Vaca wrap up

Well...it's been quite some time since I've made an entry. The last few days of summer have meshed together. Blurred nights of partying and food excursions. Nothing spectacular to bring up. I just got back from a vacation in Florida. Not so much a vacation when you come back drained though huh? It was good times and bad times. Disneyworld, Orlando: CHECK! (Next on the list, Disneyland in Paris and then in Hong Kong). My quest to visit all the Disneylands in the world will be complete. No rush for that...I have the rest of my life to do so. For the time being, I've had all the Disney I can take for the next couple of years. Florida...So hot and humid that it made me appreciate our cool summer here in the Bay Area. A tan that I got in Florida made up for the tan I didn't get all summer in SJ. Nevertheless, I used protection...and lots of it. 50-85+ SPF all over my skin to be exact. I was obsessed with the sunscreen. USE SUNSCREEN puhleeeeze. Your body will thank you one day.

Anyway, this trip was exactly what I needed. I got it out of my system!! It was more than just tourism and beach time. As with every trip I take, I learn something new and I'm looking forward to the next challenge. It was a good way to end the summer and to initiate new beginnings. Cheers to that!

The Heat

Came too late and left too fast. What a tease...

Food Excursions

Some ridiculous things I've consumed this past weekend, in LA and OC:

Grasshopper Ice cream sandwich...

Red velvet ice cream bar...

Blue velvet cake, all from Milk, Hollywood.

Mixed fruit shaved ice from Guppy House.

Deep fried oreos...
1.5 foot Cowabunga corn dog, from the OC Fair.

Bacon wrapped hot dog, corner of Highland and Hollywood Blvd.

Vegas withdrawals

How do I put in words...

Basically, we partied when the sunset and stayed out all night until the sunrise. 1st time ever to see a sunrise and sunset in one day. Needless to say...it was beautiful.

6th annual Vegas trip!!

Some epic moments:
- Powered thru 3 clubs the first night.
- Partied @ XS for 5 hours straight & our fearless party of 5 killed 2 bottles of Goose.
- Blackjack tables in the pool @ Caesars
- Crazy bitch fight on stiletto heels involving a bat at 6am in the morning on Las Vegas Blvd.
- Broke my all time record and was still standing after some 7 shots shots shots!
- Stephen Curry on the same plane heading home to SFO.
- Leaving with more $$ than I came with. For once!!

Happy Birthday Bestie!!

She's the bestest friend a girl could ever have and today, she turns 25!! I've waited for this moment since February and now I don't feel too old! Catch us in Vegas tomorrow night...as we keep up our tradition. 6 years and going... I got my sunblock and stilettos packed...I'm good to go ;)

Unthinkable

There's just something about this song...

I can never get tired of it.

Damn the roaring 20s

Change happens quickly and during these years…I’m talking early to late 20s, a whole lot of change occurs! Think about it…it’s the time frame where one is asked to declare a field of study that would be applied to one’s career. What? Like it’s easy to know what you want to do for the rest of your life? The government grants us rights to booze and we take great advantage of that and have the time of our lives! We make bad decisions and discover the truth behind our friends and foes. Graduation from college and the search of a career, only to discover that work life in America is not what it’s hyped up to be. So…back to school it is! In the midst of that, one becomes an adult and moves out of mom’s house, finds a lifelong partner and joins the institution of marriage. You know what they say…first comes love, then comes marriage then comes a baby in a baby carriage. Next thing you know, you’re 30 and you’ve gone through a roller coaster ride of growth, drastic changes, and major decision making within a span of 10 years. That of which has flown by way too fast. Time is slipping through my fingers as we speak…like grains of sand through an hour glass.

Continuum

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how things have turned out and how life has come to be. I think of this moment right now and recall back to last year and think about what I was doing, where I was, and who I was surrounded by… exactly a year ago. And all of a sudden, it feels like a dream. Did that really happen? It’s so different now. It meant everything and now it's nothing. It’s good to reflect and see the changes that have happened. I want to make sure that my life is heading in the direction I want it to. This time last year, I know I was enjoying my summer a lot! I wasn't worried about working...and was looking forward to new adventures. I found myself just thinking about what fun I could get myself into. I did what I wanted to do and not what was expected of me. No regrets. What were you up to around this time last year?

