Category: Ten on Tuesday

Ten on Tuesday (vol 7) Vacations

September 27th, 2011 · · Ten on Tuesday 16 comments - Tags:

1. What is your dream vacation?

One month food tour either in Europe or Asia.

2. What has been your favorite trip so far in your life?

Most important trip, would be the two trips I took to Vietnam to meet and see my grandmother. She was the only grandparent I’ve ever met. Currently, I have no living grandparents.

I also had a lot of childish fun as a teen in Europe with a bunch of classmates, including BFF and Aishah, who later became my college roommate for three years.

My favorite city though is Vancouver.

3. If you and one of your best friends could go anywhere in the world for one week, where would it be and why?

With BFF, I’d go to Seattle and Vancouver because we’ve planned Seattle for a while now and Vancouver is a hop and skip. Also, Spain with Kim. To find her a sexy Spaniard and because I haven’t taken a trip with her yet!

4. Have you ever booked a trip using an online deal? How did it go?

Naz and I booked a trip to Vegas with a hotel/flight package and then had my then boyfriend and 2 other friends join us. Worked out swimmingly since we had 2 rooms for 5 people and the others helped offset the hotel price. Winning situation for all.

5. What’s your favorite thing to do while you’re on vacation?

Eat and explore. Mostly, eat.

6. Have you ever missed an opportunity to take a trip that you regret?

Ashley, Ashley D, and Nicole are meeting up in Boston in November. I opted out due to budgeting issues and I have a feeling I’m going to really regret it.

7. You travel far away from home and get stranded with no way to buy anything, what’s the one thing you can’t live without?

Do I get to have the things in my carry on bag? In that case I think I’m square. I always have hygiene products, a change of clothes, journals, and a camera in my carry on bag.

8. What’s one of your favorite traveling memories?

Roaming London with Aishah as 14-year-olds. We didn’t pay any mind to maps and often got lost. It was a miracle we returned home safely.

9. All included resort or backpacking? Why?

This is difficult. I have never backpacked or roughed it while traveling in my life but between the two, backpacking might win since I’d probably see more sights. Might.

Okay no, I rather do the resort. I’m a wimp, y’all.

10. Are you more of a lie on the beach kind of person on vacation, or do you prefer to see the sights?

Sights! With a beach break maybe. If I had to choose between the two, sights will always win.

Question(s): Pick a question or two and answer!

Ten on Tuesday (vol 6) Fourth of July

July 5th, 2011 · · holidays, Ten on Tuesday 15 comments - Tags:

1. What do you traditionally do for 4th of July?

I guess judging from the last 5 years or so, barbecue with friends and play with firecrackers, or go see fireworks.

2. Did you follow your tradition this year? How did you celebrate yesterday?

Not really. I walked Townlake with Brandi and nearly died of heat exhaustion. Then I spent the evening with Alan on a simple date night, checking out a new theater downtown and watching a Woody Allen film.

3. What’s the best fireworks show you’ve ever seen?

Maybe two years ago for Fourth of July.

4. Have you ever been injured by a firecracker?

Nope. I’m too scared to really be carefree around firecrackers.

5. Burger, Brat, or Hot Dog?

I’m not even kidding when I say, all three!

6. Do you sport red, white and blue on our Independence Day?

I try. This year I wore a blue flower print dress. Last year, bright orange (?). Two years ago I wore festive bracelets.


Fourth of July, 2009

7. If you had to be from any country other than the USA, what country would it be?

I think I’m really blessed to be from the USA, and wouldn’t have it any other way.

8. Charcoal or gas?

On my life’s to-do list is to learn how to grill, charcoal and gas.

9. What’s your favorite thing about this fair country of ours?

Our freedoms. Namely, our freedom of speech.

10. God Bless the USA, My Country Tis of Thee, or the Star Spangled Banner?

Pick a question, answer a question!

VEDA – Ten On Tuesday (vol 5): Books

April 19th, 2011 · · on the nightstand, Ten on Tuesday, VEDA, videos 16 comments - Tags: ,

I’m running out the door as I type up this blog post. Today’s VEDA is my answering the Ten On Tuesday questions for today.


Youtube Link


Question: What are you reading?

Ten on Tuesdays (vol 4) The Holidays

November 23rd, 2010 · · holidays, National Blog Posting Month '10, Ten on Tuesday 9 comments - Tags: , , ,

1. What are your plans for the holidays? Do you travel at Thanksgiving? If you celebrate Christmas, do you travel then, too?

For both Thanksgiving and Christmas, I drive 2.5 hours if there’s no traffic from Austin to Houston. My plans during the holidays usually entail waiting around all day and evening on the actual days of Thanksgiving and Christmas til my parents close down their shop. After which, we have a late quiet meal. The days surrounding Thanksgiving and Christmas I spend fluttering between friends. I am so happy around this time because of the out of town visitors coming home for the holidays and the Houston friends I do not get to see that often during the year if at all.

