The Indian Fever

I've let my fans down....

2012-02-08T17:14:00.001-08:00

Ok, I probably don't really have any fans, but I've definitely let myself down. For the past year I have been struggling with (and depressed about) my weight...starting and stopping diets and just not really getting back to the way I need to feel and look to be happy. I use excuses like stress (which is a really big one), lack of time, my wedding (which is a really bad one), being tired and others to avoid really focusing on any particular plan. Yesterday, I decided NO MORE!

I know, I know.."we've heard this before, Ronjini, you always fall off"..Not this time my friends. yesterday I took the bold step of stepping on the scale, something I have feared to do for months now. Anyway...I can't tell you the embarrassment that is my current weight, but I can tell you have 22 pounds to lose..Can you believe it??? 22.

I don't want to, but I had to face facts. So, I got home, took a shower and went to the post-its. I got out my big fat Sharpie and wrote my weight largely on three post-its. I posted one on the refrigerator, one on the bathroom mirror and one right here next to my keypad on my Macbook. Now, I can't get away from it. Every week from now until minus 22 pounds, I will update my weight (hopefully it will get smaller), to keep my motivation fresh.

I'm cutting out carbs, excess sugar (but not sugar completely), sodas (but not fizzy water) and pretty much anything artificial. I will make healthy salads, eat tons of boiled eggs, tuna, stuff like I did the last time I had a huge weight goal (unfortunately that was only a 10 pound goal). And of course promising to work out everyday, twice if Tennis is one of the workouts (to me, Tennis doesn't count for some reason). Lately, I've been struggling on runs and I now think its because I weigh too much. Oh well, I'll check in soon and you'll see...don't worry... you'll see.

Settling into married life.

2012-01-26T10:42:00.000-08:00

Blog friends,

So here we are, nearly a month of being married and it's definitely different. I feel like it shouldn't be since we lived together prior-to, but it is. It's sweeter, we're married. I can see that we are definitely in a "Honeymoon phase", or perhaps its just the fact that the stress of the wedding isn't impairing our judgement and pestering us anymore. We are relaxed, happy and things feel light again. I'm beginning to feel closer to normal, but the new pressures of marriage and my own personal goals for 2012 are definitely keeping me on my toes.

The gorgeous weather in SoCal is helping our transition into married life and giving us our daily dose of Vitamin D, but my mind is pondering the thoughts of moving away some place new for another great adventure. The Hard Rock Hotel & Resort, Punta Cana was a beautiful honeymoon destination, but we could have used a couple more days there to fully de-stress and enjoy the island, but a fantastic getaway nonetheless and our first time in the Caribbean.

Well...now we're back on our feet and preparing for the next big thing. I'm not quite sure what that is yet. We still need to situate little things like monthly chores, who's responsible for what, stuff like that. I hate organizational conversations, they feel like a business meeting, but are necessary for US to maintain a sort of balance. We've become pretty good at that already, so its not too taxing to figure out. More soon, I'm sure he'll do something very husbandly that I'll need to talk about.

Cheers,

Mrs. Ronjini Joshua

The end of an era!

2012-01-16T14:18:00.000-08:00

As you may know, the last year of my life pretty much revolved around planning a wedding day, one single day that would be imprinted in my mind forever. I LOVE thinking about this day and finally realize why people say that it is the most important day in a girl's life...probably a man's too, depending on if he's a jerk or not.

My wedding day was the most strangely tranquil, magical and happy day of my entire life. It is just an indescribable experience to have everyone you love and that loves you, to share a ceremony that is magnifically (<--new word) important with the most important person in your life.

To make a long story short, it was a great ceremony and crazy fun party. I feel like everyone really had a great time, which was my main goal. It wouldn't have been as great without someone handling all the day-of details. (NOTE TO BRIDES: you MUST have a day-of coordinator if nothing else.) I am so excited to begin my life with my new husband. We are taking the month of January to organize and situate ourselves and plan for the rest of the year and set timelines and goals. I love January for that reason, I end up feeling so organized.

Oh yes, we got great wedding gifts and I have enlisted the help of my new CrockPot to make this Chili recipe, as my very first slow-cooker recipe. Wish me luck, 4.5 hours to go.

Married life, here we go.

The Cusp of Insanity...4 days before the 'big' one.

2011-12-27T07:53:00.000-08:00

What enormous stress and pressure a wedding is. The more sane your family is the less you have to deal with. However, the more crazy your family is....an event like this creates a colossal tornado of stress and emotion. I don't know who in my family hasn't cried during the past month.

Last Friday, I came at the cusp of the madness and broke completely down. My fantastic fiance realized it was time to sober me up (no, I wasn't drunk) and snap me back into normalcy. After a lot of yelling and more crying, I am finally in a place where I'm focused on getting tasks accomplished and just letting go mentally.

I think this has been one of the hardest obstacles in my life so far, it just contains so many aspects and hidden emotional issues. I can imagine why so many brides go crazy. It's hard to plan a day that you expect to be perfect and then let go and be a guest, especially the guest of honor.

I'm okay now and am trying to stay as serene as possible until the big day approaches (a nice massage will help with that). Being around my family tightens me up immediately, not knowing what to expect, what they will say or even what will happen. At this point there is nothing you can do, I wish I could have realized this earlier, but I think it was just inevitable.

At one point, I even wondered if it was all worth it, but I know when we hit the dance floor on New Year's Eve and we see the smiling faces of all of our closest loved ones, it will be a memory that we will NEVER EVER forget.

Cheers to everyone and Happy New Year!

It's December 2011, arguably one of the most important months of my life.

2011-12-02T12:53:00.000-08:00

So It's now December 2nd. I took time yesterday and this morning to reflect and to really think about what this all means. I've been trying to reflect more these days, given I just dove into my thirties and now...29 days away, I will become Mrs. Beno Joshua. Wow...what a big step in life. I realize now, that everything has been practice and preparation up to this point.

The stress has definitely reached a high (not in a good way), with the most minute and crazy amount of details coming to fruition with the nearing of our nuptials. We have also agreed to do a prenuptial agreement, so that takes time too. The hardest part of this whole thing is figuring out the cultural stuff without the help of other more knowledgeable people (cough cough, MOM). It would have been very nice to have some help and support there, especially because I am so amped to have a Hindu ceremony. At this point, getting too many people involved is just more organizing and time, than I have the patience to deal with.

Needless to say, I am handling things the best that I can, trying to be organized and getting increasingly nervous and excited as the wedding day approaches. The last thing I'm worried about...a crucial thing...the honeymoon. B's supposed to be on it, I'll hope for the best with some suggestive noodling. Above all, this should be a smashing party, but I can foresee some extreme moodiness this month...So be on the lookout!

Wish me luck, I'll report back soon.

I am 30.

2011-11-13T18:57:00.001-08:00

So, this is now my reality. I am 30. I have hit the third decade of my life. Everyone insists that this one is the best one that I'll have. I have an inkling that its true.

This birthday, I was pretty overwhelmed with emotion, stress and even relief. I remember when I was 25, thinking of what I would accomplish in the next five years and my plans have not gone the way I thought. I had plans for my career, my personal life, my recreation, my self. Things did not turn out that way.

In the overall scheme of things, it all turned out much better. Maybe because it's reality. At the same time, there are so many things that have happened that I didn't expect and didn't want. The truth is, 30 makes me nervous. With this new business and my pending nuptials, the real responsibility and adulthood begins. I am nervous and excited. In a way this feels like the beginning of my life. I'm hoping for the best, but who knows what's gonna happen. Here's to the next three decades. Cheers!

Good Recipes - Salmon Tacos

2011-11-07T18:09:00.000-08:00

Trying new recipes for my bday week this week, I never really need an excuse, as I'm sure you've seen in previous blogs. So, this week I took a week 'off' which has not quite been successful so far. I have yet to actually not work.

Nevertheless, I will make time and relax, eventually. I've decided that everyday I will try a new recipe until I hit the big mark on Thursday. Today's recipe is the simple, yet delisiou Dry-Rubbed Salmon Tacos With Tomatillo-Avocado Slaw. I've never cooked with tomatillos before, but I feel much more confident after making this.

I loved cooking this simple recipe for a dinner surprise. Check out my technique below.

**note** - you may want to add a bit of salt or even cajun seasoning to the rub, it's pretty bland.

And who could forget dessert? While I was at the store I saw these and realized we had to have them. I was right these are SOoooooo bomb. Bon Apetit!

My adventures in baking -> pumpkin bread pudding

2011-10-03T19:42:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know that I just adore bread pudding. More recently, I have become addicted to pumpkin spice lattes and I've always love pumpkin pie. So when I saw this recent blog post on pumpkin bread pudding, I just had to try the recipe. It is probably one of the easiest recipes I've ever made and of course...I had to add my own variation to it by

adding chocolate chips. So this is really Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread Pudding, a mouthful I know... Check out my step-by-step creation in photos below, yummm! A great easy recipe for the holidays.

Quick note: I had trouble finding the canned pumpkin, not really being the baking type an all. It's in the cake section.

Take day old baguette and chop it into 1" squares

Preheat oven to 350, let 3/4 stick unsalted butter melt in 8" pan

Mix together 1 1/2 cups whole milk (or cream), 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk, 1 pinch ground cloves, 1/8 tsp allspice, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 2 tbls maker's mark (that's right), 3/4 cup packed canned pumpkin.

Pour your bread bits into the melted butter and coat evenly. I used a glove so that my hand wouldn't get all greasy. Toss the bread and get the butter all over the pieces.

Pour your mixture over the bread, making sure that it is evenly coated. This is also when I added the chocolate chips, be generous, about 1/2 cup throughout.

After 25-30 minutes in the oven, you should have something delicious like this.

A little inspiration from @Artkinks....

2011-09-27T17:16:00.000-07:00

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams"

- Henry David Thoreau

Day 10 - The Master Cleanse!

2011-08-23T16:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, I did it. 10 days of the Master Cleanse, nothing but Salt Water Flush (SWF), Herbal Senna Tea and of course...the spicy lemonade mixture. I didn't make it widely known, because there are a lot of judgers out there. So I decided that on my last day, I would write a post to expose my entire experience. It will be a long one folks, but you can read this to know what YOU can expect during the Master Cleanse, the ups and downs, tricks of the trade, mind over matter, all that junk!

First, why?

Well, it was something I tried to start a long time ago, but thought my fiance would think I was crazy, and to be honest, I didn't think I could do it. The challenge didn't become real for me until my fiance told me he wanted to try do this cleanse (from a referral by a friend). My competitive nature kicked in and I started it immediately the next day (many do a 3 day ease-in, I say JUMP!), he is planning his for September.

Obviously, the first attraction was that I wanted to lose weight and it says that you can lose 1-2 pounds a day. If you complete the 10 days, that's 20 pounds. I need to lose 30, so there you have it. The primary goal of this cleanse, however, is not weight loss, it is detoxifying and flushing out your system. *MC Golden rule* If you think of this as a cleanse and NOT a diet, it makes sense and keeps your motivation, trust me. You have to realize that will indefinitely gain some weight back when you begin eating solid food but if you don't eat healthy afterwards, you'll gain it ALL back. It's up to you.* During the process, your mind changes into healthy mode though, you realize what is and what isn't easy to digest and how you want your body to feel.

What you need:

Grade B Maple Syrup (grade A is okay if you can't find the other, organic is best) - Trader Joe's is the best place to get this, comes in a big bottle $13.99.
Fresh lemons (*MC Golden Rule* they MUST be fresh, no lemon juice, etc. The enzymes in fresh lemons are most potent for the cleanse)
Cayenne Pepper
Herbal Senna Tea
Herbal Peppermint Tea (as a substitute or something different in your day is okay)
Sea Salt (I've seen people use the celtic sea salt, I just used the one I had, you SHOULD NOT use Iodized table salt, must be sea salt)

The process

Basically it's 10 days (not 5, not 7, not 9) of fasting with this juice blend. In the morning before you do anything (you'll probably have to wake up earlier than normal) take the salt water flush.

SWF - 24 oz. of distilled/filtered water with 2 teaspoons of sea salt.

Very salty and gross. Just close your eyes and drink it fast. Plan to be around the bathroom for at least 2 hours.

Every time you get hungry, make and drink your lemonade. *MC Golden Rule* - do not pre-mix, if the lemonade sits the enzymes in the lemonade are less effective. I messed this up day 1 and tried to make it for the whole day. It's a no-no.

2 tblsp lemon juice (about half a medium lemon)

2 tblsp maple syrup

Add 8-10 oz. of distilled/filtered water

1/10 tsp cayenne pepper/to taste

Enjoy!

At night before you go to bed, drink the Herbal Senna Tea, which is actually pretty tasty in my opinion. *note* After day 2 I started to get cramps early in the morning from this. If you drink your SWF immediately in the morning the cramps will go away and you can get to 'cleansing' :).

*MC Golden Rule* You should drink plenty of water during the flush, but not more water than lemonade mixture. Not sure why, maybe it dilutes it.*

My Journey on the cleanse train

Day 1 - Day 1 starts off okay and ends with tears (okay, not really). It's hard, by the end of the day you're hungry, okay maybe by lunchtime. Nothing you can really do about this than keep yourself busy. I decided to go workout, I wasn't too weak, since it was only the first day. Only mentally hungry really, oh and heavy white film on my tongue. It's a HARD day.

Day 2 - Whiny. I threatened to quit about 20 times this day, all while persevering. Those SWF really do the trick though, I can definitely feel waste eliminating from my body. I wasn't sure I was going to get past the day, but I just whined a lot and did nothing about it. My tongue is definitely white and dry and gross. I think this was the first day that my fiance ate a big juicy burrito right in front of me. :(

Day 3 - Things are getting easier. With the hunger pains gone, now it was really just all mental. This was the first day that I noticed my sense of smell was heightened. Empty stomach at this point and only liquids coming through. Have been waking up late and going to bed early. Craving EVERYTHING I see.

Day 4 - Much easier today and feeling light, don't feel like I'm losing any weight though. Not exactly energized like some say. Just going through the motions and keeping myself busy with all the tons of work I need to do. Decide to go for yoga and feel like it will be good for my 'hungry' spirit to relax my body for a bit. Feel good but really thirsty afterwards, need to drink more water. This is the first day that I didn't run to get lemonade every couple of hours, actually I don't even think I took all the glasses I was supposed to (at least 6/day).

Day 5 - This was interesting. We went to Santa Monica to workout. I did a light stair workout, was pretty hungry, but kept drinking water. Then rushed home to change for a flower appt. (wedding planning) really hungry. I took some mixture with me because we were going to a birthday party. My senses were on high alert at the Mexican restaurant, but I sat there and had water with lemon, like a good little cleanser should. Got a lot of questions and finally told people about the cleanse, many skeptical and called it the Beyonce diet, which was not my purpose for this. I need more lemonade, but don't have access to ingredients, so I continue with water. Cupcakes, I want birthday cupcakes! :( We went to a club afterwards for a friend's event. I could smell every little last bit of alcohol on B's (my fiance's) body, no good for me that night. Those scents are SO strong, I wonder why we don't sense them normally.

Day 6 - I had a dream about buying two hamburgers, taking a bit and then feeling guilty about it. I woke up confused and realized it was a dream. Feeling pretty light and chipper. We go to yoga on the bluff, I'm pretty hungry, especially since on Day 5, I was NOT able to get to lemonade when I wanted it. I drank water but water is not great after 5 glasses. Today I feel good, getting things done, energized, finally. I was a little disappointed when I weighed myself, only 6 lbs, which means probably closer to 3 lbs. when I'm finished. We'll see how things go. Contemplated quitting this day too.

Day 7 - What a productive day for me. This cleanse is really just normal now. Apart from the occasional desire to chew yummy foods, because I do love food, I'm definitely not hungry. I'm okay for the most part, but keep looking up yummy recipes online, can't wait for Saturday. I feel really light and lifted in my body. I was very focused on my work and was thinking pretty clearly. I could get used to this. I'm now contemplating stretching the cleanse out over the weekend to save me from eating poorly at my brother's place, we'll see. I had a facial appt., my person smelled of garlic, normally I don't think I would notice, it was light, but my smelling has become like a superpower. Great day!

Day 8 - I have been feeling really good today. Got a lot of work and creative thinking done today. Finally feel the energy everyone talks about, got a GREAT workout in today! *MC Golden Rule* Listen to your body when it comes to working out on the cleanse. Some say don't do it. If your body allows it, go with the flow, just don't push yourself or be surprised when you can't really go all out. Be active but not crazy.* I am ready for the cleanse to be over, but I'm fine at the same time. Smelling all kinds of odors on the bodies of others. B reeked of garlic and spices from his carne asada tacos last night. They looked so good, but the aftermath kills me. Every time I see meat now, I think man, that is really hard to break down in the body (guessing that's where the smell comes from). Looks yummy though. I think my tongue is turning pink again, a sign that you body is nearly finished detoxifying.

Day 9 - This morning B looks at me and say's "I think I want French Toast", I was about ready to jump over the couch and punch him. I don't care if I feel good about this cleanse or not, teasing or even discussing french toast (you know the one with Hawaiian bread, coconut milk and vanilla) with me at this point is not a good idea. Today was really bad, yoga was really hard, I just started my womanly time. Cleanse + womanhood = BAD! Just when I thought I was okay. I usually comfort myself with Indian food, but nada and I'm exceptionally hungry, I think its the hormones. I am DEFINITELY quitting on Friday.

Day 10 - So this WOULD be my last day if I wasn't crazy. I have decided that I am stretching it out to Monday which would be 14 days on the cleanse. I have headaches today, but I think its the menses. I feel like weight loss ultimately plateaued very short for me but I feel good, I'm hoping a few more days may bump it up a few pounds. Mostly, I don't want to go visit my family and ruin all the work I've done, so I'll just stay on it for now.*MC Golden Rule* The ease out is a critical part of the cleanse, because it gets you back to normal. After not eating solid food you can't just jump right into it (you'll gail a lot of weight, back). You start with 1 day of OJ and water, 2nd day soups and juices (fresh), 3rd vegetables and then go from there. Afterwards continue a healthy eating and exercise plan. Or in my words, don't ruin the torture you just went through, be good!*

Overall Thoughts: When you see good food when you're on the cleanse, you want it. I wanted it but thought, damn, the work my body goes through digesting that may not be worth it. This cleanse has definitely changed my diet. I will be eating soups more often, less meat/fish, less bread products, less cheese, less everything. All organic vegetables and eliminating foods with preservatives, although it may seem like a dollar more, I think your body with thank you later. Your body works really hard to digest your food, which affects other important body functions and it makes your body feel super heavy. I definitely love the light feeling I have right now and don't want to lose it. I also noticed the shittier you eat, the more your body smells, we just don't notice because we all smell. All you people smelled really bad when I was on this thing.

