Gifts Galore!

My gosh... I think I'm going to be doing the most damage this year than I've ever done in the past. Lets see... there is a new kid in the family every year, prices keep going up and not down, and I'm participating in hella Secret Santa gift exchanges and all of them being around the $30 price range. Thats a lot of money when you multiply it by the number of exchanges I'm participating in. Lets see...

1. KC's Secret Santa
2. The Girls' Annual Secret Santa
3. Workplace (White Elephant Gift Exchange... same thing kinda!)
4. Cali Homies' Secret Santa
5. 3C's Secret Santa

HOLY CRAP! Not to mention the obvious people that I intend on giving gifts to already. Damn!

I know I know... 'tis the season for giving and being jolly. I KNOW!!! So we shall give and be jolly. Lets just try to forget that the season right after this one is the season to starve at our desks trying to decide which flavor Cup O' Noodles we should have that day, the next day, and the day after that.

Finally!

Okay... finally got my camera back! So y'alls should just prepare yourselves for the camera/picture whore that I am to come back to life! Hehe... so excited! :D

Dresses!

Man... I've been infatuated with dresses lately. I need to find some nice ones though... especially with all the Christmas parties around the corner. I'm telling myself that one day when I have the body, I will wear one of these dresses! :D

... Quite a bit more that I like, but I can't seem to steal it off the websites' flash thingy mah jig and I really don't feel like tryin' to figure that out right now. Yeah... so what if my taste is kind of bland... I like them! :D

BUSY

Man... been busy all this week and barely had time to update my blog (obviously).

It was hard to wake up and get back to the usual routine on Monday. My sleeping habit during the four day weekend was ALL jacked up and catching a cold sure didn't help. Talk about major work overload on Monday though... ugh... the downfall of having a nice, long, relaxing weekend... you come back to a stack of work that needs to get caught up or done. Bleh!

One of the girls in our office, her family owns a winery. Her dad was sweet enough to drop off some bottles of wine at the office that day along with some turkey soup that I missed out on. Most everyone who was in the office that day stayed and hung out after work over some good ol' crackers, cheese, and wine! I'm not much of a wine drinker, but Grace is! She came by earlier than our scheduled dinner/happy hour date and got to meet most of my coworkers. I think my friends would get along great with my coworkers... some of the sweetest people I could ever imagine working with! :D After a few, Nara, Sunaro, and Pearl joined us at Noc Noc... a bar just around the corner from my office. The Happy Hour there is great! Check this out... we got one whole bottle of wine, my rum and pineapple juice, and 7 appetizers for only $25! What a freakin' deal, right? And the servings were pretty big that Grace got to take some of it home with her that night... hehe! And another great thing, its right by work so whoever joins in can just park in my parking garage... thats if other cars have already left and there's parking available. My head was pounding though... and the loud music (that wasn't there the last time I was there with Nack, Grace, and Chanh) was not helping. I guess there was music and dancing (like a club) on Tuesday nights. A few of my coworkers ended up there too... and they told me the next day that they actually stayed to dance! Hehe... so funny! By the time I got home that night, I was literally crawling into bed!

Oh... I found out that I have Monday, December 31st and Tuesday, January 1st off. Freakin' A... and I am going to Vegas the weekend AFTER. Stupid! Should have better planned things. Now, if I am getting a fat bonus like I'd like to, I'm definitely going somewhere for New Years! A four day weekend doesn't happen very often, so you'd bet I'm going to take advantage of it! :D

Overwhelmed

I'm a bit overwhelmed with tons of work right now, but I still love the challenge of it all. If you don't see me online too often or if I'm not responding to you as soon as I usually would, then you'll know why.

Sam, Durand, Lily, and I are planning to go to Maui this June. Durand emailed me saying, "Would you rather NOT go to Hawaii or smell Sam's armpit for a week?" LOL... lucky for me, I like the way his armpit smells... :D It looks like Leena and Morn are probably going as well, so it would be cool. I haven't been back to Hawaii since... September of 2002! And when I was there then, I didn't have much play time since I was there for a youth leadership summit. This time, all play, baby!

