Love Through Kids Eyes..

Thank you so much for all of your kind comments and warm messages.

This issue of mine has been going on for quite a bit - this didn't happen yesterday. Some of my old readers already know that I used to post religiously, then my posts have become spotty. I hate it. But, many of you have suggested that I really need to find a middle ground for this blog. I love my blog and I want to keep blogging, but if I can't write what's important or be who I am on my blog, then, what's the point of keeping?

My blog style may change and it may take me for a while to bounce back, but I hope that I will find new found love for my blog and enjoy my journey with you.

Anyways.

I stumbled upon on a blog post the other day which totally warmed up my heart. They are actual answers from little kids when they were asked "What Is Love?" The quotes are super adorable and I thought I would share with you. I googled and tried to find the sources for these actual quotes and I did find the same quotes all over the internet, but I couldn't find who had done the interview the kids - I was hoping it was for a book or a magazine article.

It's funny how every thing the kids said made sense. I still remember when I was talking to my mentor, he said the first hearbreak that kids endure is from their parents. He said when their daddy or mommy get angry and yell at them for the first time, that's their very first heartbreak.

All of us were a baby at some point (no brainer!) and come to this world full of hope and promises - they are born equal regardless of color of their skin or language they speak, they are just babies. And baby gives full attention and love to their mommy and daddy - they smile for you, they cry for you.. Parents are everything to them. And I think kids know what unconditional love is. But sad thing is, when we grow older, we become more childish and selfish - love becomes somewhat conditional at times.

So, I asked my two daughters "What Is Love?" and here are their answeres..

* Soapy (4 years old): "Love is loving you, Mommy!!!! (sorry, she's only 4..) and spending time with your family!"

* JuJu (6 years old): "Well.. love is... fair. Love is...Um, I think love comes back to you when it goes somewhere or fly to some place, and.. love is always there when you need it. AND it's warm!!!"

Too cute and I think they know what love is.. LOL

Now enjoy children's actual answers to the question "What Is Love?"

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.” - Billy, age 4

“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.” - Karl, age 5

“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.” - Chrissy, age 6

“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.” - Terri, age 4

“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.” - Danny, age 7

“Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.” - Emily, age 8

“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” - Bobby, age 7

“If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,” - Nikka, age 6

“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.” - Noelle, age 7

“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.” - Tommy, age 6

“During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.” - Cindy, age 8

“My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.” - Clare, age 6

“Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.” - Elaine, age 5

“Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Brad Pitt.” - Chris, age 7

“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.” - Mary Ann, age 4

“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.” - Lauren, age 4

“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.” - Rebecca, age 8

“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.” - Karen, age 7

“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.” - Jessica, age 8

Have a sweet and a lovely week!!!

My Blog As I Know It.

Hello my dearlies - how have you been? Are you enjoying the nice fall weather? I woke up this morning with coooool breeze - It's 65 degree out! When the temprature gets so crazy hot during summer, I always think FL doesn't get to see nice fall weather, but it came rather quickly - it sneaked up on us! But it's so nice to be able to open the windows and turn off AC and smell the crisp air outside..

Anyways, as you know, I've been slacking on posting - what a hay, that hasn't changed for the past 12 months actually. I always say that I'm feeling the weird funk, ja, ja... But I know it's more than just a funk.

I started this blog over two and a half years ago because I love to write. I love to write about my family or my friends, or current events or Hollywood. For the first six months, I posted on daily basis and I know I really loved getting all kinds of comments - there were times I got over 30 comments! I have so many things to say about life and sharing about it with you have been my true joy.

Over the course of two years though, things had happened and I sort of lost the mojo or should I say the passion for this blog. What happened was that one of my family member was reading my blog without telling me and it had sparked a full blown debate in the family circle.

I don't want to get in to it, but when I have to censor my own posting or need to be careful about what I would write in my own blog, that beomes hard. I've never bad mouth my family members in my blog nor talked negatively about my friends and family, but I have to make sure not to say too much about them.

My blog is not a fashion blog - My blog is my diary and talk about my daily joy and struggle that I go through every day. If I have to exclude the events that happen in my life which includes my family, then my point of this blog becomes half important. I have struggled to find a way to write it because a lot of times, my life becomes comical when I have dinner with my in-laws or go out with them, but I have to second guess everything that I want to write.

My family members know about my blog now and they tell me they don't care, but really, I'm still struggling to find the mutural ground to entertain my lovely blogging friends and sustain the integrity of my family and friends.

This month is my birthday month, so there are many things that I want to figure out : My life, the future of this blog, my business. I think I'm going to be very busy, but I really want to post a lot more than recent.