However, I don't know that I would do this again, or would be able to. They say its safe to do every 4 months or so, maybe I'll do it twice a year. The first few days are pretty rough, but if you can get through Day 3, the rest is a breeze. I am certain that all the other cleanses are NOT worth it, juice cleanse BOGUS, wayyy too much sugar. This is THE ONE! Otherwise, just cut out the grease, artificial sweeteners and dairy and eat healthy.

Total Weight Loss (10 days): ~8 lbs

Total inches lost: ~6" in my waist 4" Hips

Have any questions? Want to share your experience? Go ahead and comment, I dare you. Cheers!

Did Wet N' Wild make a comeback?

2011-08-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

It's an interesting question right?

When you first think go Wet N' Wild you think, the cheapest nail polish in town or your favorite nail polish if you're under the age of 12, need a quick color, or you're looking for something glittery. You may know by now that painting my nails is something I am pretty religious about. I am not sure when this obsession really started but, it's a nice to have freshly painted nails at the beginning of a new week. Many times, I use it as time to relieve stress and do something completely mindless. Some weeks I may even paint them like 2 or 3 times. Also, painted nails are the most economical accessory to an outfit.

Anyway, I was in Target and looking at the multitudes of nail paint colors they have and took a glance at Wet N' Wild. They have a series called Wild Shine that looks like a Tween nail polish and kind of cheap from the packaging, but since it was so cheap (something like $1.99), I got two colors Blazed (a sort of beautiful cantaloupe color) and Dreamy Poppy (a more of a hot pink/Coral) and thought it was worth it to try it out. With two generous coats and a good top coat, these colors are fantastic. This is how Blaze came out:

(It looks more dewy and light in person)

Okay, so maybe Wet N' Wild is making its comeback, but some of their line is worth taking a second look at, so don't rule them out completely and give in to your teeny bopper urges sometimes.

Warning: The polish is quite thin (almost like a tint), so you must put on generous coats. The top coat I used was Sally Hansen Insta -Dry Top Coat, which really evened out some of the streaking of the polish and keeps cheap nail polish (or any nail polish) from chipping too soon.

A Dog's life - A Day in the life of Chaka

2011-08-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

Hey, I'm Chaka.

I'm sure many of you have heard about me. That mom of mine, boy, she's a talker (I hope she didn't say anything embarrassing). I thought you may be curious about what I do here at 4213 Rose Ave., so I put together this schedule to give you a look inside my life. Enjoy it.

My Weekday Schedule - by Chaka

6:30 am - wake up w/mommy to go outside for the bathroom

6:35 am - go back to bed and rest w/pops

8:00 am - wake up and go see what mommy's doing in the office

8:15 am - go to the bathroom again (maybe #2), hang out outside for a few

9:00 am - have some breakfast and a drink

9:30- 10:30 am - hang out with mommy, make sure the office is secure, chew my toy, lick my feet, maybe take a nap

10:30 am - Sunbathe in the backyard, try to lure mommy to play frisbee

around 11:30 am (depending on how hot it is outside) - come back inside, play with my squeaky toy and roam around the house, maybe take a nap in the guest room or under the bed.

12:30 pm - encourage mommy or daddy to take me for a walk

1:00 pm - chill at the house in 'the office' with mommy, brainstorm about work ideas (this takes a lot out of me), grab a drink

1:30 pm - Afternoon nap, sometimes I gaze out the front door, thinking about the neighborhood

3:00 pm - snack time (sometimes), go outside, practice football, rest, chew on sticks, jumping practice (high jump).

3:45 pm - come inside take a nap under the futon or bark at the front door

4:30 pm - Work (I work security at the front door), watch some television

6:45 pm - get ready to take a walk (mommy tells me about 5 times that we're leaving before we actually do), visit Zoey (my lady down the street, she's a black lab, don't hate!)

around 7:30 pm - have some dinner, try to steal mommy and daddy's dinner

8:30 pm - play in the house, lay down

9:30 pm - cuddle with daddy, he rubs my feet and nose

11:30 pm - go check on mommy in the bed, go to sleep under the bed

2:30 am - hop on the bed to make sure everything is secure

I can't complain, my parents love me, what more could a pup want? I work hard but play harder. I have the best job on the planet and sometimes my dad shares his food, ma...she's another story. Hope you all visit real soon.

FWB vs. NSA - Movie Review(s)

2011-08-08T15:20:00.000-07:00

No, of course don't really mean "real" Friends with Benefits and No Strings Attached, I mean the extremely similarly themed movies this summer that came out about finding love in supposed 'non-committal' relationships. When I first heard these were BOTH coming out, I was really interested to see what would turn out better. The situation mildly reminds me of that movie, The Muse (with Sharon Stone), where Albert Brooks ends up writing the same exact movie as another writer in the end of it all. I digress.

Yes, I saw both these movies. Let me start by saying that Friends with Benefits (starring Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake) was FARRRRRR better than No Strings Attached (starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher). How can that be, you ask? Despite the fact that I find it VERY peculiar that both the stars from Black Swan ended up making very similar romantic comedies (can we say challenge?), the NSA duo just doesn't deliver the romantic comedy performance that FWB does.

Mila vs. Natalie

While there is no doubt that Natalie Portman is a great actress (proven by her roles in The Professional, V for Vendetta, Star Wars, and Black Swan), she is lacking in believability and comes off a little bratty in the movie , as Emma, the Doctor. While Mila seemed to have a better grasp and identity with her character and a more believable career as a headhunter. It is clear that years on That 70's Show, has given a Mila a bigger edge on Sarcastic comedy and she is much funnier than Natalie, although I don't know that Natalie was really trying to be. Mila wins!

Justin vs. Ashton

I want to naturally believe that Ashton is naturally more comedic than JT (who rose to fame as a member of N'Sync), but sometimes he just goes a bit over the top in NSA. This is where JT shines in this movie, he doesn't overact. This is the first movie

that I have seen JT in, where he fills the roll quite nicely (IMHO). In addition, I think that Ashton was poorly matched with Natalie, so that could have something to do with it. While there were a couple of parts in the movie that I thought he was supposed to be funny and didn't quite pull it off, Justin did a great job as a co-star and had a lot more chemistry with Mila than Ashton with Natalie. Justin Wins!

Overall, the supporting case in FWB was pretty awesome and included Emma Stone (whom I LOVE), Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Woody, Richard Jenkins, Brian Greenberg (Made In America), Andy Samberg (I love you, man) and others. NSA's cast wasn't without highlights, it included Kevin Kline, Cary Elwes, Ludracris and Minda Kaling (The Office), among a couple others. Beyond that, the story line of FWB was MUCH better and intertwined (as much as it can be for this kind of movie). FWB wins!

Let's face it, Will Gluck kicked Ivan Reitman's but on this one. These movies aren't winning any performance awards any time soon, but I will tell you FWB was not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Watch both of them, I'm sure you'll be on my side.

Things that make me right round baby, right round...

2011-08-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

I have acquired some things that I can't live without most new, some old, but I wanted to share with everyone because they are awesome and may be interesting for you too. It would be crazy for you all to like the same things I do, wouldn't it?

Here we go. First and foremost....

(Philip Stein Large Gold Chronograph Watch, I've been dying for this thing and

finally decided to make the purchase. Woohoo!)

(Zebra Piggy Bank from Target, on sale for $5. You can find other great designs here.)

(Palmograph and Elephant posters from Urban Outfitters, for the guest room.)

(Marc Jacobs, discontinued Gardenia and Cucumber body mist. I had to find them on eBay. Perfect fresh mist when you want to smell and feel fresh.)

(Precious gold-plated floral measuring spoons set (no longer available, Urban Outfitters). UO has some really cute housewares right now that are worth taking a look at.

What are some of the things that you can't live without this month? Beauty secrets? Housewares? Gadgets?

What makes something "Vintage"?

2011-07-20T07:04:00.000-07:00

I've been doing some shopping lately...who are we kidding I'm ALWAYS shopping and I have come across the word vintage a lot. Everyone seems to be following a vintage trend lately going to flea markets, pawn shops and thrift stores, looking for vintage items. In my case, I was looking for a vintage clutch (purse), when it hit me.

What does vintage mean? and why am I willing to pay more for it?

When retailers slap vintage in front of the description, doesn't it make you feel like its automatically a little more valuable? Well I did some research. If you want to know what vintage is, check out my descriptions below and shop smarter.

First and foremost, here's the dictionary definition of Vintage:
vin·tage (vntj)
noun
1. The yield of wine or grapes from a vineyard or district during one season.
2. Wine, usually of high quality, identified as to year and vineyard or district of origin.
3. The year or place in which a wine is bottled.

Informal
a. A group or collection of people or things sharing certain characteristics.
b. A year or period of origin: a car of 1942 vintage.
c. Length of existence; age.

Adjective
1. Of or relating to a vintage.
2. Characterized by excellence, maturity, and enduring appeal; classic.
3. Old or outmoded.

Here are some generalized and more common descriptions that I have run by for various categories, beginning with fashion, since that's the one I'm most interested in.

Fashion & Jewelry

Some say vintage is anything made between the 1920's to 1980's. Other sources say that vintage can be anything from a previous era or 7 years or older and difficult to acquire. With this definition I would definitely land in the vintage category.

I think I will stick with the more widely accepted between 1920's to 1980's, anything made before that is considered antique.

Furniture

Vintage furniture applies to many types of furniture, the most important qualities being those that show age and high attention to detail.

Antique furniture is another story. Antique furniture is made at least one hundred years before it is purchased. This definition is often stretched by retail stores and many times when you arrive at antique store, you will see items that are only 50 to 60 years old, which mostly refers to the quality than the age. Then they upcharge you.

Vehicles

Cars are a different story however. For Cars, Motorcycles or Aircrafts something vintage needs to be at least 25 years or older, antique is anything 100 years or older.

You generally see vintage/antique car enthusiasts huddled in front of Denny's on Sunday or in Long Beach, in front of Frisco's.

Perfume

Perfume from the 1900 to 1980s is considered vintage unless it is discontinued, renamed, re-released or reformulated.

Wine

Any wine with a date on the bottle, with wine, Vintage only refers to the year it was made.

So, my advice to you is, before you go buy something "Vintage" make sure what you are getting and why it is considered "Vintage" to the seller, unless of course it's totally obvious.

Happy Shopping!

5 months and counting...

2011-07-18T16:02:00.000-07:00

The wedding is getting closer and my anxiety and stress levels are rising. For some reason, I don't think that Beno really has these same issues. I am excited about everything and most everything is planned, but there are still details to tighten up. We are getting married on Decemeber 31, 2011 at Recreation Park Golf Course in Long Beach, really cute lil' place.

Our wedding is small, just how I like it, with closest friends and family. Since it's on NYE, only really close people would probably show up anyway. Here's a list of things we still need to do:

- Meet with the florist
- Get a band/DJ
- Meet with the jeweler
- Confirm a 'priest'
- Get our clothes (we are getting these in October)
- Figure out decorations
- Plan the pre-wedding family events
- Plan the parental meet and greet on Beno's bday
- Send out the invitations

WOW that seems like a lot. Well the venue, food, cake, photographer is taken care of. Technically so is the florist. We just have to tidy up some of the other details. Oh yea and the HONEYMOON, can't forget that. We are still wavering, but feel like we'll probably head down to the Dominican Republic for our getaway. Although there's a lot going on with Thesilvertelegram.com, I am still totally stoked about this whole event and getting more glad that it's on NYE.

The band isn't really panning out, it's almost as much as the total wedding venue. I am contemplating an iTunes playlist instead, between the two of us, we definitely have enough family/wedding friendly music and we can create the mood ourselves. I dunno. Decisions, decisions...

Simple Pleasures

2011-07-11T20:56:00.001-07:00

- Riding my bike to Trader Joe's
- SoCal in the summer time
- Playing football with Chaka
- Trying a new recipe
- Fresh-squeezed Watermelon and lime juice

MOVIE REVIEW: Larry Crowne

2011-07-06T13:05:00.000-07:00

The first mistake I made before going to see this movie was reading the reviews. I didn't mean to, they just pop up when you're looking for movie times. My fiance picked this movie which caught me off-guard actually. Anyway, we headed to see Larry Crowne and from the reviews I had pretty low expectations, which probably helps this review.

If I had to choose one word to describe Larry Crowne: Delightful.

It was a really pleasant movie about a guy that gets laid off because he didn't go to college, a reality in times of recession, like we just had. He was going through a divorce that cost a lot of money and had to change to accomodate his new life. It wasn't a sappy love story, love was really just a side note in the whole thing. I can't say much more without giving away the movie, but it was pleasant. It's a feel good movie with a quality cast. Could I have waited to see it as a rental? Probably, but it was better in the theater.

My recommendation is to go check out Larry Crowne on a lazy weekend or weekday night if you are looking for a casual outing. It's not intensely thought provoking, but just a nice movie to watch.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Busy, busy, busy...

2011-06-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I've always been somewhat of a busy bee...

It's more true now than ever. Alongside the launch of my new website and business, I've been doing a lot of re-organizing. I've been spending way too much time with Cupcake's and Cashmere's Home Improvement blogs. I have cleaned up the junk in our place and reorganized my office space, to be a more conducive work environment.

Along side reorganizing, I've been doing a lot of traveling for new business (and of course, recreation) and lining up networking events to go to. I almost forgot the most important thing...maintaining my new diet and workout regimen, which actually can be accomplished with my 'new' life.

In fact I have been so busy, I let this blog slip by for way too many days. I've lost myself in running and work. I guess that just happens when making new life changes, but I was caught off guard about how much work and time it eats up. The best thing of all is that...it's all for me. The changes I wanted to make in my career and life are slowly becoming reality and its all very tiring, but so exciting at the same time.

I can't wait to see what happens next. I gotta start working on that book of mine.

The good life - TheSilverTelegram.com

2011-06-13T08:57:00.000-07:00

The week before last, I launched my new business, TheSilverTelegram.com a public relations consultancy, focused on brand building and good PR. This is a huge change in my life, along with helping to build another business as well (to be announced later).

It's so much hard work, but also completely rewarding. It's funny that being on your own work schedule can be so much more physically demanding, but the mentality is so different when you're working for yourself. It is definitely only for certain types of people. For so long I have wondered why my focus and interest wasn't quite right at agencies I've been at, now I know.

With my persistent ADD, running my own business feeds all aspects of my mental hunger. Now I just need to stay organized, which isn't very hard for me anyway. I am so excited to pursue my business and hopefully maintain successful relationships in the coming years. This way I can continue to travel regularly, enjoy life at home, cook more and be in better physical shape among other things.

I have also considered getting a small loft in Downtown LA, which would be nice. That may be coming soon, depending on the next few weeks. Anyway...I am officially an entrepreneur and hope to continue expanding my portfolio to the other two businesses (now three) that I hope to pursue throughout my life.

Frustrations of a chronic dieter - part 2011

2011-06-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

AHHHHHH! This will be a short blog post, and it's probably not even a good one at that. Why can't I get my dieting act together? It's really not enough to workout, the key is what you are putting in your body, I know that but it still doesn't help.

What I decided that I need is a personal chef to make my meals and put healthy snacks at my fingertips. The best solution would be to stop eating altogether, but REALLY? That's not going to happen. I realize now, with my rapidly increasing age, if I'm going to do anything life changing about my diet and/or my body I've got to do it now. I'm definitely not getting any younger.

This weekend we went to Fiesta Hermosa, which was a wealth of small retailers and independent artisans, it was really quite lovely. We came unto a group that is a family farm and signed up to get fresh produce delivered to our place bi-weekly from Farm Fresh To You. That is the start I guess, first delivery comes on Friday. I'm pretty excited about it, but I just have to make sure to cook the stuff and not let it go to waste.

This will be the organic, nutritious part of our diet I guess. I'm really eager to try this out and see what kind of fresh produce that I get in my box. Wish me luck, I need LOTS of it and some motivation (I may just be PMS'y though, grrrr).

Cheers and happy hump day!

Being Juicy aint' easy!

2011-05-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

This morning I had a craving for fresh-squeezed juice after my fiance prepared some cheesy eggs for us. Apparently, there is a shortage of juiceries (not sure if that's accurate) in Long Beach. After finding one on Yelp, I went there only to find that it no longer exists. Disappointed, and on my way home I thought of picking up a Naked juice, but its just not the same as some fresh-squeezed...you know what I mean?

Alas, I was about to come home empty handed, but I had already built this craving up in my head. We bought a juicer, several months ago to incorporate into a healthy diet at home. So...obviously, not being able to have someone make it for me, I refused to settle for nothing and just make it myself. I picked up some fruits at a nearby grocery on the way home. Carrots, ginger, oranges, celery and a couple of limes (ingredients I had seen them use at Whole Foods before).

Got home, and to B's surprise (and disappointment, I might add), I didn't have two tall glasses of fresh-squeezed juice after my 45 minute trip. I pulled out the juicer and started chopping. Now before we bought the juicer, I did quite a bit of research, but unless I was willing to spend around $200 (which I wasn't), all the juicers are pretty much the same. I chose the Black & Decker Juice Extractor at $40. It's actually pretty good, other than the fact it leaks a little bit, but I think they all kind of leak.

I generally chop up the fruits (just the big round ones) and get them ready before my juicing process. Carrots and Celery (long fruits and veggies) go in there smoothly. I got to juicing. 3 oranges, 3 carrots, 1 medium-sized piece of ginger, 1 lime, 2 celery sticks and an apple later....we had a delicious juice for two (and for about $5). I call it "Orange Ginger dynamo".

Why don't I do this more often? Because I hate to wash. But if you get this juicer, it's fairly simple and goes in the dishwasher. There's an area that catches the peels and seeds and stuff that you can dump right onto your plants, compost pile or trash can.

So, yes, I'm very juicy this morning and unless I'm right next to a Whole Foods, I will be making an effort to make my own fresh-squeezed juices from now on.

Try it! Great for summer and great for your soul!

(I wish I had a picture for you, but I drank it all before I realized it)

Getting my rhythm!

2011-05-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

It's been nearly a month, before I made my big transition to a life adventure (that's what we'll call it for now). Getting myself stabilized and organized was much quicker than I thought it would be. It is surprising how much more productive you are when your life and your work are practically one in the same and both something you love. The fact that I no longer have to leave the house and sit and traffic helps A LOT.

