Okay. So I haven't been blogging regularly as promised. This is because I have gone insane and created another blog. A blog about the details of our (RY and mines) journey towards our special day. So with that said, I am officially taking a semi-permanent hiatus from here and instead you can come read all about how I stay cool during this tying-the-knot process over at ~ our wedding blog

Don't be shy now...come say hello and share all your bridezilla moments with me as well!

Labels: "bridal updates"

It is exactly one week before Thanksgiving. How will you be celebrating your day?

RY's mom is flying in from Maui and the future in-laws will be coming over to our place. Similarly like last year, instead of cooking...they've ordered Zippy's Thanksgiving Meals to Go. All that needs to be done is pick it up that morning and to re-heat it when we come home. Once done with eating all that good food and cleaning up, must remember to check all the ads (mental note: buy NEWSPAPER) as well as make a list of what to buy before heading to bed.

And I'm pretty sure you know what I'm talking about ~ yes, it's those horrid after-thanksgiving sales, also better known as Black Friday. I'm pretty sure RY will ultimately want to go to Best Buy while I would prefer to be at the Waikele Premium Outlets since their sale madness kicks off at midnight! But with the current economic climate, some local retailers have already started to offer early discounts and other incentives hoping to get cash-strapped consumers (like myself) in the mood to spend! I'm not looking to buy anything for myself but more so for some great bargains as holiday gifts. Let's see what I find next Friday!

Labels: family, holiday

Two days in beautiful San Francisco is not enough, especially when it's your first time!

So with that short span of time (despite the cold and rain), I tried my very best to absorb everything and anything! Some of the many popular and famous attractions that we manage to see were the Golden Gate Bridge, Twin Peaks, Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square and Chinatown.

We also got to see some of the other popular sights (Golden Gate Park, Nob Hill, North Beach and more) briefly while we were on a tour bus as well as on the cable car rides. Here are some photos I uploaded onto Facebook

Labels: vacation

Happy TGIAF!

Back from a mini vacation with RY and his parents'. Actually have been back since last Friday night but it's taken me this long to get back into my normal groove. We had a blast nevertheless or at least I know I did. We spent two full days in San Francisco and two full days in Las Vegas for some sight-seeing, shopping, good eats and gambling. We also celebrated two birthdays ~ RY's dad's and mines too the very next day. More on the mini vacation and photos to follow!!

Labels: family, vacation

I've battled with bad skin since my teenager years and tried almost everything related to skin care to help combat and treat acne, scaring and dry/oily T-zone areas on my face. Today in my email inbox, I read something interesting about a healthy skin challenge where it advices one to do a diet makeover - to eliminate the foods that gives one lackluster skin. If I'm reading this right, I'm suppose to do my skin a favor and minimize:

- Full-fat daily products
- Red meat (especially processed meat)
- Sugary soft drinks
- Sweets (e.g., cakes, pastries, etc.)
- Alcohol- and caffeine-containing beverages

So in my case...now I know why I still have bad skin; and it's all because of what I eat and drink. Crap!!

Labels: health issues

This time next week, I'll be a year older, hopefully slightly more wiser than today and I'll be in Vegas!! Woo-hoo! Now, I wonder what we'll be doing on that day?

Labels: holiday, travel

I'll be leaving on a jet plane come this Saturday night with RY. First destination is San Francisco and we arrive an hour earlier before his parents. I hope I'll be able to sleep; otherwise I better take some drowsy meds to make me SLEEP! It'll be my first time in SF and we're only spending two full days there. In my opinion...that's definitely not enough hours to fully experience a new place but I should not complaint as I'm lucky that they're even letting me come in the first place! Our next destination is Las Vegas for three and a half days. I hope it won't be too cold and in order to not forget anything, I'm making my list of things to pack and posting it here ~

- Jacket
- Sweater(s)
- Long-sleeved t's and shirt(s)
- Jeans
- Pants
- Scarf
- Gloves
- Skirt(s)
- Knee Socks/Tights
- Walking shoes
- Boots
- Undergarments
- Toiletries/Make-up/Hairbrush/Flat Iron
- iTouch
- Digital camera
- Video camera
- Chargers for cell(s)/camera/touch/videocam - Secret stash of $$$ for gambling/shopping - Guidebook/map/my list of things to do, see and eat
- Leftover Halloween snacks/chocolates/gummi bears
- Gum

What else am I missing and/or should leave out?

Has it been that long since I last updated my blog? I blame procrastination, lack of interesting stories to share and a sheer of amount laziness for the lack of update! No sense I make promises either, as I haven't been too good about keeping them when it comes to blogging.

As I try to remember with my pea-size of a brain, nothing really does come to mind that I can share except for the fact that I've started with the wedding preparations. I have been researching on the different wedding vendors and comparing them by the services they provide as well as their pricing. RY and I have also looked at a couple reception venues ~ all of which are hotels in the Waikiki area. We particularly like one and now will need to really crunch the numbers to see if our budget will permit us to make "the" decision and put down a deposit so we may secure the venue for our selected wedding date. We have already decided on the church for our ceremony and now to make arrangements for our marriage preparation classes. What fun to look forward too! We've also somewhat decided on our wedding colors and I even started to do origami. My goal is to fold 1000 paper cranes and teach RY (with lots and lots of patience) to fold ONE before our wedding!

