When Tara Met Blog: August 2007

Our Alaskan adventure

Raphael and I are headed on a seven day inner passage Alaskan cruise that leaves out of Seattle. I’ve never been to Seattle either and have been dying to ever since the days of Frasier and Sleepless in Seattle and now with all the Grey’s Anatomy footage of the city, I can’t wait. Raphael has never been on a cruise so this should be an experience for him and I’ve only been on Caribbean ones in the warm weather so this will also be new for me. We have excited adventures planned for each of our stops (Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria, British Columbia) we’re going to do sea-kayaking through a rain forest (who knew Alaska had rain forests?), a helicopter ride onto a glacier as well as a salmon bake and glacier hike. With my recent health issues and a busy summer of work, I’m absolutely dying for this trip.

Apparently, one of the best times to visit Alaska is in the shoulder seasons, May and September according to a Princess Tours site.

September is a prime time to visit Alaska, because Fall comes early to Alaska and many of the deciduous trees are blazing yellow and red by Labor Day. Combine the bright yellow colors of the aspen and willow trees with the blazing red tundra plants and you have the best fall colors experience Alaska has to offer. You will see why Polychrome Pass in Denali National Park earns it name! As a backdrop, the tallest mountains will have fresh snow on their peaks while the lower elevations are still dry. Wildlife search opportunities also improve in late season, as the larger mammals begin feeding in the lower elevations in an attempt to pack on as much winter weight as possible. Weather is characterized by large temperature swings between warm days and chilly nights. In fact, it gets dark enough in the Interior of Alaska to see the Northern Lights!

When telling people about our vacation we get two reactions, the excited in wonder friend who thinks it will be beautiful, and then the skeptical friend who hates cruises and think we’re doing an old person’s trip. For those who are cruise haters, let me ask you this, have you ever been on one? I didn’t think so. My dad and I loved them, he used to save up and we’d go on one every few years when I was little. We went on three in total. Also, who cares if the cruise maybe a bit older, we’re not on this trip to spring break it, but to relax and try some adventurous outings. Plus, we figure we better see the glaciers while they are still there. You should see me trying to pack for this trip, I have no concept of weather since moving to L.A. I'll be back with photos! Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

Tara and the Chocolate Factory

(Warning: you might want to grab a nice cold glass of milk because I'm going to get descriptive about the chocolates)

The other night I went to a chocolate Tasting at Edelweiss Chocolates, a landmark in Beverly Hills since 1942. Edelweiss actually makes all their chocolates on-site. This shop also served as the inspiration for a famous I Love Lucy episode and the iconic photo of the pair stuffing their faces with chocolates hangs in the back by the chocolate conveyor machine.

From the small store-front you'd have no idea that they have over 85 kinds of chocolates inside or that they have a factory in the back where they hand-dip their chocolate items, including a variety of flavored marshmallows and fresh fruit, all dipped in either dark or milk chocolate.

The store also has a celebrity following, which enter through the back entrance right into the factory portion of the shop. Customers include Stephen Spielberg, Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall, Madonna and Leonardo DiCaprio. Nancy Sinatra says she likes to come here on Saturdays for the toffee. Her father, Frank Sinatra, favored the maple creams, which we got to sample. We tasted 7 other pieces of chocolate in the fragrant shop, met the owners (Steve & Madlen Zahir) who described the process and showed us the different machines, one dating back to 1914 that they still use.

The machine in the back of the second photo is the conveyor, but the slab of white in front isn't a table surface but marshmallow set out for cutting, I couldn't believe it, it was so flat and smooth it looked like a cutting board.

I was super excited to try my idol, Katharine Hepburn's favorite Edelweiss candy, their chocolate turtles, which were super soft and creamy. Another favorite was the Geraldine (my grandmother's name) which is chocolate covered apricot grinds an caramel, it was definitely unique. Their most popular selling item is their chocolate coated marshmallows, one in a toffee flavor with toffee bits. The original owner, used to make them at 3 a.m. so no one would steal her recipe. There's one called the caramallow that are made separately in two layers, caramel and marshmallow and then put together and covered by an outer layer of chocolate. It was so soft and heavenly and their coconut chocolate was super moist.

