Cooking out our inner chefs

Due to the fact that I can now cook.  I thought it would be appropriate to show-off my cooking skills by throwing a homemade dish potluck.  Because my specialty is Pulled pork Sandwiches, I did just so.  Let me share with you all what my talented friends, and their parents cooked up for this lovely gathering ::::

                                            My infamous Pulled pork
                                       

My sis in Law's Turon.  Which is pretty much a banana eggroll

Miss Keithryn's Crab bread thingys.  They were Mad good in my mouth!

My Bff's red Velvet cupcakes.  She forgot to put the Vanilla extract in the frosting....but I think it tasted better.  You should try it. 

Mr. EPZ's mom's Pancit.  The filipino Chowmein

My hubby's Adobo.  Chicken cooked in soy sauce and vinegar....and other things...

Chela Bella's baked Ziti.  Yummers!

My Bff's lovely boyfriend "made" oysters. They were ginormous.  I was too scared to tackle the big ones

Areta's infamous sticky rice.  I wanted her to be an authentic Lao and put it in a straw bowl.  it was awesome!

Mr. Callachan and Jing both brought home made dip.  It was pink...pretty.

Jo Flo cooked up some teriyaki wings to go with his lover's sticky rice

Our friend Bobo, who by the way is a real chef made the Bomb diggity Cole slaw and.....

THE best cornbread I have ever touched.  It had jalapenos in it.  What a blissful combo.

Well, that's all the food.  Hope you enjoyed the pictures.....They were HEAVEN in my belly.

Wow, that really IS a low price!

I thought this commercial deserved a place in my blog. Everytime we see this commerical on TV, the hubby is rolling on the floor with orgasmic laughter.....I like it when he laughs.

Closet Inspiration

These here pictures were my inspiration for my outfit today.  Also....it encourages me to keep Tokyo in mind, when planning a trip....Love their styles

Who's this sistah?

Train - Hey, Soul Sister


At the moment, this song is my obsession. I love the beat, the video, the group, and just recently I
LOVE the words! Have you ever really sat down and listened to them? I think the way they used their words were soooo creative! I wonder who inspired them to sing this song? It's such a happy song.
You just don't get to hear songs like this anymore. Makes me happy to know they are not entirely extinct.
Doesn't this song make you want to jump up and down with a huge smile? Well, to me it does. I heart this song so much! Heeeaaaay!

A night with Sarah, Liz, Ronnie, and Chile

Oh little boys.  Sometimes you can be just a little too uneducated....

  So, me and the gal pals went out for another GNO.  We attempted to do the whole bar hopping thang, but only made it to two.  Place number one was a new sports bar over yonder.  It's call 44 and it's about a 10 minute drive from my house.
http://www.44sportslounge.com/

 It's a small little place that got a cool scene and THE best catfish sliders my tongue has ever touched.   Here's an excerpt from the online menu, because I think it deserves that much credit.

Southern Fried Catfish Sliders
Crispy catfish filets with Cajun rémoulade & bacon bits on fresh butter rolls


Anywho, me and the gals were there having our girly drinks, mine including the oh so feminine drink Hennessy and Cranberry, AKA "Thug Juice."  It's great when you're surrounded by great company.  Just talking, drinking, eating, and laughing about boys will always be a great past time to me.  Well, 2 hours later and episodes with the WORST and most brainless waitress ever.  I mean, come on, how many times must we remind her  for silverware and water AND forgetting that we ordered food after 5 min?  I understand that it may be busy, but for a place that's no bigger than my bedroom, there's no excuses.  FAIL!!!!!
Anyways, back to the story, after the 2 hours, and getting picked up on by a high looking wanna be 2-Pac, off to the 2nd bar we go.


Second place is in Albany. That's about 20 minutes away. It's call Mallards and the scene is so cool.  http://clubmallard.com/

I like it hurrrr.  My drink of the night was a Guinness with the dose of Chamboard.  Yummers.  Anyways, as seen above, me and the gals opted for a game of pool.  So minding our own business and playing 30 minute games, a couple of dudes come up and decided to mingle.  We weren't really having it.  But, oh well. It's entertainment.  

Whilst we were being introduced to the minglers, I apparently,  didn't get the memo that my friends now had new aliases. My friends were now Sarah, Liz, Ronnie, and Chile.  Me, being so honest stuck with the real.  Anyways, it was quite a hoot talking to these guys, cause we soon later found out that they were there to celebrate one of the guys relapsing from alcohol sobritety, and the guy that was trying to hollar at us, later confessed he had a lady. What's even funnier is that we and ended our night with them with him asking for love advise.  WTF????  Gotta love them Bay Area men!