I really need to get serious about saving up since I'm going to Cali in 2 weeks and 2 days... so excited! Then I'll be in Vegas in January... the weekend after New Years (yeah... I wish I could have been there for New Years again... but I can't. Boo!). Was hoping to go on the unofficial annual 3C's Snowboarding trip in March. This year, they're thinking of hitting Aspen, and boy have I heard great things. From the looks of it though, I don't know if this would be possible... but wish my luck anyways! Sam and I would like to take a trip together this summer as well... besides the Maui trip. Hopefully we can work something out for his birthday. Man oh man... I should really consider getting a part time job to pay for all these trips, but I don't know how long I would last since there's already not enough time for one full time job. LOL! Maybe I should just cut back on the shopping and unnecessary purchases... the "ka-pek ka-pok" stuff.

I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what I should get Sam for Christmas. What in the world do you get a man who has everything anyway? If he doesn't tell me what he wants, he just might have to suffer with a blown up picture of me... framed! HAHAHA... what torture!

Thanksgiving BRIEF Recap!

(because I don't have time to write up a new entry YET... this is a cut and paste from a KC post that I made)

It was my first time attempting to deep fry a turkey, and it turned out great! My family vowed to never bake a turkey again! I'll post pictures tomorrow... I had a cold all weekend and didn't do crap.

Anyway... it was awesome and I was voluntold to be the turkey fryer each year. I only got a small piece of the juicy turkey, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it. Every other year, there was always a bunch of left over turkey for sandwiches and stuff... but NONE this year. It was nothing but bones within an hour!

Yes, I'm proud!

Oh... and I bought the kit from Wal-Mart for $70 (has everything you'll need and you can use it for other things down the road. I'm thinking crawfish... soon!). Thing is... my mom gave me $50 because she really liked the set and my dad threw in another $50... even after I told him that mom already paid for it. And what do you know? My aunt gave me $50 thinking I spent a lot of money on the food... and my brother gave me $40. LOL... came up on Thanksgiving!

And we also had... sweet mashed potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes and gravy, two pumpkin pies that I didn't have enough room in my tummy for, sausage/apple/walnut stuffing that I made (stole recipe from internet... it was bomb!), corn, green beans casserole (sis made it... not me), and BBQ ribs (I'm beating myself up for not having any).

Not to mention... yao hon! Dude... it was crazy... but I didn't eat the yao hon until the next day... LOL!

Does turkey make you sleepy? Because I fell asleep like a baby that evening... stuffed.

Skinny Jeans

So I've been really skeptical about "skinny jeans" on me because I felt that it wouldn't look right on a big girl like myself. Well, last week when I did retail therapy at Nordstrom, I tried on a pair and thought, "this doesn't look so hideous". Surprise, surprise... I did the damage! Today, I'm wearing them for the first time and I must say, I really like them! Now if only my thighs don't bulge out so much... LOL!

Great!

So work is going just great. I was given a few more responsibilities than I had anticipated... in which they are vital to our company. Under the circumstances they were given, I was under a lot of pressure, but I loved every bit of it. I think I just enjoy the adrenaline rush and I admit, I love feeling like an important factor to my office. :) Needless to say, I got this project squared away and under control. *pats self on back*

I'm building great relationships with my coworkers, and its a great feeling to be welcomed in such a friendly, yet professional manner when need to be. Some of the ladies are really cool and I really look up to them. Successful women who are enjoying life at the same time... I want to be one of them when I grow up!

Last night after work, we hung out at a joint nearby and the topic of traveling to China came up. The two ladies that I was with go to China four times a year... for nearly a month at a time. I jokingly said that I would love to go with them one day... and now they are insisting that I should just go to get a better understanding of our company and the industry itself. Even though this was all just talk, I really am excited and would love to go one of these days! I mean... who wouldn't? Anyway... I'm determined to make it up to that status where I can travel on business... SOON. :)

I'm excited for Thanksgiving this year (and no... not just for the food either!). What sucks is that its so hard to get all the family together for the holidays because we're all so far apart or our schedules just clash. Nevertheless, we always seem to have great holidays with the family. I love having a big family sometimes... there's definitely a lot of unspoken love that you can just feel in the room. What a great feeling... a great time of year!

Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!

