My First Taste of Fame and Fortune...

So last weekend, my husband bought us Singstar for Playstation 3. (Yes, I realize I don't need one more thing that forces me to be in front of the television). However, it was only $20.00 including the mikes, and Ne-Yo's song "So Sick" was on it, as well as Britney Spears' "Toxic". Good times. (Even though, those are really the only 2 songs we've been singing.) This past weekend though, we found another disc to play on the Singstar: ABBA. Don't laugh, I know you know all their songs too! You can't help but smile and sing along to these songs, which if you really pay attention, don't actually make THAT much sense. (What exactly is a "Chiquitita"? It makes me think of bananas...) I realized that I don't know a lot of the beginnings of the songs, but boy do I know the choruses!! They show the "videos" while you sing and they are all wearing those glorious 70's outfits! Anyhoo, all weekend I've been singing "Mamma Mia" and "Super Trouper".

Super Trouper. haha. I have a funny story for you.

When I was a kid, I was in a singing group called...The Super Troupers. True story.

My family and I were over at a family friend's house for dinner one night. They had a daughter who was two years younger than me (and two years older than my sister), and her cousin was also there and he was a year younger than me. While our parents sat and visited, the 4 of us were playing upstairs and listening to the MiniPops album. (You know - the MiniPops - they were kids that sang popular songs and they were awesome!) Their album was composed mainly of medleys and one of those medleys was the ABBA medley. (This explains why I only really know the choruses and not the whole song...) Anyways, we (I) decided that we were going to perform this MiniPops album for our parents. Since I was the oldest, I was also the ring leader. This meant I chose who was going to sing what song. We only had one boy in the group, so he had to sing all the "boy songs". I divided up the rest of the songs between myself and the other girl. Since my sister was the youngest, she was tasked with a lot of the background "vocals" and backup dancing. After we/I determined who was singing what, we went about practicing dance moves (ie. shuffling from side to side) and figuring out the singer transitions (ie. getting the singer of the next song out as soon as the song changed). When we were almost ready, I sent my sister downstairs to announce to our parents and their friends, that we would be performing in half an hour...

 Finally, the time came for us to perform and though there were some mistakes ("No YOU'RE supposed to sing this one! No you are!" etc...) we were a HIT! We even got paid. We ran upstairs, giddy from the high of performing and congratulated ourselves on how well we did. Then I divided up the money. We each got $1.00! It was our first taste of fame and fortune...And with that, the "Super Troupers" were born. 

After that, we had "gigs" at any and every party our parents had. I made posters and had my mom photocopy them for us on different colored paper. We had curling irons for our microphones, our dance moves got (slightly) better and so did our costumes (kind of). We began charging for our "mini concerts": $0.25 for adults and $0.10 for kids. Soon I appointed a stage manager, who was in charge of turning the record around, and an accountant,who collected our money. It was a great time in our lives...

Eventually though...like most groups, we had some "creative" disagreements which finally led us to disband. Our era, like the Beatles, was over.

But every now and then, I remember the glory we had...and it was AWESOME. And hearing these songs on Singstar by ABBA just brings me back to those days...

Hm...perhaps a reunion concert is in the cards?? (Of course now, we'd have to charge more.)

Style Vs. Comfort: Round 2?

So everytime I go on a trip where a lot of walking is involved, my feet always become my worst enemy. I know everyone always says, "WEAR COMFY SHOES!" But here's the thing: I think that no matter how comfortable your shoes are, after walking around all day, your feet/legs are going to hurt! To this end, my goal in life has been to find comfortable AND stylish shoes. It has definitely not been an easy task in previous years. When I'd find something stylish, I'd have to sacrifice the comfort, or vice versa. Well this year, I was able to find these great platform-ish heels that were pretty comfy as well! Don't get me wrong, after wearing them all night during our Girls Night Out in Vegas last June, well...you saw the video. It took me 10 minutes to get from the bed to the bathroom. Actually though, that was quite the improvement from my first trip to Vegas, when I my feet hurt so much they were literally BLEEDING. (Now that's suffering for fashion!) I had bandaids on each one of my toes. There was nothing I could put on my feet to make them feel better. I cringed every time I took a step and I swore that I would never again put myself in that kind of pain. In fact, I believe that this commitment to not having bleeding feet again is what got me my current job. Don't laugh!! I'm pretty sure it's true!!