Have a Happy 4th of July weekend kiddos. Don't light your asses on fire.

Viva Vegas
<3 lynn

xoxo

Is it the guide or MTV that is confused? The last two times I selected "The City" on the guide channel, it took me to the classic 1999 movie, "Never Been Kissed". As much as I wanted to see the fearless Kelly Cutrone chew out Roxy or simply see what chaotic business Whitney has gotten herself into, I didn't mind watching "Never Been Kissed". It never gets old. I miss those teen flicks. They just don't make it the same anymore... I guess you can say that Twilight is the teen flick of today's times. Goodness, it's so dramatic. Can't you just have a 1.5 hour movie of teenage fun, heartache, romance, and wrap it up? No need for all the hype and trilogies or saga people!!

So back to my point. As I turned to MTV in hopes of catching The City, it was Never Been Kissed instead, and Drew Barrymore was in the midst of talking her colleagues... What she said made my heart melt!

Josie Geller: That thing, that moment, when you kiss someone and everything around becomes hazy and the only thing in focus is you and this person and you realize that that person is the only person that you're supposed to kiss for the rest of your life, and for one moment you get this amazing gift and you want to laugh and you want to cry because you feel so lucky that you found it and so scared that that it will go away all at the same time.
Cynthia: Damn girl... you are a writer.

Happy Monday

My current flavor

I started reading this book 6 months ago and I'm only halfway. I swear I don't have a reading disorder, it's just that the first part of the book was really dry and depressing! AND I was reading another book at the same time: "Somewhere Inside". Anyway, Eat Pray Love is about a woman who had a failed marriage and was utterly miserable with work. She hated everything about her life and decided to leave and travel to all corners of the world in search of refuge from a broken life in the States. She studies different languages, finds romance, indulges in delicious food, and finds enlightenment with a help of a guru in the city of Ashram, India. The last part of the book is about her adventures in Indonesia. Now that I'm halfway through, I feel the pace picking up really fast. It's gotten a lot more interesting as the pages turn and I'm curious to see what her spiritual journeys have in stored for her. It would have been ideal for me to read this during my travels to Japan as I felt that most of it was relevant.

Today, I came across this excerpt from the book that I especially liked:

"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you and then they leave. And thank God for it. Your problem is, you just can't let this one go. It's over. David's purpose was to shake you up, drive you out of that marriage that you needed to leave, tear apart your ego a little bit show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light could get in, make you desperate and out of control that you had to transform your life, then introduce you to your spiritual master and beat it. That was his job and he did great, but now it's over." (p. 149, Gilbert)

So, my goal is to finish this book before the movie comes out. Julia Roberts is perfect for the role!

Summer Solstice

Today marks the first day of summer, the longest day of the year. My favorite season has begun!! It's also my brother's birthday! I had an eventful weekend, a great way to kick of the summer season. I went on a road trip down south the Orange County and LA. Visited my grampies. I miss my grampies a lot and I hope they can move up to SJ sometime soon. They're getting so old :( Also hit up LA for some fun and grubbin. It wasn't too hot either, so the weather was perfect for the beach and Santa Monica Pier. Finally! I got to go there.



Had to be the BEST funnel cake everrrrrrrr.

Things I'm looking forward to this summer, as I feel that it will be the last summer I can really enjoy for the next few years.

- More days at the beach
- Losing 5-7 lbs.
- Gotta love Vegas. 4th of July and then again, for my bff's bday bash!
- Florida in Sept.
- Starting a new chapter in life
- Cupcake artistry
- Frannie popping out her babygirl
- Summer festivals + concerts

Remember to use sunblock kiddos!!! Happy Summer

Monday Blues

After a wonderful warm weekend with fam and friends, I’ve got the Monday blues. I decided to go into my car and clean out my glove compartment because it’s been about NEVER since I’ve done that. Findings:

- A bunch of old CDs: Blink 182, Celine Dion, and Michelle Branch…just to name a few.