Fact time. Did you know that white chocolate isn't chocolate? It's actually the fat of the chocolate that's why it tastes so sweet. The owner made the comment that usually people start out liking white chocolate when they are young and then milk and then dark chocolate the wiser they get. That made me feel smug since I love dark chocolate ;) Their dark cocoa is only 50% dark, which isn't strong enough for me but still good. Also, did you know that they use copper pots to melt their chocolate because it heats evenly? Chocolate can also last for 3 months to a year when stored in room temperature. Sometimes when you see white on chocolate it's just the milk showing through or wax used in other chocolate. Edelweiss, however, doesn't use any preservatives. Hmm what else did I learn? It takes them three days to make a batch of their chocolate brandy cordials since one day the cherries need to soak in the brandy.

While driving last week I spotted some green signs on the side of the road that read "Cat Show, Santa Monica." At this my ears perked up (pur, I mean, pun intended ;) So, I looked it up online and found that the CFA Cat Show was that weekend in the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

I went by my lonesome because I didn't dare ask anyone to go with me. I'm a big cat lover though, my first word as a child was "cat" actually since I was given my first cat, Bright Eyes, practically at birth. Anyway, it cost $8 to park and then $10 for the entrance fee--crazy! I had only been to a cat show once before when I was really young and I instantly remembered that I'm not a big cat show fan, it's all too Best in Show for me seeing cats in cages and their owners parading them around. I over heard one woman saying "She's going to lose points for that!" To be fair though, some people were entering their cats into the competition for the first time. The crowd in general mainly consisted of children, senior citizens and gay men. Although when in line to buy tickets there was this punk looking twenty-something singing the Meow Mix jingle, you know, meow meow meow...

I walked down aisle after aisle peering in at the different kittens and cats, some with several ribbons hanging from their booths. The cats were all very calm as if having 500 people in an auditorium and the smell of cats everywhere was just their everyday. The ones that had two cats to a cage were usually snuggled up together keeping each other company, it was so cute. Most cages came equipped with hammocks and beds even, which looked very posh. Take this princess for instance:

In a side room, away from the aisles of cats, there were four rings setup for evaluating the different competing cats. They would announce each cat's number over the microphone booming throughout the auditorium and owners would come in to this room carrying their cats. Each area had a table where the cats were examined and scored. The announcers did a nice job of explaining the things they liked about each contestant, like nice coloring, demeanor, size, agility, etc. They would also offer cat tips like waiting to at least 6 months to spay or neuter your cat, etc.

They would also wave a wand in front of the cats to test their reactions. The judge said that most spayed and neutered cats were less likely to be aggressive or even take interest in the moving target. The feline winners go on to compete at the national show at Madison Square Garden.

I left with my photos, some free organic cat food that I gave to my neighbor and feeling sad because I missed my Gremlyn more than ever. But there wasn't one tortoiseshell there like Grem, but I wasn't surprised since torties are pretty much muts and not "purebreds."

News: The Cat's Meow

If you are planning to loose weight then the windsor pilates website will offer you all what you need. You can find pilates classes for both groups and individuals. Special bally total fitness pilates balls are designed to target muscles and remove extra fats more quickly. The cardiovascular elliptical fitness equipment is best for low body impact work out helping to tone muscles easily. Different size of dumbbell with firm grips and all sort of home gym equipment is easily available at Pilate’s store.

Garlic wine

Even before I lived out here in Los Angeles, whenever I would come to visit I used to like to go to a restaurant called The Stinking Rose. I love the fun, over the top decorations that remind me of a cross between an Epcot city and Dracula's bordello. The name of the restaurant though refers to the garlic that's prevalent in most of the food and apparently wine too.

