Hinamatsuri

What a sweet surprise. I came home to this cute little pop-up card from Hiromi, my dear friend from Japan! "Hi Lynn-chan" as she says. (Chan attached to the ending of a name means "young one".) She sent me a card for Hinamatsuri...which I googled! It's a Japanese holiday, significant for "Girls Day" or "Dolls Festival". They celebrate it on the 3rd day of March. By Mid or late February, families with daughters put out special dolls on display in hopes that their daughters will grow up healthy, happy, and with good fortune. They must be careful to not display the dolls for too long, for it will be bad luck for the girls. It is thought that they would become old maids or will never marry! I love learning about different traditions and cultures.



I can't stop looking at this card. Open, close, open close. It's so fancy and cute...as with everything from Japan. I think I'll send her a Valentine's Day card. I wonder if they celebrate it over there. Perhaps I'll send her some naughty panties from Victoria Secret too. hahaha.

Rainy Days

my 7 wonders

I always hear about the 7 wonders of the world. The architectural, natural, ancient and modern...whatever they are, I've taken the time to think about the places and things I want to see and experience. My own personal list of the 7 wonders. Some day...I'll conquer these one by one.

1. Aurora Borealis. location: Northern latitudes, like Alaska.

Why? A natural occurrence that is absolutely beautiful.

2. Taj Mahal. location: Agra, India.

Why? An architectural masterpiece inspired and dedicated to love.

3. Great Pyramids of Giza. location: El Giza, Egypt.

Why? Ancient and mysterious.

4. Eiffel Tower. location: Paris, France.

Why? Once the tallest architectural landmarks of the world + It sparkles so pretty at night.

5. Christ the Redeemer. Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Why? A glorious symbol of faith on a magnitude of its own.

6. Dubai. Location: Arabian Peninsula

Why? A series of man-made islands that is an epi-center for paradise, luxury and the world's tallest building.

7. The Grand Canyon. Location: Arizona

Why? A creation by mother nature. I want to kayak in its caves and rivers, hike its paths, and go horseback riding into the sunset!

Winter Nights

The sky resembles a back-lit canopy with holes punched in it -Incubus.

I was walking out in the streets right now and the sky looked especially clear tonight. I spotted a star that was unusually bright. It must have been the North star, but I stood there and looked at it to make sure it wasn't a plane. Most definitely, it was a star. Of course the usual can be seen: The big and little dipper. I can recall my first trip to Hawaii a few years ago. I was standing on top of a hill in Kona and seeing the most sensational star-lit sky. Being that Kona didn't have big city lights and was at a high elevation (volcanic ground), the sky was unlike anything I had seen before. The island was pitch black and every bit of the sky was filled with a star. We don't get that here at all. Anyway, I got a map of the constellations and for the first time, I found Leo the Lion! As geeky as it sounds, I was ecstatic that I saw it with my own naked eyes.

About to save the world, 'til I saw something sparkly

Dear Starbucks,

You did a damn good job of giving this plain cakey doughnut some pizazz. I typically wouldn't buy any of your desserts (except for the chocolate chip cookies) but when I saw this one, I had to get it. Was it because the white frosting was so perfectly white? Was it the lighting that hit the sprinkles and sparked a shine that hit my eye? Too bad the taste SUCKED ASS. You ripped me off of this time Starbucks!

Happy Friday.

Cheers to 2010

I'm laying in bed now, recovering from my spontaneous trip to Vegas and SoCal. I just woke up from a 10 hour sleep. I can't emphasize how important it is to invest in good bedding. For there are times like this when you are out and about in hotel rooms, sleeping on a friend's couch or even on the floor, it feels insanely good to just come home to your own bed. A queen sized all to myself with clean and cool 500+ thread count sheets, plush goose down pillows and my fav- the Nap blanket. The last two weeks of the December always seem to be the most chaotic time of the year. The birthdays, Christmas, and NYE popping up out of nowhere. NYE at Disneyland was brilliant. Who would have known that there'd be soooo many people going! It was crazy packed. We got the hopper pass for Disneyland and California Adventures and stayed there from 9am-1am and only managed to get on about 10 rides. The midnight countdown was insane. The entire park was an outdoor club and 2 sets of fireworks went off at one time. It was worth the aching feet and lethargy I had the next morning.

Vegas never disappoints! Except for the buffet at the new hotel of City Center: Aria. Don't go there. Actually I don't know if the City Center overall is worth visiting. It's a city within a city. Bleh. Anyway, I left Vegas as a winner and not a loser. For once! =)


What I love most about this time of year is reuniting with my lovely friends who live afar. I cherish the fact that even though I don't get to see them that much, we just pick up from when we left off. Nothing awkward, nothing different. It just comes to show that our friendships are solid and real. Another thing...guys come and go, friends stay forever. True. But there is always that significant person who stands out from the rest and stands through the test of time. I'm one lucky girl to have not lost that. I have a feeling that 2010 is going to be great.
p.s. Welcome home Annie!

Happy Holidays!

I've been asked this a few times today: "Did you get everything you wanted?"

Absolutely! Love, forgiveness, friends, and family. The priceless things that don't come with a gift receipt or tag. Christmas feels a lot different as you get older. I truly enjoy giving rather than receiving. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for all the gifts I got! But there wasn't much I wanted to begin with. Oh and this little baby below is worth mentioning:

Hi Teacup! She's small, sweet, and soft! She came with a companion, which I'd rather not show because she's a beastly one who likes to bite. So she doesn't deserve to be on my blog. Teacup bit me once too, but we were even the moment I dropped her from 4 feet in the air. Yikes!
As much as I wanted to keep this little hamster, I knew it was best to return it. I've had my fair share of hamsters and I can't fathom the thought of watching another one die. Not my fault! They only live 2 years or so and my last one died of a tumor. =(

Besides, I'm always on the go and I can't tend to a pet.
Have fun being quarantined at Petsmart little one!

I guess that's it for this year...Eager for 2009 to be over, I'm escaping:
Vegas- 12/27 - 12/30
OC & Disneyland- 12/30 - 01/01

Merry Christmas everyone and have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

=P

I've taken account all of the fuck ups that I've come across this year and all I can think of is: Never a failure, always a lesson.

This year needs to end already. 2009 was not fine.

Excursions!

After months of discussing and planning with my gal pals, we've finally made it official! Flights booked for Shanghai and Beijing for Spring 2010. And so...the google docs get started and travel books to be read. It definitely brings light into my life and it's exactly what I need.

To grandma's house we go...

This past weekend, I went down to SoCal and it's been a while since I did a road trip down there since I usually get there via airbus. I must say, driving is much easier when you have the beautiful California coast to look at. The weather was surprisingly warm. 80 degrees in mid December! Seriously. We are truly blessed here in Cali.
It went by so fast and I enjoyed every moment of it. There was definitely something really different about this trip down south. Maybe it has been the smoothest and quietest trip by far. Westminster is a mecca of delicious Vietnamese culture and yummy food. More importantly, my grandparents are there! ohh yes! Durian shake. yummmm

I come down there so much I should just live there =) Day 2, on our way down to San Diego, we passed by Camp Pendleton! My sissy is going to be there tomorrow! She's actually on a plane right now...leaving Japan, for good! I am stoked beyond belief to have her home. On the way back home, we stopped by Pismo Beach because my bro wanted to buy 5 quarts of Splash's famous clam chowder. Although the ride home on the 101 was super long, he drove the whole way =) and I got to take pics and sleep.