So... I've been reading, organizing, contemplating, planning and setting somewhat of a schedule in place for everything and its tough. Despite the fact that I no longer have to go into an office, I still have to consider the fact that I may need to conference call in the car or at my desk, while my dog is howling out the back window at the cat that's running across our yard. Working for myself also gives me less need to get up and take a break. I can find myself working away at my computer for hours (and before I know it its 3 pm) without eating or getting up. This was about the same time that I realized that mid-day workouts are not likely and I'll have to stick with mornings and evenings. The biggest difference is how much less my junk food and soda intake is. Shedding that 30 lbs, is much easier than I thought it would be and although I'm not on extreme mode, its melting off in a speed that is okay with me for right now.

When did people decide to give up both their physical and mental independence to live for work, that they don't necessarily care about? Why do people feel like they HAVE to sacrifice a good life to make a living? The more I think about it, the more I feel like people have been brainwashed to be lazy. YES, lazy! America is LAZY! There I said it. We may work more than any country in the world, but we don't get too much stuff done. I guess that's what separates the Entrepreneurs and Visionaries from everyone else (and I am by NO means calling myself a visionary, entrepreneur almost).

If you're reading this blog, then you're probably a like-minded individual, so I encourage you to answer a few questions for yourself and if I've help just one person have a great life then I accomplished a goal.

1. Do you love what you're doing? Not like, not kinda sorta, LOVE.
2. Why aren't you doing what you REALLY want to do?
3. Is that really a good reason?
4. What would it take for you to LOVE what you do everyday?
5. Which do you think will reap more benefits for you in scheme of your life?

That's it 5 questions. I used to be a procrastinator and then I realized to get anything done you just have to make up your mind and go. So...just do it! (best tagline ever)

A few of my favorite things...

2011-05-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

I was reading some of my recent blogs and saw that I've become so serious lately, which is what happens when you bury yourself in a hole to make something big happen. Anyway, to relieve some of that musk that has come over the blog, I decided I needed to be a little bit more frivolous by sharing just a few of the things that I love (partly inspired by Cupcakes and Cashmere's Five Things).

Brooks Green Silence Running Shoes, my most recent footwear purchase. I got them at Sport Chalet, but you can get them at Zappos.com. Minimalist shoes that change the way you run and make you feel barefoot without looking like an alien with those foot glove things.

I have always loved Orchids, but never know how to take care of them. This baby is nearly a month old and lookin' strong. I'm proud of myself and she is beautiful.

My version of 'the little black dress'. Diane Von Furstenberg blessed me with this little number from my favorite place, Nordstrom, of course. She didn't bless me herself, she led me to it is more like it...in spirit. LOL

What's more important to go with a fancy dress, than some great shoes!?

Vera Wang Lavender Pumps. I stalked these shoes online and waited for them to go on sale before I bought them. When I put them on my feet, it was more than worth the wait.

Okay, so I inherited this from a previous beau, but I'm so glad I did. Getting through long work days when you're working from home, is much easier with your turntable at your side. You can find them for reasonable prices on Craigslist or even from Guitar Center.

One of my more recent finds was this earring stand and the necklace stand behind it. Where did I find this phenomenal creation to organize my jewelry? Marshall's of course. I'm not so keen on going through racks of clothes at Marshall's, but when it comes to knick-knacks and home goods, its not too shabby.

Last but definitely not least (his ears must have been burning, because he came in here just now)...

My trusty sidekick Chaka. The love of your pup is something that NO person can give you. I wouldn't give this guy up for anything...unless he pees on me again...he's out tha door!

Happy Friday!

Bossypants

2011-05-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in a week and I feel like its been months. While I'm restructuring my life and getting ready to present my new self to you I decided to read a book! Yes, amazing, I actually FINISHED a book. It wasn't hard.

What was it?

Bossypants, by Tina Fey of course. My interest in Tina Fey was first born when I watched 'Mean Girls', a classic coming of age story for girls in the 21st century (please note the sarcastic tone), and damn hilarious. Soon after, I generated an addiction for 30 Rock. If you haven't seen it, I encourage you to catch up. Her style of comedy (sarcasm, truth, everyday quips) was exactly what my friends and I did, so henceforthwithto, I thought Bossypants would be a good choice for my reading attempt.

Now, I'm not generally a fan of books and don't get sucked in easy, but this book feels like Tina Fey is talking to you about her hysterically busy and successful progression in life. And aside from the disturbing cover art, I have come to feel like I know her and would be disgustingly disappointed, that if we met, she wouldn't treat me as an old friend and give me a hug (I smell just as good as Oprah Tina Fey).

It's an entertaining book to read and talks about her career, comedy, life as a mother, life as a (bad) wife and life as a boss, all while being very funny and telling a great story! It inspires me to stay up later, write more and work harder...well at least for today...to get what I want out of life. It is nice to see that there are people out there, that still pursue what they love to do, instead of what is convenient, conventional and expected of them. (Yes, I got all that out of this book).

Good work Tina Fey, I applaud you and good luck!

Swimming is DAMN hard!

2011-05-02T09:56:00.001-07:00

Meet my arch nemesis.....

Yeah, so what it's a pool? This is the Lakewood YMCA pool. I have incorporated swimming into my training to build my endurance (which apparently fled from my body when I packed on the pounds at my last job). This morning was my first swim workout. The result? I am a sucky swimmer. Going just one length of the pool had me panting like my dog after a run.

Isn't waking up at 5 am hard enough, without gasping for air and choking on pool water? I couldn't cut the freestyle the whole time, that s*** is hard, so I went with the breast stroke, which is significantly easier for me. I warned the coach when I got there, that I am NOT a swimmer. The coach took pity on me and gave me some mini-goals to achieve, like not stopping between laps. Needless to say, it was VERY difficult for me to do that, today anyway.

By the end of the workout, I was controlling my breathing a lot better and interchanging freestyle and breast stroke. That's really what it was about, my breathing. Once I finally got into a rhythm, I felt like I wasn't totally anchoring everyone else and that someday I could catch up, maybe in a month or so. I am definitely going back on Wednesday! Once I learn how to breathe slower and get my strokes perfected, I can be a fish just like everyone else.

Until then, they will have to watch out for my slow a** in the right side of the lane. Right now, I do almost half the laps as everyone else, but I was getting the hang of it by the end of the hour, which gives me hope for Wed. morning. I'm stoked on this new swimming thing, not to mention the 20-minute bike ride to get to the YMCA. :) I can now project some crazy endurance in the months to come. YAY!

If you don't hear from me by next week, I probably drowned.

Interested in my workout? Check out 'The Workout Schedule' blog, to visualize my insanity.

**self censorship :)

The workout schedule

2011-04-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

This intense varied schedule should smack me around and get me into tip-top shape for events to come. I thought I would share, to make me more accountable and just in case you'd like to try and keep up with the young wipper snapper (yea right!).

Monday
6-7 am - Swim workout @ YMCA
6:30-9:00 pm - Tennis @ Rancho Cienega Tennis Courts

Tuesday

6 am Santa Monica Stairs workout/run
7-10 pm - Tennis in Bellflower

Wednesday
6-7 am - Swim workout @ YMCA
Gym (or outdoor) workout (5K-10K run/weights) (24 hour fitness)

Thursday
6 am - Long Beach beach run

Gym - lite cardio/weights (24 hour fitness)

Friday
9-10 am - Turbo Kickboxing (24 hour fitness, slauson) <--kick butt class

6:30-9:00 pm - Tennis @ Rancho Cienega Tennis Courts

Saturday
Tennis (LA)

Bike ride/Hike

Sunday

Santa Monica Stairs Workout/Gym Workout

Adventures of a Chronic Dieter...

2011-04-28T17:40:00.000-07:00

After a couple of great weeks of getting back into shape and eating well, I faltered. How? you ask. Those damn yogurt covered pretzels from Trader Joe's. I know you are supposed to treat yourself once in a while, so you're not too far off on deep end dieting, but I felt like I lost control. I didn't actually eat that many overall, maybe like 12. But still, I felt the lack of control, as to everything else, I have been thinking through and controlling pretty well (as far as eating goes). Especially, since I've been working out so hard, it feels like a set back.

My body is beyond sore and if I drink any more water I'm probably going to have to move my things into the bathroom. I hate being this sore, it makes me realize how out of shape that I have actually gotten. I've been working out on top of the soreness, but after I finish, I can barely move again. Getting up in the morning is tough, because my body wants that extra rest and I feel crippled when getting out of bed, crawling to the coffee pot.

Today, I took an afternoon nap (and a walk with Chaka) of about 30 minutes, amazing what a nap can do for your mind and body! Hopefully, I will be off to play tennis shortly (like in the next hour), otherwise I have to go to the gym to run, which I'd rather not do today.

Next week...it's swim time. Monday will be my first master swim class at the YMCA. I'll ride my bike to swim at 6:00 am. That's some dedication there huh? It's my first time since beng a kid, but I think the water will help me get in shape and it's only twice a week. I'm hoping it will help melt away that nastiness that has gelled around my legs.

Back to drinking my water now. Stay tuned! I will feel fantastic soon, I just know it.

I'm going green...well more like baby blue!

2011-04-26T12:49:00.001-07:00

I'm so excited, I have finally become totally fuel efficient. The same fuel that keeps my body running will be fueling my....wait for it....my new Schwinn Clairmont beach cruiser. LOL.

And yes, there is a basket on my bike for quick trips to Trader Joe's or Ralphs and afternoons at Starbucks or downtown. Not to mention my bike riding that will commence in Santa Monica on the weekends.

If you're in Long Beach, you may just see me riding down the street in my neato Schwinn with Chaka in a basket on the back. I look forward to riding the bike to the YMCA in the mornings for my new swim class. YAY!

Who are you?

2011-04-25T06:06:00.000-07:00

There are times in your life where you have to make life decisions. That's what I have done. After such a long time of not really feeling the 'right' feeling, I believe I have finally figured out what is 'right' for me.

Immediately after I made the most recent decision about my life, despite a little nervousness, I felt happy and realized that good decisions always feel...well...good! There are people that follow or believe in other people's paths and there are others that create a world of their own. I have never been a kid to follow what others were doing, sometimes by force. My mother always wanted to be different, do different things and set a tone to be an example and was NEVER someone that followed others; I think I get it from her.

With my parents being fathoms opposite; my mother totally out there, creative and whimsical and my dad, precise, on-schedule and conservative; I think I turned out to be an interesting and smart combination of the both of them. (Is it ok to call yourself smart, without sounding totally vein?)

So although, I'm being really vague right now and can't reveal more at the moment, announcements will come (no, I'm not pregnant). This new chapter of my life, I can feel, will be the best one by far. With the wedding, work, life as I know it is about to change and I have a great feeling!

#YouKnowYou'reAnIndianChildWhen

2011-04-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine on Twitter started a hashtag today. It was basically just her an I, but I thought it was so funny. There are specific things that you experience when you're a kid who has parents that immigrated from India.

Since I'm sure they differ slightly for different types of Indians, I will only generalize from California Bengali's, so you all can understand us just a little bit better.

You Know You're a Southern Californian Bengali Child If:

Your dad is an engineer, doctor or works for Microsoft.
Your weekends are booked with 'family get-togethers'.
You are studying for the S.A.T.'s at the age of 10.
Your dad smells of tobacco and scotch.
You have never been to a summer sleep away camp.
Your mother doesn't or shouldn't be driving on the freeway.
Everyone is your dada, didi, auntie or uncle.
Your in math class instead of enjoying summer.
You are 14 in community college calculus.
Your school teachers don't even try to pronounce your last name...and you don't need them to.
You live with your parents to 'save money' at the age of 25.
Rice is on the menu (every night) with Fish or Chicken curry.
Your parent's drive a Honda, Toyota or Mercedes.
You start applying to UCLA, UCSD and UCI as soon as you enter high school.
You are a computer science, engineering major or pre-med.
Your parents tell you repeatedly about how Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel prize for literature.
You don't play outside or swim until 4 pm because your mother is worried you're getting too dark from the sun...
Your parents use adjectives as nouns, ex: "Don't be a stupid".
The cashiers at 7-11 look at you intently before asking "Are you Indian?" with absolutely no follow-up.
Kids at school ask where your red dot is (that's all Indians).
You either check 'other' or 'Asian' on all official documents.
You know that Salt Lake refers to a neighborhood in Calcutta and not Utah.
People don't believe you when you say you're Asian.
6 hour flights seem like a picnic compared to the 16 hours it takes to get to India.
Kids at school mistake you for Mexican.

There's tons that I think of in 'the moment', but these are just a few. Ah, life :)

Sally Hansen's new idea for nail polish.

2011-04-19T09:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, at time, I do write about things other than weight loss and fitness....sometimes. I am also obsessed with shoes and painting my nails. In this case, it's the nails. For some reason it has become a therapeutic obsession for me and removing, cleaning, shaping then painting my nails makes me feel somewhat new. A little self-pampering sometimes goes a long way.

Well..yesterday while I was pampering myself with a cupcake (yes not on the diet list, however it was celebratory), behind the counter on the cashier I saw these nails.

So different and cute. When I asked her where she got them she said they were Sally Hansen Salon Effects and that you can only find them at CVS. Well, obviously that was going to be on my list of stops for the day. Sally Hansen has GREAT nail care products. I try and stick with Sally Hansen, Essie and Opi most of the time.

So, after work I head over to CVS (I had to go to two of them to get the right design) to pick up these little nail polish wallpapers. I had read some reviews of people that didn't like them and why, but I think now that they were doing it wrong.

Here's what I got: Sally Hansen Salon effects "Cut it out".

Here are a few tricks to make this work properly. It takes a little bit of

practice.

- Warm up your hands and the nail polish strips for maximum stickiness.

- Make sure that your nails are clean and very dry.

- Do NOT use the nail file they provide, use the little cuticle stick to push back your cuticle, stick on the strip, push it down with your finger and use the cuticle stick to tap it down around the top of your nail and cut the extra part off.

- You can generally use 1 piece for two nails if you do this right.

- Be sure to put on a top coat, it does crackle a bit otherwise.

It turns out pretty cool and is different from just regular nail polish. Perfect if you're not an artist and can't make crazy designs in your nails with q-tips and toothpicks. They also have metallics.

Return of the Chronic Dieter....Part...let's just stop counting.

2011-04-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

Hahaha... I can only start this blog by laughing at how many times I've attempted diets. Ahemm..But let's get serious now. Women's tennis season is beginning and summer is approaching in about 2 months. I have no time to waste or eat carbs and loads of sugar.

Protein and vegetables are the name of the game here people. So...During detox I finally set a nice workout pace and I have been slowly guiding myself back into workout mode. It's much harder than it used to be now that I have outside factors

to worry about (i.e. the fiance, the dog, my social life), it confuses my mind and makes it even harder.

It's all good though, tennis is firing up, however I have a rotator cuff injury. For those of you who know my tennis style, I'm a monster server, so this rotator cuff business is all bad for my game. I am not pleased about this, but there is also nothing much I can do about it.

I was finally inspired to go back to my extreme diet, when talking to a colleague of mine. She doesn't eat carbs or dairy. I did that once and I felt great. Her explanation for why was because she didn't like the way it made her feel or look. Well damn, is that all you need? I wish my will power allowed those reasons to be enough for me too. I will make it enough...Thank you colleague, you have inspired me to really be in top notch shape. I was in such great athletic prowess about two summers ago. Just because I'm aging rapidly and my 20's are behind me doesn't mean I have to lug this extra 20 pounds around.

So all in all here are some daily goals I will be adhering to for at least the next 45 days:

1) drink lots of water

2) lay off the carbs and dairy (and juices, soda and alcohol)

3) stretch

everyday

( styrafoam rollers are great for this)

4) workout everyday (gym or tennis)

Got me some new running shoes for this bad boy!

Brooks Green Silence

5) eat healthy, no fast food

And by the end of all this, I will look like this:

Without the head cut out of course...and maybe a few inches shorter. Watch out gentlemen! LOL

The 'Spark'...

2011-04-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

What makes someone want to be better than they already are? Is that something hereditary? Is it something you're taught when growing up, that you should be the best you should be?

Why is it that some people have it and others don't? Sometimes I think I'm too ambitious, and its true that I often put too many things on my plate of to-do's, which means only half of it gets done (Which is truly more than the average Joe anyhow).

Sometimes I really think I should have take some type of sociology or philosophy major that would have kept me in school for 20 years of my life getting masters' and phd's, but then I can spend my time thinking freely about inane ideologies that no one will ever really have the answers to.

I'm looking for the right 'spark' right now, the one that makes everything else make sense. It may just be adding something to my life that wasn't there, getting into a good routine or eliminating something completely. Who knows? Sometimes I think I may just need a little more Vitamin D intake and then all my energy would be well cooked and 'out there'...whatever that means.

See you when I see you!

Julie/Julia and Ronjini....

2011-03-29T20:39:00.001-07:00

First and foremost, bacon is always the secret ingredient.

I was watching Julie/Julia the other day and saw the great scene of Julie eating that bruschetta. It made me want to make some crispy, tomatoey bruschetta. At first, it seemed like there was no way that it could be a full meal, boy, was I wrong!

Anything is possible, when bacon is your secret ingredient. Immediately, I made the recipe my own. I headed over to Trader Joe's to pick up some goods:

French Bread - check

Firm tomatoes - check

Basil - check

Garlic - check

Applewood smoked bacon - check

I got home to a spunky puppy, just waiting for a walk. We went out and then I began my cooking.

First, I made my bruschetta mixture:

2 medium tomatoes

3 garlic cloves

1 bunch of basil finely chopped

grated pepper

grated sea salt

for flavor and protein, grill bacon on the grill pan

I should have made it crispier, but it turned out well nontheless.

and thennnn......

grill the bread on the grill pan in the bacon grease....

Last, but definitely not least:

spoon the bruschetta onto the toasted French bread and add bacon crumbles on top. Perfection!

That was my Julia Child experiment for today. Assignment completed. I have a surprise coming this weekend though. Don't worry folks its just a phase, enjoy it while you can.

Do I dare?

2011-03-24T15:49:00.000-07:00

After seeing Beno continue to pursue his marathon running (after completing LA Marathon #2 in the pouring rain) and listening him rattle on about how much of a 'runner' he is, I've been thinking about starting to train again for a marathon. We were talking about possibly doing the NY Marathon in November. Well, he was talking about himself, while I was secretly thinking about it.