Oh by the way, my last day at work was last week and I officially started my career as a full time artist!! Um, it's kind of nerve wracking!

Hope you're having a lovely week! xoxo

Goodbye Summer... {Super Harvest Moon}

{Image By Me}

Hello my loves!!!! I hope all of you're doing well and happy. This sounds like a broken record, but I've been CRAZY busy for the past two weeks, I barely sat in front of the computer.

Both of my daughters are in school now that I thought having all morning to myself would give me the freedom to blog all I want, but actually I have been busier than ever. Driving them to school, doing errands, picking them up and taking them to afterschool activities - oh my gosh I wish I could clone myself!!!!

My husband JT was home last week, so we're running around and doing all sorts of stuff together with the girls. Good news is that my husband will be able to commute between FL and NJ every two weeks now and he'll be going back and forth every weekend starting Christmas. We're very excited that he'll be part of our lives again very soon...

Today is the offical last day of Summer and the beginning of Fall. Also we're celebrating Super Harvest Moon. Apparently we don't get to see this beautiful phenomenon for years and years, so we all should go outside around 11pm and look at the moon. You can see Jupiter right below it. I did take a photo and can you see a tiny tiny dot - that's Jupiter...

I love space and looking at starts and moon. I talk about it time to time how looking at the sky makes me feel - it's like all the darkness and brights spots cleanse my body. There are so many possibilities out there in the space and I feel like I'm such a tiny existance... It totally amazes me.

Florida is still super HOT and I don't feel like Summer is fully gone, but I do feel the difference in the morning - air is cooler. I love summer and I'm a bit sad that Fall is arriving, but all the festivities are around the corner.... AND I have two more shifts left for my departure from work and my birthday soon. I'm very excited!!!

I can't wait to catch up with all of your blog!! xoxo

Beach, Frozen Yogurt & Rainbow...

{Image By Soapy}

Well, it's already Wednesday, but I hope you all had a great Lobor Day weekend! Did you guys do anything special - or did you go any place special???


My weekend with the girls was just laid back - nothing crazy, but really good one. Thank you very much. I took the girls to our favorite Lido Beach and also we celebrated the Grand Opening of our favorite yogurt joint "White Berry" that came really close to our home. The original store is in downtown which is about 20 minutes drive and the new store is a lot closer and it takes less than 10 minutes:)


While the store guy R prepares the yummy yogurt for us, Soapy looks up like a little girl - she looks like a big girl, but I think she looks like a two year old from looking at this photo. So cute. She couldn't wait for him to make her yogurt:)



I got the Original flavor with Kiwi and Ju Ju and Soapy got their favorite Green Tea flovor with Mochi and Chocolate Chip. Seriously, they are yummy.

Somehow, Soapy in this picture is ready to snort yogurt out of spoon. Funny. This was just a random picture and I didn't set her up to this.

Now that looks better Soapy!

Julia and Soapy love these canisters full of Fruit Loops & Trix.

{Image By Ju Ju}

I must admit, my girls are really cute!

The same day afternoon before yogurt, I took the girls to our favorite Lido beach. It was a perfect beach day because the beach was not crowded and it was really quiet. I hate when there are too many people and no parking. I was a bit surprised becausse it was Labor Day weekend afterall, but I guess we just picked the right day because my friend who went to the same beach the next day told me the beach was packed Zoo. Thank goodness, it wouldn't be as fun if we're there on Sunday instead of Saturday..

I feel tremendous happiness when I'm at the beach - it doesn't matter where or which one, I just feel at home. Maybe because I grew up in Hawaii surrounded by the ocean, but I can't think of my life without beach.....

It's surreal to know that the BP oil spill has stopped. Yes, the cleanup effort still continues and it will stay that way for many years to come, and I get nervous when I think of the effect of the spill, but I think we cleared the first obstacle to contain the oil. I was really nervous at first that we'd lose our beautiful beach. I'm so glad that we don't need to see tar-balls washing ashore, but I wonder if all the marine lives and eco-system will ever be the same. I just don't know..

Often times when I look at my girls, as much as hard to grasp the thoughts, I realize that my life is not my life anymore. My life is for my daughters - I live my life for them. I need to think of their life first before I think of mine. It's not an easy tast at times because I consider myself a free sprited individual who has done many selfish things. But we all need to grow up sometimes, right? And when I look at their smiles, it's all worth it.

By the way, I ran to "white berry" again during a lunch break yesterday. I got Green Tea with Blackberries. It was soo declious - I can honestly have this frozen yogurt every single day.

After I finished working, I went to pick up my daughters at their grandparents house. My boss and his wife are in Seattle for a mini vacay, so I had to close the salon which was my first experience. I got to be the boss for the day which was not bad, but three more weeks, and I'm free!

