow, but I feel like the best things happen when you don't. Everything great came from people who broke some rules--not by those who followed them. Of course, I have to admit that I probably miss out on some great things by being anti-follow, like Harry Potter books for example. I just won't read them because everyone and their grandmother is reading them. :)

I think all of us are in this endless struggle to follow and not follow. Of course we should follow laws and most rules, but we also want to be unique. :)

Fleece Jumper

Whee, wearing my new Free People fleece jumper. Mine is a navy blue one with light green, trim however, but you can see the style there. Or, I just call it my "apron dress". I'm wearing it with jeans though, since it's a little short. It's reminiscent of the yellow apron I wore when I was a kid.

High-End Hello Kitty

So, what's up with the high-end Hello Kitty craze?

Neiman Marcus - Hello Kitty fine jewelry (by Kimora Lee Simmons). Yeah... a hello kitty watch for $3550?... that's even extreme for me. :)

Cashmere Hello Kitty sweater... saw one today by Generra for about $100 at Loehmann's, which means that full price, it was something like $200. Okay... I have to admit it's pretty cute. :)

Of course, I've blogged before about the pink head necklaces (which resemble Hello Kitty a lot), and those aren't cheap either! I mean really, a girl in love with Hello Kitty needs a big fat bank account these days.

For more on other strange Hello Kitty products: Helo Kitty Hell.

Coffee Coffee Coffee

I had so much iced coffee today, I don't know what my sister was thinking getting 32 oz iced coffees. I really don't think very much that is interesting has happened to me this week, what to do about that? :)

Timbaland - The Way I Are

Love this song... it is so awesome...

[Verse 1 - Timbaland]
I ain't got no money
I ain't got no car to take you on a date
I can't even buy you flowers
But together we could be the perfect soulmates
Talk to me girl

(Oh) Baby, it's alright now, you ain't gotta flaunt for me
If we go dutch you can still touch my love, it's free
We can work without the perks just you and me
thug it out 'til we get it right

...

[Verse 2 - Timbaland]
I ain't got no Visa
I ain't got no Red American Express
We can't go nowhere exotic
It don't matter 'cause I'm the one that loves you best
Talk to me girl

...

Changed my haircolor

Dinner and Movie

Yay, a standard dinner and movie night which is oh-so-rare for me. :p Going to the Rustic Kitchen for dinner tonight and then off to see the movie, No Reservations. I hope it's good... I'll keep you all posted. I like cooking, so it should be fun to watch.

Summer Pudding Ice Cream

So, one of the new things I've discovered in recent years is summer pudding ice cream. What is summer pudding you ask? I have no idea, so from wikipedia: Summer Pudding or Summer Fruit Pudding is a British dessert made of sliced white bread layered in a deep bowl with stewed or macerated berries. Well, the summer pudding ice cream I've had only seems to have the berries or other fruit, and is quite tasty. The berries taste like they were soaked in alcohol--which might be why I like it so much.

Other strange yet yummy flavors that I love?... Cake batter! Yeah, of course I like the regular vanilla, chocolate, coffee, butter pecan... but of all of the strange homemade ice cream stand flavors, I'm very much into summer pudding and cake batter. :)

Backwards Compatibility

Ok, this is going to be a completely different tangent than my fun/fashion posts, and I'm going to talk about backwards compatibility. Why is backwards compatibility so hard? Is it that people do things SOOOO wrong the first time, that they have to rewrite everything? Even so, you can simply use the same language practices to give the same interfaces that people expected. It shouldn't be a separate item to "design for backwards compatibility" -- it should always happen!

Baby pics! :P

I've uploaded some of my baby pictures in my Brandy Baby web album.