I don't really know if my knee can hold up, but I can always start with a half marathon. The SD rock and roll is coming up in June (June 5) and I have more than enough time to prepare for that one. I would love to join a running group, but most of them that are associated with the races, want you to raise money. I'm not very good at soliciting funds.

Anywhoo. I am highly toying with the idea of training and using the SD Marathon as a dry run to see if I can actually even get half way done. It would kill me to not be able to finish. Training begins this Sunday.

What Makes You Tick?

2011-03-21T14:05:00.000-07:00

Beno, Chaka, Food, Cooking, Running, Playing, Yelp, Shoes, Snuggling and Watches.

Random Rant: WHAT IS HAPPENING TO the World?

2011-03-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

I feel like something has gone awry with the world amongst so many recent disasters. Not to make light of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, but it feels like that just led to a series of ridiculous situations. What am I referring to?

First - Last night, Nate Dogg passed at 41. What a sad moment. People don't realize how much impact his smooth G-funk sound had on West Coast hip hop. Nate Dogg was featured in 45 albums with 255 popular songs (both solo and collaboration). That's quite an impressive body of work when you realize that most of those songs were great. When you hear almost any rap song that you can sing to in the last decade (not including the past couple of years, that's T-Pain), you can be almost positive Nate Dogg was in it. All of which were staples of West Coast rap, one of the most memorable for most being "Regulators".

Second - WHO is Rebecca Black? Please tell me this is a joke...I have nothing more to say.

On a lighter note (#3)....I was NOT chosen for PC World's Twitter Top 100, which I think was a miscount and a sham. I could have at least been #100. I have a lot to say dammit and it's important.

Fourth - Gas is a hitting a ridiculous $4/gallon, which means it's nearly $70 dollars to fill up my tank. Which also means that it's costing nearly $500 RT to Philadelphia, WHY?????

Fifth - the country's obsession with cracked out alcoholic, Charlie Sheen. WHO CARES? He is really not that entertaining other than the fact that he is so screwed up. Why do people find celebrities that are unraveling and in despair so entertaining?

Last but not least, it's nearing the end of March already. How is the time passing so fast? Did I also mention that apparently Talib Kweli (@RealTalibKweli ) is at SXSW and I'm not.

What else can go wrong? Wait....just kidding, I really don't want to know. There's my random rant for the day.

DETOX: Day 12?

2011-03-11T15:46:00.000-08:00

According to the calendar it's day 12. I'm sure I should have something to write, but my mind is blank.

I will say, however, it never ceases to amaze me how SORE your body gets when you have spent time away from the gym/working out. That and how hungry you get when you work out more and eat less....really...amazing.

That is all.

DETOX: Day 1

2011-02-27T09:36:00.000-08:00

I am starting another path towards body detoxification, which means cleansing, re-organizing and getting back in shape (-30 pounds now). If you have read my blog before you know I'm a little obsessed with staying in shape. The problem is my follow through, with all the other little things, fitness is where I let myself slide the most, I think this is an area that is tough for a lot of people. It is easy to make excuses not to go the gym, but in reality it should be as important as grooming yourself.

Don't get me wrong, I love to workout and it frustrates me when I'm too tired or get out of my schedule. Today will be the start of a new schedule. I'm starting by heading over to one of my favorite places, Burke Williams, to get all the kinks out, relax and just breathe a little bit.

Detox includes so many things, in fact I just got this coupon from Living Social for boot camp, that I may just have to incorporate into this new regimen. Here's my list:

1) Getting the kinks out and sweating it out @BurkeWilliams

2) Workout schedule/regimen - the most important part for me is getting back into a schedule I can't live without, which means I'll be working out every morning.

3) Groceries - healthy eating plan - I love to cook, but have shirked because of this whole moving thing, expect a trip to Whole Foods today.

4) New Tennis schedule - Ideally, I want to play tennis about 3-4 times a week (including the weekend), I found several partners through Craigslist for early AM tennis.

5) Meditation - more commonly known as alone time.

6) Relationship Time - Last but not least, I'm getting married this year, so I look forward to getting the stress out of the relationship and getting back to our dates and weekend workouts.

With detox goes soda, milk, juices and probably cheese (but that's going to hurt). We'll see how it goes, Iwill report back.

Rolling with the punches.

2011-02-22T16:10:00.000-08:00

I feel like there's this cloud over us where everything we are doing lately is rolling with the punches. The fiance and I, have not been able to spend much quality time together in result of our recent move and other madness happening in our lives. The latest update?

What is that you ask? It's towels soaking up our leaking bathroom. And no, its not what you think it is. I took a shower this morning and the toilet started leaking. I swear this is from a movie. This on top of the paint in the street, the washing machine not draining and the garbage disposal getting clogged...all in our first week of living here. Sounds promising.

Overall, the sad part is that it is so great to have a house and we are so excited, but there have been so many problems to deal with. I am so tired when I get home from work that I generally watch TV until I fall asleep on the couch. I wake up around 12 or 1 am and go to the bed and then wake up all over again at 6 am.

I have not been able to get into a good workout routine. Actually, I haven't been able to workout at all, which may be what's making me so grumpy and a little on the depressed side. sigh...I felt like that was a mouthful and I didn't even say anything. In the meantime, I think that Chaka is getting used to his new environment, although I'm sure that he can feel the tension at home from all of our tiredness.

I'm looking forward to this weekend, to spend some quality time with the beau, the pup and myself. Calgon, take me away.

Life is full of surprises.

2011-02-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

I guess 'they' were right when they said to 'expect the unexpected'. Nothing in life really turns out how you think and I have come to believe that everything works out in mysterious ways. The first two months of 2011 has been more than an interesting journey. In just 39 days of the new year. My fiance and I are planning to move into a great new house (rented, not bought), I have an amazing job opportunity in front of me, we've chosen a wedding date and venue, and there is so much more to come.

I can't wait to see what other great things are in store for us this year. We are planning to run our 3rd Chinatown Firecracker together this Sunday to celebrate. The year is already off to very quick start and before you know it our sweet pup will have a little puppy brother. I guess it is time to make the last year of my 20's as great as possible. How quickly time escapes after you join the 'real world'.

I think about all that I have already experienced and realize that it is not even half of what I will experience in my lifetime (assuming that I live to a nice ripe old age). I'm going to go with the thought that 'life begins at 30', so I better get ready for it now.

I have never been so excited to see what's next. Stand by for housewarming details.

Amos Lee - The Music Box

2011-01-28T15:30:00.001-08:00

I had only heard the song 'Sweet Pea' before I was invited to The Music Box in Hollywood on January 27th to see Amos Lee perform. Apparently, that's not even one of his most popular songs. Regardless, I didn't really know him that well and didn't know what genre to put him in (apparently he is in the Folk Jazz genre).

I arrived at The Music Box about 9:00 p.m., at which point his opening acts were still on the scene. While I got my beverage and found my friends, I was interested to see what was in store for me.

The result: What a treat! Amos Lee is pretty terrific and although, some of his songs are a bit more folksy (actually sounded more like country) than I would like, the majority of his set held a lot of mixed genre sounds with soul, jazz, blues and country altogether.

His voice sounds delicious live and he is a very dynamic vocal performer. He also had a trumpet come up there, some snazzy electric table guitar and talented backup singers. This song was on my favorites list from last night.

Of course the show was great, thanks to @James'jimmylin'Lin, since it was free ninety nine; however, if I was asked again, I would not mind paying for the tickets. I'm not sure what kind of perspective that puts that into.

I just wish that they had seats at The Music Box, it actually reminded me very much of The Fillmore in SF. Michael Kors makes very cute boots, but that doesn't mean that I want to stand in them for 14 hours of the day. Seats please!

Like Nina Simone sang...

2011-01-11T18:28:00.000-08:00

"Its a new dawn, its a new day, its a new life...And I'm feelin' good!"

Riddle me this: Why, all of a sudden, is everyone else singing this song (by everyone I mean Michael Buble and Jennifer Hudson). It turns me off a bit that Jennifer Hudson is singing it on a Weight Watchers commercial but I guess that's a different topic, so I digress.

What I always loved about the new year is that it feels like a new opportunity, but the truth is that new opportunities are always around the corner anytime of the year. What makes the Julian Calendar so special that I follow it so precisely in everything I do or plan? I think planning this way is limited and has limited my thinking for a good 20 years of my life.

Moreover henceforth therewithto (that's some of that fancy old English for you), I will no longer be a slave to standard calendar practices. I will make resolutions all year round and celebrate the only REAL holiday...my birthday, with gusto and a jovial attitude every year no matter how old my government ID tells me I am. I will play tennis in the Winter and drink hot cocoa in the Summer. I will wear hot pink in the Fall and eat pumpkin pie in the Spring. I will punctuate my slang properly and I will write in complete sentences (I don't know that this last one has anything to do with the calendar).

All I'm saying is every day is a playground. Enjoy what you do, how you live and who you are around as much as possible; and if you don't like it, don't wait until January 1 or the next Monday or the first of the month to change what you don't like. Maybe one day you can be as happy as this guy:

And we are back! Hello 2011

2011-01-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

WOW, it's already the end of the first week of the year. I can't believe it. NYE 2011 will come before I even know it. So as tradition follows I thought I would post my New Year's resolutions to once again cement them in the everlasting Internets....

Here we go...

1. Lose Weight (specifically the 20 lbs I gained last year) and play tennis

2. Stay motivated and accountable

3. Take the GMAT by the end of March

4. Make more $$$ than 2010 and advance professional development

5. Take care of and overdue bidnass (tickets, bills, etc.)

6. Save more moola this year

7. Eliminate waste (extra items at home like clothes, furniture, magazines, etc.)

8. Plan and take our International trip (Pueblo Ingles)

9. Plan the honeymoon for early 2012

10. Keep my resolutions

okay, so I will admit, these aren't as detailed as my actual resolutions and I have left some of them out as well, but you get the gist of it. I love resolutions and hopefully this year #10 on my list will take priority.

How sweet it was...

2010-12-22T16:54:00.000-08:00

I am amazed at how quickly 2010 came and went. I'm generally a big promoter of moving up and on and getting my resolutions ready for the next year, but 2010 was so full of things I thought I would reflect on all that went down.

Let Downs :/

Didn't go to Macchu Picchu
Had to get rid of Saabi
Gained 20 lbs. (yea! I know, scary) - I already have the resolution for this one
Lazied on tennis after August
Didn't take the GMAT....again
Didn't run more races

Achievements :)

Saw my first live Celtics game at TD Garden in Boston
Participated in my first season of mixed doubles
Won a tennis tournament (Calabassas Country Club)
Pueblo Ingles teens 2010
Traveled through Spain, France, Turkey and Germany with my love
Got a new car
Attended my first PRSA International Conference
Filed my taxes on time
Ran in 2 10K's
Adopted my adorable Chaka
Celebrated the last birthday of my 20's
Kicked Coffee (I like to celebrate the small victories too)
Got engaged to be married
Began planning my wedding
Became a chocolatier

Overall it has been a pretty stellar year. I can't wait to see what happens in 2011, I already know of a couple pretty important milestones that will take place. It should be interesting. I will get on the 'list' of resolutions that I have...However, today (while in the gym), I realized that sometimes my over planning is self defeating and I should continue to follow the one motto that I have always loved "Just do it!"

Good luck on your resolutions and Happy Holidays!

DETOX...It's time!

2010-12-09T18:14:00.000-08:00

This should really be categorized as an entry under "Adventures of a Chronic Dieter," but I felt that detox was a much better name for what I'm about to do. I'm going back to when I was less affected by everything around me and becoming pure Ronjini, as I like to call it.

I used to be a fitness/tennis fanatic! I used to continuously improve myself! I used to fit into my clothes! Moreover I used to look good in my clothes. I used to go out during the weekdays and not act like an old cat lady, and I used to not have to drink coffee.

So let's get back to that! When I say let's, of course I mean "I". I have started the engine to changing my habits. Coffee....GONE! Working out...started again this week! Tennis...started again this week! Go out at least once during the week....Pajama Party tonight!

I'm about 25 pounds overweight and I act about 5 years older than I am. This is my public vow to get back to 2004 (right out of college and fabulous).

Here I go!

A November to Remember- birthdays, engagements, thanksgiving and more...

2010-11-22T13:23:00.000-08:00

As the end of the month approaches I realize a few things:

1) I did not write enough on the blog this month (even though I intended to several times)

2) Time goes by, whether you want it to or not

3) Regimen is key

4) Anyone can surprise you

5) Getting older does not have to be a bad thing...totally!

A lot of things happened to me this month. Early this month, I had a birthday, which I was completely not ready for. As the day approached I was left feeling listless and unfulfilled. Just one of those moods I guess. It comes and goes with the rain sometimes. The closer my birthday got, however, the happier I got.

I had dinner with my closest friends in Long Beach and participated in a mean game of Scrabble afterwards. Having everyone over, just reinforced the fact that I desperately want to move to a new place, preferably a small bungalow house in Long Beach. Our lease isn't up until the end of January, but I haven't been able to stop myself from preemptively paroozing on Craigslist for available listings. It looks promising. All in all, my birthday turned out to be great and I don't feel any older.

Another thing happened on my birthday, my love decided that he was ready to propose. It's a cute story, perhaps I'll save that for my next blog. Regardless, after spending my birthday working, checking in with the doctor and going on a lovely hike. Beno proposed to me in a garden up in Santa Monica. I could tell he was nervous, but I couldn't stop smiling. The ring is one that I had spotted out when we were in Turkey this past summer, very untraditional and very unique. It was an experience that was greater than I expected it to be.

Now, Thanksgiving is upon us. One of my favorite holidays, as I love anything pumpkin flavored. We're going to be spending Thanksgiving with Beno's family, while my parents are living it up in Vegas (I think it's a tradition now :).

I have decided to take the GMAT in February 2011, which will be a tricky one, because work will become very busy with our recent lineup and plans for next year. Beno has decided to take his NASM certification at the same time, so at least I will have a study partner.

What's next? The most important month of the year (at least as far as I'm concerned), stressful Xmas preparation, figuring out New Year's Eve and of course....planning my wedding. At least I know that next New Year's will be taken care of....Wedding date? 12/31/2011

I'm so excited for all that is to come and hoping the fiance is excited to. Although, I don't think any of this has phased him much. Oh...and the puppy! Chaka is great and is now a well-integrated member of the family, always keeping us on our toes, causing mischief and most of all looking adorable.

Happy Holidays everyone! Let the festivities begin.

5-hour energy

2010-11-02T13:18:00.001-07:00

I feel like one of those people on the 5-hour energy commercial before they take 5-hour energy. However, I feel like that regularly lately. So much work to be done and so little time. I wish I didn't have so many hobbies and ambitions. Damn me for being so productive :).

I don't think that drinking these will get me through. It is tiring to keep up with myself and I don't feel like I'm finding enough time in the day to accomplish all that I want to. I'll have to figure something out soon!

One day....

2010-10-29T15:06:00.000-07:00

I'll write a book about the mind melting pot that is my life, so that others don't have to go through the same thing.

Red Plastic Cup - WFP

2010-10-28T18:51:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending the PRSA International conference in Washington D.C., where Bettina Luescher of the World Food Programme was a speaker. She didn't talk about public relations, nor do I think she was really there to. What she talked about was the way that communication was changing and how it makes it easier for people to hear each other from all over the world. Specifically, she told us stories about the Haitian relief effort and how she got the phone number of one of the hottest A-list actors in the industry, George Clooney. Although her story was very entertaining and included a laundry list of celebrities and how they helped in the effort. The message that social media played a large role in raising enough money in a short amount of time to help remote areas during natural disasters, really plugged the message.

Personally, I think a lot of non-profit organizations are pretty annoying and I don't care much for them. That may sound rude, but its just the truth. I had not found an organization that I really believed in or felt made a great impact, although, I'm sure most of them do. When Bettina began to discuss one of the items that she brought to stage, I finally heard something that reached me. What was it?... A red plastic cup!

Bettina said that she took it everywhere she went to remind her and others that filling that red plastic cup can feed a child for a day. "Fill the Cup" is an International campaign to raise awareness and funds for the 59 million children in the world's developing countries, who go to school hungry. What she said was that $5 can feed a child for a month. A whole month! That really hit me and I wanted to do whatever I could to spread the word. It is one thing to donate to a beautiful cause like this, but since I work in public relations, I figured I would volunteer my skills and voice to further promote this grand effort.

Perhaps my audience in limited now, but I will continue to find ways to promote the 'fill the cup' campaign continuously. So please, don't get annoyed, you can just skip those blogs, emails or tweets if/when I do share them, but if you would like to make a real difference, this is one program that can make a difference in the way we care for each other on a global scale.

Inspiration or fact?

2010-10-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

I found this quote this morning and I'm not sure if it inspired me or brought thoughts to the light.

“Be yourself. Follow your instincts. Success depends, at least in part, on the ability to "carry it off."” - Donald Rumsfeld

Whether in business, in life or in relationships this quote holds true. Maybe it's because I live in California, or become people are becoming less in touch with themselves with the forward movement of technology; but I think a lot of people have trouble pulling this off.

I find this quote resonating with the way I pursue life and have even felt the success that he describes. You cannot gain anything but success when you're being yourself (which includes being honest with yourself and ethical). I guess I thought I would share this to remind people that success is partly instinctual and staying true to your values. If, in what you do, you are not pursuing those two things, success will be difficult to get to.

If you don't feel it with your whole heart, try something else!

I took a hiatus....

2010-10-25T18:54:00.000-07:00

But now I'm back. There's so much to talk about, but so little blog space. I should really write more regularly. Well...this will be an update on my furry friend, Chaka. We took him to the dog beach yesterday for the first time (for all of us). It's crazy to see how dogs interact with each other, and great to see my pup enjoy the beach as much as I do.

Rosie's Dog Beach in Long Beach is awesome. It is the only legal off-leash dog beach in Los Angeles county, which had me astonished with the amount of dogs that are in LA County. I am lucky enough to live right there and be within 15 minutes. It was a beautiful fall Sunday when we went over to Belmont shores. I never knew that Long Beach was so beachy, even after living here for more than 5 years of my life.

I was so used to beaches like San Clemente and Salt Creek, that I never even fathomed that there would be pretty beaches in Long Beach. But Alas, there were some really nice areas that you can run, walk, play volleyball, sun bathe, all that jazz and moreover, take your pup. Chaka got a very thorough bath that day, but he loved every minute of the beach. The more time I spend with my cute lil' guy, the more I understand and appreciate how much people love their pets. They are really like an extension of your family and they have their own personalities and they are there for you when you need them.