A big group of us went for a friend's birthday party last weekend. While waiting by the bar for our table to be ready, my guy pal, Ravi, proclaimed that he was going to order me a glass of wine. I was flattered and having intended on drinking wine that evening, I gladly accepted his offer. He quickly consulted the wine list and told the bartender in a put on French accent that he'd like a glass of Chateau De Garlic (Rapazzinni winery). I thought, "did he just say garlic," but then figured something must have been lost in translation and let it go.

When the glass of what appeared to be a white wine was delivered to me, Ravi then said he wanted a photo of me with the glass in my hand. Again, I was flattered and smiled for the camera.

Here's the before shot (so young, so innocent):

Here's the after shot, once I sipped the wine:

The photos say it all, as did the caption that was on the wine menu that read: "garlic is great, but this wine stinks." Stunk it did. It smelt like garlic oil, but the wine itself might not have been so terrible if I held my nose and didn't smell it. We then passed the drink around for everyone to try. Several people refused to tho--chicken shits.
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Today yoga is the most popular exercise to keep you fit and relaxed. Several institutes for this are formed that provide information and exercise courses like the yoga therapy rx program. The core power yoga focuses mainly on strengthening back and abdominal area. The new type of this called nude yoga is becoming more popular among several people. Some of the exercise in this method uses sandbags to strengthen your body parts.

Dainties Cupcakes

For the fourth stop on my Los Angeles Cupcakes MeetUp group we headed to local catering company turned cupcake kitchen, Dainties, in West LA on Santa Monica Blvd. This spot was the winner of Best Cupcake by Los Angeles Magazine's Best of LA 2007 listing.

It was hard finding the place though because it's literally a pickup station out of their catering kitchen and hidden behind a shopping center. I circled around a few times thinking I had the wrong address. So unlike the other shops that we visited so far this isn't about the cutesy store and experience, but is more into serving the goods.

According to the boxes, "it's all about the cream" since all of their cupcakes are cream filled. Personally the icing, cream inside and on top is what I liked best here. They have 10 varieties available each day and include flavors like New York cheese cake, banana, strawberry, caramel and vanilla bean all topped in a thick chocolate ganache with cream on top. These cupcakes are more like cakes, a harder cake part than some places. Because of the fresh whipped cream, one of the shop's owners, Susan McAlindon, recommends that her cupcakes be refrigerated and says they can last for two days in the fridge. She also graciously greeted our large group of sixteen which overwhelmed her place and gave us some free samples. My favorite being the "Stupid Chocolate." The group though seemed to really like her banana cupcakes as well, but I didn't end up ordering one of those so I can't say.

Because there was no place to sit, we made the best of it and ate outside on a concrete wall and on some folding chairs that Zendi had in her car. She says Dainties is her favorite cupcake bakery so far and that she is going back for more.

Here's the owner with LA Cupcake member, Valerie, who was a hit with her own cupcake designed t-shirt available at her CafePress store (I might buy her apron).

Below are the fantasies that were contemplated yesterday while on my gym's elliptical machine, listening to my iPod and watching the Forbes 100 list soundlessly being presented on the E! channel via the flat screen in front of me.

I spent a good five minutes thinking about what song I would sing if I was on American Idol, oh and dreaming that I could sing in the first place. I think I could handle Simon's criticism too.

Then as pictures of Jennifer Aniston appeared, I thought: she’s so pretty, I wish more people said that I looked like her (as it were only my Nanny has said that, lol)

After seeing George Clooney’s Italian villa, I pictured running into him on an impromptu vacation to Italy *sigh*

I realized that I would be a hungry little person (5’2) if I was a contestant on America’s Next Top Model and I’d probably get in a fight with Ms. Thing Tyra. Thoughts of how I’d corrupt the show and finalists then filtered through my mind. I also pictured my friend who actually is a model being on the show.