My heart's in California...

See those people? I miss them. :(

Especially the handsome stud in the red.

23 more days... and I am SO there...! I can't wait! :)

Weekend...

If only all weekends were like this past one, I'd be drained out of my mind!

Friday was my coworker's birthday. She initially didn't want to do anything for this day because she felt that hitting the big 4-0 was nothing to celebrate... even when she looks nothing like a day past 25 and probably the youngest looking in the office... no kidding! Change of plans though... we decided to go out for drinks after work anyhow at a club/bar around the corner called, "Noc Noc". I walk past this joint every single day, and it was my first time actually going in. A pretty neat spot thats great for happy hours and a quick drink. The bartender could have sped it up a little and did something about his overly greased hair, but thats just my opinion. Anyway... it was cool to hang out with a few of my coworkers that night. They had invited me to go out with them bar/club hopping, but I declined since I didn't drive into work that day, or else I would have SO been there! After two "Sweet Action" (SO GOOD... probably my new favorite drink) and two "Chocolate Cakes" with the birthday girl and company, I was set for the night. Before leaving though, we decided to do the same for MY birthday... and they teased me for being such a youngin' that they can't keep up. Little do they know that I'm probably the first one to go out of all of them, despite the age difference. I feel like such a party pooper and homebody lately... but I don't mind.

On Saturday, it was Girls' Day Out. I never got a chance to really hang out with my sister in law without my brother for about 6 years that they've been married. She had never explored downtown and wanted some shoes, so I killed two birds with one stone. We went shoe shopping... hehe... and she went a little crazy. Natalie and Rachany tagged along... and Rachany even got a chance to draw me a picture to keep in my office. I think she liked the Mr. Sketch scented markers a little bit too much though. Anyway... we explored Westlake Mall, where we also ate and got each an umbrella since it was halfway pouring outside that afternoon. Rachany's pink umbrella was taller than her, but she insisted on being a big girl and carrying it herself anyway... it was quite a sight. I got a little crazy at Nordstrom and managed to score myself a free gift from Express for spending more than $25 that day... which is so easy to do, I can do it with my eyes closed! We also made our way down to Tiffany's... where the salesperson insisted I try on the necklaces that go with my toggle bracelet that Sam got me for our anniversary (thanks Babe!). The necklace was HUGE, and I honestly don't think that I would get much wear out of it. Thank goodness Sam didn't get that for me since he originally wanted to get that rather than the bracelet. I love my bracelet... its simple and just perfect. Besides, I already love the Journey diamond necklace he got me almost a year ago for my birthday. Yes, I'm pretty spoiled by him... oops!

We managed to stop by Sephora on the way back... and Rachany looked like she was in heaven! She picked out a hot pink lipstick that Natalie put on for her. Throughout the store, people were just pointing out how adorable she was with her lipstick and fluffy white jacket. That girl's a Thyda in the making... and her head is almost as large. Hey... at least she was polite enough to say thank you to each and everyone of them who fed her young little ego! By the time we left downtown, she was already too tired to walk and fell asleep instantly when we got back in the car. We stopped by Southcenter on the way back and I said, "Rachany, you wanna go to another Sephora... the place where they have lots of 'aw-aw' (what she calls makeup and jewelry... originating from the Khmer word, 'la-aw')?" The 3 year old got up real quick with her eyes half shut, but nodding rapidly! LOL... that girl is such a tomboy... but a girly girl at heart... I can't explain it! Anyways... I did more damage... but they were all on necessities. Needless to say, it was a tiring day full of shopping and walking... I was pooped.

Sunday, I had to pick something up in the International District for my sister. I decided it should be a fun day with the kids and I... so I took Natalie, Justin, and Kenneth with me for the ride. Afterwards, since we were already in the area, we had Teriyaki downtown... that was so so. I knew how much the kids were fascinated with trains, so I brought them on the next best thing... the monorail! We rode to Seattle Center, where it was just too cold to really enjoy the rides outdoors. We stayed in the indoors arcade there, played some games, Kenneth beat Natalie in a game of Air Hockey (he's 7... she's 13... lol), wanted to ride the Bumper Cars but the two munchkins weren't tall enough. We decided that from that day on, they'd eat more so they can grow big, strong... and tall enough for bumper cars! After awhile, we headed back to our car and headed back down south.