It takes a little adjustment to get used to a pet and how to take care of him, but for the most part, he is no trouble at all and has made me way more productive and focused in my day-to-day life. Now, I just have to get back on my workout track and everything will be kosher.

I'm working on Ronjini 2004, that was a good year for me physically! :) Wish me luck.

The big picture...

2010-10-11T16:28:00.001-07:00

What is the big picture? Does it have to be big? How big must it be? Can I just think its big? Does size matter? Is bigger better? How about I just make a regular picture that suits me nicely?

I am done.

The 'Cone of Shame'

2010-10-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

It has been almost two weeks and this damn doggie cone is still on Chaka's head. I don't know if it bothers him more or me. The poor guy can't scratch his ear or play with other dogs really.

Above all, he is starting to get a little stinky and I would like to give the little fella a bath. I can't wait until Sunday when we can finally take it off and he can rejoin the cone-free world.

On another note, he is taking his time in the cone very well and it seems to frame his ever so cute face even more. His preciousness abounds me even when he is naughty. His daddy and myself are very proud of the little bugger and I am happy to report that he has had no accidents in the house for about a week. He now knows how to sit and lay down, we're working on dance moves next!

Love you Chaka!

Adventures of a Chronic Dieter - entry XXX???

2010-09-21T07:58:00.000-07:00

So my plan this week was to workout in the morning before I go to work. Morning - 2; Ronjini - 0. I did so good last week and don't know what happened, but with every exhale and piece of clothing I try on...FROM MY OWN CLOSET, my desperation for going to the gym gets worse.

I realize it takes a certain motivation and balance of time in life, but my energy has waded with this new puppy and the amount of work I do. Once I'm back on a schedule, I should be good. Maybe I'll set some short-term goals to kick start my momentum.

Goals for this week:
- Drink WATER, no soda (or minimal soda)
- Workout everyday for the rest of the week (Tuesday - Sunday)
- No eating lunch out (that's what kills me most of the time)
- sleep by 11, awake by 5
- no carbs after 7

This is aside from the dozen other personal things I should take care of, yay! Its Tuesday.

Allright folks, here I go again!

Some people are cool...some people are NOT!

2010-09-17T14:21:00.001-07:00

I decided I needed to get this off my chest to progress with my day and this post may possibly not exsist for more than a few days. I don't understand how someone can argue with 'facts' that they made up, because they need to win. Especially when winning doesn't affect them, but more the person that they are arguing with.

I keep the contents of this particular post vague to protect the parties involved, but I'm not sure why. They should be put on blast for their disgusting behavior. Fruthermore, you can't talk to someone who is not willing to really embrace and understand the other person.

That is all.

Chaka

2010-09-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

We named our new Cairn Terrier, Chaka...here's why:

Except he is way cuter and more loveable.

Special Delivery.

2010-09-12T16:21:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful Sunday morning as we woke up in Long Beach to a fantastic sunny day. I was too tired to wake up at 6am to make it for the Santa Monica 10K, but I had bigger plans ahead of me.

After some coffee, I made my way to the Alamitos Bay Farmers Market. There were gorgeous fresh fruits, vegtables and other homemade goods, but I wasn't there for that. Off into the distance near the harbor with the boats, was Hearts for Hounds...There awaited a cute brown Cairn Terrier, temporarily named Tate!

After about 20 minutes of walking 'Tate', it was over. This little pup had the courage of 10 pups, barking at any dogs bigger than himself. With an over exerted Napolean complex and fun loving personality, 'tate' became the newest member of my family. As soon as we got home, he found his spot and plopped down next to me.

He has a little trouble getting into cars and there's a lot of training ahead of us, but I am excited to be on this adventure. We're still working on his name, so far we have Chaka, Rugby, Napolean and Spaz in the running. What do you think?

p.s.: Of course we bought stuff from the Farmer's Market too.

Curveballs and Decisions

2010-09-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

Some things that come around, you would never expect to happen to you in a million years. The only thing that you can do is to have confidence in yourself to overcome those strange curveballs in life that may come your way. The real outcome is the way to handle, deal and overcome every situation. Most people end up cracking at the thought of something 'out of the normal' happening to them. As long as you have confidence in yourself and think things through (or maybe not think things through sometimes) then decision making is much easier. It is not about making the best of what you have...It is about making what you have, the best!

Although I love the idea of destiny, luck and fate; nothing comes to you unless you make it happen. I think that's why people often make fun of or reject the 'I can't', because it just doesn't make sense most times. There is a way to do and figure out everything that life throws you and all you can do is your best to make the right decisions for yourself, despite what others may think or say. No I had no major decisions to make, but a lot to think about. When it comes down to it, you can only look within yourself to find answers that you need.

Keep your head clear and march forth my friends!

Return to planet normal...

2010-09-02T11:56:00.000-07:00

So I have been back home for a little over a week now and have started new routines and gotten used to the time. I feel like I wake up, workout, work, go home and pass out. My energy has been a little low, however it's possibly because I thought it was a good idea to give up caffeine (I've resolved that problem today).

My new wake-up and workout schedule has been working really well for me, but it's difficult for me to stay up at night after I get home. I feel like I just make dinner and plop on the couch...and there is no return from that. My productive self has slowly been pushing me to wake up earlier to get things done, but I'd really like to stay up longer and see more of the day. I need regain control of my schedule so that I can fight the good fight against time.

Managing yourself as a business is so difficult. There are way too many things that I need to get done in a day. I feel like I over-promise and under-deliver, something that I have always vowed never to do to clients, but keep doing to myself.

Lists are beginning to mean nothing to me. There are no consequences to my personal laziness and if there are, I have already lived with them and they aren't bad enough company where I care. I guess it boils down to the fact that I'm not really a patient person and generally want everything to be done and dealt with yesterday and if it takes longer than that, I feel I have no control. Ah well...we are home, happy, healthy and ready to move forward. Maybe now that I got this out on screen, I can make myself accountable.

I did bribe myself with shopping, which may just work!

The road to home (Istanbul, Cologne, Frankfurt)...

2010-08-23T00:29:00.000-07:00

The past week has been a crazy busy one, mostly with work. We closed out our trip to Istanbul by getting a lot of souveneirs, heading to a fancy nightclub called Reina, an extensive carpet showing at a Turkish rug showroom, eating lunch & smoking Hookah (for my first time) on the Bosphorous and wandering around the Grand Bazaar...and when we were just getting used to life at Taksim Square it was time to head to Cologne, not without purchasing another piece of luggage to haul all of our new treasures home. It makes you wonder a little when the guy at the bazaar asks you" "Would you like to purchase something you don't need?" Regardless, we got out souveneirs our new USSARO luggage and headed back to Ataturk airport.

Now it was off to Cologne (or Koln), where Gamescom was waiting for me.

On Sunday evening getting to Cologne, we got on a train headed in the wrong direction and finally got to the Marriott Cologne at about 11:00 p.m. Cologne is a nice city, heading out to grab some food, the first thing we noticed was the Dom. Half of the building was covered in fog and just gave out this increadibly creepy vibe. Eat your heart out Notre Dame, these gargoyles were scary in the fog or in the sun, as it finally cleared up on Friday. The whole week consisted of light rain and overcast weather and me with very little warm clothing. Crossing the bridge to head over to a Gamescom event on Thursday, we noticed the love locks on the bridge. Naturally, we decided to give 'love lockdown' a new meaning and get our own locks for the bridge, throwing the keys in the river to seal the deal. Then the one day (Friday) I decide to wear the one pair of pants I brought...it is blazing hot and I am profusely sweating from transporting boxes to the convention center.

Gamescom itself was a whole different beast. Days were filled with media interviews, marketing meetings, networking and checking out the main halls. I must say, those media interviews are tiring. I had my first run at being 'on camera' (3 times in one day), definitely not my forte, and talking about the Free2Play video game business. I was surprised how much I knew. Once I started it just started flowing out of me. Good experience, but I'll leave the interviews for the producers, the networking is much easier. Gamescom had a huge event on Thursday night with 3000 in attendance (still only a fraction of the attendees). With live performances and buffet's of food set out all over the venue, there were some still there until 4 am. Being the smart one, I headed in at 12.

The biggest success at Gamescom though? Seeding out more little GamersFirst green bags out into the planet (4000 to be exact)! Those obnoxiously colored bags should be our staple, a different neon color for each year.
"Oh you got that green one? That was back in 2010. No, no, I have the orange one, 2012."

Finally, we dispersed Cologne and got on a train to Frankfurt. Unfortunately (like in Paris), the rain pretty much took over the last day there and the morning (right now). It was nice to have a festival near our hotel, where there was International food. Even nicer was the Irish bar we went to, where I could finally get some Guiness and Cider in my system. Now it is POURING. With the extra baggage we bought in Istanbul and that heavy 19" Alienware computer we're trekking home, getting to the airport will be no picnic, but it's a nice feeling to be heading somewhere that we won't have to leave in a week.

After 14,961 miles, 42 days, 13 cities, 10 airports, 7 hotels, 6 countries, 3 suitcases, 2 train rides, and 1 pandemic we are finally going back to the comforts of home. Still together, healthy and ready for whatever comes next!

From Paris to Istanbul and then some.

2010-08-11T05:33:00.000-07:00

What happened? I was just riding along my merry way on my bike tours and then bam! I get to Istanbul and catch a mean cold. My head is aching and my nose is try to get away from me. But I guess after nearly a month of travel, it was bound to catch up with me.

Before getting here to Istanbul, we spend 4 days in Paris. Which is not exactly a homely city by nature; but we had great advice from great friends and made the most of our days there. We were able to go on two bike tours that took us all around the city, the latter of which got us caught in the unpredictable Paris rain (which is why I suppose I'm sick now). We spent a beautiful day, champagne tasting in Epernay, and one crazy night in front of the Eiffel Tower with our new bike tour friends....waiting for the Tower to glimmer, then having a drink, eating pringles, having a drink, waiting for the Tower and then having a drink, and so on and so forth!

My favorite part of France, by far, was going to Versailles. The gardens are beautiful but we were only able to spend a few hours there, where we managed to walk the gardens, row a boat and eat lunch in the middle of the lake. I could have stayed there all day and I'm sure several people did (as they were passed out on the lawns). But we had to get back for our night bike tour and to climb the 2 floors (yea right!) of the Eiffel Tower.

We left France with one special souveneir that was acquired while at the Moet & Chandon house.

After becoming exhausted in Paris, Istanbul was a relief to arrive to. However it was 3 am and the taxi driver may have not been licensed, traveling at speeds unknown to human kind on the empty road. We were sure he was taking us somewhere else, when 40 mins. later we are finally in front of our hotel, right in the center of Taksim Square, a good place to be if you're not from around here.

So now...I'm looking forward to getting better and going down our "List of things to do while in Istanbul" on Friday and Saturday, with sprinklings tonight and tomorrow night. Now if only I could get a replacement head for the remainder of the week (to relieve this runny nose and headache), that would be a dream.

Stay tuned for updates!

The Massacre at Priego (aka Priego Pandemic)

2010-08-02T12:05:00.000-07:00

**warning this is an account of real-life events, the content of this blog may boggle the imagination and reveal TMI aboutboth known and unknown parties; nontheless this blog was kept factual for the full effect of the event**

The morning started out like every other in our little Priego village in Cordoba, Spain (in the south). About a warm 90 degrees and walking up to the hotel restaraunt for breakfast, just like every other morning. The kids were awakening slowly yet surely and arriving at the breakfast hall. Once again we situated our little teen gems as anglo, spaniard, anglo, spaniard to promote the mixing of teens and speaking of English.

Getting to my cafe con leche con hielo, as I do every morning and setting aside a small muffin and toast for my breakfast, I prepared for another ridiculously hot day in Priego. It wasn't just any other day though. It was the last full day of camp where the kids would have a surprising amount of Free Time, perform a Talent Show and go to their camp-end party (aka dance, reason to kiss each other, last chance for romance, etc.).

The day got off to an active start. Everyone was hurriedly preparing for their talent show debuts, groups went off into Orange, Red, Blue, White, Black, Silver, Silver/Black, Green and Yellow. I am the leader of the Orange group a unmatched group of teens at Priego on every level...but that's another story ;).

We got through the day, through the practicing, through the talent show and now it was time to get ready for dinner, pack and dance the night away. Little did we know what lay ahead of us. Dinner came and appetites were surpressed (probably from the excitement of the night...or maybe not). Ana and Beno leave the dining hall feeling ill after the first course. Meals at Priego consist of two courses, salad and dessert. They are not the first ones to feel ill. Hours earlier, Tom had been talking about ill feelings and being sick. Ana and Beno sit for about 30 minutes before sickness strikes, both losing what they had consumed during the day. Beno is very sick and retires to his room to rest and hopefully muster up the strength to go to the dance later. I'm feeling fine and get prepared to chaperone these teen trouble makers. Ana is not sure if she's better or slowly getting worse. Only time will tell.

The dance ensues with all the normal teenage drama of he kissed her, she danced with me, they kissed in the corner, what the heck is Ronjini doing? etc, etc. There is something strange happening though...Amelia approaches crying and complaining of stomach pains, shortly after Enrique announces his misfortunate bathroom trip just minutes earlier, Andrea and Becci are next, along with a trickling few campers that slowly feel sick to their stomach (literally). The night progresses and one by one, stomach pains, tears and weakness terrorizes Priego. 15 down and everyone else at the dance, this night is just beginning at 1:30 a.m.

I've gone back to check on Beno for the 3rd time, things are not looking good, miserable in fact. With the count up to 15 the doctor is called to the camp. An ambulance shows up 15 minutes later and is directed towards Beno's room, he is the worst....or so we thought. After the doctors administer shots for nausea to 15 patients; dancers, campers and sickos all head to their rooms for a night's rest before departure the next day.

Night patrol begins. The counsellors (including myself) are weary from the tremendous amount of hours they have put in over the past 14 days. They somehow have gotten acclimated to the strange lifestyle of watching over 94 teenagers 24/7. Night patrol is up and at 'em as teens show no signs of slowing down on the last night, but something is more peculiar than most nights. The patient count continues to increase. From 1:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. the count increases to 20+ patients overnight.

Wake up call is at 8 am on the last day of camp to get everyone fed and ready for departure. This departure was not as planned however. The reception hall turned into an infermery. We see campers walking up to the reception hall, not to eat breakfast but with pale white and pink faces grasping their stomachs. Slowly, I can feel my pwn stomach churning and taking a similar fate to many of the patients that gained the sickness overnight. What is this? My answer: Food Poisoning. Aching bellies, vomiting, diarrhea and fever hit the camp hard and claimed more than 30 victims.

Not a good day to go down. Nearly half the campers were quarantined, seperated from their new made friends on the last departing day of camp. Tears were already aflood by 9:00 a.m. because these destined intercontinental soul mates were leaving each other, but quarantine? What had Priego come to? Pandemic...

The Priego Pandemic hit hard. Healthy campers were promised to see their new bosom buddies before departure. The sick campers were promised to be able to say goodbye to their friends if the situation called for it. The sight was a sad one. Doors were locked from outside to inside. You can see weaping campers on the terrace, desperate to get into the reception to say a farewell to the sobbing teens on the inside. It was like a scene out of a horror film (or a zombie film).

Three hours later, talks began of departure. Thank god. What else can go wrong? The Anglos and Spaniards, after 14 long grueling hot days together, were seperated into 2 busses. Each bus was piled with half sick teenagers that had been administered a shot to the butt to clear their symptoms. With the camp director and hotel insisting that this was a virus, who is to tell if patients were getting the most efficient medicine for the clearly apparent mass food poisoning that had occurred that night.

Desperate to leave the camp, I had claimed that I was better (seconds after making a visit to the bathroom) and that Beno would be fine to travel. We just wanted to get the hell out of Priego and somewhere air conditioned for recooperation.

We finally get on the bus. 5 hours later we arrive in Madrid, where Beno passes out in the hotel room and I am required to chaperone 22 teens with a fellow counsellor to dinner. Not feeling like eating, I had little and made a meal of Aquarius (a Spanish Gatorade), Sprite and 1/2 a quesadilla. After the extremely slow service of VIPS, we left to head back to the NH Zurbano. The sickness was not over. In the span of time 2 more patients, made themselves apparent. One directly outside of the restaraunt.

Reaching the hotel, I was desperate for sleep, but again....room checks. Does this never end????After making the rounds, and doing drop offs at the airport the next day, I took the recovering Beno and the recovered ME to the airport to head to Barcelona. The day from hell was finally over and behind us, but the memory of the Priego Pandemic will never be lost.

Adventures from Spain

2010-07-25T01:33:00.000-07:00

We are starting week 2 here in Spain and I am finally getting acclimated to the balance of working and....well...working. I'm not getting very much sleep here, but it's fun and poses a bit of a challenge in getting through each day.

I haven't had much free time and when I do, I work, so I finally decided to set some time aside to update all of my fans on the trip. Its going great so far, we are working, so its not easy or vacation-like quite yet.

After 2 weeks I got my SIM unlock code, to unlock my phone and use my International sim card. Geezus. In the meantime, we just started a week long murder mystery game where everyone at the camp has to secretly kill their victims, lots of fun and paranoia

In addition to that, the teens show off their talents on a daily basis and the Spaniards are increasingly improving their English with the patience of the Anglo teens. Of course there are trouble makers and drama, but that's the fun part.

The rumor amongst the teens is that Beno and I are a couple and we're moving to Spain. ;) Silly kids.

Europe Adventures

2010-07-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

Madrid is a beautiful city. Very Tired. Teenagers are Crazy and I really do love my work!
Videos later once I get to Cordoba.

Signing off...

Sports Talk - Green all the way...

2010-07-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

I don't often enter into discussions about sports, more specifically basketball, because the truth is, I can't say I have a real loyalty anywhere and I'm not that die hard. However, my bf is a dedicated Celtics fan. Throughout this past basketball season, we have gone to Boston and cruised around to Irish bars to celebrate The Celtics.

Generally, women become bonded to teams through their mates, but I have no problems being in opposition. The case with The Celtics is different, however. After going through two seasons of pondering and watching them, I realize that the Celtics are a fantastic franchise and deserve my support.

Is that against what I should be doing being a Californian? I don't know... Traditionally, people supported the cities that they lived in, but don't you want to support good players too? Although, I did in fact root for the Lakers as a wee toddler, back when MJ, Worthy and Kareem were playing, I find it hard to get behind a one-man team (2 if you include Phil Jackson).