Finally I wondered if had to pick between the music of The Rolling Stones and the Beatles, which would I pick. The decision is still out, but leaning towards the Beatles since they have more hits, but I do love Can't Get No Satisfaction and Paint It Black.

I've moved

Don't worry I'm not heading off to live in London (again) and sorry I'm not moving back to New York (yet). I meant that When Tara Met Blog has moved, which you've probably already noticed given the new design and look.

I've been frustrated with my old blog host Tripod for sometime now. It was very limiting in what it would let me do and I took it as far as I could. The only reason why I didn't move my blog sooner is that it meant physically moving 483 posts since 2004. Raphael's company Starting Gate Solutions hired some data entry guys in Pakistan for me though who moved and post dated all my entries. They also moved my last two months worth of comments (all but the last three posts, so do feel free to repost any of your comments), but sadly the comments for my older posts will be remaining on my old blog. *sigh*

Zoe over at Chic & Sassy designed my new template. I gave her a lot of specifics yet still managed to do it all and have me up and running in a few days. What do you think?

I'm big in Japan

I'm quoted in a new Japanese book, Try reading blogs in English by 26 ordinary Americans, which teaches conversational English by translating excerpts from U.S. blogs.

So being one of the "ordinary American" contributors, chapter 12 is dedicated to my When Tara Met Blog entry on my trip to Vegas (why that one? I have no idea, maybe because I use a lot of slang?). My full name is up on the right hand corner of each page in that chapter, which is quite cool like I'm an author, but then again, I guess I am the author of that particular content, so I'll take it.

I was contacted last year by the editor of the book and he asked if he could use my blog entry and of course I said yes. I later had to sign a contract that I didn't really read, and now I got a copy of the book sent via Japan. Thus, my global infamy begins, victory is mine!

It's official

I'm now a California resident. You'd think buying a condo here would have made it official for me already, and come September I'll have lived here for a year (wow), but now it's really sunk in because I finally got my Cali driver's license. Crazy!

I haven't had a new license since first getting mine at age 17. Well, I did have to get a new one when I was 21, but it was still the same looking card just a different picture. I also thought I looked sleepy in my last picture, so I was determined to look upbeat this time. Since getting it I've proudly been showing my new license to everyone (although they don't care), even to you (what do you think):

The reason for my procrastination was due to the fact that I didn't want to take a written driver's test again. I have two girlfriends out here who failed it their first time even though they've been driving for years. So I made sure I studied the handbook for 45 mins and good thing because it's a 36 question test and I still got 5 questions wrong. If I botched one more I would have failed, which is insane since I studied but a lot of the questions had two right answers it was just picking the righter one. Plus, there are different rules out here than in New England. I had no idea a white curb means for mail delivery or that you can only turn into a bike lane 200 ft before making a turn, etc. Anyway, luckily I passed, several people in front of me didn't and I was getting more nervous as it came time for my test to be corrected, more so than taking the damn GRE's.

One cool thing about California State DMV's is that you can make an appointment online, but although things were more efficient I was still there for over an hour and at the end I was informed laughingly that they would be mailing me my license. I was so disappointed, I just assumed all they had to do was print it out.

You may also notice that I'm an organ donor. I blogged back in 2005 that I wanted to be one because of this story, but I never got around to it, well now I've finally have.

Elevate

A new club--Elevate Lounge, and restaurant--Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant officially opened this weekend. In downtown L.A. 21 floors up, with panorama-heavy wraparound balconies, this lounge is offering competition for the nearby Standard.

I went this Friday night with my guy and three of his friends, so I was the only girl there with five guys, not bad, and from here on out let's call them my "male entourage" ;)

The place had a cool dance floor, great views and chic atmosphere that reminded me of The Gansevoort in NYC. There's glass along the initial part of the balconies and at first I thought it continued all the way up, but was delighted to see that it didn't and instead an open-air lounge. The martinis were lethal but not the best tasting, they had a flirtini on the menu at least, but not a key lime one, ah well no place is perfect. There was a line to get in later on, but when we got there at 9:30 there wasn't a problem at least not as a girl though.

