One more free peep

Close-up at Club Basque
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

I took one more shot for you guys. Not only the guys, but also the girls were in awe. My friends were thinking they should have "amateur" night where we (as in my friends, not me) dance behind the "mirrors".

I forgot to mention there is a glass box above the dance floor. Inside the overhead box, the girls are more like gymnasts than dancers. Believe it or not, there are some angles that are not meant to be shown. Who wants to see someone do the splits from below? Seriously!

Free peep show!

Burlesque show at Club Basque
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

When I first went to Club Basque, I didn't understand what all the commotion was about around the bar area. Apparently, the large mirrors behind the bar weren't mirrors. Two burlesque dancers were lounging behind the fake mirrors. Very interesting concept. Instead of go-go dancers, these were wanna-be strip teasers without getting tips.

I wanted to take pictures the first time, but my friend with a camera wouldn't let me take any shots for some crazy reason. Lame. Anyhow, I had my camera this time. I didn't want to be conspicuous, so I took a picture with no flash, so it's a bit dark, but I'm sure you guys can use your imagination. Click on the picture for a better close-up, plus there is one more zoom-up shot on my Flickr site, as a "bonus".

Club Basque was previously known as Club Deep, which was in some movie, I think Ocean Eleven. It's on Hollywood and Vine. I couldn't find the official website, otherwise I would provide the link. It's a joint worth checking out, except when the bathroom plumbing stops working. Yup, you heard me. For the guys, the free peep show might be worth it anyway.

[Tags: peep, show, dancer, burlesque, club, basque, hollywood, deep]

Photographic memory or stalker?

One night, I walked up to the bar to get a drink... The girl next to me looked at me with a quizzical look.

She says: Do I know you?

I say: No...

She says: Are you here for Tony's birthday party?

I say: Yes...

She says: Are you friends with JJ?

I say: Yes...

Then it hit me. She was posted on JJ's My Space page. She has been studying my pictures!?

She says: Did you date him?

Trick question. I had to think quick on my toes. I used the truth, or at least a twist of it.

I say: He was my rebound. I'm still in love with my ex-boyfriend.

She says: Oh. My friends thought he cheated on me.

I prayed it wasn't me. I wouldn't want to be that girl who causes problems, but I can't help it if a guy lies.

I say: How long ago did you guys date?

She says: Three years ago. But we tried again this past year.

I say: Oh.

We continued chatting for awhile that night.

I say: As a prank, we should text message him saying that I say hi. She didn't tell me that she did, but I found out later otherwise.

Upon her request, she wanted to exchange phone numbers. I gave her mine and then she called me back. I opened up my "Missed Calls" list, which revealed that JJ was my last caller. Caught red-handed, doh! I didn't lie that I kept in touch with him as friends.

As soon as I escaped from that hellish situation, I called JJ and exclaimed, "Thanks for telling me that your ex would be in the same bar... What else was I supposed to do? It's not like I have to answer her phone calls. Hey, I'm just trying to be a friend by letting you know." He threatened to take down his My Space page- as if I care. How am I supposed to know if she has sincere intentions? It has been a few days, so I think I'm in the clear.

I can't believe someone recognized me from My Space. The very next day, another girl recognized me, but at least it was a friend of a friend that time. Actually, it has happened before. Someone spotted me in another club in Hermosa. What's funny is that I rarely used those networking sites. Crazy. One other time, some (cute) guy contacted me via Friendster as a follow-up after I interviewed him to be my roomie. Either "it's a small world after all" in the South Bay or there are too many people with a photographic memory...

Anonymous photographer strikes again!

Smile
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

I don't know who took over my job as photographer at this point during our party, but I fancy this particular shot. It's amusing to review the pictures on my digital camera the next day... You can be at the same event, but different people will take different pictures.

Last month, one of my brothers volunteered for some fundraising event, but I already had plans. He ended up being the photographer at the event. I was jealous- that's what I would want to do. Of course, I'd rather be paid, but still it's something I enjoy. I need to take some photography classes.

Drunken dosey-do or wrestling?

Drunken dosey-do or wrestling?
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

I don't know what we were doing at this point during the party, but I was already sipping on water. Maybe wrestling? A futile effort on my part, since he plays rugby.

There were 150+ kodak moments at the party, but I don't know who the heck took this shot. I think I'll provide some disposable cameras next time...

Formula for a fun party

Beer pong
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

Beer pong + Flip cup + Beer = Fun at party

Moody FCUK

Girls
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

Yup, that's exactly what it says on my t-shirt (click on the pic for a close up), which ended up being perfect for Saturday night. I preferred to be the photographer that night, since I was a Moody FCUK. So there will be very few shots with me included. More pics to come...

Weekend's lesson learned: Don't go to Hollywood the night before throwing a house party. It's hard to be a fun hostess otherwise.

