Perfect Timing

Dear Swine Flu aka H1N1 -

Please don't ruin our lives.  You are pissing me off.  People look ridiculous in those masks.  You couldn't have waited till, I don't know, AUGUST or something to come around?

Please don't cancel our trip to Hong Kong/Beijing.  Don't cut short my parent's trip in South America.  

If I have to quarantine myself because of you, I will boycott pork FOREVER.

Love,

Mrs. Ho 

WHAT?!

This is a bracelet you wear when you are on your period.  Yes, look closely.  That's a tampon that resembles the letter "P."

Who the EFF thinks of these things?  Must be a man.  Ladies, if you ever get this as a gift, throw it back in their face.

I'd hate to be that model.

Around the World

If you are ever traveling overseas, it's a good idea to register your trip with the State Department.

https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/index.aspx

Slang

You know what I really hate?  The term, grown & sexy.  Where did it come from anyway?  

Urban dictionary defines it as, "a term used to describe people who have reached a point in their lives where playing games and immaturity is behind them and they have grown up and are ready to take on bigger and better things."

Really?  Because to me, it just sounds like an excuse to sound better than you really are.  It sounds skeezy.   

If this phrase ever comes out of my mouth, feel free to smack me upside the head.

Television! Teacher, Mother, Secret Lover. - Homer Simpson

Speidi got married??  Is this legit or just for tv?  Kristin Cavalieri catches the bouquet - she's the chick in the blue dress in the background.  Hmm...  I smell ratings stunt.

I'm sad Bea Arthur died.  Thank you for being a friend, Bea.  

I'm watching Daisy of Love right now.  Love this trainwreck.  Will sleep after.

Night Assessments

I can't do it anymore.  There is absolutely no way I can go out two nights in a row.  We went out Friday for Jim's Dirty 30 and again on Saturday for Alain's 29th.  

I definitely had more fun on Friday - SIL, her friend Jenny and I checked out a new place called The Gibson - this unmarked bar with really great drinks and the most amazing cheese + meat platter, but with the strangest crowd.  Afterwards, we went to Shadow Room to meet up with Mr. Ho and friends.   And wow, the dancing was non-stop.  What I noticed:

1.  Desperation looks good on no one.  When a girl walks away from you numerous times, get the hint.  It's not going to work.  

2.  Even if you are a horrible dancer, if you exude energy and good spirits, it's a party to be had. 

3.  Cops can be nice people.  Especially cops named Walter.  

I was absolutely tired on Saturday, but I geared up for the night's festivities.  We went to Policy, a new restaurant/lounge, where one of Mr. Ho's co-workers is an investor.  This is definitely more my scene - great music, delicious food + drinks, and a more mature crowd.  Unfortunately, the boys wanted a change in venue so we went to K Street.  My observations for the evening:

1.  Clear bra straps are an oxymoron.  They are not INVISIBLE, people!  I absolutely abhor these things, and friends, I will let you know you shouldn't be wearing them.  There are these things called strapless bras - invest in them.

2.  Brussels sprouts are so yummy.

3.  Men shouldn't wear white linen pants whilst clubbing.

Today, we had our 4th Book Club meeting.  I really love these gatherings.  Everyone always brings great dishes and we chow down.  We discuss the book for about 30 minutes and then we talk about anything and everything.  A few discussions we had today:

1.  Epidurals/water births/kegel exercises

2.  Bed bugs/allergies/lice

3.  Weddings/photograher drama/albums

Rocky is spending the night at Daid's house to see if him and Wilson get along ok.  That way, he can stay with them rather than stay alone while we are on vacation.  Mr. Ho and I are in major withdrawal right now.  The house is so quiet without his snoring, barking, and whining.  We miss him already, but I know he is in good hands.  

How crazy is this weather?  90 degrees already?  Where did spring go?  I am in denial and refuse to turn on the air conditioning in the car.  I was very sweaty afterwards.

Oh!  Before I go, you should definitely watch Tell No One, a french thriller.  It's really good.  So good they are going to make an American edition of it.  Did you know Beyonce's new movie, Obsessed, was #1 this weekend at the box office?  Who woulda thought?

And what about this swine flu?  So scary.  