Here are some of the photos of the place and my male entourage ;)

News: Downtown Entertainment Scene Hits New Heights With $5 Million Takami

Magic Numbers

I won two tickets to hear Magic Numbers in concert on Tuesday night. How? I entered my name in a raffle at the Citysearch event that I blogged about two posts down. For a second I thought I won tickets to Justin Timberlake's concert which was also in the raffle, but instead I won tix to Magic Numbers. My response was "Magic what?" I had no idea who they were and I was pretty tired that day since I was up at five a.m. that morning flying to San Fran on a seven o'clock flight just to return at three later that day--all for a business meeting. The concert wasn't until eight and my eyes were already drifting asleep on the plane's flight to L.A., but who turns down free tickets, right?

The show was held at the El Rey Theatre near LACMA and La Brea Tar Pitts. The outside marquee was very retro and I learned by the sign that the event was being presented by KCRW (the local LA NPR channel). I groaned after seeing that since I figured I was now in store for some classical music that would surely put me to sleep. I had never been to the El Rey and expected it to be a sit down assigned seating theater but there was a good size line outside and inside was more like a club with a fancy bar, a cafe upstairs and a dance floor and stage in the center. It was really pretty actually with red carpet floors, fun nightclub lights and fancy crystal chandeliers.

The crowd was pretty young and very hipster: guys in artistic shirts with Scottish paper boy caps on, girls with handkerchiefs tying back their hair and quirky framed glasses. A bunch were wearing shirts with the band's South Park-like logo. It was weird seeing fans of the music group, yet we were there not knowing anything about them.

We ordered some wine and later champagne ($8) in plastic cups and snagged chairs along the left wall. There were two opening acts and intermissions in between. First up were two girls, Ingrid Michaelson with indie-pop songs similar to Lilly Allen's style. I thought I recognized their last song "Keep Breathing," but I figured it just reminded me of something else. Turns out, via some research on their site, the song was featured on the recent season finale of Grey's Anatomy. Bingo! Next came The Little Ones which were very energetic and were like a cross between the Beatles and Modest Mouse. The Magic Numbers meanwhile, are from England (I gathered from their accents) and are comprised of two girls and two guys. Their music reminded me of The White Stripes and the 60s melody blend of The Mammas and the Pappas. In the end, I was actually really pleased with all the acts and the songs were all stuff that I'd like to listen to again. So, considering we had no idea what we were in for, it was a lot of fun as was the not knowing.

Remember where you came from

was the theme to Amber birthday party this weekend. Pretty original, no? I wore a leather jacket with an I Heart New York shirt with rhinestones underneath, jean skirt and black heeled shoes. I also put on a gold bling necklace to also represent being an Italian New Yorker. Raphael wore a shirt with a rodeo picture on it and a cowboy hat since he's from Texas. Others wore Chinese robes, Vietnamese hats, Ohio farmer looking overalls and so on.

Dressing up was not just encouraged but guests were threatened that they definitely had to wear some sort of costume and those who didn't were warned that they would be given one. Their given costumes came in the form of large signs that said things like "I'm too cool to wear a costume," "I'm from Lamesville, U.S.A." "0% Creative," etc. They were so funny that I kept looking forward to the next costume-less sap that walked through the door. Check out this group shot of the name tags, I mean "lame tags."

The place was also decorated with corn stalks and leaves in tribute to the state of Indiana where Amber is from.

Oh and lastly here's a picture of Amber's yummy strawberry cupcake cake (I need to get that pan).

Martinis Massages and Pink Tacos

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Oh my!