Some of you may disagree. I cannot deny that Phil Jackson is a great coach and if the Shaq/Kobe partnership wasn't dissolute then it would be hard for me to go against it. However, Celtics talent is crazy. The BIG THREE (Allen, Pierce and Garnett)? and now the BIG FOUR and possibly more like 6.

What I find greatly admirable about the Celtics is they truly play as a team, which is where they also breakdown because they are highly dependent on each other. I just think it shows so much sportsmanship and teamwork, which is what basketball is all about. Take Kobe out of the Lakers and you don't have a team.

Kobe is a Hollywood superstar, he can't really go anywhere, he's a Laker and he has fans; their called Laker fans. People attempt to go against the grain and say they love Fischer or Pau Gasol, but really? Even though Ron Artest roughed it out and got in some good ones in the finals, no one cares about his crazy ass. Kobe goes and down go Laker fans. If that ever happens, Kobe has to leave the state ASAP (you saw James jerzees last night on the news right?).It just seems weird to support such a lopsided team.

Although every team has their leaders, the Lakers are a bit ridiculous and the fans are just crazy and immature (which also deters me from supporting). This is my proclamation for the Celtics (for now). Of course, my first team is my home team the Hornets, but let's face it. They are not winning anytime soon, but they get an 'A' for heart.

What spurred this sports rant? This whole 'King James' crap.

"Dear Lebron,

I don't think you should have left the Cavs, but good for you for wanting to win and going somewhere where you feel you can make that happen. Coach Brown is an idiot and was totally out of place and unprofessional in his comments. I'm sure that Byron Scott won't react the same way when you realize that you don't want to be in Miami anymore."

Peace and Love,

Jini (Go Celts!)

Sometimes the stars align.

2010-07-09T10:15:00.001-07:00

If you're curious to know what that picture is, it's of Scorpio of course. That's what I am, a Scorpio and last night the stars must have aligned perfectly. This morning, I woke up refreshed and everything seems to be coordinating perfectly for this upcoming trip.

I rose at 6:30 a.m. to find out that the summer camp that I will be at in Spain, does in fact have Wi-Fi...sadly that was my biggest concern. My love went to collect some drycleaning and coffee was ready when I finally got out of bed.

Part of my morning happiness could very possibly be because after about a month of being stressed and having no time to workout; last night I took a 6 mile run that left me, surprisingly refreshed. I miss being fit. I woke up with no soreness and ready to workout again. No..I'm not crazy, I didn't work out at 6:00 a.m. this morning, but I will again tonight. Apparently, this past month has not been so kind, there's a lot of toning to do.

The tide feels like it's turning towards a summer of wonderfulness. I'm incrementally more and more excited to go on this excursion and I am proud to say that I feel like I'm finally getting some progress at work. PR is not the easiest road to go down and validation comes few and far between. Even when people say you're doing well, you need that real affirmation that what you're doing is working for the company. This morning I got the validation I needed to know that we are moving in the right direction and are 'taking the bull by the horns'.

I hope that everyone has a fabulous and special weekend and finds their own renewed spirit. It is very likely the next time I post it will be sitting at the airport waiting to lift off..or it may be about beer tomorrow. Whichever comes first :).

Ciao!

p.s.: Congrats to you know who you are!

Blogging has no rules

2010-07-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

Blog whenever I can is my new motto. Now writing a book, that's what I have to figure out. Any tips?

MOVIE REVIEW : Ponyo

2010-07-06T18:27:00.001-07:00

I was looking over my reviews and could have sworn that I wrote about Ponyo, really? I missed that one? Wow.

How could I have missed reviewing such an unforgettable movie?
First, this is not the first movie by Hayao Miyazaki that I have seen. My friend Savery somehow convinces me to watch these movies. I like to try different genres and so I give in to Savery's suggestions.

My first question: WHAT THE HELL IS THIS MOVIE? Really?

Question left unanswered: Why is Hayao Miyazaki so revered?

I feel like there are some things that I don't know about his background or something. I have watched 'Howl's Moving Castle' (another movie I haven't had a chance to review) and 'Ponyo' and I just don't get it. To be honest, I laugh. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be laughing, but I do. I laughed sooo hard.

What is this ridiculous movie where it's okay for 5 year olds to be left at home alone, allowed to ship their way through Tsunami's and a talking fish falls in love with a 5 year-old boy and becomes human? Since when did 5 year-olds become so capable? Or is that only in Japan.

Other questions that puzzle me are: Doesn't Sosuke's mother wonder where Ponyo's parents are? How did everyone get in a bubble underneath the ocean? Why would Tina Fey leave her 5-year old at home alone with a fish-girl during a tsunami that looks like it will drown their house?

I was looking for the message and I think it was something about unconditional love and love conquers all, all creatures have feelings and learning lessons, blah blah blah...but I still can't help but wonder what he was smoking?

The graphics in this animated delight were pretty ridiculous as well. Ponyo and her brothers and sisters looked like those little orange fish eggs that are on top of sushi sometimes. I'm probably totally insensitive, uncultured and out of line for this movie review and all one of you that read this will never read my reviews again; but I must take that chance to report the truth.

Overall review: WTF?
Movie Highlight: Betty White!

TGJIO (thank god June is over), summer here I come!

2010-07-06T16:41:00.000-07:00

The irony here is that it is drizzling and overcast today in Sunny California. Perhaps the Vitamin D deprivation has forced me to write a sunny blog to get me through the day. June is finally over, what a hellish month! The turmoil that we have to go through to transition from Spring to Summer is unnecessary, but this year I may recover.

So, henceforthwithtofro, I am fleeing the country in pursuit of a once in a lifetime opportunity. I will be traveling out of the country for 42 days this summer with my partner in crime (not real crime), transitioning between exploration of the world and....well....working of course (a girl's gotta have new shoes!). By day I will be explorer of foreign lands, by night mistress of PR. I'm pretty sure I'll need a vacation after I get back from this adventure.

Next week my darling and I are off to foreign lands to see what this summer has in store for us.

First stop...Spain (check the map for location)! I'm lucky enough to say I've been there already, but I wasn't there nearly enough to experience and enjoy it enough to where I don't want to go back. I left so many great memories in Spain in my last trip that I am even more excited to go back and make new ones.

Next....Paris; I say Paris instead of France, because it just sounds that much more romantic. This will be my very first time in the city of amor. A friend suggested Fat Tire Bike Tours while we are there, so we will likely go on an evening and day time tour of the city by bike and boat. I cannot wait to sit at a roadside cafe and sip my cafe, while nibbling on an authentic Croissant (said in my best french accent).

The one thing I'm worried about (only second to allergies) is the ripe summer heat in any of these places but I'm sure I'll manage (not sure about Beno though). I do hate extreme hot weather, that's what those Spanish fans were made for. These are the pitfalls of economy travel, what can you do? :)

And thennnnnnnn? Well off to Turkey of course. Our Turkish office is located in Istanbul where I will be open-air purchasing my butt off. I'm so excited to go to the open market. I have also heard great things about Turkish foods and so eager to see all the other beautiful things there, like the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia. It's too bad we won't have time to go to the Turkish islands, next time perhaps. After we get our fill of the Turkish life (an entire 7 days and mostly working), we'll be heading off to Germany.

Another gaming tradeshow, but at least I'm in Europe. We'll be in Cologne for GDC Europe and Gamescom. I'm sure we'll make plenty of time to appreciate Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, Weinershnitzel and Hoegaarden. Actually, I plan on going to an Irish bar in Barcelona that has Hoegaarden as well (how weird is that?), so I guess location has nothing to do with beer.

(Spain circa summer 2008)

Our adventure ends in Frankfurt, where I'm sure we'll have some lovely food and of course locate some German Chocolate cake. I guess we'll learn all the secrets of getting the most with least by being away so long, at least the Euro is down a bit right now.

I'm ready to get on the metro and find all the coolest spots everywhere we go (literally, there's an ICE bar in Spain I can't wait to go to). The best part, I will be traveling and sharing this experience with my best friend and although he won't admit how excited he is, I got a glimpse of it this weekend, when we started preparing by making some key item purchases for the trip. Hopefully that long plane ride won't break us in the very beginning and then there's spending 2 full weeks with a bunch of teenagers that know how to cuss in a foreign language. LOL. Ahhh summer!

I'll be reporting so stay tuned for European adventures, coming soon.

Wide Open Spaces.

2010-06-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

There's something about enjoying the sun and working on your computer. The past several weeks I have continuously complained that I don't have a patio, where I can sit and type. This morning, I decided to go to my neighborhood Coffee Bean to work, so that I can feel the inspiration and focus to work.

I realize now that whatever new place I live in next, I will need to have a large floor to ceiling window in the office room, or set up my desk next to the front porch. There is just something about being blocked in that blocks my productive thinking. I'm hoping that next week, when work is really stressful, I can take my laptop outside and work for a bit to open up the space around me (as well as in my mind).

Sitting her I just feel like I can type and work all day. I have been more productive in the past hour and a half than I have been (at least in my personal life) in the past 2 weeks. Sad but true. Until I move, I guess I'm just going to have to head to Coffee Bean for a combo of work and relaxation.

Movie Review: SATC 2

2010-06-04T09:54:00.001-07:00

Movie: Sex and The City 2

Cast: The usual suspects of course

Story Line: The ladies need to get away and head to Abu Dhabi for yet another adventure. Carrie is bored/confused about her marriage. Samantha is literally in heat. Charlotte is going through what I think is post-partem depression and Miranda goes through a career change.

Surprises: Miley Cyrus, Inappropriate sexual content in a middle eastern country, Carrie wasn't smart enough to RENT out her apartment, Boobalicious nanny, and the wedding in the very beginning of the movie.

The Good: The hot older gentleman that pursues Samantha(reminiscent of the most interesting man in the world), Penelope Cruz, (Paula) Abdul, the amount of formal dresses the ladies have, shoes, Carrie's ring and the blue couch in Big and Carrie's home.

The Bad: The overall story line, the weird twist with Aiden, the scene with Samantha having hot flashes in the marketplace, Charlotte's annoying disapproving looks, Carrie's confidence regarding her marriage, the stain on Charlotte's vintage Valentino.

Overall thoughts:
This movie was like a string of episodes put together and I'm sure most of you who have seen this feel that way. The story wasn't BAD per say, but it wasn't good enough for the big screen. Obviously, show fans will go see this in the theatre, but I suggest matinee if you have to. If you can wait until video that may not be a bad idea either. The great thing for the creators is that there has been no 'show' for the past couple of years, so the anticipation this movie has built up is similar to that of one of those extended sitcoms.

I don't want to give too much away for people who haven't seen the movie. However, my friend and I both thought it was in poor taste to have Samantha's sexual exploits so obvious in a country that is generally sexually conservative, it was just a bit out there! I will say however, 'the most interesting man in the world' was pretty hot.

Falling in line, the clothing was still fabulous, but who has that much formal wear in their closet unless they are a celebrity? Each of the ladies had a crazy amount of formal dresses, which I loved to see, but seems a little ridiculous. I also didn't really like the Carrie/Aiden twist in the plot. I think they put that in there because they didn't know what wrench to throw into Carrie's story line. The way THAT part specifically was written out, reminded me that Sex and The City was just a really good sitcom.

Endless Summer 2010? - So it begins.

2010-06-01T09:13:00.001-07:00

It was a beautiful Memorial Day weekend and no doubt the beginning of another summer. I was outside most of the weekend, which is what I expected anyway. It was beautiful. The commencement of summer 2010 included; beach workout, beach walk, cuban food, Sex and The City 2, lunch with a friend, tasty dinners at home, playing tennis, a round of golf, a closet clean out, cleaning the house, laundry and desperately wanting a patio to relax on and enjoy the weather and work simultaneously.

It's time for me to check in with those resolutions before I wander off for the remainder of the summer to Europe. E3 is in 14 days, so 14 more days of that madness and 43 days until I'm off to Europe for 42 days.

There's a lot of excitement and a lot of things to get ready for my trip and for the next 14 days. Plus I can't forget that Deven's pirate party will be the weekend immediately after E3.

sigh..............

Here I go as I jump into the madness that is Summer 2010, how exciting and tiring all in one. :)

If anyone has some great tips for Spain, France, Turkey or Germany, please feel free to comment. Our time in Spain will be mostly working but I'm always open into squeezing something worthwhile in there. Although, last time I went to Spain, I didn't feel like I got enough time at the beach. And...I think we're going to get a chance to go to Portugal with the summer camp. Should be fun!

Ahhhh summer! SATC 2 review will be posted soon, stay tuned!

The Wonderful World of Boba

2010-05-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

So...Thai Tea Boba on the rocks is officially my favorite drink right now. Why? I'm glad you asked.

1) Thai tea is delicious and I'm addicted to it
2) Those little boba balls give me something to do while i'm drinking Thai Tea
3) It has single-handedly reduced my coffee intake and eliminated Starbucks purchases (for now)

What the hell is Boba?
Boba's formal definition is Chewy Tapioca (starch extracted from a plan) Balls. Now before you say "ewwww Ronjini, that's gross", chill!

The first time I tried boba, I'm going to tell you, I wasn't that big of a fan. BUT when I found a drink flavor I liked, boba became beautiful. I first tried boba with Chai, which was actually pretty delicious, then I graduated to Thai Tea.

The thing is Boba doesn't taste like anything; and frankly...its a bunch of empty calories, however, it makes you feel like you are accomplishing something by the chewing.

So I recommend getting a favorite milk tea drink and adding Boba's to EVERYthing. It will keep you happy, almost like the way does Flan does. If you don't know where to get boba in your neighborhood, look it up on Yelp! I'm not kidding.

Lollicup is all over the place and is a good standard, but there are various Asian cafe shops or pastry shops that offer boba.

Enjoy!

Journey to the U.S. Open: The results are in....What's next?

2010-05-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

Now that the dust has settled, I feel that I am in the proper mental state to report back on the U.S. Open travesty that is the qualifying sectionals. I will open up a very objective analysis of the state of affairs.

Things that were good:

I got an official US Open t-shirt and hat
Played in the third round (technically)
Got back into a REAL competitive tournament
Played at the place where my high school CIF championship was
Finally got my ankle taped up properly to support me
I figured out how to combat my nervous butterflies for the beginning of competitive matches (Tequila!!!)

Things that were bad:

I should have got my ankle taped the first day
I didn't train nearly as much as I should have
I lost mental confidence
My first serve decided to take a vacation
Tendinitis

and above all:

I should have kicked that lady's butt!!!

The funniest thing is that, apparently, the officials come onto the court to make sure that all gameplay is fair. My opponent kept foot faulting and I'm sure the random foot fault calls were getting to her head. That's when I should have stepped it up to take advantage. So many regrets, but only enough to grow from.

So that's the U.S. Open wrap up report. I am really disappointed that I went out the way I did, but I am determined to never let that happen again. How do we resolve this issue?

- 1 open tournament/month
- Train properly
- Eat right
- Get on the court religiously to fix those unforced errors, doh!

Next tourney...

CALABASAS OPEN & NTRP CHAMPIONSHIPS (June 4-6, 2010)...wish me luck!

Movie Review - Coco Before Chanel

2010-05-17T08:46:00.001-07:00

I love Audrey Tatou...I mean how can you not? She's adorable and fantastic as the ingenue for Chanel's most recent parfume ads. I love her character in so many movies. When I get into 'French Movie' mode, I stick with Audrey Tatou and Marion Cotillard (if you haven't seen Jeaux d'enfants then you absolutely must!).

This movie is not what you'd think it is. It isn't some frilly clothing movie, but any French film rarely is anyway. This is a great, passionate story about a misfortunate young girl's trials with life and how it culminated in the creation of personal identity that has changed the Fashion industry forever. If you thought that 'Devil wears Prada' was good but to frilly (which it really was, I love it though), then any Fashion Diva (or Divo) will absolutely fall in love with this grungy version of a fashion story.

It has lots of disappointments, love, aspects of betrayal from friends and from lovers; but above all it show the perserverance of one, Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel, to just make something of herself. She is a fantastic example of feminism without all the man bashing. This woman is epic and Audrey's portrayal of her in this story, made me want to be her. She made the best out of every situtaiton with a bit of optimism and pessimism combined. She truly rose above everything and became an icon to millions, wow! I applaud you 'Coco' Chanel.

I loved the movie and give it 5 out of 5 stars; but you can judge for yourself! :)

Jouir! (enjoy)

The Playlist! (From LBC to Arthur Ashe)

2010-05-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows that any respectable athelete has a playlist that will mentally get them into and out of their game. I have created a playlist that will take me through my U.S. Open debut. Now I just wonder if I should also not change my tennis outfits at all for good luck throughout my playing (but then I think of how much sweat is involved on hot days, gross!).

I'm banking on someone breaks their arm, pulls a tendon or even dramatically sprains a pinky toe (which is desperately needed for all the side to side movement in tennis), so that I can make my way to Arthur Ashe. I am ,mentally prepared to get annihilated, but my spirits are high and I don't take well to defeat.

Either way, off I got the US Open wild card sectional, my match today is against Rochelle Perkins ( I have mentioned her before). I feel like I know Rochelle, I have been thinking about her so much, lol.

Anyway, I gathered my thoughts on a playlist that would get me pumped for this event...It may be slightly on the feminine side, but still a powerful list that should help me get through.

1. Bad, Rihanna

2.Tell Me, Christina Aguilera & P.Diddy

3. When I grow up, Pussycat Dolls

4. People of the Sun, Rage Against The Machine

5. Paid In Full, Erik B. & Rakim

6. Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Michael Jackson

7. Summertime, Fresh Prince

8. Till I Collapse, Eminem

9. My 1st Song, Jay-Z

10. Set Adrift, PM Dawn

Enjoy and tell me what YOU think, what songs do YOU love to get motivated to? I'm sure I need to add others to the playlist :).

Wish me luck.....again!

Journey to the U.S. Open - Week 3 (Talk about a rocky road)

2010-05-13T18:46:00.000-07:00

When I say Rocky Road, I definitely don't mean Ice Cream. Just when I thought that my training was getting to that elite level, where I am truly preparing myself for excellence I have to take a break to go to Arizona; where I get phenomenal allergies. Upon my return....dun dun dunnnnnn...Food Poisoning! Can you believe it ?!?! I mean really, what is that?

Anyway, today is my first day of full recovery from that beast they call food poisoning, the most sucky part is that it was from Yardhouse, which I LOVE! bah humbug!