Clearly, I have too many things going through my mind.  Necesito dormir.  Buenas noches!  

Love

It's like... a church club?  They are so cute.

Under further inspection...  Why is Jay's hand so large?

I Did It!

Got the hair done yesterday.  I discussed my plans for my perm and we did the hair accordingly.  As in, keeping it long and doing a bunch of highlights underneath to accentuate the future curls.  Good times.  

That wasn't the most exciting part of my day, though.  I parallel parked my car!  YES!  Granted, it took about 15 takes, but still.  I did it.  Oh, I guess I should say that it was our Accord, not the Range.  Whatever.  High 5's all around!

We went to dinner last night and I only had 2 glasses of wine but I was HAMMERED.  This is probably due to the fact that I haven't been drinking that much.  Trying to treat my body as a temple for the future Ho to reside in.  That went out the window last week so I'll just milk it for a little while.

I'd just like to say one thing.  My SIL wants to take me crib shopping.  Like, today.  Is this puzzling to anyone else?  HAHA.  It is endearing though.  I'll hold you up to buying me one when the day comes :)

Enjoy the beautiful weather!  This especially applies to BFFF.  Get that stroller out.  V!!!!!  (Do you know that Jay-Z song where he gives shout-outs and all he says for Beyonce is "B"  and then it echoes?  That's what I'm doing here with the V!!!!!  V now has 2 meanings).

That's it.  Later.

**The Jay song is called "My 1st Song" off the Black Album.**

Hair Do or Don't

I've succumbed.  I'm going to get my hair done tomorrow with my girl, Leah.  She has been doing my hair since I was 19, or something like that.  For the most part, we do something different everytime I go see her.  I've been red, purple, and different shades of blonde and brown.  

I was going to wait and get my hair cut, colored, and permed in Hong Kong, but I've decided to only perm my hair in Hong Kong.  I'm way too nervous to try and communicate how to cut and color my hair.  But I'm definitely going to do a perm - not a Korean lady perm but more like Gisele or Nicole Richie (love!)  Hopefully something like this:

How adorable is she?  So petite and pregnant.  Glowing.

Anyway, I just have to decide what color I want to do.  It's been dark brown for so long.  I am tempted to go lighter.  Mr. Ho hates red so that's out of the question.  We'll see what happens...  Suggestions are welcome!

After watching Mamma Mia! for the second time with my parents, I've been wanting to listen to the soundtrack and that's what I'm doing right now.  Happy Hump Day!

A Storm is A-Comin'

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  I know what it says in the Bible, but at the same time we have to apply the Word to our times.  I just think we are all God's children and we should love our neighbors no matter what.

Jinx

As soon as I talk about beautiful weather, it starts storming. 

Where a Kid Can Be a Kid

SIL bought us some tanning sessions at the local tanning salon and I went with her for the first time last week.  The last time I went tanning was for our trip to Vegas and in preparation for the Grand Cayman sun.  I think after that, I may have gone spray-tanning.  I do love a good tan but am worried about all the damage it can do to your skin.  I tried the HT High Pressure Booth and I definitely saw a change within an hour.  Supposedly, UVB rays are blocked completely so your tan will last longer.  Anyway, tanning booths have changed so much since I was a teen.  They are very high tech.  But all I could think of with every little noise were the bulbs combusting and me frying to death.  

However, I shall go again.  

Well, only because I have three weddings to be in this summer and two of the dresses wash me out a bit because I'm so pale.  Within the next nine months, I'm in four weddings.  Fun!  No seriously, I love weddings.

This past weekend was pretty fun.  Friday, we stayed in and watched Vicky Christina Barcelona, which I loved.  Penelope Cruz really deserved her Oscar with this performance.  She was passionate and embodied an emotional rollercoaster.  Not to mention, absolutely beautiful.  I always thought she wasn't that pretty, but still photographs don't do her justice.  We also watched Yes Man with Jim Carrey, which I loved, too.  Zooey Deschanel is so adorable and I loved when Jim Carrey learned Korean.  Hilarious.  

