Stupid Things Boyfriend and I Say

When I came home from work, I found out my boyfriend was at home. He's usually working in the evenings, so that was unexpected. I had my headphones on, so I couldn't hear my surroundings and he came popping out from behind a corner. scared the sh-- out of me.

This is what arrived in the mail for him, more free samples...

Me: "Testogen...what is that? A hybrid between testosterone and estrogen?

Is this like...add water, make instant baby?"

...

Tim: "You got another Discover card application."

Me: "I'm hungry. Can you go discover me some food?"

Okay, maybe this is more... stupid things I say. haha

Purchased this at Costco not too long ago, and it's gone already. Tim drank most of it, at times when I opted for milk or juice instead.

So long, old friend...I hardly knew ye...

This actually tastes pretty strong to me. Kirkland dudes, I was not expecting that. Good job. It's only 12.7% ABV, but it does say it's got 'Gold Tequila' & 'Premium Triple Sec,' so maybe that's why. Either that, or because I'm a lightweight. Probably more so the latter.

and...

This was my snack, which I enjoyed. I should have eaten it with avocado.

It's hard being Asian...

Mother's Day was yesterday. This was what I gifted my momma.

This is how the Mothers Day Cookie Flowers from Cheryls.com came shipped to me. I had received a $10 off any order coupon code in my e-mail and I figured I'd use it for Mother's Day. The shipping took less than a week, amazing since I pretty much decided to order this within a week of Mother's Day.

Cookie Flowers

I decided to go with something edible/perishable, since my mom pretty much lets anything else sit in her closet, gathering dust and letting money go to waste. There are six cookie flowers on each side. It looks deceiving, like you only get six when you first unwrap the tissue paper. I guess these were specifically for Mother's Day, because they are no longer available on their website. I personally think that these are versatile and look like a substantial gift for many other occasions, especially graduation, which the season for graduation is coming up. In my opinion, they could be missing out on a lot of revenue opportunity, haha.

I was also gifted this potted orchid from work. (I've had them for about a couple of weeks prior to Mother's Day. From this angle, I'm hiding two of the drooping flowers in the back, haha. Hey I did my best. I did water these suckers once a week and leave them near a sunny window as I was instructed.) My mother is obsessed with orchids. She has a million orchids in front of the house, on the staircase leading upstairs, and in the backyard. So I figured she would appreciate this addition to her collection. Aside from that, I have no appreciation for plants. When it comes to gifts, I'll take straight up cash over a plant any day. I'm cynical. That's just me and I've made my peace with it. =D

Now about a week ago, my mom sent me an e-mail with a Chinese article she found online. Since she's home alone all the time, she basically spends some time spamming family members with random tidbits she finds on the web. I, of course, ignored the article completely, and replied asking her what she wanted for Mother's Day. I also asked if she had gotten an iPad case yet. (Side note: My mother, foreign to most things tech, has an iPad. Hype really can sell anything.) Mom, being very traditional, replies: 'Oh just come home, don't worry about a gift.'
So I show up with the box of cookie flowers and potted orchid.

(By the way, carrying that stuff was a disaster. I was helping my boyfriend carry his gift for his mom and the orchid that surprisingly still had water in it and the small box of chocolates on top of the long box of cookie flowers. Being the klutz that I am, I drop the small box of chocolates down maybe 10 stairs, and the potted flower tipped and I got some flower juice down the front of my sweater and jeans. *Smacks forehead* Luckily, boyfriend helped me adjust the orchid while I went to go retrieve the chocolate box, which I later heard one of them was smashed. *sighs*)

Anyways, so I bring my mom her gifts...
Mom: "I told you not to buy anything. Why do you waste money?"
Me: "Don't worry. The orchid was a gift I got at work, and I used a coupon on the cookies."
Mom: "Oh of course you wouldn't really spend money on me. You're so cheap...What is this?"
Me: "They're cookies in the form of a flower bouquet. I thought it was cute."
Mom: "Oh okay...would be better if you had gotten a cake."
Me: "Ok ma'am, next time"

Honestly, I just walked right into that one. Lol I should know better by now. Hello?? I was raised in this environment. No matter what you say or do, it will always be WRONG. Duhhh...