PS. FCUK is a brand name, not a curse word.

[Tags: moody, fcuk, shirt]

Sleepless in Hermosa

Just woke up from a long nap, i.e. 4:30 - 10:10 pm. I shouldn't plan anything on Sundays, since it should be a day of rest (or recovery). I can't handle going to bed at 4 am every night. Now I've popped in a new DVD, Wedding Crashers. I heard it was a good movie, but I was probably the only person in the world to miss it in theatre. I'll watch it until I pass out since I took a Benadryl. Thank goodness for Benadryl.

Sorry for being MIA from the blogosphere, but... I have some good pictures and crazy stories from the weekend: Comedy & Magic Club and Union Cattle Company (UCC) on Thursday, Club Basque (previously known as Club Deep) in Hollywood on Friday, and a VIP party at my house on Saturday. Stay posted for updates.

Happy belated Bday, Tony!
Happy belated Bday, Aubree!

Giddy up, baby!

Cowgirl at her best
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

Last weekend, we rode the bull at Union Cattle one after another. Since I had done it before on my birthday, my bull ride seemed to last a long time until my hand was feeling sore from hanging on. Next, my other friend jumped on and actually looked sexy on the bull- she claims it was her first time. Hmm... I think someone has been practicing.

PS. This was our first time to ride it on the weekend. We normally make fun of everyone doing it, because some people don't know how to dress properly for the occassion. Let's just say, a glimpse of someone's crack or crotch is not pleasing to the normal eye. Besides that, riding the bull is actually fun.

[Tags: bull, mechanical, ride, UCC, hermosa, beach, union, cattle]

4 is the magic number

I normally don't do things like this, but Allyn tagged me...

4 Jobs I've had in my life

• Engineer (my first and only real job so far)


• Barista at a coffee shop


• Gift shop


• Restaurant

4 Movies I can watch over and over

• Hitch


• How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days


• 50 First Dates


• Meet the Fockers

4 Places I have lived

• San Diego, CA - Coronado (growing up)


• San Diego, CA - La Jolla (college)


• Los Angeles, CA - Hermosa Beach (now)


• TBD

4 TV shows I love to watch (DVD or TiVo for me)

• Friends


• Sex and the City


• Family Guy


• Simpsons

4 Places I have been on vacation

• Vegas, baby, Vegas


• Australia


• Japan


• Caribbean

4 Websites I visit daily

• Sitemeter


• Flickr


• Gmail


• Blogger

4 of my favorite foods

• Filet mignon home-made or from Union Cattle


• Italian, especially at Buona Vita


• Teppanyaki (like Benihana)


• Anything my mom makes, especially lumpia and pancit

4 Places I would rather be right now

• Sleeping in bed


• Dancing in a club


• Caribbean


• Did I say Caribbean yet?

4 Bloggers I am tagging

• Ben


• Kristi


• Michiel


• Tony


• YOU (I added an extra)

Note: If you have been reading my blog regularly, I think these tidbits aren't new news...

My e-Fortune Cookie

While browsing memes on Blogthings, this one amused me...

Your Fortune Is

Just because men have one, doesn't mean they have to be one.

The Wacky Fortune Cookie Generator

I should have some of these fortune cookies on hand when I run into unwanted company at a bar- ha ha.

[Tags: fortune, cookie, meme]

My expertise: Kissing (really?)

You're an Expert Kisser

You're a kissing pro, but it's all about quality and not quantity You've perfected your kissing technique and can knock anyone's socks off And you're adaptable, giving each partner what they crave When it comes down to it, your kisses are truly unforgettable

What Kind of Kisser Are You?

Another "kiss and tell" from the My Space of the lovely H0ozdatgurl.

I love my friends

I love hanging out with my really good friends. There are very few people with whom I like to sit down and just talk off their ear. A bottle (or two) of wine helps of course. Tonight, I made dinner (again) and just enjoyed yip yappin' all night. Then some other friends stopped by last minute- that was a nice surprise indeed. I love laughing. Wine does aid in the frequency and intensity of laughter in this case. I don't know exactly what we talked about, but it was alot of fun from what I can recall. I wish I could feel happy like this all the time. :)

New swim suit

New swim suit
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

Bright colors, words on the ass, AND a peace sign made out of green sequins - what was I thinking? My friends think otherwise. A few years ago, I would never have been caught dead wearing such a thing. Actually, I didn't wear a 2-piece until ~4 years ago. Eek.

[Tags: swim, suit]

What's in a (porn star) name?

Your Porn Star Name Is...

Sweetest Sin

What's Your Porn Star Name?

Doesn't sound sinful enough to me... j/k. Original credit goes to H0ozdatgurl for posting her name first. This will probably be the only time that p-word wil pop up on this PG-13 site. Soo... what's your name?? Guys and girls can partake here.