On the way home from my in laws, I spotted a rainbown - We get ton of afternoon-evening thunderstorms and this happened right before the storm. Can you see the blue sky and the rain clouds next to each other? I had to stop and take pictures because it's so unusual to see a rainbow. It was really pretty!

I often dream of walking over a rainbow - how fun and beautiful experience would that be???

A Night Like This....

{Image By Me}

I finally did it, everyone! I gave the notice to my boss that I am leaving my job at the end of this month! Oh my goodness, you have no idea how hard it was for me to do this... My last day of work will be exactly two years from the day I started two years ago. It's been an interestig journey. I talked about my very first day at the job here and here.

I think I've learned a lot from my receptionist job. We have over 3600 clients in our system, of which 2500 are active. I can honestly say we're the busiest salon in our town. I was fortunate enough to meet many different clients and I befriended with several of them personally. I also have encountered numerous "Are you fricking kidding me??" incidents which have taught me how not to behave... Seriously, there are many crazy people out there, my friends!

Anyway, I had thought about quittig since the winter of last year. Both of my girls had complained that I was never home or didn't do stuff together. I was working five days a week including Friday and Saturday. When JT left to work in NJ, I was able to change my shifts to only in the morning, so that I could pick up my daughter from school. But the truth is, I was exhausted. I know there are mothers who are working for a lot more complicated job, but dealing with demanding clients and boss ad hearing them yapping pretty much drained all my energy. I really was exhausted.

JT and I had talked about it for a long time and one of the options was to keep the job and to see if I could keep working the two days shift only on Mondays and Tuesdays. But the reality is our salon gets ridiculously busy during fall/winter and spring, they need two receptionists on Fridays ad Saturdays, which I can't work any longer, espcially JT's being gone. Also, we don't get any special days off except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's, which totally sucks. So my mind was totally set for leaving the job.

But it had taken almost five months for me to tell my boss that I want to quit. Seriously, it was like my boss could read my mind. I go to work every morning thinking, "Today is the day I'm going to tell him.." - but as soon as I open the door, my boss greets me with smile and he acts so kind towards me. If he was an a-hole, then it would be so much easier to quit, you know? Anyway, the other day, he had a last minute cancelation and he was eating lunch in the break room. JT was telling me that I had to give him a notice, so that he could find a replacement before the season starts. I went to the break room and walked in and tried to find the right timing, but I could't say it, so I left. Then 10 minutes later, I did the same thing. Again, I couldn't pull myself to say it to his face. Now the third time, he looked up. I knew, that was it. I had to tell him.

I told him I had to tell him something. When he looked my face, he thought something terrible happened to me. He was all worried and told me to have seat. I explained to him how I loved working for him and his wife, but I wouldn't be able to give my hours to schedule that the salon needs. I told him, "It's from my heaviest heart that I need to quit...." Oh boy, he was in shock. Seriously, he didn't see it coming. He was very understading and he said, "That's okay. I'm a business owner, so I know people come and go.." But he was totally in shock. He wasn't angry or anything, just disappointed. Then I had to tell his wife, but forget it. She just said, "Don't say that..." and wouldn't listen to me.

After giving him the notice, we had another client who has MS. Her condition is getting worse every time we see her. I help my boss with her chair and stuff, and while I was helping, my boss, said, "Oh my god Maki, what am I going to do????" and he had tears in his eyes. "It's so hard to find a decent girl who is willing to do all the work for me..." I felt horrible about it. But there's nothing I can do.

My spirits have been really good. My heavy weight is off my shoulder. My girls are so ecstatic as well. I get to drive them to school or pick them up, and I can take them to park and play with them - all the things I haven't been able to do because of my current job, I will be able to do it soon..

I took the pictures above while walking around the lake with my girls this evening. The view from my condo - sunset always beautiful and I felt such peace withing myself today. I think I can start a new life doing all the things I love - painting ad being a mother to my girls.

Have a lovely weekend my sweetness... xoxoxo

Relax - Beach & Gelish...

{Image by Ju Ju}

Hello!! I hope you all had a lovely weekend and havig a great week! My weekend was filled with fun activities - one of them was to go to our favorite Lido beach with my girls and friends. As you can see, my new photographer Ju Ju snapped me while I was slaving myself, carrying all kinds of stuff to the beach. Funny thing is that we all smile for camera, yes?

You may not see it in this photo, but I was carrying a beach bag on my shoulder stuffed with towels, magazines and makeup bag as well as a cooler bag (green one that you see in the pic), two goza mats and a starbucks. Mom is strong when she has to carry stuff for her kids.