I was recently invited to a night of martinis and massages with Citysearch and bliss spa at the W Los Angeles in Westwood. The event was in the hotel's "the backyard" by their pool and cabanaarea, similar to Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood. I had never been to this W and I'm always up for free drinks and massages, but it turns out the "massages" were only hand massages and the line was too long to bother. Oh well, bliss spa did give out some sample products like a travel size lotion and coupons. The cabanas were cute and my coworker and I were able to snag one and drink in two martinis each, they had cucumber mint flavored ones that were refreshing. The appetizers were $5 each so we ordered some coconut shrimp and hanger steak, both of which were very yum. As for swag they had a gift bag with a Citysearch pen and t-shirt (XL).

As for the Pink Tacos part of my headline, I also tried out the newly opened Mexican restaurant/bar Pink Taco in Century City. We sat outside on their patio overlooking Santa Monica Boulevard in a nice big booth with orange umbrella overhead. The food was yummy, my salad huge, but a bit too spicy for me. For drinks they had a pomegranate margarita, which I almost ordered but went with a glass of pink champagne to keep with the pink theme. Why is the place called Pink Taco though? Well they actually have pink colored tacos on the menu and the interior is very girly punk with pink and black colors and gothic print.

PS: My latest Film School Rejects post is up. "Are you tired of being single? Do you wish you had some one to snuggle up to each night, to dedicate your whole life to? Someone who will be with you ’til death do you part? Well, if you are thinking about tying the knot, we can help you resist temptation with our list of the Five Films that Make You Glad You’re Not Married, which contradict Meg Ryan's flicks."

PPS: My list above just got picked up by a paper in Minnesota, The Hutchinson Leader.

A room without a view

Friday, August 10, 2007

Tuesday night I took the Amtrak train from downtown LA to San Diego to attend a big technology and visual effects conference (SIGGRAPH) the next morning. My client was exhibiting and I had booked them five media appointments that I needed to staff. As a result, even I appeared on a SIGGRAPH blog along with my client, check out the fourth photo down on this post at Thinking Animation Blog.

Anyway I digress, I was excited by the chance to get out of the office and glad I wasn't driving there. Budget was limited so I selected the cheapest hotel on the conference list, 500 West, which was only $59 a night. The catch though is that it is "European style" as the website uses to describe the shared bathrooms. The hotel site though looked artsy and charming, it also claimed a cafe and free wireless internet, so I was down.

Turns out it was a former YMCA and originally housed the U.S. Armed Services, so despite the cute entrance way and awnings, the cement block rooms felt like a drug rehab center and the song Hotel California drifted into my mind, but oddly enough not YMCA.

When I exited the elevator at 11:00 that night, I felt transported back to my undergrad. I expected a Frisbee to go flying over my head and one of my friends exiting their room talking passionately into their phones. The only thing missing was flyers on the walls and name tags on the doors.

When I entered my room, it looked like an army barrack with two cot-like twin beds, a simple bureau and desk all crowded in the same place. Nothing was on the walls, just hospital beige everywhere, not even a cheesy motel painting up. The lack of color gave the place the feeling of sleeping in your door room for the first night of the new school year or the last day when all your stuff is in boxes and you're waiting for your parents to come pick you up in the morning. It barely resembled the photos on their site (see below). I didn't even have comforters on the bed, not that I needed one though. To be fair though it did have a new age hanging light fixture--white too.

Myth:

Reality:

The room was also stuffy and there were no fans or AC and I couldn't open the heavy school-like window more than a few inches. So in order to stay cool I decided to brave the communal bathrooms to take a cold shower, despite the late hour. I had coed bathrooms (toilets and showers) in college so I wasn't intimidated by shared floor bathrooms, and unlike my college at least these were private once you shut the door. Just as I was about to enter the bathroom though, a younger man exited in nothing but a towel. He laughed when he saw me and as he walked by me he said with a smile "nice shirt" (it was pink and gold and tied in a bow at the back), I smiled back, "yours too." He looked down at his bare chest and chuckled. He began to say more with a wicked grin on his face and because I knew it was going to be crossing the line, I quickly entered the bathroom and locked the door.