No hiccups you say? There's also been some vendors whom are just really bad at responding to both emails and phone calls to provide more information, but I'm not being too fussy or bothered about it YET as I still have a whole year to plan. From all that I've researched, gathered, and read...I'm trying my best to do most of everything on my own as oppose to hiring a wedding planner...and also not take my frustrations out on RY. He's been plenty patient with me, and a trooper for tagging along with me when he can to those bridal functions which he says "It's not his thing!" (me rolling my eyes)

Click on the link to view some of pictures that I took from two bridal events. More to come...I hope *grins*

Pssst: By the way...if you live here on the islands, read my blog and have suggestions or recommendations to offer, please do so as I am open to anything!!!

Labels: "bridal updates"

Being sick is no fun! Sneezing, coughing (the painful and dry kind), stuffy and runny nose and major congestion!

This is after I as well as RY had gotten sick, twice, mind you. I suppose it had been coming since I haven't gotten this sick for a few years! I blame RY because he got sick first upon returning from our trip to SoCal (ohh yes, I've yet to blog about our trip).

We're on our way to recovery, so much so, instead of buying one of those Progresso brand "Chicken Noodle" soup, I found an easy recipe online and cook it myself in the slow cooker. The verdict ~ we enjoyed every last drop!

Labels: him and her

I'm still here! Still very much alive, just haven't gotten back into the groove of blogging just yet, no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise.

I've been keeping myself busy with stuff, mainly...wedding planning.

Yesh, some good news to share! RY and I have taken that next step in our relationship and had gotten engaged. Now I'm slowly getting into the hang of planning for that perfect wedding. So far, I've attended one bridal expo, bought a few bridal magazines, attended one bridal workshop and browsing the web for more ideas. Plus there's another bridal expo coming up soon in October which I'm still contemplating whether or not I should attend. This time around it'll be at the Hawai`i Convention Center...so bigger with more wedding vendors? Hmmm...! I am also wondering if I'll turn into one of those bridezillas as the months go by? We will see as there's lots to do...picking a church and reception venue, invitations, color and theme...and the list goes on and on!

...wish me luck...lotsa luck...

Labels: him and her, love

Another weekend...gone! It seems like there's never enough hours to fully enjoy the weekends off before a new work week begins.

But the weekend didn't go to waste...as R and I started it early with the premiere of The Dark Knight at midnight on Friday. It is by far the best movie this summer! Iron Man had held that spot but after watching Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker...I can't wait to go watch it again. If you haven't seen The Dark Knight yet...what are you waiting for?

Saturday, we drove out to Hawaii Kai to see ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro perform at the Towne Center. I've been a fan of Jake's for a few years now and never had the opportunity to see him perform live. Jake is so at home with music of all genres. He covers jazz, classical, blues and rock, infact, he's so good at what he does that it is easy to forget you're listening to an instrument that's just about 13inches long, with only 4 strings. This was indeed a truly great experience and not only did he play two of my favorite songs; "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper & "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by George Harrison...I got his autograph and a photo taken with him...such a generous personality! (egads: Jake's so cute in person and that winning smile!!! *faints*)

Labels: concert, fun, movies, weekend

Bye Bye June. Hello July.

Gosh I've gone and neglected my blog yet again. Sorry. I'm still around just busy with other "stuff". I've loads to share and I haven't even finished my family adventures while they were here in Hawai'i. I'll be back to finish up and to continue blogging on a somewhat regular basis from then forth. Until then, be good and don't do anything I won't do.

Looking forward to tomorrow's July 4th celebrations at Aloha Tower. Anyone going?

Labels: update

I'm a little late in posting but better late than never right?

This post on this special day is to honor my DAD and fathers all over the world! Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a DADDY! The featured photo of my Dad was taken last month at Paradise Cove just before the luau festivities began. My Dad was very pleased to get tattooed (eventhough it's temporary)...

Happy Father's Day to all the Daddys in the World!!

Labels: family

I just got done reading today's Honolulu Advertiser and on its front page: "United to charge $15 fee for first bag".

Oh noes! This is not good news especially for us. I wonder when exactly did R's dad make our reservations for our upcoming November trip? This is really a stab in the hearts of travelers who are already dealing with the rising ticket prices, longer security lines, and the fact that we have to buy our own lunches and liquids on board the flight.

I guess I will have to shop conservatively as to not check in a second bag.

Labels: airlines, breaking news

Gee! I haven't been keeping up with my newspaper readings. But this I found to be a concern because well I'm one of many who wear slippers ALL THE TIME!

Flip Flops Bad for Health? So it seems according to this New York Times article. It reports that researchers have found that wearing slippers can can result in sore feet, ankles and legs. The researchers discovered that wearing slippers will alter the way a person walks, which can cause pain in the hips and lower back:

"For the study, the researchers recruited 39 college-age men and women and asked them to wear flip-flops or athletic shoes. They then had them walk a platform that measured vertical force as their feet hit the ground. A video camera measured stride length and limb angles.

Flip-flop wearers took shorter steps and their heels hit the ground with less vertical force than when the same walkers wore athletic shoes. People wearing flip-flops also don't bring their toes up as much as the leg swings forward. That results in a larger angle to the ankle and a shorter stride length, the study showed. The reason may be that people tend to grip flip-flops with their toes".

On top of that, a biomechanics doctoral student who presented the findings said this doesn't mean slippers should never be worn — just not be worn for extended periods of time ~ like everytime and everywhere ~ while shopping, to the beach, to the office because slippers are not designed to properly support the foot and ankle during all-day wear. Shoots! This means I've gone and caused myself some major back pains for the rest of my life. On the plus side of all of this, now I can go shoe shopping!

Happy Aloha Friday the 13th!

Labels: breaking news