2. How do you make the plans for the holidays? If you have a significant other, how do you decide which family to visit?

He goes to his hometown and I go to mine. We exchange gifts before or after.

3. Do you have your Thanksgiving meal at lunch or later in the day?

Late late late. Like 9pm late.

4. Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

Our family Thanksgiving traditions are modest. Just a quiet meal late in the night. I have a personal tradition where I send out Thanksgiving cards to my loved ones counting the ways I am thankful for them. This year I’ve only sent one half of them. The other batch needs to be written and get sent out late. Ooops. Story: Once I sent out a Thanksgiving card to Jon in New York around Thanksgiving and somehow he received it in his mailbox in July the next year.

5. After a big meal, do you lounge around or get up and take a walk?

Usually I try to walk it off and rub my tummy, if I can. Sometimes I overdo it so much that all that can be done is to lay down and groan.

6. Do you shop on “Black Friday” or do you avoid it?

I have a couple of years ago to get a camera. Meh :) Black Friday. Meh.

7. When do you usually finish your Christmas shopping?

There’s always that one person I’m stuck on that has me running around up to Christmas Eve. I used to buy year round for the people in my life but then I got paranoid that it was jinxing the relationship. Seriously. I once bought this girl an inflatable cowboy because she was obsessed with cowboys and would have enjoyed it. Then we stopped being friends. Ha. After toting that bad boy around for years waiting for the next person who lovesss cowboys to come into my life, I gave up and gave it a temporary home at Goodwill. Twice, I’ve made photo books and friendships disintegrated while the books were in shipping. My closest friends requested I stop giving photo books.

This year, I’ve started and hope to be done as soon as possible. Any idea what to get a 10 year old niece I really didn’t even know about til this year?

8. Do you and your significant other exchange gifts? If there a budget?

He tends to spend a lot on me generally. Spendy meals often. Holidays and birthdays are the occasions I try to keep up with him and almost almost match him.

9. When do you decorate for the holidays?

I’m not a big fan of Christmas so in my own apartment, I’ll whip out my two holiday snow globes I was gifted, a few stockings and that’s about it. They’re all out already. I usually bring them out when it starts to get cold in November. Though, we’re back to eighty degrees this week.

10. Do you go “all out” with the decor or keep it simple?

I do not go all out. Last year I lived with Brandi and she is a HUGE Christmas fanatic. Our apartment looked like a paper winter wonderland. See below a picture of our fireplace last year.

Also my two holiday snow globes. The full extent of my decorating!

Pick a question, answer a question!

Ten on Tuesday (vol 3) Reliving College

August 17th, 2010 · · Ten on Tuesday 6 comments - Tags:

Yes, I’m totally cherry picking my “Ten on Tuesday” experiences. I know I haven’t done one of these for a while but this week’s questions gave me an excuse to relive the good times that was college.

1. Where did you go to college?

UT at Austin!

2. What did you study?

Majored in biology and philosophy and minored in computer science.

3. Was college really all that it was cracked up to be?

Completely. Some of my closest friends I’ve made in college and we still keep up with each other even after graduating 5 years ago. Awesome, funny, memories, milestones and growing pains. Hardly any bills! You can skip class if you wanted to (can’t skip work). You can pull all nighters easily. Also at the risk of sounding like a geek, I enjoyed cramming, taking tests, taking notes, and late night study groups.

4. How far were you from home?

2.5 hours from Houston.

5. Did you have the same roommate all four years?

I had the same roommate for the first 3 years. She’s my girl. Just celebrated her birthday not too long ago. Lived by myself the last year.

6. Where did you order food from at 2am?

Pluckers for wings. Or drive/walk to Kerbey Lane, a 24 hour breakfast diner.

7. Did you date in college or were you tied down?

I was tied down. Met him beginning of freshmen year and didn’t break up til end of college. Um, if you can avoid it, I recommend not being tied down in college!

8. Funniest drunk college moment?

It wasn’t that funny. 9 years ago, I was learning how low my tolerance was freshmen year. After two shots of Goldschlager, my roommate had to carry me home. I think it’s only funny because til this day she tells me I may look light, but am pretty heavy dead weight! Also, after that night I didn’t take another drink of alcohol for over a year. I’ve never had another drop of Goldschlager again.

9. Did you make it to class on time?

I was either on time or I skipped.

10. What was your favorite class in college?

I enjoyed all my computer science classes. Namely because of bonding time with Deesh and Jen and cute German exchange students. My favorite biology class was Vertebrate Physiology. I rocked that class. My favorite philosophy class was with Robert Soloman (RIP and yes, he has a Wikipedia page!) for Existentialism.

Dreams & Desserts: Ten on Tuesday (vol II)

February 23rd, 2010 · · savory, Ten on Tuesday 8 comments

1. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Pistachio gelato. Or coconut.

