Joyeux Anniversaire

Just a little note, because it's getting late...

Happy birthday to my very young dad and my very old cat!

That's right, Myau the cat is now 17 today... this was back when she was actually cute: 

And my dad is just an awesome dad and it was great talking to him today. I really don't get to talk to him often. Maybe the fact that he's on the other side of the planet might have something to do with it. He's doing well, and he was about to devour a delicious couscous, which I'm sure wasn't as fabulous as the one he spends days making in the winter... but I hope you had a great day, Papounet... Je t'aime beaucoup! :)

Yum, Chorizo & cheese crustless quiche from Trader Joe's... 30 minutes to bake?!?! Ok, I hear the blog calling my name anyway... 

So, what a fun weekend! Saturday went to Ikea, got a killer deal on a bookshelf that I'm using as a TV stand as you can see:

I just finished decorating it tonight. It's not great, but it'll do for now. I need to get the DVD player out of there (and my old PC too).

Seriously, will you stop??? I think my neighbors are gettin' it on next door again and it sounds like the beginning of an earthquake. And you know how paranoid I've been the past few days.

Back to the weekend... Sunday was Beach V-ball all day, 10am to almost 4pm... at 10 am the water was so serene, and a couple of dolphins were really close to the shore... it was pretty cool. It never gets old even after the 20th time you've seen it. When I got home I baked a scrumptious frozen apple pie and claimed it as my own recipe, and then brought it to a really fun BBQ. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment:

Clockwise, from top: Lillian, me, Mayou, Tak's evil spirit, Christine, and a guy taking up 1/4 of the picture. May I clarify that I am not standing next to a naked chick and Lillian is indeed wearing a strapless dress, $teve...

Leo and the girls...

We were way too happy that we won all those games today...

So, that's about it! I worked today from 8 to about 2, got home, did some cleaning, brother's coming Wednesday night, I get Friday off, Saturday we drive up to Salt Lake... and that is where the real adventure will begin :)

Today I'm grateful that I was able to re-arrange furniture all by myself. What are you grateful for this beautiful Memorial day? Have a great night!!

Acteur a Los Angeles

So, I forgot to mention this yesterday, but I swear that when I got in the elevator after work to get to my car, I saw Jean Reno get out. Why didn't I say anything?

Well, today's been a good day otherwise, work was good, got home and went for a beach walk, talked to my British neighbor about the earthquake, and now I'm about to eat a bun-less Turkey Avocado burger while watching the waited-for American Idol Finale. I'm so jealous, Boss Lady P gets to go to the finale and find out before me who wins. So will 3/4 of America East of PST, because the show won't start until... T - 40 minutes in Cali, when it's started just about everywhere else. Sigh.

Good night! Go, Adam!

Et un Autre...

Yes, we had another earthquake today. I thought it was the huge cooler coming on! No biggie, just a 4.2 magnitude and it lasted about 3-5 seconds and there was light shaking. It originated only about 5 miles east of work though...

Sigh... why did I come to Cali again? Oh yeah, the beach, a great job opportunity, sunny weather. Ok, good. Just had to remind myself for a second :)

Today I'm grateful I get to watch the American Idol Finale! And that lunch at work was actually decent, it was chicken with a tomatillo sauce. Yum!

Well, not much else to say. I'm getting really excited for Memorial Day weekend and my week long vacation in Salt Lake... The only thing planned for this weekend is Beach V-ball all day, starting at 10AM on Sunday, followed by a BBQ with my buddies. Will be oh-so-fun! And I'm excited to see family and friends in... less than 2 weeks now!

Till next time, Ciao.

Le Mot Du Jour

So, when I eat a delicious meal of peas with a nice green pea flavor, I wouldn't quite use that word... sigh. If she can get hired as a food critic, why can't I?

http://failblog.org/2009/05/18/food-critic-fail/

So by the way, if you don't already check out failblog for your daily laugh/smile/chuckle fix, I suggest you do. 

Today was a pretty good day, although Boss Lady M is still sick, as well as her whole fam. It's really sad, she sounds aweful. I called her to see how she was doing and if she needed anything from the store whatever, and she said I was so sweet. I'm always there to help out :)

Today I'm grateful for an earthquake-free day, yay! And for Family Guy night. And that my brother might be coming in a week and we'll drive up to Salt Lake together. That's about it for today. Have a great night!

Shake & Bake

Ah, my good old Geology 1010 class I took in college: Earthquakes and Volcanoes. Otherwise known as "Shake & Bake." I really loved that class. The ideas of earthquakes and volcanoes fascinate me. Just like every other natural disaster, such as tornadoes, etc...