[Tags: porn, star, name, meme]

Quote of the Day

She says to me, "My best* asset is my ass," to which I respond, "No pun intended, right?" On another day, I say to someone else, "My best* asset is my smile." When I smile, that is. I have also received compliments on my derriere as well, but I beg to differ. The disparity between what other people like versus what one sees in oneself can be bewildering sometimes. As people say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

*Note: I modified this blog post, where I replaced the word "biggest" with "best". I may have misquoted, otherwise it didn't sound nice.

Help: Recover a deleted picture??

Yes, I accidentally deleted a digital picture off my memory card before saving it to my harddrive. Smooth move, I know. It's not my first time either. It was a really good pic and I want it back. I'm willing to pay $$ for the picture. I have scoured the internet on CNET.com, but to no avail. None of the software programs worked. One program was able to see the file name but it could not be recovered- darn it! I spent a few minutes of my time giving bad reviews to these non-functional programs. I wonder if it really works for anyone. One would think one of the programs worked since thousands of people downloaded it.

My wish to my fairy godmother, if she existed: The ability to recover accidentally deleted pictures from my digital camera.

Is it that difficult to provide an "undelete" option?? I'm so pissed at myself. Lesson learned: Do not delete any pictures until a successful transfer and viewing of the pictures on my computer. Darn it.

PS. If you are my fairy godmother with a solution, please leave it in my comment box. Thanks in advance.

I'm a planner

Being a planner has it's pros and cons. The pros are fairly obvious, but the cons are not so much. At least, not so much until conflict arises. For example, I want to hang out with someone, but I already made plans with other friends. It's too hard to switch plans when someone contacts me late into the night already. I'm a busy girl and I like to go out, so planning is a must in my mind.

Being a planner = Not spontaneous. I need to be more spontaneous, I know. My friends and I were discussing this. We don't like it when guys contact us (i.e. text messages or leaves a voicemail) late into the night, because it seems like we were a last minute choice (AKA booty call). Of course, that might not be the guy's intention, but it's all about perception. Perhaps guys are simply not planners?? I've been noticing a trend lately. Hmm...

Sleep Marathon

If there is one marathon I could win, it will be a sleep marathon. I hit the sack at 8:00 PM last night, so I almost got 12 hours of beauty sleep. I could use all the beauty sleep I can get. That's more than double what I usually get during weekdays.

I don't know if I am getting sick again or if my allergies are acting up again. The winds are blowing, which usually aggravates my allergies. So it's probably just allergies. I am counting down the hours...

TGIF.

Conversation recall: Height

While lounging on the couch, the topic about height comes up.

He asks, "So how tall are you? 5'7"?"
She shakes her head.
"5'6"?"
She shakes her head again.
"5'5"?"
Nope.
He jumps off the couch, stands up, and asks her to stand up.
She refuses and says, "Didn't you read my profile on My Space?"
He exclaims, "You must have long legs."
She responds, "Actually, yes. I have a hard time finding pants long enough." Odd answer, but the truth.
She adds, "Most people think I'm 5'6", but I wear 2 inch platforms all the time."

I like being taller with my shoes, but not too tall. I hate wearing high heels, but platforms are comfortable for me. Needless to say, shorter girls have a larger population of boys from which to choose. Usually, I have a minimum height requirement, but as long as they're taller than me, I can look up into their eyes (while kissing). Hee hee.

Blogging by e-mail

I like how I can shoot a quick e-mail in order to post on my blog site- quick and painless.  No opening of an extra internet browser window, no logging into Blogger.com.  Of course, I have to open my account to make changes, but this is a nice way to post during the day in a heartbeat.

"I've lost my mojo"

I mean it in a different way from Austin Powers.  What is one's motivation or drive?

a) Power

b) Fame

c) $$$

d) Happiness

e) None of the above

 

What's your answer?

City lights reflect on the water

Skyline of Downtown Long Beach
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

I love shots like this, but it doesn't beat our Yokohama, Japan shot (CLICK HERE). This is a nice view of downtown Long Beach, however the beach scenery is usually more pleasing to my eye.

It's easy to take different shots on the Casio camera, since there are pre-set settings for different situations, i.e. Night time. I have yet to take a photography class so that I can learn the art. Of course, my point-and-shoot camera won't be good enough. One day, I'll invest in a nice SLR.

Great DVD: The Boondock Saints

And Shepards we shall be.
For thee, my Lord, for thee.
Power hath descended forth
from Thy hand, that our feet
may swiftly carry out Thy
command. So we shall flow a
river forth to Thee and teeming
with souls shall it ever be.
In Nomine Patris, et Filii,
et Spiritus Sancti.
- Irish brothers, Connor & Murphy MacManus, Boston, in The Boondock Saints

It has been a long time since I've watched a great movie on DVD. Not to mention, the Irish brothers aren't bad looking either- CLICK HERE if you want to be a proud owner of their picture on a pin (?!). All in all, excellent recommendation by the Sun Devil. I think I might just have to purchase the DVD for myself.