Shiz like this!

Few days ago, I saw M.I.A.'s new music video for her new song "Born Free." It's pretty intense, and definitely an eye catcher.  It's stuff like this that  makes me appreciate certain artists.  Call me weird or even morbid, but I'm more about the thought process that creates this art.  I'm not for the commercial type styles that's been done. WORD!
M.I.A. Banned From YouTube!

Scenes from an SF Baseball game

Baseball, bloody baseball.  Despite the fact that I'm from the bay, and living through that whole Barry Bonds hype ordeal, I was never really into baseball.  I was especially never into the Giants.  I'm actually an A's fan.  Before I go any further, let me answer why I am an A's fan before I hear the infamous word "why" everytime I tell someone that I am.  Well, being that my name starts with an A....it's obvious.  Also, my very first baseball game was an A's game, and the Bash-Brothers were the hype at the time.  

I hearted Jose Canseco and Mark Mcgwire.  THEY were baseball.  I especially loved it when Jose Canseco would break a bat with his leg after he would strike out.  It was even better in person.  

But anywho....GIANTS?  naw....I'm cool.....

Although, I don't really care for them, I attended a Giants game last night against my will.  See, when you're married, you have to make sacrifices like so.  Anywho, I went to a Giants game with the hubby, nephew Tae, and fellow friend Nate.  I have never been into the AT&T park.  Actually, I have never been there when there was a game.  The only time I went there was when I tried out for American Idol season three...

So, when I first set foot into this beautiful architecture,  I was in utter awe and envy.  I was in awe because there were food booths galore and the design was beautiful, and I was envious, because, well, the A's deserve this.

Garlic Fried with Ranch dressing and Mints on the side.  Now, how delish and thoughtful is this freakin dish????

The place was designed so retro/vintageish.  The seats were clean, they had twisty slides that I failed to take advantage of, they would take pictures of you , print it, and you can keep it, they had clam chowder in a bowl, a lit up coke bottle, and  it was full of drunk happy people, my favorite kind of people.

So anyways, let's get to the game.  Since I was surrounded by tons of Giants fans, and I was not about to be cheering for them, I had to lower the decibles of my clapping, hoorahs, and boo's.  I discovered that the Phillies fans, who they were playing, were being constantly  visited by flying peanuts, boo's and chants, and occasional cups of flying cokes.  I didn't want my bag to get dirty.

Although I didn't enjoy the fact that the Giants won, I was enjoying the different types of scenery around me.  There were a group of people sitting in our section wearing crab hats. 

 So whenever Shane Victorino from the Phillies was out field, our section would yell out "Shane has Crabs!" It's was pretty hilar.  Especially since he was right in front of us.  Drunk people at these games are also something to laugh about.  Two guys sitting behind us, who btw, were the whole trendsetters for for the "Shane has crabs" theme, were constantly yelling out vulgar lines that were just to hilarious to forget.  There was another drunk man who was dancing to a beat that was totally not in sync with the songs played.  There was also a Beer-drinking Gingerbread man.   Pure awesomeness.

  The feet stomping of the fans whenever the Giants were at bat were pretty awesome as well. 

Because of this experience, I would def attend another game....but only for the scene not the team....HA! You like that?!

Inpiration

Ok, enough about the men in my life.  :)

Let me share something with you that gives me the inspiration to design.
I just saw Sade's new cover for her new single coming out.....

So eccentric, simple, and I LOVE the color usage.  You'll be seeing a design made from me soon.....

1 MORE change to the 5

OK, so I was speaking with my gal pals last night about my top 5.  I realized....ok, I need to change it again.  I was watching one of my favorite TV shows:: "Ghost Adventures."  It's pretty  much a show that consists of 3 guys from LV who get locked in a haunted place for the night.  It's shown on the Travel Channel.  I lav it!  Anywho, one of the guys, who's pretty much the leader of the pack,  is a funny, dorky, buff dude named Zack Bagans.  He's the one in the front of the picture in all black and with beautiful biceps::::

So, because he's my number 5 now, Drake is still my number 6 and Xhibit is my number 7.  

Also, I would like to add that the guy right behind Zack, wearing the grey, he's my number 8.  His name is Nick Groff........

OHKAY!  you know what?  I'm changing my number 5 once again.  This time, it's FINAL!  I forgot one guy who I absolutely love and drool over everytime he graces the England channels.  

My number 5 is......wait for it......

ASHLEY BANJO!!!!!!