I noticed that Justin's hair was getting really long, so I knew he was in need of a haircut. He liked his long hair though because he had been asking me to put it in a little mohawk for him everytime we went out. He's adorable with it, but even so, it was just too long. We stopped at SuperMall on the way back and were hunting for a good place to cut his hair. There was a place that was asking for $20 for a kids' haircut. Geez louise... thats the cost of an adult's haircut and tips at some places! LOL! We found the perfect one shortly after, though. While we waited, we flipped through the magazines and Justin couldn't seem to find a haircut that he liked. Finally, I asked him, "do you want to cut your hair like Pu Sam?" He said that he didn't remember what it looked like, so I took a picture of him from my wallet and showed him. He smiled and nodded his head. Then, the lady came to ask us how we wanted his hair cut, and there I was whipping out my boyfriend's picture to show her! LOL! She said, "that's a big boy's haircut... you're a little boy!" I told her, "he wants to look like a MAN... please make him a MAN and cut it like that". So she did! Justin was nervous, yet smiling throughout. When she was done, Justin was definitely a man (who has a hard time buttoning his jeans, but thats another story!).



Isn't he handsome? (She wasn't done in this picture... obviously)

He was so proud of his haircut, that he decided he would go back to that same lady! Got home and I told my mom the story about me pulling out Sam's picture to show the hair stylist, and she laughed. My dad loved the haircut and said the lady did a great job!

I made some spaghetti with mushroom and meat sauce, but was still too full to eat. I made the kids eat though... even if they were still full, I reminded them that they want to be tall enough for bumper cars next time!

Later, we went to Barnes and Nobles where the kids read some books to me over hot chocolate. Then, it was time to come home and rest up for the short week ahead of all of us. But boy, was it a fun weekend!

:)

Stamps!

I ordered new stamps since I'm out and I received them today. SO cute!


Man... I used to think that people who collected stamps are retarded because I used to see the typical rose or flag on stamps. But man... there are some pretty nifty ones out there! I think I'm going to send something to Boyfriend just because I want to use my stamps! :D

27 more days until I see the old guy... miss him too much!

(Okay... you can barf now!)

The Texan Couple

So I finally got to meet my Bong Jenjira and Bong Clay. What's funny is that Bong J was probably the first Bong Bong I have chatted with out of the 3C's... but I met her after I met Bong K, Bong Aprimm, and Bong Nieng! They were actually here for Bong J's auntie's funeral... but found the time to grace me with their presence!

All I gotta say is that these two are probably one of the cutest couples that I've ever seen! They've been together for so long, but you can just tell that the flames are still there! I wish we could have spent more time together, but I understand that it was a difficult and busy time for them. On top of that, my sister came to visit since she wouldn't be able to visit for Thanksgiving, or Christmas (which is her birthday).

Lets see... on Saturday, I switched cars with my sister because I knew that my little bucket was just too small to host. Dude... I didn't realize this, but my sister is even more messy than me. I thought my car was messy... should have seen hers! Anyway, I was still grateful that she agreed to switch. I picked up the Bong Bong's at Bong J's aunt's house in Eastside Tacoma. Its weird... I haven't been to that area in so long that I almost forgot the way! I felt really bad because it seemed like I was rushing them to finish eating to come play with me. I just hope that they didn't choke on anything. :p They look just like their pictures... well honestly, Bong J was prettier in person and I'm not just saying that to try to win some home cooked meals from her since I'm going to get those anyway... hehe... but I'm sure the others would agree with me! We then went to go pick Korbs up in Central Tacoma (is there such thing? hehe... I just made it up!)... and headed up to Seattle. I was somewhat quiet on the way up there, and I don't know why. Maybe because I was intimidated by the Texans... hehe... they're just too cute and was afraid that I'd annoy them or they'd kick me out of the car! Oh well... I made it there safely... inside the car!