Save a horse, Ride a cowboy

Save a horse, Ride a cowboy
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

I saw this billboard while cruising down the 710 freeway last night. I had to pull over and take a picture for my Texan friend. She has a t-shirt with that same tag line, to no surprise. Maybe I should start listening to country music...

Addictions or Passions?

In no particular order with length of time...

• Coffee (since college)
• E-mail (since college)
• Digital photography (since 3.5 years ago)
• Blogging (since 1 year ago)
• Poker (since the holidays)
• Laughing (??)

Q: Does age matter?

I've had to deal with this question recently. Older or younger, does it really matter? My stupid rule: 3 years and older. The upper limit has been tested in the past a few times, not so much the lower end. This is not to claim that maturity is matched if the guy happens to have been born 3 years before me. Here's another adage: rules were meant to be broken. True, after a certain point, age doesn't matter, but what point is that? As a friend mentioned before, we are now in the middle, gray area, or in limbo. Is age just a number??

3 Brothers = I'm the 4th player

I'm the eldest as well, which may explain why I'm the big bully sister. I never had to share clothes with anyone, no hand-me-downs. However, it was always "boys vs girl" while growing up. I learned to be the 4th player for video games on Nintendo. I understand some football for reasons: playing video games with my bros and being a cheerleader in highschool. There are pros and cons to having 3 bros. One positive: automatic playmates/friends. My bros have been playing poker for some time now, and my addiction recently started over the holidays. With 3 brothers, we always have enough players, which does not help our addiction though. Anyhow, it's time to play some poker now...

"You made my blog"

Me and the boys
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

So, a new friend told me this story about his buddy...

Boy and Girl meet at a club. Boy and Girl have a good time. At the end of the night, Girl says, "Yes, you are Top 8 material." Huh? Girl was referring to My Space. Top 8 is where someone posts the pictures of their 8 top "friends". I always doubt people's friends are really friends on My Space. That's hiliarious. I don't really use My Space, but blogging is my thing.

So I told my new friend, "You made my blog. You gonna quote that?" Hilarious.

PS. Great time going out with the boys last night. Congrats to the 1st Lieutenants for their promotions. And Happy Birthday to the Sun Devil!

Wish you were here.

Warm water in the Caribbean
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

Actually, I wish I was there again. TGIF. Have a great weekend.

FREE blogger tools for you

Not only the common cold, but also the blogging bug has been spreading like a disease (AKA blogaholicism). I'll admit that it takes some precious time to setup a page, but Blogger.com makes it relatively easy for a simple blog page. When you want to take it another level, "Quick Online Tips" blog can't make it any easier for you than this- CLICK HERE for "Free essential tools for Blogger". I know that I can confuse and/or overwhelm a new blogger, so this list can prove to be helpful. I told my friend that I would dedicate this post to him, as part of my promise to help him start blogging. Now the next step is actually blogging. I've set up blog sites for other friends, but it usually ends up sitting there- how sad. I guess blogaholicism is not too contagious.

I was wearing my cool t-shirt, "Too Busy to Blog", at the gym last night. Like many others, someone asked, "How do you have time for blogging?" The answer was simple: I make time for blogging. Duh.

Top Search Words & Tags

Random people have found my blog through search engines, such as Technorati, Blogger Search and Google. Technorati seems to be the most popular one. Based on my handy dandy sitemeter, here's a list of some search words or tags so far- not in any particular order, but some more interesting than others:

• chopsticks
• white elephant gift exchange
• pinata
• osteopenia
• ingredients visine sick (yes all three words at once)
• smhyla blog (I guess this person can't remember www.smhyla.com)
• manhattan beach new years blogspot
• hair conditioning
• aspirin allergic
• tylenol
• hives
• underwear
• undies
• girls
• cheater

Baby shower gifts

I went to a baby shower last weekend. I think it's only the third one in my life. Since babies grow so fast, clothing and toys are not on the top of my gift list. I usually will buy a gift card to Costco, so they can buy as much baby supplies as needed. The thought of buying a couple hundred diapers crossed my mind, but that would be too hard to wrap and transport in my little Honda Civic. For this baby shower, I decided to make a gift bag with a Winnie the Pooh theme. I filled a diaper bag with a cute soft blanket and Baby's First set. The Baby's First set includes a photo album, a little storage box for the first tooth and first hair curl, a growth chart, etc. These are things that baby won't totally grow out of. I'm hoping the baby blanket becomes their favorite that they keep for years. I just checked Target.com and found a cuter gift diaper bag set, which I'll have to get next time.