- Old parking permits from SJSU

- Melted Smashbox lip liner

- Insurance + registration papers

- Lotion and femmie products

- FRUIT LEATHER!!!

5 Fruit Leathers! I reckon they’re from my days working @ Facebook. I put them in my glove compartment just in case I got stuck in the middle of nowhere and without food. What a sweet surprise! I was so excited that I left my car as is and brought the fruit leather back into my cube. I opened up a strawberry one and took a big bite! Uhhh…they call it leather for a reason. It was dry and tough to chew. I spat it out and hoped that the others weren’t like that. Disappointed that they were not chewable, I threw all of them in the trash can. Here I am, back to Monday blues. I feel teased. Really? Fruit leathers go bad? I guess so, since it’s been in my glove compartment for at least a whole year. I hope I don’t get sick from eating some of it. Old fruit leather…pass on it, will you? I’m looking on the bright side: I have old CDs I can listen to on the way home today.

My lovely Eggling is growing so fast! I loves it. See the sunflower seed it has emerged from:

The Heart

I was rummaging through some things in my room and came across old notebooks from college. Subject: The Cardiovascular System. Some interesting facts about the heart and that I find impressive:

• The heart pumps about 1,500-2000 gallons of blood throughout your body on a daily basis.

• If all the nerves going to the heart is cut and it's removed from the body, the heart will continue to beat. This is because the heart is autorhythmic, meaning it generates its own rhythmic action potentials independent of the body.
  

• The human heart is fully developed about eight weeks after conception, when the embryo is only about one inch long.

I find it funny that the body can't function without the heart, yet the heart can function without the body. The heart is truly amazing. In addition to the vast physical work, the heart endures a great amount of emotional work too. Ever wonder why there is a piercing pain in your heart when you are hurt by someone you love? What is the correlation between these emotional and physical effects? Why doesn't your brain or stomach hurt, but rather, you heart. A heartache = my heart aches. It's that feeling where your entire chest cavity feels twisted and when you grasp for air, all you get is a minuscule amount of air that isn't enough to supply your entire body. Lack of oxygen means lack of blood, which means your brain can't think right, your eyes can't seem to focus, and all you want is for it to end. The heart, a strong enough organ to pump thousands of gallons of blood throughout the day, yet not strong enough for broken love and heartaches.

Take a Moment...

"...and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."


It's the twisted game of life that throws us challenges and situations that can alter our future. It is up to us to make the right decision and to be above it. I feel safer when I map out each move I make. It helps me avoid disruption and harm in this chaotic world and it gives me a sense of control of what I'm doing. If there is anyone to blame in the end, it would be me. One of the greatest challenges that we as humans face everyday, is temptation. Yes, it may seem like a good idea at the moment, but take the extra few seconds to re-evaluate your situation and ask yourself if it's worth the risks. All it takes is one time. ONE TIME. A moment of pleasure, greed, or indulgence may be gratifying for the moment, but can create a lifetime of regret and pain.

Checkpoint

Hello, I've lost track of time and neglected my blog. My days blend together and if you ask me what I've been up to, I couldn't tell you much. It's that uneventful that it doesn't leave an impression on me. The strawberry plant that I started growing a few weeks ago never sprouted. Not even a measly stem! I've moved on to something bigger and better though. Compliments of a sweet friend..."The Eggling" It's meant to produce a lovely sunflower. But I'll be happy with just stem and 2 leaves.

The Eggling: A ceramic egg filled with soil and seeds. Once I crack the top of the egg and water it, it's bound to blossom! Easy right? We shall see. If this fails, I will give up on my attempted hobby of pottery planting.



Speaking of moving on to bigger or better things. When is that justified? Most definitely a job, getting a new car, or moving into a different place. But what about people? Is it okay to move on to another person because the person you are with doesn't fit like glove? What if the person you are with can make you happy and fits your expectations but you come across new who goes above and beyond what you could ever want? In that case, does the expression "bigger and better" apply? It's not okay to just up and leave your significant for version 2.0! But I know that it's only human to want more and that it's in our nature to never be satisfied. *Sigh* I've been watching too much Sex and the City.