Anyway, I go to check the draw today and to my surprise, I WON!!!!
....
....
....
....

Ok, no I didn't win the wild card, but I won my first round; which now that I look back at it, several people did. At least they make you feel strong when you start right? Looks like I'll be playing Rochelle Perkins from Torrance, who most recently was defeated in a tournament as a 4.0. Not to be rude, but I'm gonna wipe the floor with her, so I must apologize in advance.

Dear Rochelle,

I'm sorry for my grunting, profanity, dirty looks and laughing for no reason every once in a while. I will try my best to keep this brief and swift for you. I promise that when you go home after our match, you will tell your friends: "DAMN! I really just got my butt kicked!"...And if this happens to be ridiculous after Monday's match...then.....just kidding and Nice match!

Send your positive butt-kicking thoughts my direction the next few days, I will have to pile them up and use at my discretion when needed! Here's to a ferocious weekend of tennis and competition.

Journey to the US Open - Week 2

2010-05-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

So I have been on the grind working out and playing tennis. Frankly, I'm damn tired! I have lost 5 pounds which was more depressing than anything else because after working so hard 5 pounds wasn't enough for me mentally. This is the reason I don't weigh myself.

Anyway, training started out to a rough start with several windy days and a flood of allergies. Now I'm quite on track however. I played on Tuesday and felt VERY good about my strokes and my overall game. I played a pretty tough opponent, similar to what I'm going to be running into at the sectional and damn was I tired. Somehow I need to work on my endurance and really aiming the ball with strategic shots.

I have been serving phenomenally however, I can't wait to get a read on how fast my serve is. I have always known that my serve and backhand are the strongest parts of my game and now all my other shots are also falling into place. My volleys have significantly improved from my mixed doubles stint and I feel like all I need to do is keep my wind and keep moving my feet.

I've been forcing myself to go after EVERY shot, which is great practice. Outside of that I have been running regularly, working out my 'serving' arm on the cable cross (which has tremendously improved the endurance of my poor little arm) and been doing court drills (sprinting and such). I feel like my game is really coming together. Even my second serve has morphed into a decent first serve.

Anyway, I'm getting ready. This weekend will be my first away from the tennis court in at least 2-3 months. I will be hitting the gym and apparently the pool with my adorable niece and nephew. I'm going to visit my mom and sister-in-law for Mother's Day festivities. I haven't seen either of them in 4 months or so; its been a while.

Sigh-- of to Arizona, I just want to make sure to get good workouts in this weekend, to prepare for the next week of intensity.

Happy Mother's Day Mothers! See you next week.

My Journey to the U.S. Open (aka Adventures of a chronic dieter)

2010-04-28T22:12:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love it when you buy 1 and get 1 free? Well that's what this blog is. First and foremost...this is not a test. Yes, you read the title correctly, 'My journey to the U.S. Open', currently supplementing the 'Adventures of a Chronic Dieter' (see...2 for 1). That said, no I am not a world class tennis player, but who am I to stop my destined path to greatness?

I always regretting not moving forward with tennis in college and since its ridiculous to blame my parents for not starting me sooner, there's nothing much I can do about it, or is there? I recently came across the US Open sectional qualifying tournament that is taking place in Claremont, starting May 17th. Its an open tournament, so its open to anyone over the age of 14. Seeing that I have been on a steady path to regaining my slender and healthy physique, this is perfect timing.

Huh? You're thinking. Yes, I am just crazy enough to spend the $134.88 to get my chance at the U.S. Open. How else am I going to pursue my professional tennis career further? So that's that, the 'Adventures of a Chronic Dieter' series, will temporarily be 'My Journey to the U.S. Open' and until then I will report my trials, tribulations, workouts, hindrances of making my way to the U.S. Open. This just means I'm going to really have to workout good, full, and difficult workouts and play tennis every single day in some way, shape or form.

After coming home from the gym today, I am confident that I can motivate myself to put in all the extra work to at least compete in the tournament and have a fighting chance. Who knows...if Melanie Ouidan can make it, it can't be completely far off for some hope for me.

Well then, welcome to my journey and wish me luck! See you at Arthur Ashe!

--signing off as US Open Superstar--

P.S.: Rahul (my boss) if you're reading this, I'm gonna have to take May 17th off to get my wild card bid to the U.S. Open, I hope you don't mind and thanks!

The weekend from hell! Pretty Much...

2010-04-19T09:36:00.001-07:00

So I don't complain THAT much, but I need an outlet and this blog is about to become that. This is one of the worst weekends I have had in a REALLY long time. Fortunately, I'm an optimist and during the whole thing I wasn't so upset and handled it really well. However, now looking back, I realize that there are very many weekends that would be worse than this. The only comfort I really had was that I have a dear loving boyfriend; who additionally had a hand in making this a sucky weekend, more on accident than anything else.

It all started when I woke up late on Friday. Late for me is 7 o'clock, that means that I missed the gym. Which is not conducive to my mission. However, I was up until approximately 1 am the night before because of tennis practice.

I woke up, and alas....stiff neck. That was just the beginning. I went to work my usual cheery self yet as the day progressed my neck became stiffer and stiffer, until eventually I looked like a robot and could only move my neck if I moved my entire upper body with it. My boss told me to leave early if I wasn't feeling well; that was nice except that meant that I would have to drive, which was a bit difficult for me at the time.

I eventually had to get in the car anyway and drive home to a very sore neck and back, where my precious boyfriend applied lots of pressure to help dissipate the pain. I eventually passed out from being tired of holding my neck up all day.

Saturday - I wake up still in pain, making it hard for me to sit myself up. We wake up super early to drop my bf to work (they were headed to SD for the day). Apparently it was my fault that the alarm didn't go off. So we were like 20 minutes late getting there. That same day I was supposed to attend a bachlorette party and help set up decorations. I decided early that day that I probably should go out clubbing feeling like this, so I figured I would meet up, help out, enjoy some fun and head home for a good night's rest; because Disneyland was the next day and I wanted my neck to feel better.

So I leave the bachlorette party and head to get my bf from work. On the way there, my car starts showing some strange warning lights. Lights go dim, which really scares me. Enough to where I pull over the side of the freeway to stop and re-start the car. I get to his work to get him and he attempts to try to figure what's up; but it was super dark.

We get the car home and go to sleep.

Sunday -BF wakes up, ready to go to Disneyland, YAY! He washes the car and tried to look under the hood to figure some things out. Saabi is behaving well so we figure it was a glitch and we'll get it looked at later. We have an amusement park to go to! We get out to Anaheim to get our tickets, done. From the ticket place to the park...dim lights and some strange car stuff. Immediately after paying our $14 for parking....dun dun dunnnnnnn....car shuts off completely. NO POWER, NO NOTHING!

I decided that I'm going to Disneyland to enjoy myself all day and worry about it later. While at Disneyland, I joined AAA, so that I can get towed from the Magic Kingdom 20 miles and not have to pay a crazy amount. The people at Disneyland are lame but find a way to get my car off to the side in a space for the day.

I haven't been to D-land for about 7 years and have never ventured to California Adventure, so that was really fun for me. On top of that, I went with a bridal party of people I haven't seen in ages, it was a nice reunion. We tried to stay as long as we could but it started getting pretty cold around 10 pm. Nontheless, we went on most of the good rides (Tower of Terror is now a favorite), saw Captain EO (although all this new shaking made me a little nautious) and watched the 2 hours of fireworks (exaggerating). I was pretty happy with the day and had to go back to the doom of getting towed, which wasn't so bad. The tow guy was really cool but my car wanted to cause drama. First we got the car jumped, thinking that would be enough. We get started and as we are driving out of the parking lot, she shuts off in the middle of the lane that goes to the freeway, fun! The same tow guy comes back to get us home.

We get the car home and go to sleep. I spent most of Monday, finding a car place that won't totally rape my bank account and worked from home, which was actually nice for a change. McMillen's Garage is going to fix Saabi up for me; we'll see how our drive out to Palm Desert for wedding goes this Saturday.

I just realized this story is getting long. To make a longer story, less long. The car's in the shop, my back is sore but almost fully recuperated and instead of being the start of a fresh new week; its the beginning of a crazy HECTIC week at work. Go figure!

Adventures of a Chronic Dieter #3 - no pain no gain

2010-04-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed, I'm on another mission. My goals in life are conducted by endless missions that lead to more missions that will continue until I die, I'm sure.

Goal - minus 22 lbs.
Target date - June 15th (the date of my next big work event)
Current Status - very tired with a crick in my neck, ouch! And way to overweight to mention.

Current supportive activities - running, tennis (3-4 times a week), 24 hour fitness hell and counting calories.

This week has been quite a serious one for my goal achieving. Not only have I done really well with the eating and working out; but I've also completed a lot of important work tasks that I had on my list. I have finalized my summer plans in Europe and we are headed on our way to Spain, Turkey and Germany for 42 days. WOW that's a long time! By then I will be on my next mission of craziness.

Anyway, I made a great effort this week to workout at least once a day if not twice. I introduced myself to a new 24 hour fitness at the Irvine Spectrum, which makes me want to workout even more, because of its fantastic facilities. In result, I have been the most tired that I have been in weeks and far less social than I normally am.

In addition, as a pre-achievement gift I bought myself of very expensive shoes. Result: too small for my big ol' feet :(...boo! They are going back, but I can use that money for something more important...like bills. I didn't deserve them anyway, I stalled on my taxes and still have not filed.

Anyway, this quest continues. However, Sunday at Disneyland is not going to make it easy to continue this mission. I've done really well in removing the whole soda thing from my diet so far. The only problem is that I really want a Snakebite (or Black and Tan, whatever you wanna call it). I love the weekends, more time to workout and enjoy it.

The boyfriend probably isn't getting as much loving attention as normal, I figure I will make him dinner tonight to make up for some of it; a healthy one of course.

Forward I march....sigh...

Adventures in Tehachapi...

2010-04-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

I went to Tehachapi this weekend to visit my dad at his work site. I knew going into this that it wasn't going to be that eventful, but I thought that it would be interesting to take photo account of my trip. Here are the photos; YOU can see how exciting it was.

Highlight: My Egg, sausage, cheese biscuit at the continental breakfast.

Low point: When my tire blew out on the way home!

Happy Hour before Thai dinner

Getting ready for a Thai Dinner!

Breakfast Time

Going to the site

Trying to get home!

A lesson on Indian Guilt!

2010-04-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

If you don't know about Indian guilt, let me give you a little lesson. Nothing has to be said for you to feel it. It can be the lack of saying something, it can be a sly look that only Asians can give; or it can even be the foe acceptance of a particular situation. The worst kind is when they somehow turn the situation around like you're inflicting some type of phantom pain.

I don't think this type of guilt can be taught, it is ingrained in the DNA of every Asian, specifically parents. It's like once they pop out a baby, you get a free guilt chip installed. They somehow know the way to get their kids home for the holidays, get an apology out of you for no apparent reason, sympathize when they screw up, get you to do physical labor! It is one of the most amazing talents in the world.

I will say, depending on how talented you are, you can have this skill to varying degrees. Let me tell you though, that the Mukhopadhyay's (that's my family), have this skill mastered. The pack is lead by THE master, my mother; with my brother in a tight second place (I suspect he will surpass her skill in the next couple of years). I am third on this list, but don't take #3 too lightly in this situation, however, I only use my powers for good. My dad, not so good at the guilt thing. If he makes you feel guilty, you probably deserved it.

Oh, so...the purpose of this note...I feel guilty! Apparently, pets can inherit the skill too, even if you only have them for a few weeks. If you recall, I once wrote about the 'love of my life', Barkley. I have now come to a time where I will try and replace him with a pup I saw at a local shelter. I know Barkley is in a good home and I'm sure that he has long forgotten me by now; but the guilt I harbor for relinquishing the world's sweetest and most loving pup is still there. No other pup can compare. I will try hard, but I will be off to see 'Giovanni' a cute chihuahua mix later this afternoon, to see if I can fill this hole in my little heart.

Another thing about Asian guilt; when it's self inflicted the scale is unmeasurable.

Adventures of a chronic dieter #2

2010-04-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

This is the beginning of week 2. It seems the less that I talk about it and the more that I do, it works out much better. I've been really good in getting back on track and staying focused with the workouts. It helps that I don't feel as bloated as I did last week as well.

Every corner I turn I see something that motivates me to be good. It was hard to wake up early this morning for the gym, namely because my legs are pretty sore from the stairs yesterday; however I WILL make it to the gym by the end of the night today.

I feel like I'm finally getting back on track to at least the way my old body used to be. I was considering putting a picture up in my office to inspire me, but now I realize that what I really want to look like is myself as I was at this one particular juncture when I was in college.

I won't lie, I looked fanTASTIC. So that's what I'm shooting for. I'm inspiring myself with...well...myself. Unfortunately, I don't have anything but a mental photo of that self, but I think that will be enough to work.

Wish me luck as I continue on my journey.

The top of the list - worst movies!

2010-03-31T13:40:00.000-07:00

After watching a spot of television with my beau last night, I decided that it would be interesting for me to write about the WORST movies I have ever seen. Unfortunately, this number is growing in the multitudes, however, I did notice that the worse a movie it is, the funnier it gets.

What inspired this blog?

Evil Dead 2...wow - If you haven't seen this then put down what you're doing NOW! and go rent it, Netflix it, whatever you need to do to get this in your VHS..yes VHS, they probably don't (and shouldn't) make this in DVD format. From the moment we turned this on, I knew there was no other option then to finish watching this movie. I really can't describe in words how ridiculously funny this horror movie is. Here's a snippet for your enjoyment:

Next on this list:

Rambo IV - not only does it look like Rambo has tons of wax on his face, his body is closely reminiscent of Ben Grimm from Fantastic Four. Why Rambo is out in the Cambodian jungles at the age of like 60 is beyond me anyway; but I can't lie, I was laughing a LOT! Essentially, the badness of this movie turned the last of an epic series into a frightful comedy. The trailor makes it look way more serious that it really is. I can't say how funny this was; mostly because Sly is all kinds of screwed up. Snippet below:

OK so those are the first two movies that come to mind. But I know there are more, feel free to contribute to this endless list.

Becoming Recluse...

2010-03-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

That's right you heard it here first. I'm going into hiding for the next few months. My social activities will basically be work and tennis and even then on the same strict regimen that I have been on for the past month or so. However, this time I'm going to be organized.

I realize now that the only way to get all the things I need done by June, I will have to put all my attention into work and working out (tennis). Then I will be out of the country for a little more than a month. I have definitely been slackin' on the org skills, so I'm going to make like a caterpillar and cocoon myself.

If we're friends, don't take it personally, I still love you all. I just really need to put some high focus on certain things for the time being. I need to put my priorities in check and return to the place where I was before. So unless you play tennis or work with me, you probably won't see me and if you do play tennis and work with me; you'll probably be sick of me when this is over.

Thanks B ahead of time for being there for me :)...Updates to come...on 'adventures of a chronic dieter'. Next time you all will see me you will all see me outside my larval stage and I will be better than evah and hopefully less stressed.

New Template, New Start?

2010-03-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, maybe not so much. I do a new start every week. I'm all about rejuvenating the old but shit. It's not working. I had a deep discussion with the beau the other day about sticking to your guns and how the 'self' is really the only person that can motivate you to do things. Of course, he's feeling good because he just finished the LA Marathon a couple weekends ago.

I just played in my mixed doubles playoff game this past weekend. Lost both matches; granted EVERYone on my team lost their matches; but I'm not everyone and I HATE to lose! I hate losing more than I hate aimless driving and chapped lips.

I'm not going to tell you what I'm going to do, I'm just going to do it and tell you all later. In the meantime, I'm getting things ready for my summer trip to Europe this year. I'm very excited. It will be my second (not consecutive) year working with Pueblo Ingles. This is a great program that gets you out of your element and into a different culture. It was a great experience the first time and I'm excited to work with the teens this time. The BF is going so it should be a memorable experience.

Right now, I'm working my a@@ off and trying to get everything into a routine, but it doesn't seem to be working. Clearly I'm doing something wrong. I've found myself to be with low energy lately, but getting back in the gym should help a lot. Morning workouts here I come! Oh...and I'm HIGHLY contemplating disconnecting my cable for a few months, thoughts?

Oh the horror! - Week 1

2010-02-09T11:01:00.000-08:00

I weighed myself yesterday and I can't even believe that I'm putting myself on blast like this, but I feel that it is the ONLY way to force myself to do something about it. 167....That's right! ::shaking my head in disappointment::

It's a shame that I let things get this bad and it was partially because of my ankle injury, I've been out of the workout game for a month, but there is no excuse for that. We (me, myself and I), have to work at a fast and steady pace to lose those extra 27 lbs that I am carrying around. ASAP.

The solution? Well there are a lot of solutions, but I'm starting with P90x. P ninety what, you say? p90x is one of those video workout programs that's supposed to get you in shape by doing boot camp style workouts everyday for 90 days (and in the comfort of your own home). Normally, I wouldn't buy into that shit, but there are people that I know that have tried it and said that it worked for them.

Although, I am pretty good at staying on a strong workout regimen, I need some motivation right now to get me out of this depression. I also need to take a before picture of myself, so that I can awe in all my glory at the after pic, when I have a rock hard body.

Don't know if its worth it? Well don't you worry, I will post what I think about the P90x program over the next 90 days. The greatest thing is that there are no crazy promises. 90 days is definitely enough time to re-shape your body and (in my case) my life.

Here we goooo!

Adventures of a chronic dieter #1

2010-02-07T22:55:00.000-08:00

Again and again, I have promised myself that I would lose weight and improve my physical fitness over a period of time and there have been many many times that I have actually achieved my goals in that arena, however, since July I have made promises to myself that I just haven't kept. That all ends today...

"Why are you always on a diet?"...Well, I guess its not really a diet anymore but just a lifestyle choice. It is not that I think that I am obese either, and a lot of weight loss is not about that, but more about being the best you can be. I know I'm better than this, therefore, I have tried to encourage myself to get back to the 'way things were', because I felt better about myself back then. So I don't think I'm overweight more than I know that I feel and perform better at my ideal weight, previously achieved.

We all use excuses about why we have gained weight as we get older; working a desk job, being stressed out, being too busy, loving food too much, not wanting to torture ourselves, etc. Well fitness should be a part of your regular activity and when you want to lose weight you just have to incorporate some extra time into it. Its like when you're a student and you're struggling in a subject, you get a tutor and put more emphasis on it.