I thought I'd share this, since someone else might be dragged to a baby shower a couple times in their lifetime. If and when I have a baby shower, many toys will not be in gift registry. I don't want to have to pick up all those toys, what a mess. I know my other friend will return a bunch of stuff, because she has no room in her apartment. So I try to be thoughtful, since I don't want my gift returned. I normally hate gift cards, but they can buy their own diapers with a gift card from Costco. I figure new parents might be strapped for cash or apalled at the cost of diapers. Eek.

[Tags: baby, shower, gift]

Distracted by 2 hot firemen

Like every weekday morning, I head to Starbucks before going to work late. I walk out with a grande soy latte in my right hand and a slice of banana bread in my left. I place my coffee on the sunroof, so that I can grab my car keys from my purse. As I am opening my car door, two hot firemen are jogging past me. We make eye contact, so they greet me, "Good Morning." Of course, I smile and say the same thing.

I get into my car all giddy, then drive away. There is a loud thud sound behind me. Hmm... What the heck was that? I look in my rearview mirror to find my grande soy latte all over my rear view window. Wonderful.

Instead of continuing to work, I turn back to my house, so that I can dump a bucket of water to rinse the brown liquid off my white car. I couldn't go back to the same Starbucks, but I was tired. I need another coffee. Thank goodness there are Starbucks stores everywhere. I just wish there were firemen everywhere too. j/k (maybe).

[Tags: fireman, firemen, coffee]

Monet or the Caribbean?

Monet or the Caribbean?
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

One of my most favorite shots. I didn't even notice the sunset until after the picture was taken. I wish I could be on that cruise again.

Photography by Sparky.

[Tags: monet, sunset, caribbean, ocean]

Wanna be my friend??

I just joined the "Frappr team for Blogs that Flickr". In case you don't know, Flickr is the photo hosting site that I use to share cute pics on my blog. What's Frappr? I figured out that Frappr is a mapping service. You can see where all other "Blogs that Flickr" are located. Interesting and neat when your fellow blogaholics are sprinkled around the globe.

So, I started my own Frappr group, called "sMhyla and Friends". CLICK HERE if you wanna be my friend... Sounds gay, huh? Well, get over it, then click on it. You don't have to give much information and you get added to my map for free. Cool, don't you think? If not, sign up anyway. :P

Update: Here's another group for you guys to join with me: Blogaholics Anonymous - quite appropriate for most of us, don't you think?

Jaws spotted in Manhattan Beach

Jaws spotted in Manhattan Beach
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

Look at what my friend ran into at the Round House Aquarium when we were strolling along the Manhattan Beach Pier last weekend. I had a hard time leaving LA last weekend to make the trek to San Diego. The weather is getting better and better here- not enough to jump into the water like the Caribbean, but nice enough that I want to be outdoors. I love living by the beach. The only thing missing is the warm water, but it's not quite warm enough to wear short shorts yet. Let the countdown to another summer of crazy fun begin...

[Tags: shark, attack, jaws, aquarium, manhattan, beach]

Mr. Roboto brings joy

Mr. Roboto
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

I swear this will be the last picture from my white elephant party, if I can help it. Some of the gifts were more popular than I thought it would have been. For example, the robot was one of the "most wanted" gifts that night after it danced around with flashing lights. The funniest thing is that my friend's boyfriend ended up buying it off the final winner to give it to his girlfriend's friend, even though he originally wanted it for himself! What a nice guy.

* Robot toy for xmas party = 20 bucks or less
* Capturing my friends' true smiles and laughter on film = Priceless

I shit my pants...

I shit my pants...
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

I saw this birthday picture cake on display at a bakery in China Town. Someone sure has a sense of humor, but I personally wouldn't want that for my (future) kid's birthday. Hilarious.

PS. Click on the picture to read the fine print on the baby's t-shirt.

[Tags: cake, baby, birthday, picture]

Fuzzy face (1 month)

Fuzzy face (1 month)
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

After he lost the bet. I kinda like his fuzzy face. Not many guys can pull off a beard. I don't know if he ever decided to shave it off since the bet ended on New Year's.

No fuzzy face (0 month)

No fuzzy face (0 month)
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

The "before" shot when he lost the football bet to his coworker...

Forever Fondue for NYE

Forever Fondue for NYE
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

As I mentioned earlier, we had a fondue/pasta dinner on NYE with my new fondue set. Nice temperature controlled one by Cuisinart at a good deal from Costco, in case you need one or need a gift idea. At a previous party, my friend's candle-fondue burned our chocolate for the strawberries.

On that night's menu, we cut up pieces of chicken breast and italian sausage and mushroom, all of which were dipped into hot oil. I provided 2 noodle types (fettuccini and mini rigatoni) with 5 sauces: tomato/red, alfredo/white, pesto/green, basil cream (alfredo + pesto), and tomato cream/pink (alfredo + tomato). The two mixed sauces were the most popular. If you haven't done it before, be prepared for a long dinner since it's cook-and-eat-as-you-go. I want to have another fondue dinner, any ideas? Maybe I should look for a fondue recipe book...