What I am truly grateful is that the BP oil spill is finally contained and we can now focus on clean up. It will take years and years, but our Gulf will be back. I know it.

{Image By Me}

Also, I work Monday and Tuesday every week (remember, I haven't given my boss two weeks notice!) Last week, my salon got this new Soak Off Gel called Gelish. It is a new type of polish for people who don't wear artificial nail. I have never worn artificial nail, thank goodness, the trait that I got from my mom's beautiful hands that my nails are thick and healthy and long.... The only problem that I had was that I use my hands so much that my color does't last three days even if I get a great manicure by my boss - it started to chip immediately. But this new Soak Off Gell is not acrylic, so it's easy on my nail bed just like I use regular polish, but it stays put like gel. If what they promise is true, this color is supposed to stay without chipping for two weeks. So, I can't wait to see if my color lasts longer than a week.

As much as I get depressed with my work, I can't stop staring at my nails every time my boss works on my hands. He's so great! I guess, getting free manicure is not bad after all!

Every Mom deserves a nice time like going to beach and getting pedicure/manicure:)

xoxo

A New Kind Of Freedom

Monday was my daughters JuJu and Soapy's first day of school. JuJu was promoted to the 1st grade and it was Soapy's very first day as a pre-kindergartner. As most of you know, I've been working for the past two years part time, but my work schedule has gone down to two days a week. I worked Monday and Tuesday, so even when my girls were at school, I didn't get to enjoy the luxury of spending time alone. But today was different.

I was going to head to the gym after I dropped the girls to their schools, but it's been raining non-stop in FL that I decided to go home and..... SLEEP! Oh my goodness, what a great joy of crawling back to bed and taking a nap - listening to the sound of rain made it even better. The house was really quiet and honestly I didn't know what to do. No matter what, I really didn't have the time to enjoy my time alone for the past six years. I'm not complaining, that's what it is to be a mother - give everything you have to your children.

I can't say that I couldn't wait for my youngest Soapy to go to school. Yes, I was excited for her because she gets to make her own friends, not JuJu's friends. Soapy is my little baby, and somehow I really wanted her to stay as a baby. Well, that's impossible, but it's a bittersweet to see her all growing up.

The thing is Soapy has been having tough time adjusting to the new routine. The first day was kind of easy because she was thrilled with the idea of having a teacher and classmates. Now, she is afraid that she's not making any friends and today, she even cried the minute she woke up until we left the house. "I don't want to go to school, Mommy!!!!!" - Oh my god, I was freaking out. I know why she says the things she says and why she's scared of going to school, so if I could, I would have said, "Okay, Soapy, you don't have to go to school. Stay with Mommy and play with me." But I know I can't say that. I have to tell her she's going to be okay and the school is fun. It's tough because in her tiny little head and mind, she's still timid and nervous. Thank goodness for her older sister JuJu - her school starts at 8:30am, so we drove her to school while Soapy was crying in the car. We walked her to her class in the ferocious rain and looking at all the kids going to school, like her big sister, I think Soapy realized that she wasn't the only one going to school.... She finally calmed down. By the time I drove Soapy to her school at 9am, she was okay. Kinda.

Anyway, I was able to enjoy the very first day of freedom with no serious incident. And I hope I'll get used to my new kind of routine......

So, what was it like for you, when you went to school for the first time? Were you like, "Bye Bye Mommy!" and run to the school or were you the one who's holding onto your mama's legs?


Follow my blog with bloglovin

My New Photographer...

Hello my sweet friends! Hope you had a lovely weekend! As you know, I've been totally slacking on this blogging thing, but I think I'm getting my mojo back. I feel like I want to post and share many good things again...

First of all, I've found a new photographer who can take my picture. I tend to shy away when it comes to taking self-portrait. I can't take my own pictures unless it's 100% necessary because iI feel like I'm being self-important. I can smile at the camera as long as there's someone on the other side, telling me to smile....

Anyway, my oldest Ju Ju was playing with my phone the other day and called my name. "Mommy!" - I looked and there she was taking pictures of me. She took about 5 of them and one came out pretty good. So, I declared Ju Ju as my new photographer!!!! And she loves it. Maybe she can take my pictures of dress up. LOL.


Also, I have two Starbucks I frequent - one has a drive through. A good friend of mine works there and when I picked up my iced-latte, I realized she put a smiley face on the lid. She does this type of trick all the time, but I thought I'd snap a pic and share it.... It definitely put a smile on my face...

I took these pictures of my daughters last week after Ju Ju had the Back to School Night. Ju Ju is going to be the 1st grader tomorrow and Soapy is going to be a pre-K. This will be Soapy's first school. That means, I'm going to have handful of free time for the first time in six years! I can't believe it. I'm excited, but kind of sad at the same time.