So later on, I am just hanging out with my mom, waiting for dad to come home from picking up his old friends from the airport so we could all go out to dinner. My mom asks me if I can help her return/exchange some bras from Victoria's Secret that I had gotten her back from when I worked at Victoria's Secret. -_- Are you kidding me? I worked there like 3-4 years ago!
Mom: "I want to exchange them for a bigger size. Because I've gained weight since then."
Me: "Mom, are you serious? You CANNOT return these. They are years old.'
Mom: "Why not? I still have the receipt and the tags are still on them."
Me: "Why didn't you just wear them when could fit them? You just kept them in the bag in your closet this whole time?"
Mom: "They're too nice to wear. I was saving them."
Me: *Sighs inwardly* "Let me see the receipt. See, it says no returns after 90 days."
Mom: "Then we'll exchange them."
Me: "No same thing, no exchanges after 90 days."
Mom: "Then you need to buy me new ones."
Me: "Fine...hey 34B, these are my size. I might as well take them now and make use of them, so they don't go to waste."
Mom: "Why did you buy this for me in YOUR size? Oh this is what you wanted all along. You're so selfish. You only think of yourself. You really wanted it for yourself."
Me: "Mom...remember, you picked out the size yourself. You tried them on in the dressing room..." (I'm thinking what a nightmare this is)
Mom: "Well I need new ones now. You should get me new ones...Actually let me try them on."
*strips off shirt, puts on bra right in front of me*
"How do I look? Does it fit?
Me: (oh fuck, why me?) "Yeah yeah, whatever you think."
Mom then takes off bra, throws it into the bag sitting in my lap, starts talking to me topless & I can't take it anymore
Me: "MOM GO PUT ON YOUR CLOTHES!"
Mom just laughs because she thinks it's so funny...

Another annoying Mom story...
Mom: "Where did you get your sweater?"
Me: "I ordered it online from Ann Taylor Loft."
Mom: "Must be expensive. You like spending your money on clothes all the time. How much?"
Me: "It was on clearance. After 40% off sale, I only paid about $7 or $8."
Mom: "Oh, that's cheap. Why didn't you get me one?"
Me: "I didn't know you wanted sweaters...Don't you have multiple closets full of clothes you don't wear...?"
Mom: "You always buy for yourself. You don't think about buying things for me. You buy it online? Help me find it. I want to buy it too."
Me: "I don't think they have it anymore. I got it about a couple of weeks ago."
Mom: "Show me on the internet. I will pay for it myself. I'm not asking you to buy it."
Me: *Sighs* "okay...here's their clearance section. See they don't have it anymore. You can look at their other sweaters."
Mom: "Ok, I want this one. I'm a Medium."
Me: "I don't think so. I think you should get a Large or XLarge."
Mom: "No, I'm not as fat as those obese, white people." (Her words, not mine.) "Here, measure me" *takes out measuring tape. I dutifully obey and measure her protruding midsection.
Me: "Your waist is a 32. Here's the size chart. You should be at least a large."
Mom: "No, see 32 is a small!" (She is referring to the Bust row instead of the Waist row."
Me: "No...look at this row...32 WAIST."
I'm getting bored and pretty annoyed by now. So I decide to use the measuring tape on myself. I measure my waist and it comes out to 20 inches. That can't be right.
Me: "Mom this measuring tape is not right. I'm a 24, not a 20. This cannot be a standard inch."
Mom: "Oh that measuring tape is from China from many years ago. Maybe it's not accurate"
I laugh now and say "Well lol if it measures me as a 20, and I'm really a 24, then you must be at least a 36 inch waist!"
Mom grudgingly agrees and tries to choose an Xlarge sweater on the website, but the website displays a message that says "Not enough inventory." Mom thinks this must mean the website wants her to buy more, and asks me why it's not working?
I try to explain that they don't have it anymore. She doesn't believe me and says I'm not patient enough with her. Now I'm not one to toot my own horn, but at this point, I am...a freaking...saint...

Then she starts window shopping randomly on Banana Republic, and declares all white stores too expensive and doesn't want to bother. Then searches on Ebay and says she wants this handbag for only $12.
Me: "Oh you want a fake Longchamp tote?"
Mom: "It's not fake. Where does it say fake?"
Me: "A seller would not write fake on their post..."
Good lord...
Finally dad and guests arrive at the house and we go out to eat. I try to be upbeat and cheerful to the guests. After I'm done eating, and drinking my Tsingtao, which I so desperately needed - that and something stronger, I politely excuse myself and head on back to my sanctuary. Hello one bedroom, 1 bath, beautiful solace from family.

Aside from that nightmare...

With the cookie flowers, I chose the option to pay for an additional small box of chocolates. I decided to give these to my boyfriend's mom. I knew I wanted to get her something, since she's always so nice to me. But I didn't want to get her something too nice, for fear of getting something nicer than what my boyfriend had in mind.
From what I heard, they tasted good. I do not personally know.

Boyfriend's mom kindly thanked me and said she 'loves it.' A gracious thank you...an expression of gratitude. Is this what normal is? =]

This is what boyfriend gifted his mother. It's a box of cherry blossom decorated petit fours from Noe Valley bakery. I picked them out and he paid for them. They were the most expensive of the Mother's Day gift options on display. Naturally that would be the one I pick...go figure. They were almost $20. Expensive for 4 little things, but decent enough price for a substantial gift, in my opinion. Boyfriend said they thought it tasted lemon-y.