Pink shoes

Today I'm wearing my pink shoes with the white wedges! :) The rest of the outfit is a pink cap sleeve gauzy top that matches, and denim capris. My parents didn't say I looked like a Chinese country girl or anything today, and my mom even said my top was cute! My dad said it was "not bad" -- which, I'll just choose to take as a compliment. Gotta love my parents. :)

Yeah, my dad should criticize my fashion considering he bought two red hardware "handy-strap" things at the dollar store for $1.50 each to make suspenders! Let's count the things that were wrong:
(1) he wanted suspenders
(2) he was making suspenders
(3) they were red
(4) made out of dollar-store who-knows-what (they had handles on them... which he cut off).
List goes on and on. :)
He was going to attach them to his pants using safety pins... I gave him the ones that you use for cloth diapers. :) Then, he was sewing the back... I suggested that he just use duct tape--and he said that was a dumb idea. HAHA. Then, it turned out he didn't need safety pins because he was just going to loop the suspenders through a belt that he would wear too. So, yah... end up wearing a belt WITH red supenders. OMG. Anyways, I might just go to Lowes and buy him some suspenders for $10.

More albums uploaded...

I've uploaded more albums! Particularly around my travels... Amsterdam 2003 & 2005, Montreal 2005, and London 2004. Check it out in my Pictures link.

Shoes and Necklaces...

So, did some damage recently on lots of shoes and necklaces... I guess I better shop for more stuff in between! :) You can see more in the Shopping Gallery--like the necklaces I got! :)

My favorites are the pink shoes with the white wedge heel. The best deal must be the Tahari brown sandals that I got at 80% off for $16.

Jewelry

So, a little synopsis on the latest jewelry things I have been looking into.

Always a favorite of mine, is Ben Amun Jewelry, specifically in the "Dream Catcher" style. A couple things that appeal to me are hand crocheted earrings and this necklace. There used to be a greater selection on Bluefly, and hopefully it'll come back soon.

Miss Sixty Jewelry is new, but I don't really like any of it. Something cute from tokidoki or tarina tarantino appeals to me more.

Another interesting "new" gemstone is the Rose de France, which is essentially a light lavender colored amethyst. Still undecided about what the value is, but something like this rose de France ring is nice. I am on the search for a gemstone ring, but not sure what to get after my awesome pink tourmaline ring, which is kind of like this one.

Of course, any Chanel necklace would make my day. Or, I can scrap it all together and just shop at Tiffany's. :)

Yay, day off.

Yay, I have the day off today, and am taking the time to decompress and do some errands or things that I usually don't have time to do. Parents (who are visiting for a couple more weeks) are out with the uncle, so I have the whole house to myself. I feel like I'm a mini-photography-lab organizing our many family pictures and then printing some out for albums for my mom to take home. Fun fun, it is pretty cool to go through so many memories and events. I've also uploaded some of my own pictures, and will be adding more (mostly my travels).

Anyways, it's a great sunny day and very relaxing for me. I actually get to watch tv that I want to watch, wheee!! :) Hope this weekend is nice as well.

No to WoW, Yes to Startup

Some, random news--I've quit World of Warcraft! It's been over two weeks now of no WoW, and I don't really miss it. Though, I do miss playing with some of my friends (both RL friends and ones I met on WoW). Maybe after the summer I will go back to playing WoW, but probably less than I have before--maybe just to hop on and do stuff with friends here and there.

I've decided to get involved part-time in a startup! I can't tell anyone what it's about yet, but the idea is really cool. More importantly I'm excited about working with the people on the project. I'm ready to work hard, have fun, and hopefully, succeed! If any of you guys got a survey from me... it's related to that, so please fill it out! :)

I also recently took a trip to Philly and Washington DC with my family. We saw lots of sites in hot weather, but all in all, it was pretty enjoyable and we took lots of pictures. :)

New discoveries

Hmm... some new stuff!
Tokidoki: Momabella necklace

Tarina Tarantino: Hello Kitty Ring, Hello Kitty Pendant, And the best one ever...!!! ... I Hate You

Accessories

I'd like to stress the importance of accessories in one's wardrobe, especially while traveling! A simple necklace can make any outfit a true "outfit" -- like you thought about it and put it together. The necklace doesn't even have to match, it can simply just "go". For instance, wearing pink? You can wear a green necklace! For traveling, what is more easy than carrying a couple of necklaces and earrings that will make your outfits pop?

New Dress

I got the cutest little linen, floral cap sleeved babydoll dress from Old Navy the other day. I can't wait to wear it... probably when it's a little warmer.

Yay, Friday!