I only work two days a week and I've been trying to find the timing to tell my boss that I'm quitting in a few weeks. I know I need to give them 2 week notice which gives me only a week left to give them the news. I'm so dreaded about that, but I want to focus my energy on my paintings and my kids, so that's what I have to do....

So how was your weekend? What's been going on with your life?????

Inception...

I LOVED THIS MOVIE!!!!

Honestly, it was 20 times better than Matrix.

The story sounded so complicated, and yet it totally made sense!

The visual and sound effects were stunning and storyline was so clever.

It was unbelieveable!!

And seeing it in IMAX made the whole experience so much better, too.

I'm usually not a big fan of SciFi films, but this one, I give two thumbs up plus toes up!

BTW, I have tried to post an entry which I talked about my husband and Bachelorette, but it keeps giving me error, so I decided to write about this movie.

Oh man, I want to see it again!!!

Have you seen it?

Anyway, I know I have been pretty awful about posting - and I figured out why.

1. My husband being here made it difficult.

2. Kids are out of school = summer. I thought kids being home would make it easy for me to blog, but I was wrong. I think I feel bad about not paying attention to my girls and facing the computer all the time. But when I try to blog after the girls go to bed, I must say, I'm usually exhausted.

I sit down in front of my computer, but the idea of having to type, upload pics or vids and write a post kind of stress me out. I tell myself, I'll finish it tomorrow and 6 days go by. Not good.

3. Work - I only work twice a week now, but my work wouldn't let me go online, so I can never post while I'm there at the salon. Oh yes, I'm trying to quit and will need your advise on it, too.

Miss you all so much..

xoxo

10 Days with Daddy - Part 1

Hello my friends! It's been almost two weeks since my last entry and I almost gave up typing this post too. It sucked because I wanted to post all the happy things that happened while my husband was here on daily basis, but I was simply too busy to even sit down in front of the computer..


As you know from the previous post that my husband was home for ten days. Acutally it was supposted to be six days, but he extended his stay and left last Saturday evening. I have to admit, the house is less chaotic, but quiet.

Seriously, my husband, the girls and I had so many things we wanted to do together and it seemed never enough time. We were non-stop on the Go, and when I wanted to sit down and compose a post, JT often told me, "You can sit next to me and watch TV together."


He is never against me having my own blog. He often reads it when he's away, but I think he wanted me to cherish our time together as a husband and a wife, and focus my energy to my family while he's back in his own home. And he was right about that. That's why I barely sat down in front of pc for the past 12 days. Of course, writing a post or visiting all of your blogs have always been back on my mind, but I was totally tired by the time we get home from our activities. I haven't uploaded any videos or photos, but I will make sure to post them this week.

Anyway, it's taken me forever to tell you what happened after my husband came home as a surprise to our daughters, or all the things we did for the past 12 days, but I thought it's never too late to share.

July 29 (Thu) - JT arrives at Tampa Intl @ 12:30am. I pick him up and drive home together while our girls are sound asleep. Our youngest daughter wakes up in the wee hours while JT and I were chatting and watching TV together. Oh boy, the look on Soapy's face. She totally believes she is dreaming. She goes back to bed and comes out minutes later saying, "Daddy???"

Sooo cute. She slowly walks towards him, lays down and puts her head against Daddy's chest. Daddy asks her if she's surprised and she smiles and nods, "yes..."

JT decides that we all should sleep together in the same bed. On the other hand, his wife Maki thinks, "Are you kidding me?" - we have a queen size bed, not the king size bed. But Soapy thinks it's a fabulous idea and jumps on to our bed right away. JT scoops his oldest daughter Ju Ju up and tries to bring her to our room when she says, "Daddy..." Her eyes are still closed and she is too sleepy to wake up. When we're finally in bed together, Daddy whispered to the girl's ear, "Daddy is so happy to be home, close to you girls..." Ju Ju whispered back, "Me too..." We went to bed together that night.

The next morning, JT and I woke up at 8:30am after having five hours of sleep with stiff neck. The girls were jumping on bed screaming and cheering, "Yaaay, Daddy's home, Daddy's home!!!" - it was one of those scenes that I see in movies. Dadd and Mommy were so happy to see the girls' smiles on their faces. BUT, We both couldn't sleep well because Ju Ju and Soapy moved around like worms and took our space. We both decided that the girls were to sleep in their bed. Good idea!!!

This was the beginning of great family time - and I'm so happy that the girls and I got to spend time with Daddy a lot longer that we expected.