We met up with Nack... walked down to the FIRST Starbucks where my hands got to play too! ;)



And then checked out Pike's Place Market. I'm not sure if they really liked the whole vibe, but I bring visitors there all the time! Its just a place that I think is pretty neat and Seattle is known for it. They were hoping to see fishes thrown, but for some reason, only the small corny fishes were thrown. Probably because the people who bought them are cheapskates and didn't want to buy the big ones? Hehe... I shouldn't speak though, I didn't buy anything myself! With two chefs with us though, it was like heaven to them... and me too... dreaming of what I could eat after they cook it!



I suggested that Bong Clay buy flowers for Bong J... and he was trying to, but I kept telling him that there are better ones at the other side. Just my luck... they didn't sell them that day at the other side. Sorry Bong J... its my fault you didn't get flowers! LOL



And we HAD to represent, of course!







After that, we went to Sephora's where I convinced Bong J to play makeup with the lady who works there. She was such a great sport about it too!





Check out the makeup artist's hair... so cute!

Bong J looked ever more fresh and beautiful than when she first got in there. LOL... Nack was somewhat annoyed because I ALWAYS insist we go play in there whenever he's in downtown with me for what ever reason!

I owed Bong Clay a cup of coffee since I told him it was going to rain, and it didn't. They literally brought the sunshine with them and took it back with them when they left. The least they can do was leave it with us! Nack and Korbs didn't eat before we played, so they went to go find something to eat... and we hunted them down! The chef's got together for a "KC's Iron Chef's Photo"



I begged for her autograph... or was it recipe?



Then we walked down to Pacific Place... but Bong J got a good handful on the way!



Then we went to Kerry Park... a beautiful, scenic park where no one who visits Seattle should miss. The couple had their own little photoshoot... *barf* HAHAH jk!




Bong J: Ai nah tov, tansour??? (hehehe)


SHE proposed to him... its 2007, okay?


...awwwww!


Hey! We wanna be in the picture too, sheeesh! LOL


I heart her!!


Ahhhhhh... mum mummmm!!


She thought I was gonna throw her off! Hahahaha! (next time!)


(I think Bong J has this as her wallpaper now... haha!)



Bong J: Hello... bong ey? (actually it was her mom)


Now we see why his SN is "Clay Pot Monkey"!


Getting close...


... CLOSER!!


I HAVE EVERY INTENTION OF KEEPING MY BLOG RATED G, SO OTHER PICTURES SHALL NOT BE SHARED!


Bong J: I see Thyda's house! LOL... I wish!


... Then we decided to make a surprise visit to Davy (Kwii) and Manu. They just bought their own home and it is a cute and cozy place! Should check out the bamboo flooring... I love that thing!

KCers.... in the HOUSE!


3C's and a few of our big fans!



... aren't they so adoravble? Like ebony and ivory! Hehe... kidding! :D

We then finished our day together at Nack's friends' place... Romai Thai on Broadway! Food was awesome (as always)... especially the amok!



We then dropped Nack off, and back down to Tacoma we went. Great conversations on the way back though, and I felt like I got to know them even more... including Korbs! Great people... and I wish I could have hung out longer, but my sister called me the instant I dropped them off! My gosh... she was on my ass about her car just because I got a rock chip on the windshield... which was NOT my fault! Hmph!

So there you have it... my day with the Texans! Now, I really do want to visit Texas. Can you believe that they have trees down there? I could have sworn that it was deserted and looked like what it did in the Western movies, but they told me I was wrong! Man... I get attached to people too easily... and now I wanna follow them home! :(

Retail Therapy

Really, it works! So I've been a bit bummed out since I won't be in California this weekend. My friends there are having a pre-Thanksgiving get together and included me in the email list just in case I can make it. Unfortunately, I can't. With planned trips down there in December and Vegas in January, I realistically couldn't afford to add another trip in so last minute. *sigh*

Yesterday, I finally took off from work on time. (I usually stay later by choice... its just more convenient and the traffic dies down when I do decide to leave) I didn't go straight home though. Instead, I made a friendly visit to Nordstrom and Macy's. I haven't had shopping urges in awhile. Actually, I do every now and then but never seem to get myself to buy anything since I want to be a little bit more frugal and cautious with my money. Well, I broke that streak. I indulged in two new pairs of jeans (one I'm wearing today and got three compliments from the office of only 9 for the day... thank you very much), and 4 shirts. I'm not too pleased with one of them, but I got it for a really good price, so I'll probably keep it and find something to do with it later down the line. Anyway, it was quite therapeutic and I feel less crummy about myself and the fact that I can't join in on the festivities. Hey... whatever works, right?