I am so happy it's Friday right now. I think tonight I'll have a little BBQ with my friend, Jennifer. I went to get some veggies to grill: peppers, vidalia onions, baby artichokes, zucchini, corn, etc. Yummy... I can't wait! I am pretty tired--I think still recovering from a really busy weekend last weekend. Want to leave work now!!! :)

Shopping!

So we did a "What not to wear"/makeover shopping event for my friend, Bob. I thought it was an awesome experience of really showing that it is easy and affordable to look great. When you look great on the outside, it really gives you confidence, and affects how you feel on the inside. It's not about changing who you are but enhancing and just finding clothes that fit and look good on you. The hard thing about most people is that they just don't have the patience to look for clothes or know where to start. We went to Filene's Basement as our first store, and just having 3 people pick out clothes and go through racks for you is a huge step!

Some of the hot buys?

• Paper Denim & Cloth jeans -- SOOO awesome in dark wash. E, C, and I were sooo jealous.
• Kenneth Cole Reaction black jacket for fall for $24!!
• Awesome Diesel sneakers!
• I think in total:
• 3 pairs of jeans
• Black trousers
• Dark brown trousers with a little pinstripe
• Charcoal trousers with crosshatch texture
• Navy linen pants
• Couple pairs of casual shorts
• Multiple dress shirts, with the most awesome one being dark brown, with light blue stripes, and in the blue stripes, a light pink one
• Multiple summer shirts: one of them being a white linen-y shirt
  
• 3 pairs of shoes: diesel sneakers, Cole Haan leather sandals, pair of black casual shows to wear with jeans or pants
• And probably a lot that i'm forgetting... :p
  

Was so much fun--can't wait to see pictures!

JavaOne - Cattle, Sheep, or Lemmings

So, I think JavaOne is really a complex logistical system, or some people may call this as people herding. Okay, that some people is me, I admit. I guess there is a whole thing on "herd behavior" in humans. But, my question is on whether humans (in this case JavaOne geeks) are like cattle, sheep, or lemmings. I guess it also depends on the hunger factor (i.e. if it is breakfast or lunch). Personally, I think geeks are more like cattle or sheep. That we usually have something that we want to do, but will be herded to some other place because of sheep dogs (i.e. conference coordinators).

JavaOne - Social Aspects

So, I'm actually one of those people who turns to the people next to me at sessions and introduces myself and asks them what they are doing, etc. Maybe we chit chat about where they are or how the session applies to them. Okayyyy, I admit that I did this at the beginning, and then towards the end I was just anti-socially playing my PSP.

Anyways, I would say approximately 60% of the responses are good ones. I.e. people will respond and you will have a mini conversation. But, those aren't the interesting ones. The interesting ones are when people start shaking and stuttering when you start talking to them, and you can't help but feel bad. Are people so lacking in human interaction that they can't talk?

And, there was this other person I introduced to, and the conversation went like:
Me: Hi, my name is Brandy.
Other: My name is blah.
...We shake hands...
Me: Where do you work?
Other: At Blah in Blah.
.... and yeah... end of conversation.
About 20 minutes later, I see him pick his nose... I broke out my anti-bacterial hand wipes fast.

Fashion @JavaOne

Pretty much, there's not really fashion at JavaOne. Again, there was that guy in some video with a camera taped to his forehead--is that what's called good fashion? Also, what's up with women who go up on stage and present with their hair all frizzy. Okay, so sometimes I don't brush my hair in the morning, but if I knew I was presenting something, I'd at least make my hair look shiny and glossy and not a huge frizzy mess. I mean, I guess if you are the CTO of blah blah super huge company, you don't have time for these things? But, there are lots of Frederik Fekkai hair products out there that I am sure can make you have shiny glossy hair in less than 2 minutes.

Oh, and in some general session, the "cool" fashion was a NASA jacket and Duke surfing. Okay, so the geek in me thinks that they are pretty cool, but... not really. And, I am happy to say I have seen at least 5 or 6 women carrying designer handbags! Yay! Must be a couple of Louis Vuitton, couple of Burberry (ok if I don't count, then just make that count 1), and one vintage Gucci. Unfortunately, as I've told my friend, it was vintage because it was old, not because it was vintage.

Butt cracks--need I say more? Just don't do it. Wear a belt... this goes for men as well as ladies.