I will post more about JT's stay tomorrow - Hope all is well with you!!

xoxo

Have A Lovely Weekend!!!! {and Welcome to My Bedroom}

I have never showed my bedroom before. We've lost many stuff due to the water damage that happened three months ago. But I'm finally getting my condo back to the way it was. It's taken me forever, but I think it's starting to look nice again....

So, this is my bedroom. I like my bed to be always white and I still need to buy a quilt, but oh well, it can wait a bit while.. JT and I love the King size bed, so when we lived in Hawaii and in NJ, we bought two king beds. When we moved back to FL, we decided that we use a Queen until we buy a big house. JT is in NJ working for the most of this year and next year, so it's the perfect size for me right now... Moreover, being able to sleep in your own bed is simply priceless!!!


My side table still needs some work, but I can't sleep without my favorite hearts including the three heart shaped ring holders.... The lamp is from Crate & Barrel and it's my favorite thing in my house...

This is the painting I'm currently working on. My best friend J asked me to paint something for her new place. She loves New Yor, so I decided to paint NY skyline. I can't wait to finish this painting and give it to her. I hope she likes it...

As I slowly re-decorate my condo, I will post pictures of my living/dining room and kitchen as well as my girls room.

Have a lovely weekend everybody!!!!

xoxo

Midnight Magic ~ Daddy comes home ~

My husband is flying back home tonight from NJ and will be landing at midnight here in FL. Our daughters Ju Ju and Soapy think that they will pick their daddy up at the airport tomorrow morning (Thursday), and they have no idea that he's planning to crawl into their beds...

The girls are bathed, watching TV right now. We ususally Skype with Daddy every night, but he told them he is busy with work, so he'll see them tomorrow. The girls are so excited and ready to go to bed because you know, they just can't wait the morning to come.

My mother in law is coming over to watch the girls, so I can drive to pick JT up while the girls sleep. Wait until Daddy comes home and "Twinkle" - The girls will be so surprised in the morning. It's like magic! I can't wait to see their face, how big their eyes get. :)

So have sweet dreams my babies, let the magical day begin!

{Shhhhhhh}

Mark Ruffalo...

I have been a bit feeling sick today, so I decided to stay home with my girls and not to go to work. My work hours are down to two days a week now, and I must admit it's been great for my girls and myself, especially during summer because I get to spend time with them, and I also have plenty time to paint.

Many of you already know that I'm in love with Christian Bale. I also have tremendous love for Tom. And there are others that I drool on a daily basis. One of the Hollywood guys whom I have a soft spot is Mark Ruffalo. I don't know, I really like when he plays an ordinary guy - I really liked him in "13 going on 30" or "Rumor Has It" - or when he played totally a different role as a narc officer in "Collateral" with Tom Cruise. He can be a bit dork at times, but his dorkiness totally melts my heart.

I'm ecstatic to see the new movie "The Kids Are All Right" - I only hear great things about it. It's about a gay couple (Annette Benning & Julian Moore) raising two teenage kids and the kids finding the sperm donor = their biological father played by Mark Ruffalo, and they become close as a family. There is a twist in the movie and I'm really looking forward to seeing this film.

Also, he will be playing Hulk for The Incredible Hulk 3 as the replacement for Ed Norton. Well, all the Hulk guys have been played by the actors that I LoVe - Eric Bana and Ed Norton, and now by Mark. Yay! My husband JT loves The Incredible Hulk, so I have been able to see them in the big screen. But, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk? I didn't see this coming!! This should be interesting!

So have you seen any good movies lately???

She Know Which Button To Push

I don't know where I got her from, but my youngest daughter Soapy is a tough cookie and pistol. Every kid has their own mind, but this one, she's funny and says the darnest things all the time. And lately, she loves to test you - she simply enjoys to watch your reaction after you say, "No" and she does it. Oh such an evil girl... LOL..

She knows exactly what you approve and don't approve - and she does it anyway, just to see what happens if she doesn't follow the rules. Everyone inluces my family and friends tell me that "Oh, you better watch her out in ten years - she's going to give you a tough time. Daddy's worst nightmare. LOL." - and I'm starting to believe it. Oh boy, help....

Please don't get me wrong, she's a very good girl. She loves to cook, she loves to help me clean the house - she is my little baby still. But, she just knows how to push people's button - she loves to turn her face away when her grandpa or daddy ask for a kiss - and smile because she loves to see their reaction.