Except, that when it happens to you, it's suddenly not fun anymore.

Yes, I just experienced my first Earthquake. What was I expecting? It's L.A. I had to get broken someday, right?

Well, in case you're wondering, I'm fine. It lasted only about 7-8 seconds, but that was one of the most terrifying few seconds of my life. It had a 5.0 magnitude and only two things fell over from a table and my bathroom sink. Breathe. It's ok. "Wait for the aftershock" Stepdad tells me as I call home... Thanks a lot, man :). I stood below a door frame but next time, per suggestions, I can do that, or below my computer desk, or even my closet. Any other suggestions?

After that, I heard people talking outside in the apartment complex, so opened my door... everyone was looking at each other making sure that they were ok. That was pretty cool.

Well, otherwise Volleyball today was fun... my work party got cancelled because Lady Boss M, her husband and son are all sick. I'm grateful today that I'm one piece. Here's to a wonderful (hopefully earthquake-free) week!

Enfin Tranquille

It's been a while since I made a to-do list for a Saturday. 

9:30 - check out an apartment

10 - get hair cut

11 - grocery store

1230: get waxed

1 - check out another apartment

The rest - whatever else comes along.

So here we go. I get to my first apartment, or at least what I thought was an apartment. One bedroom, $1200 a month Craig's List tells me. I park on the driveway in front of a dated house, and the truck next to me has big cat moving below it. It starts to cross the street. Wow, that's a huge cat! Wait... holy crap, that's a big racoon! And he's making his way into the neighbor's garage. Nice. I was greeted by an Eastern European woman who had either really bad morning breath or really bad coffee breath, that I could smell from a few feet away. She shows me a room, a bathroom attached to it. "Oh, so it's not the whole thing?" No, she says, chuckling a bit. "Here's your kitchen" and she open a closet door, and in this closet in a mini-fridge, a toaster, and a few shelves. Are you fracking kidding me? I was in and out of there in 2.5 minutes. Now, here's my question to the world. Who in their right mind would rent out a room, unless it's got huge bay windows and is so close to the beach that if I threw a rock it would hit the water, for $1200/month?

Moving right along. Went to get my hair cut, I had a $15 coupon. The salon is... so-so. I didn't feel really comfortable in there. Basically, I got my hair shampoo'ed, rinsed, conditioned, rinsed, towel dried, cut, blow dried, paid the guy, in 26 minutes. Who cuts ladies hair in 26  minutes??!! I probably should've waited until I'm in Salt Lake to see my aunt who knows my hair like I know chocolate. Thank goodness it was only a trim, it could have been a catastrophe. 

I'm way ahead of schedule. I get groceries, make lunch (quinoa pasta with ground beef and fresh cherry tomatoes), watch a little TV, get waxed, go see apartment # 2.

Apartment # 2 was actually semi-decent, everything was remodeled, the kitchen was big, but the living room was smaller than the kitchen. The area was very decent, although there were power lines buzzing just a few homes away. $1150 a month with utilities. Not bad. Conclusion from today: I'm still going to stay here. I really do like this apartment and even if I find something just as good for $100 less a month, the whole move won't be worth it. So, that's that. I still had fun visiting the places and the people yesterday and today... each prospective landlord was from the Eastern Hemisphere. So much diversity here in L.A.

Well, about to play some counter strike against my man... wishing you all a fabulous Saturday!

They Shouldn't Have Won

Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today was a busy day at work, and I left at 4:30 to see a place to rent. I decided to start searching again... just in case I see an absolutely incredible deal. So click here to see here's what I visited.

It's a cute beach cottage! I'd have my own small backyard, off street parking, and live in a tiny house. The Patio is tiled and the landscape is cute. The only problem? If I move out of here, I want a bigger kitchen. You know how tiny my kitchen is. Well, this kitchen... was literally the size of my bedroom closet. The whole thing too was probably half the size of my current apartment. And if I gained 10 more pounds, I don't think I would fit in the shower. It felt like on a cruiseship in a way. A stand-up comedian said "wow, I almost fell out of that shower.... good thing the bed was right there to catch me." Seriously. I'm not giving up the size of my apartment and my beautiful ocean view for a patio, and savings of $55 a month.

The landlord lady, however, is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. Cute lady from London, we talked about anything and everything and she made it clear that France shouldn't have won the 2008 World Cup. Too funny. Talked for over an hour on the patio. Very nice. She encouraged me to go make friends. Good point. I've got my volleyball buddies though, which is just perfect for me. I don't mind just hanging out at home on weekday nights. It's the weekends I get bored, so then comes in Volleyball. Speaking of that, Memorial Day Sunday will be Beach V-ball all day and BBQ at night. 