All in all it wasn't bad tho, just not the most luxurious place. It was more like the hostels that I stayed at abroad, but instead of being in Ireland or Italy, I was in San Diego. If money is sparse though this is a good alternative and I'm sure it wouldn't have felt as creepy if I was with a friend.

As for the conference, it was held at the convention center and was HUGE. Note: if you ever need a confidence boost, just wear a black dress at a practically all male tech show. The event though meant a lot of standing and walking, which was a bit tiring due to my recovering and all, but not bad. I got a cool Google shirt and some trade magazines that I'll be researching for work. Plus, the interviews all went well. So, alls well that ends well.

Vanilla Bake Shop

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Vanilla Bake Shop recently premiered in Santa Monica just near the Promenade. I had been eagerly waiting for it to open its doors since I first noticed it during my commute to work. I had known that it was going to be a cupcake shop just by the name and cutesy design that read "coming soon." Since the shop opened it has been publicized in a New York Times article and featured on Daily Candy LA.

In regards to the decor, LA Cakecake MeetUp member Evan of CupcakeFetish.com said that the place "can be best described as the bastard lovechild of David Bowie from Labyrinth and Barbie." With cotton candy pink walls, damask wallpaper, white chandeliers, and dark wood floors, he had a point. I especially liked that they had shelves of old fashioned clear jars filled with fine baby blue, green and yellow sprinkles.

It's trendy and their offering of baby cupcakes 3 for $5 are uber-cute and just the right size to allow you to try some of their many flavors. Using Belgian chocolates and farmers market ingredients; they make cupcakes like Meyer lemon raspberry and banana chocolate chip in regular and baby sizes (some even come stuffed with filling!). I had ordered six cupcake babies and a glass of low fat milk to wash them down with. The group consensus was the Old Fashioned, Red Velvet and Mocha were among the favorites.

Baker/owner Amy Berman kindly and enthusiastically came out to speak with our group. She shared her story of how she went from catering to opening her own shop. Originally though she worked in entertainment as a PA on the hit show Will & Grace. Apparently she baked cupcakes for the cast and crew as a Christmas gift for everyone and later decided to quit her job and pursue what she loved—baking! It's a cute story and she seemed to charm the group as much as her shop did.

For more photos from the event click here, otherwise we're off to try Dainties next and will report back.

PS: I was recently in my office's elevator with Bobby Brown and I had no idea, I even chatted with him in the elevator lobby. My coworker was the one to enlighten me, he also snapped a photo. My bad, call me Captain Oblivious. Meanwhile when I think of Bobby Brown I think of this.

The road to recovery...

Sunday, August 5, 2007

is filled with flowers.

Well, I can't say I'm not loved. Between the flowers, calls and blog love, it feels good to be me, even if I’m a bit sore.

I photographed the flowers I've so kindly received since my surgery. I have them throughout our place (on our coffee table, cupboard and dining table).

It looks and smells like I live in a nursery. I keep going by and smelling them and smiling at their bright presence. I also feel that they keep me positive, ah the power of bouquets.

Hope continued

Saturday, August 4, 2007

It's all behind me now, I hope. I went to the outpatient part of Cedars-Sinai hospital yesterday and had a LEEP performed to remove parts of my cervix that contained high pre-cancerous cells. You know you're in Beverly Hills when the outpatient center has a valet, though. Luckily, that's how I roll ;)

I couldn't eat or drink from midnight the night before and I was so thirsty, not even hungry just thirsty. I was a little freaked out by the idea of anesthesia, since I've never been under with it, even when I had my wisdom teeth pulled they just used gas. It didn't help that the day before the hospital called to ask if I had a living will or if I was allergic to anesthesia. I told them I didn't think so, but of course didn't know for sure having never had it.

I had to go an hour and a half ahead of time. They led me in the back where i had to don a robe that opened in the back, put my hair up in one of those hair nets, remove my shoes and put on booties. I looked scary when I saw myself in the mirror. Oh and they had me remove even my toe ring since they would be using electricity inside me. Again, scary.