He's the guy wearing the hat and grey jacket.  He's a fine ass dancer, who's from this dance group call "Diversity." They were the one's who beat Susan Boyle in Britain's got Talent.  They're pretty bad ass.  

So Ashley...sigh yes.  Definite number 5.  Just cannot get enough of his dance moves, English accent, beautiful smile, and sexy swagger.  oh, I swoon.

So let's move Zack Bagans to number 6, Drake number 7, Xhibit number 8, and Nick Groff number 9.....

Top five

OKay, so me and my friends are dorks.  The main topic of this weekend was, "Who is your top 5?"  Pretty much meaning who are the top 5 people that you could either get a free pass to sleep with, if you were already taken or that you would like to boink?

Here's mine in order::

                                                        Pittbull (rapper)

George St-Pirerre (a UFC fighter)

                                                              Gael Garcia Bernal (a beautiful actor from Mexico)

Javier Bardem ( another beautiful actor, this time from Spain)

Xhibit(rapper)

My number 5 used to be Drake, but people made fun of him, saying he looked like a mouse.....hence Drake is now my #6

R&R

So yesterday the lover and I decided to get some true R&R. We went to go get a couples massage.  Oh boy, it was sooooo lovely.  One of my good friends is a certified massage therapist.  Her name is Emily Rones, and although she's a tiny little thing,  her hands and arms and elbows are heaven on earth.  She worked her limbs so hard to get rid of those nasty knots that I accumulated over the past few months.  When I was done with my session, I felt like someone untied me and I felt all limber and relaxed.  Here's her information if you're interested in using her talants::
http://nurtureacupuncture.com/about.php

Not only is she a certified massage therapist, but she also does acupuncture, and this faboosh thing called cupping.  I usually come in mainly for cupping.
Cupping is a technique where ......ummmm, let me just send you a link::

http://www.bing.com/health/article.aspx?id=articles%2fwp%2fpages%2ff%2fi%2fr%2fFire_cupping.html&br=lv&q=cupping&FORM=K1RE&qpvt=cupping

After cupping, your back gets marked with red dots.  Like so::

 It looks like Rick was using my back to practice his baseball pitching.

Rick also had a massage as well.  The massage therapist that did him was named Michelle Gonzales.  I have never used her, but according to the words of the man, he HIGHLY recommends her.  Here's her info:: http://massagebymichelleg.com/

Since we were all in the same room I got to experience her personality, and BOY she's FUN E!  You totally get such a relaxed feeling with just being around her. 

I wish I remembered to take pictures whilst there.....It's an awesome experience. If you guys are interested in getting relaxed, let me know!

Alexander Mcqueen

I wish he didn't have to go.....He was such a talented designer.  I was just looking through different fashions and designers just now....and only did his creations catch  my eye.

  Although I could never afford them, I love these shoes

This is like my most favorite piece that he designed.
He's so inspiring.  Such a creative mind gone too soon.  But I thank God that he shared him with us.

Rest in piece Alexander Mcqueen

ZACK MORRIS Cell phone T Shirt

Selling another item motivated me to make another item on Zazzle.  Check it out mayne!

ZACK MORRIS Cell phone T Shirt from Zazzle.com

mmmmm...Lipton

One of my favorite things to make are oinion baked potatoes with the Lipton soup mix.  2 reasons why I love it.  1) It's super easy to make  2)  It's HELLA good!  I can seriously eat 5 potatoes if it were cooked this way......

Here's the recipe as well.  http://www.recipesecrets.com/recipeDisplayMRS.aspx?RecipeID=4637&Version=5

I have to hand it to Lipton.....they have the best easy recipes that I know, that never fail to taste good.  All i have to say is Rachel who?

Love your body

Ok, so I'm like totally engrossed in this show on MTV.  It's called True Life and the subject is about body dysmorphia.  It's a pretty sad disease.  It's a disease that consists of people not happy with their body or face, they think that they are ugly.  http://www.ncpamd.com/body_dysmorphic_disorder.htm 

I just don't get how people can hate themselves so much just because they are not happy with how they look.  God gave you your looks for a reason.  You should cherish them.

And Another one!

Yeeeyah!  I sold another item today!  This time, my item was sold through Zazzle.com.
I like this site a bit better than etsy.com, because you pretty much create your own designs, and then the company will print out the designs and send it to the buyer themselves.  Of course we don't get the full amount paid, and only receive part commission, but it all adds up.  This is excitement in my pants!

