hope

i am wishing

for anything

anything good

to happen today.

dwell

how absolutely darling:



adorableness.

secret

we had the bf's boss + husband over for dinner last night.

i love making dinner for guests.

gyoza starters, with ma po tofu and spicy green beans for the main course. almond jello for dessert. lots of red wine.

they had both been asking about my blog, and in light of all the absolutely scandalous things i write about the bf, we had not complied.

but we were found out last night.

thus, the private blog. i am hoping to bring it back to the public (all five of you) soon, but we shall see.

two years of loveliness on this blog, and yet my loves are still the same:
playing jumping in puddles the running man laughing loudly being a lady downloading ringtones astrology daydreaming making wishes on padiddles constellations being afraid of headlights that look like eyes my hair karma kissing gofugyourself giggling at ketchup bottle farts trying to be graceful making faces glamour drinking tea back scratching flirting breakfast at tiffanys smiling at strangers dara moskowitz lychee martinis eyeliner and mascara the nytimes modern love column driving badly caramel truffle cake sparkly things keeping promises and wonder

add the bf and i am all good.

ginger

omg.

i was talking to my mom on the way to the grocery store (and in the store, and after i left the store), just gabbing. the occasional eye roll. laughing at the story she was telling me about how she tried to deliver my brother a sandwich and hot wings except she forget to unclick the "cash" payment option and when the delivery boy tried to deliver to my brother and said that it was from my mother, my bro said, "my mom would never have something delivered to me and expect me to pay for it!" he refused to pay, and the delivery boy left him the sandwich for no charge. my mom then tried to call them back and explain the situation and provide a credit card for payment, but the system apparently said it was all taken care of, that my brother had paid cash for the sandwich. ha!! my little asian mama.

my crazy family.

when i arrived home, i stopped by the apartment office to pick up two fedex packages that i had received a notice for yesterday.

i had ordered some measuring cups/spoons from amazon.com, but could not imagine what was in the packages because they were so large. and there were two.

i eagerly opened one box up:



i squealed with delight. i often send my mom ebay items that i covet. i usually get an email back that the item is a) ugly b) impractical or c) expensive. but this time, this time, my lovely mother decided to surprise me.

i am absolutely thrilled!! i love my mom. i am a lucky, lucky daughter.

earth

happy earth day!

how fitting that today i am going to get a pedicure.

you know, feet. walk. ground. earth.

all that jazz.

and in honor of earth day, and green, i bought this nail polish:

essie greenport from the north fork collection. 

i know, i know. but i truly believe that the world wants my toes to be beautiful. 

i'm just doing my part.

whoa

i love the bf.

i realized that even more so than usual tonight over happy hour with s.

we were hashing relationships.

past, present and potential.

i kept telling her about how relationships, all relationships, are work. we just have to figure out if we are all in.

how do you know?

i told her that through it all, the fights, the miscommunications, the talks, the makeups, through everything,

i am simply, absolutely crazy about the bf.

oop

relationships are always work.

it's work i tend to enjoy.

most of the time, the bf and i get along splendidly.

but sometimes our wires cross and we inadvertently hurt each other.

his wounds are deep and barely visible. mine are superficial and supposedly fleeting, except the scabs get scratched off over and over.

i tend to let things fester.

i pride myself on being self-aware, but sometimes i honestly don't know what's wrong until it hits me and knocks me off my feet.

which prompts me to want to "talk" during inopportune times (like when the bf just gets off an 8-hour red-eye flight to london only to hop on a 6-hour flight to cairo).

i can't help it.

gift

so many celebrations coming up.

weddings. graduations. mother's day. birthdays. second weddings.

and then comes my favorite part.

finding the present. the perfect one. the one.

looking up registries. buying glasses. coffee makers (red, like the kind they wanted). gifts that you try to find when you don't have a registry to go on. gift certificates to lovely online boutiques. creative presents for college students, like cute storage containers for takeout. or this book (i just read it and fell in love with it). a mother's day present only the bf's mother could love.

on most days, i am a taker. i fill my life up with moments and daydreams and things and love and i greedily take it in. i suck it all in and swallow it whole and revel in the deliciousness of it all. i take, i take, i take! gimme gimme gimme. thank you.

but on great days, i am definitely a giver.

pink

i want:





makes me want to dance.

bunk

the bf and i have fun conversations.

i am currently blessed with two big pimples. one below my lip and one on the side of my nose. i never get zits. i am stressed out about it.

i don't touch them. i will them away with hot towels and wishing.

one went away in the shower. i was angry when i discovered that. somehow i know that my face cannot tell the difference between accidentally popping in the shower and my picking at it. thus my concerns about popping in the first place.