Petit Four Gift Box

I didn't know what to title this post. Lol oh well...I didn't mean for it to come off whiny, but it did.

Blah blah blah...

I haven't recorded any thoughts with substance in a long time. That bothers me. There will now be huge chunks of my life that I will never remember again.

Let's see several months back, I went to Sydney, Australia for the first time ever. I got to reunite with some family members and meet other relatives for the very first time, including my 2-year-old niece (Is it still your niece/nephew when they are your cousin's kids? *shrugs*), who is just the most perfect kid ever (Don't ask me why). The main purpose of my being there was for a funeral. I won't get into that, because it does make me sad, even though I did not know her well and we had only met once before. Despite the sad occasion, it was just so nice to be with so many relatives, all at the same time. It was almost a legitimate vacation, despite some circumstances I could not change. But that's just like life, you have to take the good with the bad, and rarely do we get the chance to pluck out imperfections we don't want. Next time I visit, I'll make sure I actually see more attractions, do more touristy things. I did see the main spots, such as the Opera House, of course, Darling Harbor, Manly Harbor, Queen Victoria Building, ate at a lovely restaurant with my beautiful cousin.

A few weeks after I returned we celebrated Tim's 25th birthday, sort of... but he didn't feel like celebrating actually. Doesn't matter, I'm happy to do whatever he wishes on his birthday as long as he wishes to spend it with me. I still feel like it's weird that we're not teenagers anymore, or not adolescents anymore...when did that happen? I actually did not get him a birthday gift, since I purchased a new laptop for him a few weeks prior to him actually turning 25. I wish I could have done more, but oh well...that time has passed and new opportunities will be seized.

Few weeks after that, I was summoned for jury duty. Oh lord...my excuses did not suffice. My travel date would not coincide with the end of the case, nor were my past experiences enough of a bias to get myself out of there. It was also the week of Thanksgiving...bummer, but at least the first week of jury duty, I only had to be there for 3 days, the rest of the week was closed due to Thanksgiving holiday.

I am somewhat ashamed that I spent my Black Friday snuggled up in bed purchasing things I did not need through the internet. Luckily, I also snagged a bunch of items that could be used for Christmas gifts. I think I may have been extra generous this year to some people, and my bank account balance can attest to that. I was saddened to see that I'm not saving as much as I intended, but I'm glad it's because I'm doing something nice for other people and I'm not being 100% selfish. I digress...

So even though jury duty is exhausting in the sense that I cannot talk to anyone while court is in session and no one to really communicate with during recess and the breaks are so long with nowhere to go, it was depressing, even though I was forced to put up with that, I was still glad to be out of the office and have a valid excuse, and I didn't even feel up to showing up after court most days. -_-

Once the case was over, I'm not disappointed that I was selected as a juror. I learned a thing or two, such as the difference between assault and battery. According to the DA, battery means that physical abuse had occurred and the victim had come into contact with weapon, or said abuse, whereas assault does not necessarily include coming into contact with anything, but an intent to harm did occur. I may have just gotten all that wrong... I also feel like we all need to be more active about protecting our community, because when people are harassed or victimized, or if rudeness just exists, and we all act complacently towards it or ignore it or wish it away, it is the same thing as accepting wrongdoing in our own lives.

So, while that was going on, celebrated Thanksgiving with my parents. I bought her a pearl necklace from prizedpearls.com. All I know is they're supposed to be quality, freshwater pearls. The only reason why I chose to purchase from them is because jlovesmac1 had a coupon code for 75% off, so a necklace near $150 became $40 something. I don't feel bad about budgeting for my mother, because I often feel bad about not being appreciated for the gifts I give...so yeah... I don't remember as most encounters are uncomfortable and often unpleasant. Black Friday was also my mom's birthday. I managed to drag Tim along with me, because I'm too weak to survive two nights in a row on my own. It's hard for me, because there's never anyone on my side or anyone in my age range to talk to. If there's other people around, I'm either making awkward conversation with an elderly person or babysitting or watching the young'ns play with their ipods. (Why do kids have these? o.O I swear...back in my day...) Anyhoodillyoooo.....That was actually the last time I saw my parents, I feel bad I don't call or visit more often...I guess my instincts prevent me from doing something I don't want to do, but I really should...because they are my parents and I need to be a good daughter...if anything, just to ease my own conscience, so I have no regrets about my being a good person. =\ Damn you, conscience.