Sunkissed

Current view:
It's a fairly warm day and I just woke up from a nap on the beach...at La Jolla Shores. These past 3 days, I've gotten a nice pre-summer glow. Lots of playtime at the pool and naps on the beach! This is what vacation truly is...doing nothing and eating everything! Sleep, brunch, play in the sun, snack time, nap time, dinner, and out for a drink....just 1 drink...and then 4th meal. Relaxing, wholesome time with the gfs.


Last night, we went to this cool place called Shout House. It was my first Dueling Piano experience. The pianists were so fun and played just about everything from snoop dog to old school Nintendo music. Lots of dancing on piano tops and comedy accompanying the compositions. On top of that, the crowd was CRAZYYY. The place had numerous bachellorette and birthday parties going on and it seemed like everyone was wasted. Good times =)

Happenings @ Target

Good ol' Target never disappoints. I go there when I need a little pick me up. Whether it'd be a stroll down the card aisle or scrounging around the dollar section to find cute things...God Bless you, Target. I always come in with 1 thing to buy, but end up leaving with 10 items. With that in mind, I take it back...I hate you, Target.

So last night, we went in to buy a board game because it was one of those nights when we wanted to have fun and didn't want to resort to boozing. So walking down the toy section, I found this: BRACE YOUSRELF!

Is this what Babrie has come to? I was outraged! Miss Thang here is a part of the "Barbie Basics" collection. There is nothing BASIC to these dolls. Her and the other hoochie mama Barbies were on the shelves so that little girls can have! At first, I thought, "Oh this Barbie must be a manufactor's defect because she's missing her tank top underneath." But NOPE!!! I looked at the other Barbies behind her and they all were missing an undershirt! My goodness! What is Mattel marketing to little girls? To slut it up? To show one's breastesses? Inappropriate. At least have an advisory note that says, if you're gonna be a whore, wait until after age 21. Protect your youth! I am outraged. Sooo outraged that I looked it up online to see if anyone has made complaints about it. Much to my surprise, they toned down the sex appeal of these Barbies on ads.

The Barbie I found in the store...Her boobs are busting out.


Barbie I found online...barely there boobs.


*Hmph*

On a lighter note, I have a new project at work, thanks to the dollar aisle at Target. I will attempt to grow and harvest strawberries out of my cubical. Amazing these lille thigns are! And only for $1. What a steal.

Sunday Night Blues

Sunday night and I'm not looking forward to the work week ahead. Once again, the weekend went by too fast. Friday was such a beautiful day. What a teaser! It was so warm outside that I spent the entire afternoon soaking up the sun and tanning poolside. It was great to feel the warm sun against my skin and to breathe in fresh clean air. It was invigorating compared to the air in China. Saturday was spent catching up with my girls. Mani/pedis and a night out in the City! We celebrated a young one becoming a woman. Which made me think about the days when I was so excited for a birthday. Now I dread it. Anyhoo...the bff pulled out a small sized Henny and it was nostalgic. Tell me how me and her would drive up to the City when we were 18 and kill one of those in the car before going inside a club? Just the 2 of us! It's as if age has taken a toll on my tolerance as well. It's all going downhill =( But we accomplished our goal and showed the bday girl a grrrreat time. *SIGH* Did I mention I'm really dreading work? I think it's time for another change. I'm also thinking...Tuesday is GLEEEEEE night. AND Is it Friday yet? Because that means weekend getaway to SD!

Until next time...

The worse part about going on vacation is coming home. Of course, it always nice to see my family, friends, familiar food, and the comfort of my own bed. But once I stepped off the plane in SFO, I knew that my adventures in a foreign country would come to a halt until next year. I'll have to limit myself to 1 international trip or else, I'll get hooked and become a nomad!