i was telling the bf how upset i was. i told him that i don't usually get zits like this, and that i think it's because i wake up sweaty since our down comforter is clearly too warm for the arizona climate.

the bf said, actually, i think your hypotheses are bunk.

screeeeeeech.

i stared. wide-eyed. blink blink.

you mean all my hypotheses or just my self-diagnoses?

because i have a LOT of hypotheses! about myself. about the world. about what godaddy.com really is about.

i said, my whole life is a hypothesis!

pook

i am dreaming about holidays today.

well, dreaming in general.

we have weddings coming up, and i am getting excited. all of them will be brilliant i'm sure, but there is one in particular that i think i will very much enjoy.

so many celebrations this year. i love the idea of being in love.

i think, because, i am, very much, everyday.

how lucky i am.

egg

another great weekend.

i hardly slept, but it was great anyway.

on saturday morning the bf and i met s and j for a brunch double date at the zumbro cafe. french toast and eggs benedict. a walk to a bakery afterwards. yum.

in the afternoon we picked up my bro and his wife and drove down to mankato. a threw a wonderful surprise party for j at his favorite bar. he was surrounded by family and friends. how perfect. the best thing was when he said, "i am so happy" while his gin-and-tonic-filled eyes grinned.

on sunday, we had an easter brunch with family. the the bf and i hightailed it to the airport.

it is very nice to be back in our own space. i can sleep again.

spring

i am loving this dress:



click for details. sigh.

hop

heading back to msp for easter weekend!

plus, it is my brother's 30th birthday! ooh. makes me feel really old. to figure out my brother's ages, i have to subtract by two the age that i will be turning this year.

oh. i just gave away my secret age. tell and i'll hurt you.

anyway, it's no secret that i am horrible at math, and i have quirky ways to go about figuring things out. i still find that the quickest way sometimes is to use my fingers. i have tips and discounts figured out though (skills i've picked up from shopping and drinking, shopping and drinking).

minneapolis tonight, mankato tomorrow night.

have a brilliant easter weekend, everyone!

fishing

last night m and i went to the fish market.

delicious happy hour from the sushi bar.

rainbow roll. caterpillar roll. spicy tuna.

and to top it off, vodka tonics. mmm.

m is delightful to be around because she is the raunchiest person (and mom) i know. she tells a good story, and she tells it to you straight. i laughed so hard my belly ached. she also tells stories that make your heart ache, and that's why i love her.

good times.

rah

oh the bf.

he spent most of last week traveling on business. we met in minneapolis for an evening, but didn't spend the night together as i stayed with e and he stayed at his house.

he left early in the morning on saturday so i missed him.

when i arrived in arizona on sunday, he picked me up and we went to the grocery store to pick up supplies for dinner. i had wanted noodle soup at a chinese restaurant. but we were making tilapia and potatoes (note: potatoes take about an hour in the oven).

so i was grumpy.

when we got to the apartment - surprise!

there was a macbook box sitting on the coffee table. squeal. for me?! so sweet and thoughtful. i love you bf!

i wish i could tell you that there wasn't a fight on sunday evening.

but i'd be lying.

like most couples, the bf and i have communication snags. we had a doozy of one on sunday night. a case of "okay let's do that" when really i felt like "no i want to do this but i'll go along with what i think you want even though you only want me to be happy so when i do what you want and it's not what i want it will explode in my face."

easy, right? grin.

thx

good times with the girls!

saturday was filled with plans with girlies in between getting my hair trimmed and my eyebrows waxed (i know, i know, i have a hard time letting go). lunch with s at yum! for a veggie sandwich and iced tea. yum! lots of laughing + gossip. what could be better?

met here for some kid-friendly fun! oh the babies! oh the mamas! it is so crazy that my friends have kids. so grown up! (well, some of us). after a quick pizza dinner and speedy baby bedtime break, my favorite girls met at al vento for drinks.

sunday was quick boutique shopping with e, then off to the airport. and...off!

it was fabulous to catch up - i have a feeling that these gatherings will be few and far between, but i cherish the moments.

showers

i am so happy that april is here!

last night i went to my fave spot lola for some white sangria, eggplant stacks, tortilla de patatas, and root veggies in a white wine reduction. mmm.

they have community tables at lola, so you're always bound to meet new people. i love that. we met a very nice lady, donna, and we gave up our numbers even though she kept calling my friend "cheryl." she also called us "sophie" interchangeably so who knows who she thinks she will be calling.

tonight i am going to forks & corks, an annual food and wine event held in the spring. lovely. i said yes to the invitation before i realized how much tickets cost. oops. [sharp inhale from the bf here]

but, i do love a great foodie event, so it will be a fun first (and possibly last) time for me.

and tomorrow? i'm leaving on a jet plane...to minneapolis!

mama i'm coming home.