We had come back from this foot-killing Vegas trip at 4:30am. I had an interview for a new job at 1:00pm. I went home and promptly fell asleep until noon. I got up, soaked my feet for as long as I could, and got ready in time for my interview. My (soon-to-be) boss asked me the usual interview type questions: What are your strengths? (Organization and commitment to crossing things off my "to-do lists") What are your weaknesses? (Being a perfectionist! Haha. No, actually it was "Not being able to say "no" to work" :) I'm such a cliché!)...And then he asked "Have you ever made a decision you regret and what did you learn from it?" Well, at this point, my feet were still throbbing, and as I tried to wriggle them in my heels (UGH!) I winced and answered "Well...the only thing I can think of right now, is how badly my feet hurt. I wore brand new shoes to Vegas which was an awful decision and one that I truly regret! I definitely learned my lesson and will never wear new shoes (no matter how fashionable) on a trip to Vegas again!" He laughed loudly and wrote on his pad of paper "Sore feet". He excused himself from the interview, while I sat there, cursing my feet,  those fabulous, leopard print peep-toe skimmers that were my downfall, and myself, for what I had just said. UGH!!! What was I thinking? And then he came back and said, "We would like to offer you the position, if you want it?" Obviously I said "Yes!" (Anyone that would hire someone, despite the fact they had made a bad decision about their footwear HAD to be a great boss!)

Anyways, in preparation for my upcoming trip I've decided to bring some über comfy (yet stylish) flats, that also happen to be very light! I'm planning to carry these around in my bag so that when my feet inevitably start to hurt, I can change into something comfy...Smart, no?

Hopefully, I will decide to change into these BEFORE my feet start to bleed! (However, I am also hopeful that I will be able to walk around New York in my stylish heels for as long as possible - they do complete my outfits, after all.)

I know, I know. Some people just never learn. (I've already packed my bandaids.)

Street Fashion

So today, a couple of my friends and I walked over to Tim Horton’s for break. It’s not that far, but we still have to walk over and cross a couple of streets to get there. Well one of the streets we cross, is not at an actual light or crosswalk. It’s pretty much: you against the traffic. (Not that there is much traffic but still…) Anyways, I always have this fear of getting run over, so even if the cars are far, I will still run across the street screaming “Hurry! Hurry, Hurry!” (while my friends usually walk leisurely across and laugh at me). However, today on the way back, cars were closer than usual, so I (being my normal cautious self) stayed on the sidewalk, thinking that my friends would be thinking the same thing. Well they weren’t and they didn’t. So they ran across, while I, too slow on the decision making, ended up stuck on the other side. They just stood on the other side laughing at me and one of them kept motioning for me to cross saying, “Come on, come on!!!” It made me remember when I was a kid….

When I was a young lass, we lived smack dab in the middle of this row of houses that occupied the block across from my elementary school. My younger sister and I used to go across to play at the school playground all the time. My parents taught us to always walk to the corner to cross at the light. We lived on a major street, which wasn’t overly busy, but it wasn’t a quiet side street either, so crossing at the light was definitely something one had to do, even if it did take a couple minutes longer. Well one Saturday morning (you know where this is going…) I, being the older sister, decided for some reason (perhaps I was insisting upon myself???) that we were going to cross in the middle of the street. So my sister and I got ready to cross. We got into position, crouched down and I counted to three. “1, 2, 3! Go!!!” I yelled. We started running. (There weren’t any cars…as far as I could see). Now, you have to understand, this street wasn’t that far across. It was only a 4-lane street (2 lanes on either side). However, my sister decided that she was going to wear clogs that day (they were black leather with red piping and a multicolored flower on top. Very 70's chic. Fashion knows no age!) We ran across the street and I made it safely to the other side. My sister, on the other hand, tripped on her clog in the middle of the street and sat there crying, one clog on, the other lying beside her. Well I ran back into the street, grabbed THE CLOG, ran back and stood on the curb motioning my sister to get up! I was yelling “Come on! Come on!! Get up!” Sensing that I wasn’t going to save her, she picked herself up and finally limped to the curb, all the while crying… just in time before a van (or was it a truck?) drove by…

Yes. I saved the clog instead of my sister. It’s not my fault she wanted to wear clogs!!! (See…I told you. That’s why I can’t be the heroine in my own movie!!!)...Plus, it wasn't like it was a weekday or anything. So...

Anyways, I snapped back from my reverie, when I heard my friends calling for me to "Go now! Go now!" - just in time to run across before the next set of cars came.

Good thing I wasn’t wearing clogs.

No, no, I insist!

I totally insist upon myself. But for some reason, I can’t stand other people who insist upon themselves. I don’t really know why I feel this way, but I’m thinking it’s because it’s like magnets. Opposites attract and 2 negatives don’t make a positive. Or something like that. I like to think of it as because I know I insist upon myself, it’s okay, whereas OTHER people who insist upon themselves, just insist upon themselves and are unaware they are insisting upon themselves, which makes it annoying. Know what I mean?