2. What is your earliest memory?

Living in a 2 bedroom apartment with my half siblings, younger brother, and parents. My brother and I slept on a queen bed and my parents slept on the floor. We moved to an actual house also when I was pretty young, but I think this is my earliest memory.

3. What is your earliest memory of a dessert?

As a kid, every time we went to an Asian market, my parents would let my brother and I pick one dessert to bring home. I always picked out this yellow and green dessert made out of mung bean and tapioca. I used to LOVE as a kid. It’s kind of gummy and really sticky. I haven’t had it since I was a kid. Revisiting it in 2009, I don’t really like it. It’s almost too plain for me. I think I must have liked just peeling it in strips and playing with it. Below is a picture of Dave scrutinizing it.

4. Do you have any recurring dreams?

Nope. I used to. I used to dream about my childhood best friend and him coming back to my life every 6 months or so but it’s about almost 2 years I’m guessing since I’ve had that dream.

5. Have you ever dreamed about dessert?

Yes. I forget who was feeding me, but someone in my life was spoon feeding me melted chocolate over and over again. And over and over again. Dream lasted about 10 minutes of this sequence. Best dream ever!

6. What is one thing (aside from a cell phone or computer) that you cannot go the entire day without?

Chapstick.

7. What is one dessert you could go your entire life without ever having again?

Anything lemony.

8. If you could go on vacation tomorrow, where would you go? (Assume someone else is footing the bill, but within reason…so “the moon” won’t work)

Paris!

9. If you could have any dessert tomorrow, what would you have (assume someone else is buying it for you. Within reason though, no “gold sprinkled ice cream cones.”)

Any kind of egg custards. Creme brulees. Flan. Egg custards from dim sum.

10. What was your first impression of your significant other? If you’re single, what was your first impression of your best friend?

The dude: First impression the very very first time: super quiet. He thought I talked too much, which I do.

My best friend: “This girl has a booger….” (This was back in first grade though, she’s better about the boogers now. (As am I.))

Ten on Tuesday

January 19th, 2010 · · on the nightstand, Ten on Tuesday 19 comments

Inspired by Stephany and this week’s questions, I’m doing my first meme and am participating in Ten on Tuesday today. Today’s questions center around books and it seems to be a theme in my life and on this blog lately. (I have a post scheduled showcasing Martin’s book collection.)

1. Favorite book(s) when you were a child and why?

Little Women. I’m going to count this as one of my favorites in life just because I’ve reread it so many times. I don’t often reread books. I related to and admired Jo the most and go through the same emotions every time that skanky Amy marries Lawrence.

2. First “grown-up” book you remember reading (i.e. written for adolescents or with adult themes, such as The Outsiders or Catcher in the Rye).

If you count The Outsiders as a grownup book, then I guess I was in 6th grade when I read that. I consider Little Women as a children friendly adult book. So Little Women I’ve first read maybe in 4th grade.

3. Favorite movie that came from a book (even if you didn’t read the book and just love the movie).

Usually, if I’ve read the book the movie is usually better with 2 exceptions. Silence of the Lambs was the only book I’ve read that was almost exactly aligned with the movie and I really appreciated that as I’ve never run into a movie as true to the book as Silence of the Lambs. Man, I take that back. I think Shop Girl was pretty aligned. Probably because Steve Martin wrote both the novella and the screenplay so not a lot was lost in translation. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is the ONLY movie I enjoyed over the book. I loved all the liberties the movie took (and they took a lot) over the book. If you’ve seen the movie you should definitely read the book just to see all the differences. It’s a short read.

4. Movie that you loved so much that you WISHED there was a book out so that you could find out more about the movie.

I’m at a lost. Hmm. I assume most of the movies I enjoy are already books.

5. Worst book you’ve ever read?

There’s a lot of books I don’t ever finish because it’s too painful. Time Traveler’s Wife was one. The worst Shakespearean play was King John. I hate Milton’s Paradise Lost. I hated My Sister’s Keeper.

6. Book that everyone raves about that you either a) haven’t read and feel slightly dumb for not having read it or b) have tried to read and hated and so feel slightly dumb that everyone is getting something you don’t.

Harry Potter. I haven’t touched a single one. I’m a girl with her feet firmly planted on the ground and have found it extremely difficult to suspend disbelief when it comes to all things fantasy. I’m surprised I took to Twilight!

7. If you were forced to choose only 3 books that you could read for the rest of your life, which ones would they be? (Or if you were stranded on a desert island, which 3 books would you want there with you?).

Little Women, Pride & Prejudice, um and an anthology of sorts to give me variation. Is that cheating?

8. Name one book that if you could recommend that everyone you know read, what is it?

Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck, M.D. He set the foundation for what I believe love is.

9. What is your “guilty pleasure” reading?

Twilight series. Hee.

10. What book (excepting the Bible or other major document of your religion/faith) has changed your outlook on life the most?

Road Less Traveled. See no. 8.