FLIP + CHING

Cheating on Bebot

Posted on August 9, 2008 by Ching under Babies, Toys, Wishlist.

File this under great service recoveries of all time…

Can you believe this is my car’s engine compartment? Everything was so clean and shiny. Brian and I were really impressed. Eddy’s totally delivered on their promise to “thoroughly detail” my car. They were not joking. They cleaned Bebot inside and out.

It looked like they took all of our junk out, cleaned the car and then put our stuff back where they were. I know because things were moved around somewhat. The floors and interior had gotten dirty from leaves and dust and stuff and everything was spotless when we picked the car up. The car seriously looked better than the day we bought it. That’s a huge compliment considering the car was bought brand new.

Of course, it rained the other day so I only got to enjoy my clean, shiny car for a couple of days at best. Isn’t that always how it goes? LOL.

I did feel a little guilty, though, because we almost didn’t want to get our own car back. We really enjoyed driving and riding around in the ’08 Prius. It made me feel very eco-friendly. LOL.

I have always thought Priuses looked ugly. I’m not a big fan of the hatchback trunk and the compact body style. After you realize how much gas you’re saving (or how little gas it consumes), it kind of grows on you. Plus, I think it’s shorter than my car but the interior is far roomier. It is surprisingly spacious inside. We fit Brian’s parents in there with us and we all had plenty of leg room.

I like how quiet it is, the cute power button, the backup camera, the design of the interior compartments (efficient use of space), and the gas mileage (naturally). I am totally sold. I’m not not much of a car person, though. In fact, I know nothing about cars so Brian will probably be able to share a more informed, educated review of the vehicle. All I know is that our next car purchase (probably in 2010 when the Priuses are manufactured in the US and improve to 70-80 mpg) will likely be a Prius because we really like it a lot. [ SIDE NOTE: It’s a good thing we are not in the market for one right now because there is a seven-month waiting list at Eddy’s. ]

Here are some pictures of the one we got to drive last weekend:

Yeah, we put gas in it though we didn’t really need to… That’s because we are nice. We did put quite a lot of miles on it with all the driving all over town that we did. Brian and I guess that we could probably go to Kansas City and back on a half a tank. I kind of wish we still had it for our road trip tomorrow.

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Photos From the Venetian

Posted on August 4, 2008 by Ching under Travel.

This is the final installment of our Las Vegas photos. Enjoy!

We didn’t get a gondola ride as planned because there was an hour-long wait. And it was misty outside so the outdoor gondola rides were closed. =(

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Speaking of Geeky

Posted on August 3, 2008 by Ching under Life.

Speaking of geeky, here are some photos from The Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton taken during our recent trip.

We are so nerdy that we took 130 pictures there, more photos than we took at any other Las Vegas attraction. You can check out the entire set here.

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Hanging Out With the Nixons

Posted on August 3, 2008 by Ching under Life.

The last couple of weekends we’ve gone over to my coworker/friend Doug’s house. Last week we came on Saturday and then this weekend he invited us over on Sunday. Brian and I spent the entire afternoon (early evening) there. We left about 7:30, almost 8:00 pm. Brian is pooped. As a matter of fact, he’s conked out. He’s so worn out that he’s actually already in bed. It’s amazing what an afternoon of pool volleyball can do to you. The last few days he’s had trouble sleeping. Usually, I’ll conk out and he’ll be up until 2:00 in the morning. Apparently, he didn’t need sleeping pills. He just needs a good workout. LOL. He’s been passed out since about 9:30 pm or so.

Doug’s grandchildren from Arkansas have been staying with them for the few weeks. Every weekend has been an opportunity for a pool party. The family hangs out, some friends come over, Stacy cooks some fantastic food, everyone plays volleyball and has a blast. Here are some pictures that we took over the last couple of weekends…

Doug and Tammy’s granddaughter Hannah is a precocious little girl. She is highly opinionated and won’t think twice about telling you exactly how she feels. She utters such gems like, “Boys don’t wear earrings” (directed at Brian), “There is no drinking in the pool” (to Jim), and “Cherrie is a silly name” (to me). Besides being opinionated, she is very observant. She is one smart little girl. She doesn’t miss a single thing. She is cute as a button and totally adorable.

Brian got along really well with Zach, Doug and Tammy’s 11-year-old grandson. He plays WOW, too. Actually, he said that his entire family (mom, dad, and sister) plays WOW. Brian got his geek on with the Zach last Saturday. They were totally engrossed in WOW stuff. It’s funny because when Doug called yesterday to invite us over, Brian’s initial reaction was “Will Zach be there?” That totally cracks me up. He has more in common with the 11-year-old than with the grown ups!

The Nixons are really cool. Having the opportunity to hang out with them is a treat, specially since I’ve never been able to get Brian to play volleyball until now.