Today I'm soooooo grateful it's the weekend. My back is shot. Maybe I'll go get a massage or something. Ugh. I'm actually going to visit another apartment tomorrow at 1PM. I'll have to tell you all about it :)

Best Thing Today?

I just jogged nonstop for 10 minutes and 30 seconds. 

It's a record so far. Best part? Way more than I could do in Junior High or High School. 

Remember running the mile? I'd have to stop less than 1/4 of the way through. What does this all mean? At 24, I am in better shape than I was as a teen. All thanks to a beautiful beach a few minutes away who is motivating me. I can watch the waves and don't even need an iPod to keep me going.

I don't know how long I'm going to live by the beach. My lease is up next month. I know I have to sign another 1 year lease or go month-to-month, which means they'll probably rack up the rent anytime they want. I don't think I want to sign a one year lease because I don't know where I'll be in less than a year. I may be in Newport Beach, Murray, Half Moon Bay, Atlanta, Hong Kong... who knows (well, maybe not the last few), so I'm taking advantage of this beach to get in shape and a beautiful summer glow. I'm savoring every minute of it.

Here's to you, hoping you are savoring every piece of your life.

It's a beautiful day for a blog posting.

Well, just thought I'd say hi while I try to heat up last night's dinner... what's my microwave-free method you ask? Put my dinner on a plate, put plate on top of a saucepan filled with boiling water, and cover. How have I been living with a microwave for the past 5 months?? I don't know, but I'm surviving :)

So just a recap of the past few days:

Monday night is Movie Night because I get a free Redbox Code (you know you're cheap when you can't pay a buck to see a movie, you have to wait for a free code... but I think I've mentioned this on my blog before), and watched "Bride Wars" with Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway. It was cute, whatever, it was a chick flick and it was about weddings and girlfriends. If there's one thing I can take advantage of while my man is away, is watch chick flicks.

Tuesday after work I cleaned my kitchen, I made one of my favorite dishes: Curried chickpeas and gingered black beans. So good. But to make it even better, I added the rest of the goat cheese crumbles and burratta cheese. TO DIE FOR. In fact, that's what I'm heating up right now for me to devour when I'm done posting. I then watched American Idol, and for all the years that I've watched it, because I get 200 texts a month, I decided to vote by text for the first time in how many seasons? So I vote. And I feel proud and happy. And then I get a text back saying that the voting window has closed. WHAT?!?!?! All because Cali's showing is 2 hours behind Utah's and I still have a Utah phone number. LAME.

Well, tonight I'll just hang out on my couch and watch who's going to get kicked out on AI. Nothing too exciting planned for the next few days, except that I'm getting my hair cut on Saturday (about time, it's been 7 months) and going to a work party on Sunday.

Today I'm grateful that I get to indulge in simple healthy and protein-filled curry goodness. I'm also proud that I decided to try out 2 more workout videos that came with the ones I ordered 8 weeks ago. Lost 2.5 inches in the waist since then by the way:)

Have a great night.

Happy Mother's Day!

Well, if you weren't across the country, I would've cooked this Chef D'oeuvre for you:

Grass-fed Filet mignon steak with organic green beans, mixed mushrooms and crumbled goat cheese.

But it didn't stop me from splurging last night :)

Happy Mother's Day to my awesome mom!

Paresseuse

Hi everyone!

Well, it's the happiest morning of my week - the day I get to sleep in till 7:30 or so. Yes, that is sleeping in for me. I love it! 

The weather's not great this morning though. But guess what - it's clearing up! So instead of being lazy this morning, here's my to-do list before go enjoy the near future sunshine:

-Laundry

-Bills & Budget

-Vacuum (there's sand everywhere, it gets stuck in my shorts when I play Beach V-ball)

I already ate breakfast, looked at my inventories and cleaned my kitchen, and it's only 10 AM. Not bad. If I finish everything else by 1300 hours, I might go tan or something if it looks better out there... or maybe buy food, the fridge is empty. Hmmmm... buy food, or get skin cancer.... I have to decide which one is more appealing. I'll get back to you on that.

Other than that, nothing too exciting... volleyball's scheduled to start at 2:30 tomorrow, so I'm excited for that... tomorrow is Mother's Day and in case I don't post tomorrow, I'd like to wish a very happy day to all you wonderful moms out there! It's also my StepMom's birthday tomorrow, so I'd like to wish her a happy birthday! (Mother's Day in France is in June I found out). As to my wonderful mom, she is off to a fun 9 day trip on the East Coast... I hope you have a blast! I'm so glad to have her as my mom, because she rocks and I miss her so much! Sorry I couldn't see you this year... we'll have a mother-daughter day next month when I come over, I promise. I also would like to wish a happy Mother's day to my future mom-in law, who is one of the most caring individuals I know and I know she sees me as one of her daughters... Happy Mom's Day!