Saturday, we went to Mr. Ho's co-worker's wedding.  I totally teared up when the bride walked down the aisle with her father.  That crap gets me every time.  I broke out the YSL shoes for the first time and they were a sight to behold.  Too bad my dress was way long and you could hardly see them.  But, man, I felt them.  I have to break those suckers in.  After not wearing heels everyday, its painful when I do wear them.

Sunday, went to church and then took BFFF's son to Chuck E Cheese.  Hmm....  I haven't been to this establishment in decades and I'd have to say, if it weren't for my infinite love of the A-man, I don't think I'd ever step foot in there again.  Hot, crowded, loud, dancing mouse...  But I will go there for the pizza.  And watching Mr. Ho and SIL playing more games than the kids.  Sunday night, we watched Doubt, which was ok.

I finished Angels & Demons last night.  I bought this book at the airport on my way home from Mississippi.  For what it is, a work of fiction, I enjoyed it.  Dan Brown is great at intertwining history with modern day culture, weaving a fun thriller.  There is a lot of controversy with the church, specifically the Vatican, but that just sucks all the fun out of it.  The movie looks pretty good though.

I hope this beautiful weather holds up.  Bad weather takes a toll on my mood.  

Mr. Ho is home.  Till later, peeps.

Patent Pending?

Monday = Cleaning Day.

As I was Swiffering the floor, I decided to double up on the cleaning action and attach two Swiffer sheets to my feet!  Swiffer should make them and call them Swiffer Slippers.  

More to come later, must finish the house.

With the Kiddies

I spent the afternoon today with my favorite boy, BFFF's son, Alex.  I can't believe he is already 5 years old and will be starting first grade in the Fall!  Where does time go?  The weather finally cut us some slack (all these damn April showers better equal some major May flowers) so we got to spend some time outside.

We did a belated Easter egg hunt in the backyard.  Mr. Ho and I filled the eggs with Hershey Kisses, Mini Blow-Pops, and trucks.  Alex did a great job finding all the eggs, with the help of a slightly impatient Mr. Ho :)  Afterwards, we played with chalk, farmer, soccer, house, and on the swings.  When we were playing house, he offered me some Chrome Hearts juice - Alex is so avant garde.  I finally convinced him it was time to go inside and we played on the Wii.  Or should I say, I watched Alex play on the Wii.  He is at such a fun age and will say the darndest things.  Out of the blue, he said to me, "Noona, I had so much fun today.  I missed you."  (Or something like that) and my heart just melted on the spot!  

Miss. V is also getting so big!  Her lashes are to die for, just like her big brother.  And she is so much easier to carry because she can hold herself up easier.  I hope she gets over her separation anxiety soon because I just want to hold her all the time.  Well, until my arm starts shaking from the weight.  

Afterwards, Mr. Ho and I drove around aimlessly for about 30 minutes because he couldn't decide what to eat.  We had to go home before buying anything because Rocky had to poo.  And then finally after entering and leaving Lotte empty-handed, he settled on Paisano's for their thin-crust pizza, philly cheesesteak, and wings (for me).  He told me I could blog about this, so I am.  

Goodnight, friends.  Happy Friday!

A Mississippi Review

Great time as always in Mississippi.  All I do there is eat and sleep/eat and sleep some more.  I did, however, learn something - how to sew a button.  Don't laugh at me, friends.  I may be very domestic in some things but I very much lack some skills.  But I practiced long and hard and I will now show you the fruits of my labor:

Nice, right?  I started the face too wide, hence the huge forehead, small chin.  My parents also took me on a beautiful drive on the Natchez Trace Parkway - a 444 mile ancient trail.  I saw my very first swamp!

  

Too bad it was raining.  I really wanted to walk some more along the swamp...  The best part of the drive was getting FRESH Krispy Kremes!  When they are hot and gooey, it is so easy to devour all of them.  I refrained and only had 2.  Wish I had one right now!

 

As always, a tearful goodbye.  I will be seeing my parents soon though.  My dad always says one thing when I see him, "I am a falling star and you are the rising sun."  He is so hokey, but hilarious and sweet.  He said one of his biggest life's regrets was not getting cable asap when we moved to Frederick because I would watch fuzzy television and he believes that's why I have such bad eyesight.  Yeah, Dad, not the genetics you passed on to me, but the fuzzy tv screen.  That's gotta be it :)  

Jon + Kate Minus 9

Who is her hairdresser and why is (s)he not fired?