More recently, Tim and I went to Disneyland! It was so festive with all the twinkly lights and the holiday-themed castle. Is it worth going all the way there just for the decorations? No. It's pretty, but heck, you can look up the pictures on the internet, and they'll probably be better than the pictures you take with your own camera, because it's too hard to Photoshop the hoards of people out of your shot. It also takes way too long for other people to move out of the way, so you can wait your turn to take a photo in front of the castle, or other photo spots. How frustrating. Now, is it worth it to take time off and enjoy a 3-day weekend with your loved ones/significant other in the happiest place on Earth? Yep! The memories began and now they're over and I've captured them in my digital camera and I will save them to my hard drive and forever they will remain, or until the files get corrupted or I forget about them entirely and then the memory fades into oblivion, but still more reliable than our own human brain memories. World of Color is still my favorite show out of all the ones that Disney puts out, including the ones at Disney World in Florida. Even though we bought a 3-course dining option at Ariel's Grotto that came with Reserved Seating for World of Color, my view of the show was more limited than last year when we somehow magically ended up right in front of the water (Maybe we just snuck up there and nobody complained, miraculously.) I had a great time and now I'm back.

Since then, I have turned 24. Aging...I don't like it, I do feel a quarter-life crisis coming on. I'll save that whining for another time. After considering what I wanted, I decided I wanted to have a steak dinner with Tim. We ended up at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. I wanted to go out and do something special, even though he could care less. Tim's just very low maintenance. I hardly ever go out anymore, so I wanted to do it for my birthday and I asked for just that. Now that I'm older (if not wiser), I just feel like I got to ask for what I want and just do it, no more being overly demure and accepting what is offered, if not too forward. I'll miss out on so much if I don't just say what I want. Claude Kelly's Forever: ["You gotta say what you want."]. Tim's family also took me out for tapas on the actual evening of my birthday. It was lovely, like actually being with a normal family with a normal amount of dysfunction, as opposed to a fully dysfunctional family.

Now Christmas is upon us. Tonight is the eve of Christmas Eve.

Honestly, I'm dreading Christmas. I've always kind of thought that the holidays were a time of obligation. You're obligated to be a better person than you normally are throughout the rest of the year, obligated to spend time with your family, even the relatives you don't like, just obligated to show up, because that's what you're 'supposed to do.' I know that all sounds wrong, because it should be a happy time to spend with your family and really appreciate what you've got. I do appreciate what I have and I'm glad I'm able to live as comfortably as I do, but I can't deny that sometimes the holidays just make me a little depressed. I almost wish I could sleep through the weekend, wake up on Monday and find myself with that day off from work and...*sigh of relief.* Aside from that depressing note, I find myself really in the giving spirit. I've caught the gift-shopping bug, and I'm kind of glad the holidays will soon be over, so I can go back to saving my hard-earned chump change. =D

Accessories Make the Outfit

Accessories Make the Outfit by ohthepossibilities featuring a waist belt

Armani Exchange fitted dress
$79 - armaniexchange.com

Ankle booties
$28 - makemechic.com

J by Jasper Conran ivory clutch
£25 - debenhams.com

Armani Exchange chain link necklace
$29 - armaniexchange.com

Armani Exchange stone jewelry
$29 - armaniexchange.com

Armani exchange sunglasses
$70 - nordstrom.com

Armani Exchange waist belt
$39 - armaniexchange.com

Moto Chic

Moto Chic by ohthepossibilities featuring leather jackets

Armani Exchange lace top
$29 - armaniexchange.com

Armani Exchange leather jacket
$425 - armaniexchange.com

Armani Exchange knit pants
$68 - armaniexchange.com

Guess Shoes stiletto heels
$110 - heels.com

Armani Exchange pave bangle
$29 - armaniexchange.com

Armani Exchange sport sunglasses
$70 - lordandtaylor.com

Armani Exchange braided belt
$48 - armaniexchange.com

Wall Blue
lancome-usa.com

My first Polyvore creation

Sky High & Cobalt Blue by ohthepossibilities featuring short shorts

XII XII XLIX PAR ROMEO GIGLI long sleeve top
$271 - farfetch.com

Oasis short shorts
£80 - oasis-stores.com

Fendi leather tote handbag
$536 - bluefly.com

Kenneth Jay Lane blue necklace
$275 - maxandchloe.com

Fahrenheit Yes-05 Peep Toe Sandal
$29 - urbanog.com

Patterns
polyvore.com

At the Beach

The weather likes to flip-flop and go all over the place depending on what day it is, what time of day it is, what block you are on. But that's no surprise where I live.
Before heading to the beach this day, it was sunny. By the time we reached the sand, it was gloomy and foggy. On the right side is a dog sticking its head out of the top of an RV. So cute, too bad I couldn't zoom in closer on its face.

On this sunny day at a different beach, the sky was clear and blue, and after a couple of hours, I actually turned a couple of shades darker, which never happens unless I venture out of the city. On the right side, I waited for the wave to recede and snapped a photo of the water, looks quite soapy.

If the weather allowed it, I could spend all day on the beach.