Also I'd like to give a shout out to... me, because I worked out 45-60 minutes everyday this week, and lost 2 pounds in doing so! I can do this! Woo-hoo!

Today I'm grateful that it's the weekend, which means free minutes on my phone... lol. Seriously, this is killing me. I get about 4 hours a month, and last night I was having the best conversation with my sweetie, but being the cheapo that I am, after 40 minutes, I said "holy cow honey, it's been 40 minutes... do you mind if I call you back after 9?" Sigh. Long distance sucks. I miss you hun... and hope that I can see you before next month.

Wishing everyone a fantastic weekend.

Cheering for Dick

I apologize for the teaser of my title... but I'll talk about that in just a bit.

Today, I had the privilege to work from home... today they decided to replace the carpet in the office after the flood (finally!). The office has been so stinky anyway that we wanted to prove a point - that we just can't work under these conditions, so we all worked from home. It was... really interesting! I am at my laptop all morning, went to the dentist at 11 AM, had a steamed artichoke with home made vinaigrette and sweet potato pancakes for lunch... all while enjoying a bright apartment and an ocean view and working most of the morning in my PJ's. I could deal with this :). I missed the office interaction though, everyone at work just cracks me up.

I'm grateful and proud of myself because I rollerbladed for about 30 minutes today and 45 minutes yesterday. I'm really trying to be good again so that I can be ready for bikini weather!

Last night I watched "City of Ember," which I thought was pretty creative. If you want to see a fat Bill Murray, and find out why he's on the chunky side... and want a little fun and adventure and creativity... I recommend it.

So, Sunday night's dinner was pretty fun! I had really spicy Malaysian food... and good company. There were 12 of us total, at a round table with a lazy Susan and shared some seafood curry, seafood crispy noodles, chicken curry, spicy crab, spicy beef, and other spicy stuff... and what looked like a Japanese Tiramisu, but it was more of a sponge cake. Here's a picture of some of my volleyball buddies:

Now, when Frenchies are about to drink, lift up their glass and say "Cheers," we say "Tchin Tchin." Well, everyone's asking me to speak French, as they drink their sake and beer and I sip my ice water. They say Cheers and I say "Tchin Tchin". Being with a lot of Asians, it turns out that means (or at least sounds very similar to) "penis" in Japanese (or was it Chinese?). So yeah. My whole life I've been cheering for Dicks.

Good night everybody!

I feel swine! Uh, I mean, I feel fine!

Hey everybody!

Ah, ze weekend, she is very exciting, non?

Well, it's been a good week... I finished my project I work I wanted to finish! Woo-hoo!

However, I forgot to mention we basically have a very stinky office... how you say? Well, our office is on the first floor... the room above us on the 7th floor had a toilet pipe leak Tuesday morning at 3 AM... it leaks down to 7 floors to us... chairs, carpets, desks and 1 laptop are drenched... and yes, it smells. Not the fact that it's toilet water, cuz technically it isn't yet, but it smells because the ceiling absorbed water and the carpet absorbed it. This sucks, although luckily for me I'm in the cubicle area where nothing got wet, just boss lady P & M's offices. And boss lady P came to work from her lovely cruise to find that her laptop may be gone. What a fantastic week!

So, basically, I've been sneezing most of the week... and everyone has, because it really isn't the healthiest environment, we have to leave the windows open and have huge fans blowing... so I'm working an a 55 degree environment. With that said, boss Lady P also happened to come back from a cruise from Mexico, so yeah. Don't worry, we've all been washing our hands and sneezing in our sleeves... wow. I feel swine! Uh, I mean fine!

Now, for the exiting news, because I know toilet water isn't your cup of tea... (nor mine!) I have been approved for my next vacation, which will be the first week of June, and I'm coming to Salt Lake! I chose that week because it's Ty-Ty's High School graduation, and it's a good week to come to Utah, I think. When I think I avoided all snow this year (except the week I came in March), that is so exciting! Who wants to hang? I expect a housewarming Rock Band party at $teve's house, I want to see all of you!

Today I'm grateful that it's Saturday, and although the weather is crapy, I get to clean the apartment and organize my office. This is absolutely boring, so I'll leave it at that. Oh wait, Dad's online! Awesome! I get to chat with my daddy! Talk to you later.