Anyways…I got the line “I insist upon myself” from Family Guy. (Yes, Family Guy. That show is fricken hilarious.) Peter says it when he’s talking about The Godfather II and how he doesn’t care for it because he thinks “it insists upon itself”. The meaning of this line is actually in the Urban Dictionary. It means: “Something most think is profound, but in reality is pretentious and ostentatious.” (Which is SO me! LOL)

Yes, I think about this kind of stuff all the time.

I feel like if I was in a movie, much as I’d LOVE to be the heroine (ie. girl hero – not the drug) I would probably be the villain. For example, in a movie like “Mean Girls” I would SO be the mean girl! And it’s not that I’m so mean in real life (or maybe I am?), I just think that to be “the good guy” or the heroine, you have to be REALLY good. Like with a heart of gold and all that crap, and I just don’t think I could live up to that!! Therefore, it’s easier to insist upon myself and expect others to have to deal with me.

And there you have my thought for the day. You’re welcome.

G-Lee's Fab Life! (Season 2)

First - YAY! Glee is back!! (And Finn has a cute hair cut!!!)

Wowza what a show! It's like I've been waiting with baited breath all summer. This first episode was filled with of course our favorite "Mean Girl" Sue and our favorite curly haired teacher Mr. Schue! It had some heartbreaking scenes with Coach Biest, Finn's wonderfully awful audition for the Cheerios (adorable! oh Finn...how I've missed you!), the rise of Quinn and fall of Santana ("Stop the Violence"-Britney. hahaha!), and the blossoming romance of Tina and Mike Chang (poor Artie!) Oh, before I go on, how about Mike Chang's SIX PACK?? Ah-WHAT!?? That's new and interesting!

I thoroughly enjoyed the New Directions version of "Empire State of Mind" and all their matching outfits. Where can I get one of those t-shirts? Cute!

Now let's talk about Charice. I am begrudgingly saying that her performance of "Listen" was actually quite good. Dare I say, I was actually proud?! (You know, because "the asian community is very tight") LOL. I found myself watching the other kids' reactions to her singing and was strangely hoping they would love it too. I also enjoyed the whole "Telephone" battle with Rachel. (hmmph. Okay. She has talent.) I loved how Rachel was all "There is a new student at this school named Sunshine, who is a FILIPINO and is shorter than me..." YES.

And who was that new guy with the huge lips/mouth? Sam Something? You wanna hear something funny? My husband actually watched his first full Glee episode tonight and he said "What's up with that guy's mouth?" and I said to him "I bet you, someone is going to say something about it." And then as if on cue, Puck says "Dude, your mouth is huge.How many tennis balls can you fit in there?" (Also I love how he's just mesmerized by it, like he can't turn away from it. It's pretty hilare.) But then the guy is all "I don't know, I've never had any balls in my mouth. Have you?" HAHAHA. And then priceless Puck face. And then an awesome rendition of "Billionaire" (Can this get any better?)

Actually it can...I can't wait to see the Britney Spears episode because let's face it, it's going to be EPIC. 

Welcome back my fellow Gleeks! I missed you!

You say potato, I say potahto...

So it seems this week is pretty much the first full week of returning fall shows. This is not going to be good for my couch potahto butt. Last night alone, I watched 5 shows that I had to time perfectly and was only able to watch all of them because of a wonderful little invention called the PVR.

Anyways, we got home a little bit later and I was able to catch the last part of Gok’s Fashion Fix (I love, love, LOVE this show. How come I never knew about it before?! I am so inspired by his “high street” fashion fixes! Also, Alexa Chung is so cute.) Then we watched Gossip Girl. Like I said, anything to do with New York? LOVE IT. (I SO wish I was Blair Waldorf.) The best part of Gossip Girl though, is the recap that they do in NYmag the following day.  My friends! You need to watch this show if only to read the recap! Next we watched How I Met Your Mother. Also set in New York, but a different kind of NY life. There are tons of shows set in New York and life is depicted in so many different ways. Gossip Girl, How I Met Your Mother, Sex & The City, How to Make it in America, Friends, CSI:NY and Law & Order: SVU all tell a story about the the different types of people and the lives they lead, all in the same city. I find it completely fascinating. Isn’t it interesting to think that Barney Stinson and Joey Tribiani might compete to pick up Samantha Jones? Or that the NY CSI’s might be assessing a crime scene that the SVU is investigating? Or that Charlotte York might be attending a luncheon with Lily Van Der Woodsen? Or Carrie might bump into Blair and Serena shopping at Barney's? Or Monica & Chandler meeting Marshall & Lily at their kids’ school? It’s crazy, but when you think about it, it’s pretty cool too! All of these people’s lives intersecting...