We covered all of Shanghai and Beijing in such a short time! The many historic sites, modern landscapes, markets, and late night social scenes all conquered until our feet ached and curiosity for all things foreign were satisfied. At first, I thought Shanghai was just like another city from the U.S. I was expecting it to be less developed. Once we got into Beijing, I appreciated Shanghai for what it was. It was a great way to view China in a modern light and to see how it's flourishing. Even though it had many restaurants, shops, and clubs very similar to those in the States, it had personality =) Seeing that Beijing had that old, historic, dirty crowded feeling, it had charm. Between the two, I'm not sure which I city to like best! They were both different in their own ways. I'm just grateful to have experienced old China and new China in one trip. I feel so complete from this trip that I don't feel the need to return. Although, there are 2 things left that I want to see that might change my mind. One, the Terracotta warriors in the Xian Shaanxi province and perhaps Hong Kong to complete my tour of the world's Disneyland parks =) I was so fortunate to have traveled to China with my gfs. I've known these girls since I was 5 years old. We've grown up together and now we're exploring the world together. I couldn't have asked for a more fun, safe, and smooth trip. Now...back to reality!

Summer Palace and Peking Duck

The Summer Palace was a must see. It spreads over 715 acres, 3/4 of which is water. It's truly a masterpiece of Chinese architecture and design. We only covered a miniscule part of the palace. Once we reached the water, we just looked for as far as we could to see the boats and bridges floating. Ohhh the Emperor's life was a good life indeed. Our feet were aching so bad from all of the walking and climbing of steps that we rode a rickshaw back to the subway! It was only a quarter mile walk, but we were being lazy butts. Besides, the rickshaw was part of the China experience.


Finally, the other meal that we had been waiting for since the trip began: traditional Peking Duck. Jen chose this beautiful restaurant called DaDong Roast Duck. The ambiance of the restaurant was unlike anything I had seen before. It was modern, abstract, and sleek. It was the perfect way to end a trip.


Upon entry, there is an open area with hot fire ovens where chefs would prepare the infamous duck, like a performance. They looked so professional and prepped the duck quite carefully. We had the duck of course, a veggie plate, and the most adorable dish I had ever seen!! It was sweet and sour duck in a yam basket with lil duckling pastries. It was sooo precious I wanted to take it back to the States with me =)


The Peking Duck was absolutely DIVINE!! First off, the chef came out to carve it in front of us. He did it with precision and only cut the best parts. The rest of it? Who knows...they took it back to the kitchen and probably used it for other things. But we didn't mind because 1 duck was more than enough for alll of us. We were cultured. Our server came out and showed us how to enjoy the peking duck. It was completely different from what it is back home. They don't eat those flour buns but rather, these paper thing crepes. I think this was better because the flour didn't take a way from the duck. The skin...oooooo it literally melted in my mouth like cotton candy. It was perfect. After our main course, they brought out desserts. I was so happy to see the plate of fresh fruit as it is hard to come by here in China. How fancy! They put it on dry ice too. I'd come back to Beijing just for their Peking Duck!

Dong Hua Men NIGHT MARKET

This is what I was anticipating the whole trip...a night market! It's one of those markets that you see on the travel channel. You know, the ones that are open on the street and sell all sorts of gut wrenching items like starfish on a stick, bugs and critters, kidneys and snake... AND animal genitals. Blehhh. With every country I visit, I made it a personal goal to try something that would scare me. This China trip: Scorpion. The look of it makes me want to scream. We strolled down the 2 blocks of street food and I was so intrigued by all of the items they had. All sorts of sweets and meats, bugs and animal parts. It was probably the craziest thing I had seen on this trip! Although I was most curious to what starfish would taste like...I couldn't get myself to try it. It was so big! And didn't look like it was cooked at all, but rather, dried. So my sweet Jen was a trooper and agreed to eat the lil scorpions with me.

1 stick- 3 scorpions = 15 yuan or $2.




The verdict: It wasn't bad at all! I wanted seconds. The scorpion was deep fried and sprinkled with some salt. Fried crunchy chicken skin is the best description I have for it. Really! After that, we wanted more! It was such a rush eating it.So we tried some of these beetles? I'm not too sure what they were, but they were really dry and flakey. I didn't like it because it lacked flavor. I'm proud of the rest of the girls for joining in on the beetle. The bad thing about eating these bugs is that their legs or whatever get stuck in your teeth. Be sure to have some water to chase it down.