Oh LiLo

Lindsay Lohan's eHarmony Profile from Lindsay Lohan

Dirty Dirty

I'm typing this from my parent's house right now on some slow, shady Internet.  There's some Korean drama on the tube and my stomach is full of food.  Ah, I must be home.

I hope all of you have a lovely Easter weekend.  Mr. Ho is protecting the castle with Rocky and the SIL, so if you have some time, go swing by and say hello :)

The Spirit WIthin

The 2nd one is my desktop image right now.  The 3rd picture of Mr. Ho is priceless. 

 

 

 

Ho's Before Bros

OMG, I can't stop.  SIL burned me pictures from our wedding slideshow and I can't get over the baby pix.  Mr. Ho was the absolute cutest!  

 

 

Mini BFFFs

 

 

Baby Ho's

 

 

My Insides are Churning

I can do it.  I can do it.  I can do it.  

Oh, how I wish I could get off this no buy.  I really want a pair of folded cut-offs and a beautiful chiffon floral dress.  Like these:

 

Some gladiator sandals would be wonderful, too.  Look at these little girl sandals at Nordstrom.  If I weren't on a no-buy, these babies would be in my cart ASAP - size 3M.

And I'm also really wanting a pair of Tom Ford sunglasses.

My Hills Rundown

1.  Doesn't Stacie the Bartender look familiar?

2.  What's going on with Spencer's friend, Charlie's porn-stache?

3.  Stephanie Pratt is a douchebag.  She has Aubrey O'Day syndrome of the face.  She is SUCH a troublemaker.  

4.  Audrina, Ceiling Eyes, looks like she lost weight.

5.  Heidi has done an amazing job of going from sidekick to full-on B-list celeb.  I've grown to love her new look.  Who doesn't love big hair, big boobs, big shoes, big bags, big head?  

6.  I think Spencer gets his hair done?  One minute its like a bristly boar, the next, soft tendrils.

7.  Lauren hated her boat party = boo her!  I thought it looked fun.  She could use some Heidi-injection of the lips.  They were looking pretty sparse with that maroon lipstick. 

8.  I think Heidi's mom has a crush on Colby.  Cougar alert!

  

9.  Loved the fight scene.  Lasted about 2 seconds and I can't believe Spencer actually cut Cameron.  He probably used his stick-on nails for that gash.  Cameron is a douche though and probably why he dated Stephanie.  Douches stick together.

The end.

Nasty Ripe Bananas = Delicious Moist Banana Bread

I know, 5 posts in one night.  But I have to do them when I remember or I'll fall into a lull and feel like I have nothing to blog about.

Tonight, I took gross bananas and turned them into the most delectable banana nut bread.  The recipe is from allrecipes.com.  Let me know if you make this.  Truly delicious.  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 cup butter or margarine

2 cups white sugar 2 cups mashed overripe bananas 4 eggs, beaten 1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2.	Sift the flour, salt and baking soda into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the butter or margarine and sugar until smooth. Stir in the bananas, eggs, and walnuts until well blended. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture, and stir just until blended. Divide the batter evenly between the two loaf pans.
3.	Bake for 60 to 70 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the crown of the loaf comes out clean. Let the loaves cool in the pans for at least 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack, and cool completely. Wrap in aluminum foil to keep in the moisture. Ideally, refrigerate the loaves for 2 hours or more before serving.

Hot Messes

You know I love me a trainwreck!  

First there was Orange County, New York, then Atlanta, and now NEW JERSEY?  I cannot WAIT for some guido action.

And I so will be watching so watching Daisy of Love - April 26th.

But the Trainwreck of the 2000s must go to my girl, Lindsay Lohan.  What happened to you?

So Perfect it Hurts

I saw some lame tabloid cover about how Brad and Angelina were on the fritz.  Hopefully bogus.  I heart you Rachel Green, but they are perfection on earth.

Eat Your Face, Too

I forgot to add that I tried a Honey+Yogurt mask.  This may be my favorite one yet.  

Just get about a cup of plain yogurt + 2 tablespoons of honey.  Wisk and spread all over your face.  Leave on for about 5 minutos and wash off.  