[Tags: fondue]

Another blogger will be born

I suggested that my friend start blogging for his around-the-world trip. He sold his condo, quit his job, and is training for triathlons around the world. His ultimate goal is to compete in the Olympics. What a great goal in life. He can afford to travel for the next 10 months. What a great life. I know he is feeling up and down about this imminent trip, but blogging can be the method for keeping in touch with friends and family.

His first stopover is Japan and Southeast Asia, then to New Zealand, Europe and other far ends of the world. Even though I've been to Asia for business, I'm interested to see the world through his eyes. He'll be having fun doing races and outdoorsy stuff, while I'm usually couped up in a hotel or company's meeting room, looking out the window with a rare chance to wander off.

After my personal one hour tutorial with him, I hope he will be able to launch his blog soon. I don't know what his username will be yet, but he will be added to my blogroll of course. He's not a total newbie to the blogosphere, since he used to have an online journal about his outdoor climbing adventures in Colorado, but that was in the pre-Blogger days. It's too bad he didn't keep a copy or archive it. One day I (or we) will look back at this, laugh and/or cry. My LTM (long term memory) is not so good, so blogging aids me as well.

Next up: List of my fave blogging tools (to help him start his blog and yours).

Kiss the fish

fish
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

The fish pinata was one of the unique gifts during our White Elephant party last month. How cute- the fish, that is. Now we need another party to break open the pinata.

PS. My friends are awesome for letting me take silly pics.

[Tags: kiss, fish, pinata, white elephant]

Chicks hook up DVD player

Ooh ahh, ooh aah. Yup, those are the headlines on the morning paper today. We were having girls night at my friend's new apartment, which involved chatting, eating dinner, chatting, soaking in the jacuzzi, chatting, and watching a DVD. The last part proved the most challenging. My friend had just bought a 50 inch plasma TV, but the DVD player was not working properly. It was hooked up, then her boyfriend did something and it wasn't working anymore. He tried to fix it, but gave up. We were a bunch of girls without a guy on a Saturday night. I contemplated about calling a boy, but I decided to figure it out myself. It did take us awhile to figure it out since the plasma TV had several inputs from which to choose. After 20 minutes or so, we finally got it to work. For some reason, the cables were running into the output instead of the input. Duh.

The girls sitting on the couch were impressed that we figured it out. One girl exclaimed, "How do you know how to do this?" The other girl chimed in, "We don't need a guy if we have sMhyla." Ha ha, not! If you don't know already, I'm an engineer, but I'm far from being a guy, or even a tomboy. I usually can't be bothered with electronics, but I told them that I hooked up my own DVD player. Actually, I had received a DVD player as a Christmas gift 2 years ago from a boyfriend. I wanted him to hook it up, but he refused. He said, "sMhyla, it's easy, you can do it yourself." This guy did not like to baby me, as you can see. Anyhow, one day I decided to open up the box and try it. As you probably know, there are 3 cables color-coded red, yellow, and white, so all you have to do it match it between the DVD player and TV- ooh aah, ooh ahh. Not rocket science. We didn't need a guy (in this case).

[Tags: dvd, vcr, help, helpless]

You want what you can't have

Or, you don't want what you can have.

This is an interesting saying. From here, the topic can move onto intentions, timing, etc. How about wanting the same thing at the same time? Timing is of the essence. Why do you want it (him/her)?

There is a reason or two why I write this post. That's for me to know, and you to find out...

Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater

One weeknight, I was having drinks with a guy and his friends. One of his friends spotted her roommate at a nearby table. South Bay is a small world. She whispers to us, "That's not his wife." Here is another example why not to trust guys. A bit later, another server approaches our table and asks, "What would you all like to drink? The drinks are on the gentleman over there." Hmm... I don't know the guy personally. I don't like taking drinks from strangers. And I hate cheaters. Do I need any more reasons to refuse the drink?

Why a free round of drinks?
a) Is it a bribe to keep our lips sealed?
b) Does he want to look like a good guy in front of his lady friend of the night?
c) Is he genuinely a generous guy?
d) All of the above

Despite my morals, I didn't refuse the drink. We ended up toasting to the guy. Should I not care? It's none of my business, I suppose. However, I don't condone that behavior. I know it's accepted in some societies. When I visited some countries overseas, it's known that the husband has a mistress, as long as he doesn't deface his wife in public. WTF?! Maybe I've got high expectations, but gimme a break. I'm not surprised that I have trust issues. There are very few people I trust. Trust no one.

PS. This is my first post via email. cool.