Anyways, after that we watched Dancing with the Stars. This season looks like it’s a pretty good mix and a lot of the celebrities have the potential to make it an interesting competition. And now...my thoughts about this season's DWTS: Audrina was good (though perhaps thinking too much) while Kurt Warner not as good as the marks the judges surprisingly gave. I was pleasantly surprised at how graceful Rick Fox was and how energetic Kyle Massey (of Cory in the House) was! I thought Brandy was aight and she was obviously very excited about being part of DWTS and Jennifer Gray was quite good – and I’m pretty sure she will have to dance “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” sometime this season – including the “lift”! I can’t bring myself to watch Jersey Shore (though everyone I know is absolutely OBSESSED with the show) but I know the fans are probably really enjoying “The Situation’s” dancing. (I also think it’s pretty hilare that they put “The Situation & Karina” instead of his name, when they show the number for calling to vote). Some dancers I don't care for as much are: Michael Bolton (who thankfully is not sporting a mullet), Florence H. (who lifted her shirt, the same way “The Situation” does and now, my husband has that image forever imprinted in his mind. LOL), the Hoff (nuff said), and Bristol Palin (though I’m sure she will get better). I personally think Margaret Cho will be the first one kicked off, though perhaps she needs one more chance to show whether she actually has the potential to do a dance without any corny gimmicks. This of course is all my opinion and is subject to change throughout the competition…

After this, we watched Top Chef: Washington, D.C. (and yay! Eric Ripert!). Whew! A full night of TV!

So tonight I’m lookin forward to Glee’s Season 2 Premiere. The rest of my week is also packed: on Wednesday it’s ANTM and Modern Family. Thursday is Big Bang Theory and Grey’s Anatomy. (No shows on Friday and Saturday -Thank goodness I have a couple days off!) Then Sunday is Desperate Housewives and Amazing Race!! Yes, friends, I’m booked all week now. These are even just my regular shows. I am not even going to think about giving any new shows a chance!

Anyhoo…I suppose I can’t be sitting watching TV all the time… Thank goodness for the PVR. I seriously don’t know what we ever did before this. My life was obviously incomplete. So what shows make your life complete? Let me know. I think I might still have some room in my couch potahto schedule...

What not to wear...at the spa.

So last Friday evening I met up with my sisters (well, sister and sisters-in-law) for our very first "Sister Spa Evening" at Urban Oasis. We have all been friends for SO long -I'm talkin almost 20 years - (Of course I've known my own sister for longer...) but have never had a spa day! STRANGE! So...the 4 of us met at the mall for some pre-spa eats and a bit of gigglin and gossipin, then made our way over to the spa. We changed into our suits and went into the warm mineral pool...which unfortunately was cooler than it was supposed to be. We complained to one of the spa girls who said they were aware of the problem but couldn't do anything about it. BOO. Damn! It's always...something.

 This reminded me of when just Belin and I went for our luxury pedi's. We went early so that we could take advantage of the mineral pool (and snacks!) before our actual pedi's. Sitting in the pool was so relaxing... Relaxing, that is, until Belin was trying to tell me a story, but couldn't continue...She was looking at something behind me and I was like "What the heck is going on?" She was all "No way. As if!!" I was like, "What's happening!?" But not wanting to call attention, I didn't turn around...plus I was pretty sure it wasn't something I wanted to see, judging by Belin's disgusted face. But it was like a car accident she couldn't turn away from. Finally, she said "OMG. He IS wearing a bwiep". I said "Shut up. ARE YOU SERIOUS?" (BTW, a bwiep = brief. As in boxer brief. As in NOT swimming trunks.) We looked at each other and...BA HAA HA HAHA!! We howled with laughter. We couldn't help it. I mean, come on! The guy, who we decided we were going to call "Erwin", was with his wife and I was like "As if she didn't advise him!! Who wears bwiep to the spa?" Seriously, after taking the obligatory shower before getting into the pool, his bwiep was just hangin there all soggy and sad... I mean, they weren't even boxers! Boxers could probably pass.( But barely.) Anyways, we tried to go on with our conversation, but we couldn't stop giggling!!! BA HA HAHA HA!!

I snapped back from my reverie, when I realized I was giggling out loud and the girls were asking what was so funny. I re-told the story, which had us howling again! Anyways...despite the cool mineral pool, we managed to warm up in one of the working hot tubs and the steam room. We got some fabulous pedi's, some good snacks (including non-healthy cookies) and of course some great laughs!


Even if there was no guy wearing bwieps this time.

PS. If your name is Erwin, I apologize. He just looked like an "Erwin".lol