Lets just hope that I won't get back into my old habits of spending carelessly. You ought to be proud of me though... I bought all those items for the amount that I used to spend on a pair of 7 jeans... and maybe a pair of earrings! :p

Do you love it, or do you hate it?

Seriously, why do people put so much thought into something that they hate? Its annoying to see the same old people bitchin' and complainin' about something... yet they're still all up in the ying yang and using it just as much, if not more than those who love it.

People who have lives and the least bit of pride would just leave rather than complain a million times plus four.

So really... do you love it, or do you hate it? Do you love to hate it? Ahhh... thats probably it.

Jealous

I just got done catching up with Nara and Grace's Caribbean blog. Oh my freakin' gosh, they are having so much fun on the islands and during the cruise while I am shivering in my pants at my desk with a heater at my feet and a thick, wool jacket on my back. Life just isn't fair, is it?

I miss them... its been so long they've been gone, it seems! :(

What I REALLY Want...

Last night, I was trying to emphasize my love for my favorite TV shows to Sam. I still can't believe that he had never seen an episode of FRIENDS! I love that show... I can't explain it, but I do. I think I've seen every single episode at least twice and would still laugh my butt off if I was to see any of those episodes over again. Therefore, I have decided what I really want this year (birthday or Christmas).

Friends - The Complete Series Collection

Buy it HERE (click)!

Are you kidding me?

I'm flattered, but no thanks. (I used that spray paint tool I discovered on iPhotos to conceal the person's personal information including name, email address, and phone number)

I guess what shocks me most is that people still do this. Maybe I'm narrow minded and arrogant, but I found this amusing and absurd... all at the same time. If someone is interested in the person, let me know and I will be more than happy to relay your pictures and information to him.

For all I know, someone can possibly be playing a prank on me and testing to see what kind of response I would give the person. Hehe... okay... who's the jokester behind this? :D

Time...

Where does the time go when you need it most? Seriously... I haven't even gotten a chance to finish my blog entry about this past weekend... I just want details and pictures... its more time consuming than people think! Haha...

Despite the extra work I've been assigned this week, work's been great. A lot more on my plate than the past month, but I'm happy with it. Though, I wish there was more hours in the day to get things done, I shouldn't complain. I mean... don't we all?

There are some things I would like to get done in my personal life, some old hobbies I'd love to pick up, new interests I'd like to learn more about... but there's just no time in my world, it seems. If only I could afford to travel to the places I'd like to, visit the people I love, and do the things I enjoy, life would be awesome. Unfortunately, its not this life.

I guess you can't have everything, can you? Well... time's definitely one of those things that you can't always have. Boo.

Umbrella

I admit, though I live in a really rainy city, I rarely use an umbrella. Sometimes, my reasoning is that I'm not coordinated enough. Other days, I'm just too lazy or I feel that it would take longer to whip out an umbrella and put it away than to just sprint through the rain!

Anyway, last weekend, Nara, Grace, and I got matching umbrellas (LOL)! We all copied Nara since she found the cutest one first... hehe! I used it this morning and I thought to myself, "wow... what a great invention!" Really, it is! Inventions usually stream off from the simplest ideas. It made me wonder how many different designs of an "umbrella" inventors had to go through in order to find the modern umbrella that we use today. I'm sure it all started from holding a book or piece of cloth over the head in the rain. But come on... the umbrellas now are pretty nifty. Some can retract at the touch of a button... some can fold into the smallest form that can fit in a back pocket, and some are longer and can be used somewhat like a cane (like my new one... hehe). How many times did inventors mess up before getting it right, I wonder. Few years back, I saw umbrella hats... and thought those were neat too!

I think I just became overly fascinated with umbrellas... and I plan on getting a few more, just because. I used to think that they were hassles and useless, but they're anything but that. My next design on my umbrella shopping list? Black and white polka dots to match my luggage! :D