Single and ready to mingle

My friend invited me to join her for a singles party in a few weeks. She is supposed to bring 2 single friends. She wants to bring one male and one female, because she's worried there will be too many girls. Good strategy, smart girl. We would have to find a friend that we like but don't mind setting up. Hmm...

I've never been to a singles party. I normally don't have a true single status, but I guess I do now. This will be interesting, because I hate dating. My other friend went to a singles party for Halloween, which I thought it was odd at first. However, at least you know in advance that everyone there wants to meet someone else, no guessing who's taken or married. I normally go out to just to enjoy the music and friends, not to meet people (AKA boys, believe it or not). This will be a new experience. I'll let you guys know how it turns out. Eek.

TGIF.

Best Buns in Town

Best Buns in Town
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

What if that was plastered on the back of my car? Quite clever for a local bakery, I must say. Another good example of effective mobile advertising.

"Someone smells like salad!"

My friend and I were talking about hair conditioning, which reminded her about something. In highschool, she had a crush on her neighbor who was old enough to drive. One day, she asked him to carpool to school. When they were sitting around in gym class, he bellowed out, "Who smells like salad?" Let's just say that was the last time she conditioned her hair with mayonnaise. On that note, I am more than willing to pay the price for a pleasant-smelling conditioner.

"You're unemotional."

That's what a boy said to me, in addition to "Just because you cry once in awhile does not make you emotional." He said, "You're like a guy," to which I responded, "You're like a girl." (This last statement makes me laugh.) I don't know if I should be hurt or not. Perhaps, he speaks the truth or he doesn't know me at all.

Blog Tip of the Day: Archives

Unlike in Xanga, Blogger doesn't offer "Next Page" button at the bottom of the page in case you want to read previous blog posts. Only the most recent blog posts for the past week will be shown on my front page. If you need to catch up on my blogs since you were on a nice holiday vacation, click on "Archives" in the right panel of this page. My blogs are archived on a monthly basis, so you can read my blogs by the month. Be prepared for alot of reading since I blog on a daily basis, sometimes 3 times per day. Not everyone reads on a daily basis, but I do notice that Monday is a popular day. Business hours are peak times, interestingly enough.

When I first started reading someone else's blog on Blogger last year, I couldn't figure out how to read previous posts. I found it quite annoying. Blogger's Help section can be helpful if you know what you are looking for and have the patience. I like to share, so I'll blog about some tips here and there. If you know the code for "Next Page", let me know. I did add "Back to Top" in my footer section, but it's really just back to the first page. Anyhow, happy blogging!

Another accident in LA

Since I'm into numbers...
15 miles / 20 minutes = 45 mph = estimated speed according to Google Maps

15 miles / 30 minutes = 30 mph = typical speed during rush hour

15 miles / 1 hour = 15 mph = my average speed to work this morning, even though my speedometer read zero most of the time

I knew I was in trouble when it took forever on the offramp. The freeway was already backed up. Like others, I thought to myself, "There had better be an accident." Not that I wish ill will upon others. Sometimes traffic clears up for no apparent reason, but not this time. After inching on the freeway for a half hour, I saw a fallen motorcycle in the carpool lane, surrounded by fire trucks and cops. Some feet ahead, a car sat idle in the road with a shattered hatchback window. The motorcyclist must have rear ended the car and been thrown into the car's rear window? Inside the ambulance, there was somebody with black high-heeled boots, who must have been the driver since the shoes aren't practical for riding. Hope everyone survives this accident. I guess I should be lucky or happy that I made it to work in one piece today, albeit very late at 9am. Witnessing someone else's misfortunes can make one appreciate oneself, or at least I like to think that.

More s'mores please

smores
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

This was the first time we used our fire place this winter. I bought some nice roasting sticks from REI, so that we can roast marshmellows for s'mores- much better than coat hanger wire. Something different from the normal party desserts. Makes for a cute picture of my friends too. Who'd ever thought these girls would be roasting marshmellows in semi-formal dresses.

Who's brainless, heartless?

Sea jellies are brainless and heartless
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

I cracked up when I saw this sign b/c it reminds be of guys, j/k. Seriously though, this is an interesting fact of the day. For some reason, I thought animals needed brains, if not also hearts. I didn't see any jelly fish in the Wizard of Oz. Hmm...

PS. I must give credit to marquema. That's where I first saw a cool picture of jelly fish, which inspired me to imitate the same pic. Not only is it amazing to capture, but also identify, something beautiful and/or interesting.

Many jellyfish

Many jellyfish
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

I think sea jellies are cool looking. Transparent and graceful.

"We need to talk..."