I was loading folded boxes on the car to throw it away at the garbage dump - Soapy asked me to give her the car key. She said, "I want to open the door.." So, I gave her the key and she looked at it as I told her which button to push - she was looking at the middle button which is to open the trunk where the box was resting. I told her, "Soapy, you know which one you need to push, right? Don't push that one (as in the middle one because her finger was aiming for the button for the trunk) because.." - As I almost finish the sentense, she pushed it; the one to open the trunk. Thank goodness the weight of the box didn't allow the trunk to fully open, but if it did, all of the boxes would have been on the ground. "Oops," she said and gave me back the key.
I looked at her and said, "Soapy!" She gave me the evil cute look and open the door and sat on her seat.... Oh my dear angel, I said to her, "Soapy, you're in big trouble when Daddy comes home next week..."

Look at her - I think she did something she wasn't supposed to do..

But then, I adore her and love her to pices. She is just so cute and yes, totally eatable...

Customer Service Nightmare

I hope you're enjoying a lovely weekend! I'm finally back online after going through some *bs* with my ex-cable company. And this is what happened:

When we had the water damage several months ago and evacuated to my in-law's house, my mother in law had suggested that maybe I should call my cable company and asked to have my cable service suspended while I'd be out of the condo. I wouldn't be using the cable nor internet, so that made more sense, so I did. Florida has lots of Snow Birds, so the cable company I used offered the seasonal suspension. The rep told me to call them whenever I was ready to move back in and they would restore the service with no problem.

So, past Monday morning I called the cable company and let them know that I moved back in and wanted my service back on. The rep said no problem and the technician could come to my place the next day. I was really ecstatic until she said, "One thing though, we need to get $236 to restore the service plus the installation." - WHAT????? I asked again, "Ahem, excuse me... What did you say?"

The rep explained to me that I needed to pay the bill for a month in advance and the service restoration fee. My bill was supposed to be only $136 plus tax., even I had to pay restoration fee, it still didn't add up. "But, still, I want to know why is it so expensive, my bill is only $126?," I asked. "Well, since you suspended your service, the promotion you had when you signed up with us is no longer available for you. Therefore you need to pay $206 a month from now on," - WHAT A Hell?? Seriously, WTF????

I explained to her that I had to move into my in law's house due to water damage, and I called and spoke with several reps, and that they had never mentioned anything about losing my promotion nor having to pay more money to restore the service. The rep said there's nothing she can do. Meanwhile, my heart was beating fast with anger and confusion, so I told her I'd call her back.

My thinking is that, maybe I got a lazy rep who didn't want to go through all the trouble to give me the promotion back. So I called the cable company back. Again, another rep told me the same thing, well, she mentioned she'd talked to the supervisor and she wouldn't be able to help me with my promotion being taken away. I ended the call saying I'd call back and I called back again, and the response was the same thing. I talked to my clients at work and they all told me it's ridiculous that I had to pay that much money to restore the service when I was never informed by the reps from previous that this was going to happen if I suspend or disconnect my service.

I was almost in tears because not having able to watch TV or use internet would suck, but I didn't want to pay over $200 every month when it wasn't my fault. That's when I realized about another option - switch the cable company! I knew I didn't have any contract with the cable company, so if I wanted to stop using the company, I could! I said to the rep, "If this is what you call a customer service, then I don't want your service anymore." and hung up. I'm not ususally a complainer. I'm a happy person who always tries to strike a conversation. But I was not happy at all - I felt like I was totally mistreated. Was it because of my accent? I don't know, but I felt like they didn't try to solve the problems. I had gone through a lot after the water damage and I'm still dealing with issues for not getting any checks from the insurance company. There's no way I was going to deal with another *bs* and I felt good about it.

So here I come Verizon Fio - again. We used to use Fio until past February and I switched to the other company because they offered more affordable service. Anyway, I called Verizon and the rep was so kind and told me he'd try to give me the best possible rate and he did! He asked me what I really wanted in the cable and I told him I definitely wanted HBO which I couldn't have with my ex-cable company because their movie package didn't include that. So he gave me HBO and Cinemax for free for 24 months with no contract and free installation! Yes, free for 24 months and free installation! Woo Hooo! Also, the whole bill is a lot cheaper with all the channel that I get compare to the old ones. They offer me more HD channels and movie channels.

The only downside was that I had to wait five days for the Verizon tech guy to come to my house and hook it up. But it was so worth it. Just hearing the sound of music from the Weather Channel (for local area info) or being able to go online and visit your blog make me feel like I'm finally, truly home. I'm really impressed with my daughters for not complaining one bit that they couldn't watch TV. They have enough toys and art stuff to keep them busy and also we were able to watch DVD. I'm truly grateful for my girls for helping me out while I cleaned the house and get ourselves situated - they are very patient little things indeed!

I'm so sorry for not having able to visit your blog - I'm so excited to be back home and have my own space and blog and visit:)

So, do you have any horrible experiences with customer service???

"Mommy You're Married!"