My hair. How many people have commented on my purple hair? One. And, that was someone who works the conference and doesn't attend it. :) When I was in NYC just walking around, I swear I got 3 comments on my hair in one day. I guess JavaOne attendees just don't care about hair.

Ok, I guess that is it for my initial fashion update at JavaOne.

JavaOne - Some other general session

So I went to some other general session in the afternoon on Tuesday, May 8.

First they started out with an more in depth explanation of Java FX Script--a scripting language that allows for super rich client experience without writing a lot of code. It looks pretty slick to be honest. Useful?, at least in products that I work with, I don't really think so. One key thing they were talking about is treating the "web as a platform". And, along those lines, I went to a GWT (google web toolkit) session where they were saying that the web should behave like the web. While Java FX Script is something I would love to play with, and is super sexy, it just doesn't feel like the web to me.

Java SE -- lots of stuff coming in Java 7. They described a much quicker adoption rate of Java 6 even over Java 5. Well, that's cool--wish my company would move to Java 5. So, what I'm doing is putting together a list of compelling business reasons why we should move to Java 5. As far as Java 7 is concerned, there are upcoming concepts like superpackages and superJARS that better handle interoperability, versioning, and dependencies.

Open source JDK--that is another huge thing. What it really means... that's to be seen. Other miscellaneous "big" things are JRuby (on Rails), jMaki, Phobos, etc. ... all in the scripting realm. Also, Glassfish seems like a pretty lightweight web application server that can do everything.

So, it's a really exciting time for new concepts and (finally?!) solutions to some problems. On the other hand, I'm not sure what the handful of sticking technologies should be.

:)

Taking a break

I had to walk out of another session today. This is only my second one out of the whole conference, so I think I'm doing pretty well so far. Just posted my thoughts about the JavaOne general session from Tuesday. I'll post more stuff throughout the rest of today and tomorrow. By the way, why is it colder in San Francisco than in Boston?

JavaOne General Session

These are my thoughts on the general session on Tuesday, May 8, 2007.

Technology wise, the new buzzwords/concepts/whatever were Glassfish, Open Source, Java FX Script (including Mobile), Mobile, TV/Multimedia, Java Real Time, open platform, rich internet. I'll have more thoughts on the technologies and things later, as I post more blogs about the other weeks. But, as with all of the sessions that people attend everyday, it's a mixed bag of really cool concepts and technology, with things that are just plain hype (or things that just don't apply). It's a strange dichotomy of "network in your hands", but well, Java is a tool for that. Sun is dependent on other companies/people to get Java in the hands of consumers and users.

I was pleased to also see a "social responsibility" theme towards Java technology. I mean, American Idol had their benefit for needy children, why can't Java/Sun? They talked about eco-friendly (carbon neutral conference), engineers without borders, and free curriculum around the world (curriki.org). There was a UN speaker at the conference, and it was kind of great to see him up there at a technology conference. Geeks are people too, and we need to help out others in the world using what we do best. On the other hand, I doubt Java is going to save the world. Though, maybe AJAX will.

Oh, and another thing. When did JavaOne become a cool rock concert type thing? Though, have to admit that the techno DJ at the beginning of the session was pretty cool (anon-music.com) or something.

Things I'm sure to be sick about at the end of the conference? Well... script wars. Scripting framework wars. Java FX Script looks really awesome, but is it hype, or for real?

JavaOne

I left for JavaOne on Monday, May 7th--had a great flight on JetBlue, and actually slept a good amount. But still, JetLag certainly caught up with me yesterday. When I left, I noticed that the trees were in full bloom, and now I see it is going to ran. So, I'm going to miss the flowers on the cherry trees. I'm very disappointed I didn't take pictures of them this year.

So, before I left, I had this dream/nightmare that for some strange reasons, I kept on not being able to attend the technical sessions. For instance, I would have to go to the post office for important documents and travel from Waltham to Cambridge without a car (yes, I know the conference is in San Francisco--this is a dream, remember?). So what happens my first day? One of my sessions gets rescheduled to late Friday afternoon! But... it was good since it gave me time to get my mini schedule thingie. I went through a lot trying to get it--this desk and that desk, to wind up at the original desk I was at, and yes, they did have them there. UGH!

As you've noticed, I just started this blog... so more to come later.