I hate it when someone says that. It's even worse when they say it ahead of time, so I'm dreading as the time passes until the meeting itself. I'm a thinker. I dwell on things. Thoughts pass through my head over and over, reviewing a memory over and over- what was said, what wasn't said. Wondering what I did wrong. Wondering what happened. I hate talking about feelings. I like to talk, but not about feelings, at least not my own. I've learned this about myself over the past few years. I don't think I'm sad, more than I'm simply bothered. The ultimate question is, "Do I even care?" I don't know if it's maturity and/or I'm ambivalent (see my iMood in the right panel). Do I even care?

Xmas Shark Baby

Shark egg (Xmas baby)
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

My company's holiday party was held at the Long Beach Aquarium. Besides dinner and dancing, we were allowed to stroll through the aquarium exhibits. I took a ton of shots of course. This exhibit was quite interesting, since they opened up the egg for us to peer into the life of a baby shark before being born. This shark baby was almost ready to be hatched at the time, but should be born by now. You can see it's brothers and sisters are waiting patiently in the tank too.

After dinner, Vegas-style tables were set up for games of poker and blackjack. We were given play money, but the winners received raffle tickets for prizes at the end. I didn't win anything this year, darn! A few years ago, I won both a boom box and 2 annual passes for Disneyland- that was cool. I had skipped the last two holiday parties, but I'm glad that I went this year. Good company, good food- all for free, can't beat that. More pictures to come (as always).

[Tags: long beach, aquarium, shark, egg]

Crystal bong or vase?

Crystal bong or vase?
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

This was one of the classier gifts at my white elephant party. However, this crystal vase could be mistaken for a bong, j/k. This is a bit long for a vase, but you could put a small fish in it to be more creative- ooh la la. I thought it could have looked nice on our fire place mantel, but my roomie was not in full agreement. So I "stole" the Starbucks gift card instead. For this particular kodak moment, the bubble wrap got stuck during use.

The other hot gifts at this party were: the electronic dart board, a toy robot (that dances and everything!), a drinking glass set, and drinking checkerboard set (little beer mugs instead of the typical shot glasses). Other notable gifts were cute Christmas tree ornaments and a fish pinata filled with candy- yummy! My friends sure are creative and imaginative with their gifts. It's amazing what you can get for under $20, many things you wouldn't dare buy for yourself.

[Tags: white, elephant, party, gift, exchange, christmas, xmas, holiday]

1st Annual White Elephant Party

Gifts galore
Originally uploaded by smhyla.

We hosted our first annual white elephant party a few weeks ago. It was alot more fun than I thought it would be. Thank goodness one of the attendees knew the rules. Even though we limited it to 3 steals per gift, the game was looooonnngggg with 20+ players. Next time, we need an egg timer to encourage people to select the gift quickly (see my roomie surrounded by gifts in the picture). Some of the gifts were hilarious, some were practical. I am more than satisfied with my Starbucks gift card, especially after my first unfortunate pick (Poker daily calendar). Whoever brought the Poker daily calendar will not be invited to my party next year...

If you haven't had the chance to experience the fun, CLICK HERE for the rules. We limited the gift to $10-20 value, but it can be something re-gifted as long as it hasn't been used yet. This is a good chance to recycle that thing that your aunt gave you last year. A friend suggested we have a theme for next year, i.e. alcohol. In that case, everyone must show up on time and early, so that we can enjoy the gifts for the rest of the night. The white elephant parties get crazier every year especially when someone brings the same gift back. My friend said the "talking fish" always comes back at her work party. I wonder what will come back next year. More pics to come, stay tuned...

[Tags: white, elephant, party, gift, exchange, christmas, xmas, holiday]

I'm a winner!!!

Yup, I played texas hold 'em last night. I never thought that I'd be playing poker on New Year's. Normally, I'd be dancing/clubbing, or at least be outside of the house. I've never celebrated NYE in Hermosa even though I live here. This year was low key. To tell the truth, I was a bit nervous, since I'm a big planner. Being spontaneous is not me. We had an impromptu dinner with my new fondue set (another blog story), then played a game of poker. Staying at home worked well since it was raining cats and dogs in Hermosa this weekend.

My poker addiction started on Thanksgiving. Something to do with my brothers. With a low buy-in ($5 or 10), it's something we can all enjoy for a couple of hours. I can be competitive, so I'm playing for bragging rights, not so much for money. It got really exciting when I was playing heads up at the end with VIP, who plays poker on weekly basis, if not daily. Actually, everyone except me and my girlfriend played on a regular basis. I couldn't believe that I was still in the game. Actually, we all agreed that the winner would clean the dishes and throw the trash after dinner. At the time, I didn't think that I had a chance at winning. With my luck, I won the game, and I cleaned up after I cooked dinner. Hmm... what's wrong with this picture?? I guess the pot could go toward the grocery bill. I'll blog about some poker highlights from my winning night soon. Happy New Years! A good way to start the year...

[Tags: new, years, poker, texas, NYE, eve]