Here's the link  http://www.zazzle.com/80s_party_invitation-161609067668509850

Blame it on the volcano

So doesn't look like I may be going home when expected.  I'm supposed to be flying back May10th, but with Miss Mother Earth acting all moody....my stay may be extended.....no complaints here.
http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12333982

LA Cliff notes

Aaaaaaaaand I'm back!  Well, to NorCal, that is.  This whole vacay thingy is getting me all distracted from my lovely blogging activity.  Don't expect this one blog to be a whole bloody essay, I'll just cliff note this one.  Kapish?


So yes, last week I spent the week in Lovely LA, with my lovely familia, to watch a lovely wedding between my older brother and his lovely wife Phi.

 My older brother finally got hitched, and now I'm patiently waiting for a niece or nephew to brew.  Due to the fact that I don't think I will be popping any out any time soon.

 The wedding was flippin awesome!  Not only was I able to dance and gallavant with my family and friends all night, but get this, Henney bottles were the CENTER PIECES!!!!  Ok, how cool is that?  I tend to enjoy weddings more when these are used as such.

 


Also, I attended my first Vietnamese Tea ceremony.   The new Mrs. Gines/new sis-in-law is Vietnamese., hence the ceremony.  It was quite an experience.  I always get amazed at different cultures in action.   Anywho....CONGRAT TONY AND PHI!

So another thing accomplished in LA was Universal Studios!  And you want to know what's even better?  Military Discount!  Whoohoo! It's always nice to save some dough.  Anywho.  It has changed so much since the last time I've been there.  All I can say about that is place the Mummy ride?  It's a definitely MUST!  Who can hate a roller coaster that starts off slow, with some history info, then all of a sudden become a flurry of pitch black fun!  And get this, this flurry goes BACKWARDS!!!!  Yes, I almost peed in my pants from excitement.  It was that fun.

We also did the ritual tram tour ride.  Some of the things that I saw when I was a wee lass and thought were so amazing...ie. Jaws, the earthquake part, and the turning tunnel, wasn't so scary anymore.

This time I found myself analyzing how they worked and tried to pick out how fake it was.  But it was still fun.  I felt like a kid again....if only I were....then the episodes with me squealing and jumping around and giggling with my hands to my mouth would have looked more normal.


OK, 2 more things, and I'm done.


One of the things  that Rick and I tend to do  religiously whilst in sunny SoCal is star searching.

 Yes, we are certified Celebrity whores.  Hey, we can't help it.  We are so obsessed with trying to see someone famous, it's ridiculous. We ALWAYS take the tour of the stars' homes.  This time we did it via Starline Tours. http://www.starlinetours.com/ Visit Rodeo Drive and Robertson Drive, where celebrities tend to shop.  And try to eat at restaurants where there are usual Celebrity sightings. This time we ate at this place called Carneys on Sunset Blvd.  They serve hot dogs and burgers.  Anyways, we ate there not only because it was the most affordable place to eat on the strip, but because we found out Elvis Presley ate there and ended up giving a waitress his car after he finished his meal.

 We sat next to the table that he sat at.
 It's pretty sad, but I love it.

Want to know something else a bit sadder?

 Rick and I never leave LA without visiting the Rite Aid Brittany Spears frequently visited when she was going through her pink wig, english accent breakdown.  Yes, I am not kidding.....

So, who did I see?  Well as stated in an earlier blog, Tara Reid.  I also saw a somewhat of a celebrity.  I saw WoMan.  He's been blogged about on Perez Hilton's page. http://perezhilton.com/category/pretty-woman/ He's pretty much a hefty man that has been seen frolicking around LA in women's lingerie.  It's a pretty awesome sight when seen in person.  He's been on TMZ and other celebrity sights as well....




OK, Last thing to blog about that is sooooooo worth blogging about.


If you are in the SoCal area...I MUST recommend Suzie Cakes.

 Sigh, I'm drooling as I am blogging this.   When I first stepped into the shop, I felt my bottom half already expand.  It was a cute little pastry shop where you were able to watch the cake decorators in action through a plexi glass and the cupcakes/cakes/whoopie pies/ etc. looked sooooo yummy.
 I had the red velvet cup cake, and I must tell you, I believe that I was in heaven during that 1 minute of devouring.

 Please visit this place....you'll regret it if you don't.
http://www.susiecakesla.com/


OK, that's LA in a nutshell.  tis all.


OH! One more thing!  I'm totally boycotting LA INK!  I Still love you Kat Von D, but I disliked the workers.  When me, my hubby and his nephew went there to visit it, a racial remark about asians was said by a male worker in front.  I have never been so insulted.  He even said it while I was standing in front of him!  I was so upset, I deleted the picture I took of the place from my camera. I wanted to punch the little punk in his face, but was scared that he might have poked me with a tattoo gun.....NEVER AGAIN!