Then it was time for the IV and luckily I didn't faint, but it did hurt and caused a heart throb like beat on my hand. They had nice warm blankets for me though which was nice.

Next the anesthesiologist came in followed by a resident who he said would be following him and asking me questions. It reminded me of Grey's Anatomy. The guy even looked like the character George and was awkward like him. Whenever I was more conversational in my responses he'd tense up and just say "yeah." It was cute until I remembered that George didn't pass his exams and who knew about this George-wannabe.

He asked if I was feeling woozy, but at the time the bed that I was on was being spun around a corner and oxygen was being put over my face, so it was hard to tell or answer. I then was awake enough to help them move myself to the gurney, I saw them put some sticky things under my robe and had enough time to look around the large surgery room to see tubes hanging from the ceiling, big lights, stirrups being put up and then I was out.

When I woke I had thought I had fainted and started mumbling as such and then Raphael was there and my surgeon and then I was lucid again. Despite being weak, my hunger was more prevalent so we stopped at my favorite - Sizzler. They even had my fav chicken noodle soup available, which I'm going to take as a sign, lol. Now I'm on Percocet so everything is just peachy, I don't even care about the cramps and other inconveniences.

News: Cat predicts deaths at nursing home. Freaky!

Tara's wedding part 2

Friday, August 3, 2007

The wedding itself was the next day at Branford Mansion in Groton, CT and continued with Tara and Andrew's diverse backgrounds.

First there was a tradional Indian ceremony with a cushioned altar area and a sandalwood filled fire buring as the witness to the marriage. Per custom, Tara circled her husband seven times in an act that seals their vows sevenfold. They were both dressed in red and gold wedding sherwani and saree, but 20 minutes later they change into a suit and white dress for the non-traditional or denominational service. So, it was like two weddings in one.

The mansion where this took place overlooked the Long Island Sound and was gorgeous.

Oh and look at their cake. It was so smooth that it looked fake as if I could knock on it. Apparently the icing is made with marshmallow to achieve this effect.

Tara's wedding part 1

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Don't freak out, I don't mean my wedding!

I'm referring to my friend Tara R (now Tara T) from high school, whose wedding I went to this weekend in Connecticut. Not only do we share the same circle of friends and first name, but also the same birthday--Dec. 9th. Crazy, no? We also both drove Honda Accords in school and dated an Andrew, but she just married hers--Andrew not her Honda. Andrew was her Junior Prom date and now, eight years later they were wed.

They didn't have just any plain ole' wedding either, but a very cultural one, combining both of their backgrounds, her Indian roots and his Chinese heritage. The wedding festivities started the day before the wedding with a Chinese Tea Ceremony, where Tara donned outfit #1--a black Chinese silk dress.

The tea was followed by a Sangeet a few hours later, where all the female guests were given jeweled bindis to put on our foreheads and colorful bangles to wear on our arms.

Tara's two younger sisters and her cousins performed Bollywood-like dances for the couple. My other high school friends, Laura, Vicky and Carolyn surprised the pair (and me) further by learning over the last few Sundays a routine to perform as well and let me say it kicked ass. It had a hip-hop Hindi choreography and they danced to three different songs. I threatened them that it would appear on my blog and as promised I YouTubed it.

While at the dinner table Raphael announced that he was going to get me and my friends some Samosas. Being ignorant to Indian food and thinking he meant mimosas, I eagerly awaited his return and was momentarily dissapointed when he came back to the table with several plates of potato/meat ball snacks. Everyone liked them though, but we had selected too many and soon kept passing the remaining cocktail plate of these meat pastries around the table. Each time one of us would go to the bathroom, go get a drink or hit the dancefloor, the plate would be laying at our place setting when we returned. It was like a game of hot potato, literally.

Tara and Andrew's outfit change #2:

Part two with Tara's 3rd and 4th wardrobe change will be posted tomorrow.

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