My skin felt softer than the softest of babies butts.  And it tastes good too.  Just add some strawberries and granolas to your face and you get the perfect parfait.  

About Face

Today, I spent some time with SIL doing more wedding stuff.  There is no way men can ever understand how stressful planning a wedding can be - no matter how involved they are.  Unless they alone are planning it, which would be a sign that the bride probably doesn't want to get married.  Anyway, we did a makeup trial for SIL today and I honestly think it was beautiful.  Hopefully, all the details will pan out nicely and it will work out in our favor.  She was also so sweet to buy me some products - Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizer, primer, African Violet eyeshadow, and blending brush.  I'm so excited to use it!  THANK YOU, SIL for helping me stay on my no-buy <3>

As I get older, my skin is getting more confusing.  When I was in middle school and reached puberty, I had horrible skin for about a year.  I still remember this one guy Mike-Mike staring at my forehead and saying, "WHOA!"  because of the crop of pimples that supplanted themselves on my forehead overnight.  So gross.  Anyway, my skin finally cleared up beautifully.  Fifteen years later, I have the most sensitive skin on the planet.  I react easily to products and get eczema in the winter.  I've been trying to perfect my skin regiment and decided to experiment since I was running out of my other lotions.  I used to use Shisedo's THE SKINCARE line.  It was good, but not great.  Felt like it left my skin a little itchy here and there and noticed more breakouts.  I decided I wanted to try something new and not as expensive.  So with some new products and lots of returns to Ulta, here is what I've come up with so far:

CLEANSER:  Clean + Clear Foaming Facial Wash for Sensitive Skin - Absolutely LOVE it.  I go on makeupalley.com for product reviews and I found out this product has the same ingredients as Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash, but is about $5 cheaper.  I used to use Clean + Clear back in middle school and the cleanser I'm using now brings me back to those days.  It smells AMAZING.

NIGHT CREAM:  Eucerin Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Sensitive Skin Cream - Really LOVE this, too.  It comes in a jar so if you are particular about dipping your finger into your lotion, you won't like it.  It also looks like butter and smells like cake batter.  Personally, I am a fan of this :)  My skin DRINKS this stuff in.  It is really great around the eyes, too but I want to find a separate eye cream eventually.

DAY LOTION:  Dove Deep Moisture Facial Cream, SPF 15 - Testing this out now and so far, so good.  It has a very light fragrance to it, which I enjoy.  The SPF is so important.  Plus, it has a very nice creamy texture to it.  I tried another Eucerin day lotion and Oil of Olay, which I had a bad allergic reaction to.  I think this is a keeper. 

The next steps are to perfect said eye cream, body wash and body lotion.  Will keep you updated.

This post probably bored the crap out of some of you.  So, here is an old school picture of me and my childhood friends.  I am the one in the sailor uniform.  My brother is sitting in the background in the red sweatshirt.  And see the profile shot of the girl with the brown shirt?  Yeah, that's you, BFFF!  You joined us that Christmas and I distinctly remember you told me then that you enjoyed house music and the Smashing Pumpkins.  And please take note of the faux Christmas tree - the houseplant with the Christmas cards on it.  Don't make us be that house with a houseplant with Christmas decorations next year, Mr. Ho.  I need my tree!  

A Drive-By Blog

The past week was pretty hectic planning my sister-in-law's surprise bridal shower/bachelorette party.  All eight of her bridesmaids came in from all over the country to surprise her for a very girly weekend.  It took a lot of coordination and planning on my part, but I believe it was a success!  We had the traditional bridal shower with games, gifts, and food.  Then we transitioned into a sex toy party, which then led to dinner at Honey Pig (the bride-to-be's choice although we made reservations at other establishments), and ended the night at K Street Lounge in DC.  Good times.

Right now, I'm watching a marathon of The Hills.  I love that line -I want to forgive you and I want to FORGET you.  Speidi is the highlight of that show.  Oooh, and now I'm excited for the new Road Rules/Real World Challenge.  I don't keep up with the new series, but I love the Challenges because of the old faces.  The cast is so wack and it's so entertaining.

I feel brain-dead right now so I don't have much to blog about but I'll regroup and come back later.  Bye friends!