Archive for the year 2003
The Gift of Blog
Posted on December 27, 2003 by Ching under Family.
Inspired by the Blogger article “How To Give The Last-Minute Gift of Blog,” I gave my very first Blogger blog gift. Dad’s birthday gift from earlier this year doesn’t count because it was an entire website (domain, hosting, web development, my own support and maintenance services and everything) rather than just a blog; besides his is powered by Movable Type instead of Blogger. So this is really a first for us. Brian was a bit unsure of the idea at first..
“Do you think he’ll really use it? I mean, look at my blog,” he says referring to his own stagnating blog which gets updated about as often as the sun burns bright pink.
“Sure! Why not? I’m sure he’s got a lot of cute Logan-stories to blog about.” Mom and dad never seem to run out of Logan-stories and I’m sure he has even more to share. I can never hear enough Logan-stories because he is just the smartest, most adorable little boy in the whole wide world.
I always feel so bad every year because we always get stuff for Logan for Christmas and we never get anything for Matt. Brian didn’t have any brilliant ideas of his own so we ended up going with my idea (because I’m just brilliant — honestly, I can’t take credit for this one because I actually stole the idea myself from Blogger). And Matt actually liked it (at least it seems like he likes it and for the sake of this posting we’ll just agree that he does), so I’m right as usual! Ha! In your face to all those of little faith! Behold, the power of Blogger!
Kidding aside, now I feel bad because we got something for Logan and Matt and nothing for Jude. As you can see, you don’t really have to spend anything to make a good gift. It only takes some thought, a little time, a bit of effort and a lot of creativity. In giving (now this is cliché but it’s true) it’s really the thought that counts, isn’t it? So perhaps next year we’ll make something for Matt and Jude. It’s not going to be a blog but it’s certainly going to be something that we’ve made ourselves and it’s going to be unique. Most definitely!
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How to Give the Last-Minute Gift of Blog
Posted on December 24, 2003 by Ching under Web.
This idea is so freaking brilliant that I actually used it this holiday season! I will take pictures of my finished product tomorrow when the gift is presented to its intended recipient. For now, you can visit the link (http://mlx.blogspot.com).
I’m really looking forward to Noche Buena at mom and dad’s. Of course, we still have last minute things to attend to (like buying LOTR: Return of the King balcony tickets for Christmas Day because they refuse to sell them until the 24th — how silly is that — and dropping off presents at Brian’s parents’ house so that we don’t have to lug them when we come over on Christmas Day).. And then it’s happi-happi, joy-joy until Brian and I both have to return to work on Friday.
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Holiday Party
Posted on December 22, 2003 by Ching under Life.
The employee holiday party was a bust! I didn’t have as much fun as I thought I would. I think that may have been partly because Jen and mom weren’t with us this year (they attended last year’s event); Misty, Megan and Kelley came and then promptly left; I was really eager to play Texas hold ’em poker and no one wanted to play; and to top it off, we put 30 raffle tickets (all of the raffle tickets we earned by fake-gambling all night) into the Pirates DVD prize and didn’t win.
Megan and Kelley made a brief appearance and then left to go to Bricktown 54. Brian and I followed after the prizes were drawn. We agreed that we would leave as soon as they finished drawing the Pirates DVD winner but, as luck would have it, the pit boss (I made the mistake of calling him ring master earlier in the evening and caught a lot of grief for it) decided to start from the other end so Pirates ended up being drawn third or second to last. Anyway, we ended up having to sit there for practically all of the prize drawings.
Just to keep myself occupied I would feign excitement and try to look at the ticket numbers in my hand after each one. Brian would predictably scold me for being silly because we both knew that we didn’t put any tickets in those bowls so I couldn’t possibly have the winning raffle ticket in my hand. When it came time to read the numbers of the winning raffle ticket for Pirates, we were both eager with anticipation. It was totally disappointing that we didn’t win, after all of the tickets that we dropped the prize bowl.
The real fun actually began after the employee holiday party when we met up with Megan and Kelley at 54. As can be expected they were sitting at Smiley’s (they bartender they’ve been crushing on ever since the first time they’ve set foot in the club) bar. There was much drinking and much dancing going on. At one point Brian and I were actually part of a dance floor orgy (initiated by a overly outgoing, overly sensual female stranger) which made Brian very, very uncomfortable.
Anyway, here are some pictures for you to feast your eyes on.
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Bowling on the 3650
Posted on December 20, 2003 by Ching under Games, Toys.
On the way home Brian was telling me about this bowling game in his 3650. He was bragging about his 204 high game and his 533 high series. As you know, I’m a much better bowler than he is in real life so I felt very confident that beating his high scores would be a piece of cake.
He gives me a run-down of the controls and I play the game all the way hom. He’s only more than happy to let me play because this gets me out of his hair as I have this tendency to supervise as he drives which, it turns out, is very annoying to men and Brian is no exception.
It takes me a couple of games (not frames, mind you — there are ten frames to a game, and it took me two games) to get the hang of the limited controls. Once you get the hang of it, though, it’s not too bad. Nothing like real life, but not too bad considering it lets you move the ball from the left to right, adjust the speed/strength of your throw, set the aim and put a spin or hook before you throw. The challenging part is that all of this is donen through one button. LOL! It’s not that bad really.
Anyway, we get to the house and I still haven’t beaten his score. He’s laughing at my persistence and egging me on by saying I should just give up because I will never beat his scores. To add insult to injury, the phone beeps “low bat” on me. If you think this is the end of it, think again. It takes more than this to stop a determined person such as myself.
I get home, plug the phone in and continue playing. An hour later, sweaty palms and everything, I’m still playing. A lesser person would’ve given up long ago. But no, not I. I finally bowled a 226 toppling his puny 203 game. Thank God for it too because my thumb was getting really tired and my back was starting to ache for being hunched over for so long.
“You’ve yet to beat my high series!”
“I bowled a 226 game! Beating your 533 high series, should be chicken feed.”
I play a couple of games to no avail. I tell him, calculate the average per game for a 533 series so I at least know what I’m shooting for. He does and it’s a meager 177. This boosts my confidence and sure enough within ten minutes I produced a 535 series. It’s only two pins more than his high series score but it’s good enough for me. I can rest now.
I suppose you could glean from what you have just read that stubborness runs in our family also, but there are more positive qualities at work here; like perseverance and determination and hard work.. Â Man, I really need a life!
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Filipino Christmas Party
Posted on December 19, 2003 by Ching under Family.
We attended the Filipino Christmas party held at the 4H Club in West Wichita last Sunday. Unfortunately Brian couldn’t go because he had to work so he will be noticeably absent in the pictures that you are about to view. I just went to mom and dad’s so that we could all ride together. So it was just mom, dad, Jen, Logan and myself. It was still a lot of fun though.
It was super duper cold that weekend so as far as clothing options went, you were pretty limited. I ended up just wearing my Express editor pants and a nice top. A top that I just shrank the other day. It’s a medium, though, and it had room for shrinking so I hope that it will still fit me. Besides one of my goals for the coming year is to lose weight so hopefully if it doesn’t, at least I will. Cross your fingers.
Some the pictures below were taken at the Christmas party. The one of Logan and Jen where he is sleeping was taken in the car on the way home. The rest were taken at home when we were singing karaoke using the Magic Mic (or Magic Sing, whatever you want to call it).
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