My daughters and I are finally back to our sweet home. The place is still a mess since we have to bring everything back from my mom-in-law's house. But it feels really great be able to sleep in my own bed!!

Anyway, my girls and I were at Publix buying grocery to restock our empty refrigerator. As I walked by the magazine section, I spotted Tom Cruise and screamed for joy. "What is wrong Mama???" asked Ju Ju who was surprised and looked worried. I walked towards the magazine rack, reach my arms and grabbed a magazine..... I pretty much gazed into Tom's smiley face on the cover of Esquire and said, "well, I love him... I love him.." There was this woman standing right next to me was giving me the weird look, but that's okay. That's when I heard my daughter saying, "No, Mommy. You're married! You can't love anyone, but Daddy!!!" - and she was serious. "Aw I can read at least!" - I pleaded. It was more like begging. As soon as I said that, the lady next to me started cracking up! She looked at me and said, "Oh boy, that was good!"

I explained to her how much I love Tom and I've loved him since I was in 4th grade, living in Japan. No matter what happens, he always has a place in my heart. The lady said, "We're all entitled, there is nothing wrong with it. I'm the same way with Johnny Depp!"

On the way to home in the car, "So, who is he? Who is the guy you love?" - Ju Ju asked. I told her he's an actor that I am a big fan of... Ju Ju said, "Oh, actor? Okay, then it's okay mommy, you can like him.."

Thank god, I have a permission from my daughter to profess my love for Tom. But don't you think he looks great in the magazine???

I think I love Tom because he brings me back all the great memories of my childhood; how innocent and how I dreamed of coming the America..

He's the symbol of my American Dream...

I Survived the 2 Months & 2 Weeks of Boot Camp!!!

Many of you know that I've been displaced from my own house for the past two months (+) due to the water damage caused by some ignorant AC company. But finally, I will be moving back to our own place with the girls this weekend!!! Wooo Hoooo!

I must tell you, it has been a loooooooong, stressful and hard two months. I mean, can you stay at your mother in law or friend's house for more than a week? Especially, not having your husband while you stay there at his mom's because he's workin in NJ - It's not easy. It's not your house you're staying - you can't get naked and walk around the house, or sing in the shower out loud.

But, I think I'm really fortunate to have a mother-in-law who's willing to take care of me and Ju Ju and Soapy for more than two months. And my father-in-law (JT's stepdad) - he's been really kind, too. He makes coffee for me and mom every morning. Mom makes dinner for us every night - I help her by setting the table and clean the kitchen after the dinner. I have my own room and the girls has their which makes things a lot easier too.

Of course, there were times I said to myself, "I don't care how horrible the condo looks, I just want to get out and move back..." - I'm 36, years old and yet, my MIL somestimes made me feel like I'm 16. She wanted to teach me all the things I already know (they're called common sense, everybody!) - but I always said, "Yes, Mom" - "Thank you, Mom" - "I love you Mom" because that's called "respect". I've never once talked back to her - no matter how many times I wanted to, I bit my tongue because she has indeed taken care of us with love and kindness. She surprised me by getting me two dresses on different occasions, too.

Tonight, she's going to take me to her gorup's Bunko party - this will be my second time as a substitute. I had never played that game until last month, and surrounded by an group of older ladies kind of gave me a different perspective in life. LOL. And I know being with my MIL has made me a better homemaker - she knows how to make a messy house into a Cinderella's castle. I learned so much from her indeed.

With that said, I am SOOOOO happy and excited to sleep in my own bed and my own place again!!! Let's have a party - you're all invited, my love!!!

So, do you get along with your mother in law?????????????????????

Jake vs. Vienna

{Jake & Vienna image via ABC}

Well, who would have guessed that they would be breaking up? LOL. We all knew, didn't we? I watched the interview between Jake and Vienna last night on ABC, and I must say, this time, I'm with Vienna.

Yes, I didn't like her when she was on the Bachelor and I didn't understand why Jake had picked her to be his wife, but I know now, Jake was fake. I don't like him at all now. I feel like all the "good boy" image he portrayed in front of the camera was all for the show. He just wanted to be famous. I can't believe I rooted for him before. He kind of rubbed me in the wrong way when he appeared on "Dancing with the Stars" - I felt like he only wanted the attention and fame.

What I learned from watching the interview last night was that Jake has a controling issue. He has to be the one who calls the shot, he has to be the one who is always right and he hates when a girl questions him. It's pretty funny to see how he acts. Vienna was a bit of drama queen also, but I felt she was genuine this time, and she's very upset and heartbroken. I didn't think she was faking just for the show. I believe Vienna this time... Sorry Jake, but there are many girls who are dissapointed in you.

So long, Jake, so long Vienna. I will not miss you...