My goal is to trim off this excess weight and become a lean mean tennis machine. Along with fitness, I will utilize this 52 day program to improve my focus on everything in my life, improve my tennis game and get my finances situated (for all those trips I'm taking this year).

I have until March 31st to be all that I can be. I'm not going to put an exact number goal because that can be deceiving, but what I can put down are some ground rules:

- Cut sodas and artificial juices
- No candy or baked goods
- No more than eating out 1 time per week
- High protein, low carbs
- Incorporate a master cleanse of maybe 3-5 days in the plan somewhere
- Cut out as much dairy as possible (including cheese...I know....ouch!)
- Replace Coffee with Green Tea and non-sugar energy drinks (if necessary)

Tomorrow morning in the wee hours of the morning is the weigh in. I will not procrastinate to wake up and get out of the house. And alas, to make this the real deal, I will post my starting weight as embarrassing as it is for me.

During this extraordinary promise to myself, I will post my weekly progress, interesting observations, great fitness classes and exercises that I come across and recipes that I discover to keep my 'diet' bearable and exciting. The good news is that I love vegetables and salads. The bad news is this is undoubtedly going to be the hardest thing I have done to date (sometimes I think it is harder to lose weight when you're not overweight).

Here's to achieving the BEST!!! Cheers!!! Stay tuned...

How-To write AND keep your New Year's resolutions!

2009-12-30T15:51:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again and I love it because it means there's a whole year of new-ness ahead. Actually, I don't even know if that make sense ;). Anyway, I have a pretty good ritual of writing my new year's resolutions for the next year around this time. Nothing unique about that right? WRONG!!!

I'm one of the few people I know that KEEP my resolutions, yes...I actually check in with them throughout the year. I keep a copy of them in my planner or phone or wherever and I check in mid-year to see where I stand. Yes, that may be obnoxious to you...but when it comes the end of the year to write new ones; I'm excited about it because its more like a prediction of what i'm going to accomplish over the next year.

There are definitely some key tricks to writing good resolutions, so I thought I would share with you all; so that you can make 2010 your BEST year yet. Especially after the depressing 2009 we just went through.

1. Figure out what you want to accomplish! - Ok, this may be self-explanatory but it has to be said. Take some time for yourself one day, sit down and really think about where you would like to be by the end of 2010. Don't think about where you are today - that will just throw wrenches in your plan.

2. Be realistic - It may sound good to say you're gonna lose 50 pounds next year, but are you really going to do that? Make sure that your resolutions are something that you can stick with and really give effort to. If you think 20 is the realistic number then put down 20, you know your limits. If your goal is too ridiculous in any area, you'll be more likely to forget it or give up.

3. Give yourself measurable goals - Be sure that you are setting some expectation for yourself. Saying to yourself "I'm going to save money next year" doesn't really say much at all. Remember, these are for yourself for the most part. Put a number goal on things like; I'm going to save $1200 in 2010 or I'm going to lose 10 pounds by march. Putting dates and number give your nearer and farther goals and gives you some motivation to work towards things. You don't have to make it ridiculous, its not a competition. Resolutions are just things you feel will make you or your life better. (I promised myself I would play in 10 tennis tournaments next year!)

4. Tell people about it. - Does a tree make a sound when it falls in the woods if no one hears it? Tell someone about your goals/plans, this is probably someone close to you or maybe even a friend that you're writing resolutions with. That way, someone is a witness and possibly may ask you how your getting along at certain points. If you have someone to share it with, it's easier to keep your resolutions throughout the year.

5. Keep them close - Have your resolutions handy. I generally have mine on a half sheet of paper in my planner. Sometimes when i'm flipping through to check something else I run across and re-read them. This is a great reminder of what you have to accomplish and keeps them in your head. It's not surprising that you won't have them memorized. Another good place is your wallet.

6. Check-in mid year! - Right before summer hits, check in with yourself. If you check-in mid year and you kind of put some of the items by the way side, you still have about 6 months to accomplish some of your goals. Most of our goals won't take a whole year to get to, but we give ourselves that much because we've gotta live life. This is a great time to check things off your list (my favorite) so you can see what you have left and how much progress you have made!

7. Celebrate yourself - There's never a bad time to celebrate. I generally see new year's as a time of celebrating the past year and really seeing all that I have accomplished. But along the way, have small celebrations when you accomplish your goals.

8. Keep it short! - Last but not least. Having 100 resolutions for the year is a little out of range. Create as many as you think is important to really get to that year. I generally have about 10 main goals for the year, other stuff comes up; both those 10 I make sure to keep top of mind.

Well, I hope that you get a chance to plan for 2010 and I wish every one a very happy New Year! Good luck and god speed....2010 Here I come!

What's on the horizon? Jini's movie picks!

2009-12-21T11:49:00.000-08:00

I've always thought that being a movie critic would be fun, but analyzing a film with so many different personalities in the world is almost impossible. I'd like to think that I'm an objective source of information most of the time, but who knows. Anyway, I have seen some great snippets of movies that have recently been released and are scheduled to come out soon, I thought I'd share some of the films that have intrigued my interest and this is a way of me being able to track back to what I wanted to make sure to catch!

Across The Hall
- Given the recent tragedy that has struck this fabulous Hollywood Starlet, I never even really heard about this movie until I saw an interview, mentioning that it was the last film that she made. Here's a trailer.

Cracks
- I don't even remember how I came across this movie,but it looks thrilling. Its an independent film and Eva Green was one of my favorite Bond Girls. Check out the trailer and you won't be able to wait to catch the flick.

Leap Year
- Cute chick flick with Amy Adams and Matthew Goode (What a hottie!). I've come to appreciate a lot of the films that Amy Adams has been in. Looks like a cute Romantic Comedy.

Sherlock Holmes
- What can I say that everyone else already doesn't know. This looks like a kick-ass movie! I'm only sad that I don't get to see it on Christmas day! YAY I can't wait for Sherlock Holmes; for some reason Robert Downey Jr. just seems perfect for the part. Not to mention I love Rachel McAdams and Jude Law.

The Blind Side
- I've always been partial to feel-good stories about team sports. Although, this is more of a personal victory story; I feel that it falls into that same category. Eager to catch this, but I think I'm waiting until DVD.

An LA Find: 13 Pisces Moon!

2009-12-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it would be a really exciting find if I didn't actually know this person, but if it makes it any better I only know him through someone else AND I was shocked when I found out, because these T-shirts are sooo awesome. Ever since I saw one I have always been a fan and didn't realize the array of Tee's that were designed, until I got one for my B-day that I absolutely adore, Erykah Badu.

Now if you're not a Badu fan it's ok (I may think you're nutz, but that's besides the point), he make shirts of all types and even does special order hand painted t-shirts based on what you want. My personal favorite off of the site is the Michael Jackson Billie Jean shirt. Here are a couple of others that my beau owns that what initially attracted me to them:

Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics

Our Fearless Leader, President Barack Obama

If you are still looking for Christmas presents and are not sure what to get, these T-shirts are very unique and you're supporting local designers in LA. I'm not sure if he ships but you can check out the website, http://www.13piscesmoon.com/ for more details and some pretty good shirt shopping music.

Mention this blog and get 20% off.

You would think moving is my favorite thing to do!

2009-10-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

Buttt....it is not. My favorite thing to do is work. Sick huh? Anyway, yes I am moving again and my apartment looks awful right now. As a matter a fact, I took a quick photo so that you can see the disaster that is the apartment.
The more I think about it and look around, the more sad I am to leave PE Lofts here in Downtown LA. I mean it is pretty cool, but I have to flow with my situation and move a bit closer to the OC. The good thing is that I'm moving back to Long Beach, maybe a mile from where I used to live. I went to go give my deposit the other day and driving down those old streets surprisingly made me feel like I was home. Never did I think that I would be at 'home' in Long Beach but is has become a safe place for me. I have already lived at 'the beach' for about 4 years, so it is an easy transition. We'll see how the boy takes it though.

The new place is fabulous. A 2 bed 2 1/2 bath townhome. I will finally have enough real space to make me feel comfortable and the upstairs/downstairs element will give the homey feeling. Oh yea and I can't forget my very first fireplace. Woo! Anyway, Sunday will suck, but I think this is the beginning of a beautiful living situation. Excited! Don't try and be social with me until next Thursday.

25/50 - 25 Things to do in 50 days

2009-10-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by a post that I read this morning called 101 things to do in 1001 days. I need shorter term goals, so I shortened my list and my time span to see if I can also accomplish what The Little Goat had set out to do. I'm guessing the main goal is to really get things done and stick with them. Everyone knows when you publicly announce something, it's more likely to get done.

So as per style of The Little Goat; the mission if I choose to accept it: Complete 25 goals in the span of 50 days.

Method: By any means necessary. Tasks must be specific with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined.

Start: Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Celebratory finish: Thursday, December 10, 2009 And so the list begins:

1) Start this list
2) No soda (outside of soda water)
3) Play 1 tennis tournament
4) Run 10 miles/week (including at least one 5K)
5) Lose 10 pounds (starting weight: to be updated soon)
6) Post my first video on Netropolis
7) Blog 2 times/week (14 posts)
8) Straighten out my taxes
9) Go wine tasting
10) Play tennis 3 times a week (at least) - total of 21 times
11) Hit the Santa Monica stairs 1/week (at least) - total of 7 times
12) Read 3 books
13) Learn to ride the scooter
14) Get a king-sized bed
15) Floss everyday
16) Cook 1 new recipe/week
17) Watch 1 foreign or independent film/week (7 total)
18) Golf or hit 1/week (7 times)
19) Hit serves 4 mornings/week (28 times)
20) Get a Carrom board
21) Create an acrylic painting
22) Enter all receipts into an excel spreadsheet
23) Only eat out 1 time/week (7 times)
24) Go to the gym 5 times/week (35 times)
25) Write a new 25 things list

Wish me luck, looks like I'll need it! Look for updates too, each time I accomplish things I will gray them out as I go, although many of them will only be completed on the last day of this target list.

U never know what to expect @Blogworld -Day 2

2009-10-17T11:35:00.001-07:00

Starting Day 2 was not fun. $28.00 to get to the convention center was really not the way to get my day going. Anyway, I started out with some lovely conversation from the CTO of Webgrrls, a very cool professional network for women in technology. Hopefully, I will be helping the LA Chapter grow soon.

Anyway, I walked the exhibit floor for a bit to get a feeling of what is going on there. By far the two most interesting places to be on the exhibit floor was the Charity Smackdown and the Fatburger truck, where they were doing a 11/2 pound burger contest. I contemplated participating, but I was too late to register. Don't worry I have a second chance today, but who knows.

Apparently, you never know what's going to happen at Blogworld. I met lots of new people that I have had great conversations with, potential clients, potential vendors and so much more.

My new friend Blair Williams (@supercleanse)

The opening day part was at JET nightclub at the Mirage, which is the first time I have been there. It was a nice place, free beer, $6 sodas, roasted veggies and mozzarella balls, yum! Upon entry I met Blair Williams at the app bar. It was one of the few highlights of my day. After exchanging conversation about what we do, banter on life an other miscellaneous intro conversation, Blair pulled out some tickets. Who doesn't love tickets?

The Blue Man Group

What were these tickets to you ask? I'm glad you did, it was the BLUE MAN GROUP. I immediately said yes to take one of his last two tix, because I've been dying to see the show for years. Quickly I had plans for the night other than wandering around from one Blogworld party to the next, ensuring an inevitable headache. Instead, I'm on my way to The Blue Man group with 10 new friends from Blogworld. The great part was most of us didn't know each other. We head over to the 10' o'clock show and I must say that the show did not disappoint. The music in the show was amazing, there were funny bits, stuff that made you think and audience participation all wrapped up in a really unique presentation. The Blue Men were great, but what I really enjoyed was the band that reminded me of those Cobra Kai guys in Karate Kid in the skeleton costumes.

Skeleton guys (aka the band) Skeleton guy from Karate Kid

It was a great show and I even got to pretend like I knew what I was doing on those pipes that they play. Check out the pix.

Me on the drums Blair on the drums

One blue man

Getting social at BlogWorld - Day 1

2009-10-15T21:31:00.000-07:00

First thing is first...WHY did I forget the camera? Was it because I left my place this morning at 4:30 a.m. to catch the first flight out to Vegas? Maybe so....Maybe that's also why I forgot to stock up on b.cards....DUMMMMMBBBB! That's ok, I should have enough to last me tomorrow night's Blogworld party.

If you don't know what that is, it's a party where a whole bunch of computer nerds that love to write and be heard go and consume a bunch of free alcohol at really cool places in Vegas (well...this year anyway). If you can't tell, I'm looking forward to it.

Now...back to our regularly scheduled programming...The Social Media Business Summit (Day 1)

Getting at the Las Vegas Convention Center at 7:30 a.m. is not my idea of fun and there was really not much fun involved, but the day was more eventful than I expected.

I started my day at the Keynote (which was awfully early for a conference). The first 5 minutes was full of apologies and thank you's for making it out so early on the day before the expo. The rest of it was really the speaker's recount of how she got started in social media and how it opened doors for her.

I really feel like social media should be able to do that for anyone who puts time and effort into it like most relationships. Something that started out as an annoying fad, has now been translated to an essential business and communication tool.

What I realized yesterday is that we are at a pinnacle of technology that may never be seen before. This generation is the one that was able to see the turning point of simple technology into advanced technologies. Our children will never have to look up anything in books if we don't make them. That said, I think that traditional learning is still very important.

Make time to learn and use new technologies but introduce your kids to the essential tools of learning (like how to write in cursive for example), how to look things up in the library, playing an instrument (like the piano or violin), reading novels, writing letters. Now that technology has 'simplified' everything, we have become simple and forgotten about the sophisticated and romantic cultural traits of years past.

I guess that's another topic. Recap for Day 1's poignant new media sessions......

Things I could care less for:
Disorganized badge distribution this morning
Me hauling around my suitcase all day
Not enough power outlets
Getting yelled at for networking at the luncheon (bad planning on their part)
The guy who was snoring in the back of the Internet Marketing panel

Major +'s:
Informative panels
Great discussions
Knowledgeable speakers
Super friendly social media people that like to network and learn

Follow me on Twitter to hear what's going on at the show @Ronjini

My week with Bikram...yoga, that is!

2009-10-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

My adventures with Bikram yoga started very unexpectedly, I was at Ralph's. Lately, I try to keep an open mind to any and everything around me. Whenever I am somewhere with a message board, I have a tendency to check it out. I'm talking restaurants, coffee shops, the cleaners, grocery stores, anywhere really! So I was at Ralph's downtown and saw this message board near the elevator. Usually there isn't anything interesting there but alas I saw a flyer for 'hot yoga' (better known as Bikram Yoga).

So they have this deal going on at the Downtown location that is $20 for unilimited hot yoga for a week. That's a pretty incredible deal given that I think just one class is pretty pricey. I'm not that into yoga, but I thought since this is a great deal, maybe I should try it out. I've always been pretty curious about the hot yoga, stemming from when I saw it up in SF a while back.

This was my chance to have my own personal hot yoga experience. So I woke up in the wee hours of the morning for the 6 am class. I get there a little early as the lady asks me too, since this is my first time and to my surprise find out the class is 90 mins long. WOW, I feel like i'm getting more of a deal now. I get in the class and damn it's really warm in there. Not enough for you to say hell no and get out of the class, but just enough where you're a bit uncomfortable.

We start the class and for the simple moves that are happening the whole thing becomes unbelievably hard. I tried to focus on my breathing and not pay attention to the heat but its not the easiest thing to do. I realize that my body is NOT flexible and the heat makes it even worse. After being extremely tight and sweaty after an hour, I had to leave because I had to do some work. So no, I didn't make the whole first class but I was determined to get a bang for my buck!

I go back for my second class, not the next day but two afternoons later. I went for the afternoon class so that I would have time to do the whole 90 mins. All I have to say about that is geezus christ. 90 minutes in the heat with constant movement is a lot of work. Can this really be good for you? Surprising enough, I didn't really feel that great after these classes. I felt sore and tight, but I don't normally feel that bad. It can't possibly be healthy to sit in a stuff class dripping sweat and tricking your muscles into thinking that they are warmed up.

I went for a third class to see if it was just me or this hot yoga really blows. I was really determined to like the yoga to reap the positive benefits of it. No dice, I felt even more uncomfortable and tight the more time I spent in that yucky hot room.

Lessons learned:
1) Hot Yoga is bogus and uncomfortable and you have to wash a lot of clothes.
2) I think yoga is a great way to stretch and I will start going to regular yoga more often
3) Bikram is really cleaning up on you suckus....
4) Maybe I will sit in the sauna every once in a while to get that same hot effect

So, in conclusion, I'm not a big hot yoga believer but I definitely need too stretch and become more flexible. I have taken a break from my kamikaze working out and it's now time to get back on track. Anyone wanna make a fitness bet? I love a good challenge.

Have you ever felt like a chicken with your head cut off?

2009-10-08T08:57:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been crazy. Little rest and lots of go, go, go! I now have 4 tennis students and will possibly have 5 by week's end. I have to say that it is really fun going back to the basics and teaching; however it reminds me that I have to do all those things that I tell them to do also.

Along with that, work is going well, extremely busy. Sometimes I can't get my head on straight in the morning. At one point lazy mornings were ok for me, but not anymore. I guess I prefer it that way though. Now, i'm jumping from one meeting to the next all day and when I sit down around 6 pm, I'm half asleep on the couch. That said, we are also moving in the next couple of weeks up to Sherman Oaks. The new apartment is cute and I'm pretty excited to move there. There is lots of space so it's perfect for my love of dinner parties. However, I'm pretty sure that we are going to have to have a no-shoe policy...WOW! I haven't had one of those in years.

Anyway, I'm finding new ways of getting organized. I have decided to actually ditch the Franklin Covey zip up day planner and go with the Border's weekly planners....well, maybe, that's still out for decision; perhaps I just need the next size up. I used to be VERY organized and with all the running around, I have accumulated way to many notebooks and need to downsize. I think it's about time to purge files as well. I HATE this crap. Oh, did I mention I'm meeting with a tax guy on Friday to organize all that too?

I also need to be waking up at 5 am for my morning workout, but that has only happened once this week, which I suppose is a huge feit. With the weather getting a little more 'crisp' outside the bed is looking better than ever, which reminds me I have to look for a refridgerator.

WOW my head is just all over the place, wish me luck for the next few weeks. I'm gonna need to get organized and keep it together.