Free Books - Sponsership by Sony

Wow, I found this out through Dear Author and it was awesome!

Sony is teaming up with Google Books to bring you 500,000 ebooks for free! You can download to your computer or to your Sony Reader.

All you have to do is download the software, register, and find what you what to READ!

Let me see what I can find that I like:

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I also found Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine archives and The New Yorker on there.

Interesting. I already downloaded Pride and Prejudice - a classic that I can't wait to reread.

Story In My Head

This monologue hit me fast. I had to write it quickly.

Life can change in a blink of an eye. Minor decisions can bring big changes. One word and a whole story can change. And life as we know will never be the same.

I believe things happen for a reason. Just probably not the reason I wanted. That's probably why life is not fair. It doesn't take sides.

I never met anyone like her. She was the best thing that happened to me. ::chuckling:: She was also the worst thing that happened to me. She can be sweet and funny. She can be stubborn and muleheaded. I can always see her pure soul shining out of her eyes. I would never forget her laugh, a sound full of pranks and love.

I love her. I never loved anything before. Not like this. She never heard it from my own mouth. But I think she knew how I felt.

I never got a chance to tell her either. That's what I regret the most. When I found out how I felt, it was too late. Too damn late.

I thought it was too late.

So I stand here today declaring my love for her. Hopefully she'll know it's never too late.
________________________________________________________________
And so the story begins: 3 Months earlier

"What are you doing?"

I slightly turned from my kneeling position to see the brunette an inch away from my ear. A nosy client. Great. "I'm putting together the lens for this camera and also attaching a flash. This area is a little lacking in light. If you want a good shot, I need these to make the picture work."

"Geez, a little touchy. I meant what are you thinking about? You had a weird crinkle in your forehead and your eyes went a bit wild for a moment. It was not a look of someone thinking about light and whatever other stuff goes into photography."

"Look if you want this scenery, ...."

"The agency said that you did the shoots for National Geographic for years. And that you just recovered from an injury. Did you hurt yourself on an expedition?"

"... You are.... who told ... look can we just get on with this? I have another appointment in 2 hours."

"No you don't. I asked Bradford and he said that this is basically your first shoot since the 'hush hush' accident."

Bradford. He is going to die a slow death. And so soon after his wife gave birth. A pity.

"Whatever lady. Let's just get a move on."

"Not lady. I have a name. It's Sunny."

__________________________________________

What do you think so far?

Strengthening My Buying Power

Diane Von Furstenburg Dress

In business school, I was told that by stengthening a company's buying power, you should be able to reap in better returns. In a way, that's what I want to do. But in a totally different market.

SHOPPING.

I have an urge to shop. And by strengthening my guts to just buy the stuff I want, I'll be able to reap in the valuable items I want. On the other hand, that means I have to work my butt off to pay off the credit card. I'm not looking forward to that though.

Shopping Junkie

I feel like I'm going through withdrawal of a drug. I'm frenetic, snappy, cranking, and jittery. All the makings of a junkie. But it's not for drugs. It's for shopping.

It's been a while since I shopped. For clothes, jewelry, shoes, or purses. I have been just working, taking care of Megan, and working!

All of a sudden, it hit me - this shopping frenzy - this urge to do some damage to my credit card. And the idea that I might be sinking a whole in my credit card isn't even phasing me. Something is really wrong with me!

Parenting Cartoons

I have been receiving emails from babycenter.com since I became pregnant. I love the info they send to me week by week through my pregnancy. And I especially love it when they didn't abandon me when I gave birth. Babycenter.com kept me informed as a new parent week by week of my child's growth. It helped me keep track of Megan's development and even sometimes helped me resolve issues and even reasserted my parenting skills.

Like any new parent, I do not know half the time what the hell I'm doing.

But the thing I love about babycenter.com is their cartoons. I always am on the lookout for their funny as heck cartoon which is at the bottom of the emails every other week. I found out that the artist is Cathy Thorne of http://everydaypeoplecartoons.com/

One of my favorites. I totally remember how I felt around that time. It was exhausting. I was sleep deprived because I was so big. Walking hurt, actually everything hurt. The aches and pains... don't get me talking about the labor pains...

And now I have been asking this question a lot lately. She's been a bad bad little girl and she can't even talk yet!

We are not as young as we used to be

I'm only 27, but on days like this, I feel like I'm 75 or older. My back was achy when I woke up this morning. It wasn't painful just achy and sore even though I haven't exercised or lifted anything. Well except my baby but she shouldn't make me sore. Maybe I slept too much. But then why was I still tired this morning.

Lately, my feet is tingly when I first get up. It's like my feet fell asleep while I was sleeping, but shouldn't that make my feet numb immediately? What is going on with my body?

I should probably exercise more. But there is not enough time in the day for me to fit in a workout much less drive to the gym. Yes, the gym is about 10 minutes away but it's still not close enough for me. I have the treadmill at home but not the weights or the resistance equipment.

I need to cut work short and go exercise more often. I'm starting to feel really stressed. My neck is constantly tense. The muscle there in my neck is sooo knotty.

Yup 75 year old.

Vision in White by Nora Roberts

I can't wait for this book to be out. It's expected to be released on April 28 and will be the first book in the Bride Quartet series.

Excerpt at mylifetime.com
http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/movies/nora-roberts/vision-in-white-excerpt

Nothing Should Surprise Me

Hehe. I'm writing this blog after I found harden sauce in my hair. It had clumped around the bottom of my hair in this hard mass. I had to pick at it and realized it was some sauce substance from my baby's food. She had went wild tonight, dumping everything on her high chair. Thank goodness it was only in the tray of her high chair.

I think I would cry if I had to mop the floor tonight.

Somehow her tossing and flinging sauce at me, made me laugh. I was happy that she was so carefree and excited. I guess that's just her being young. And within a year, two, even 18, I might never ever see that side of her again. I just want to enjoy it for as long as I can.

She also take in delight at HI-5 series that a friend of my parents sent to us. She loves the colors, the acting and the music. I couldn't tear her away from it. It got so good for her that while she bounced and jiggled to the music, I ate standing up. Stuffing my face, quick just to keep an eye on her. My husband kinda stood aghast at seeing supermom in action.

So nothing should surprise me to find sauce in my hair or that I who usually eat savoringly will stuff her face.

On The Cheap Side

I am not a frugal person. I love to shop and find something I would like. But sometimes, I find something I like but I wouldn't even wear it. Don't know why. I have tons of clothes with tags.

At least, it hasn't gotten so bad lately. But I've been feeling the itch to shop.

Yesterday I bought a purse. I regretted now, because I don't think I need a new purse. I still like my old one.

Why did I buy the new one? It was leather and free Express NEXT DAY shipping.

yeah, really good deal. Should I mention the purse's name is "Pay My Tab." I thought it was funny. fitting really.

So I'm online again. Window shopping through the pages of the internet. Wondering should I buy this pretty ballerina looking dress when I don't have any where to go. No wedding, no party, no business gala...

Sippy Cup Saga - RESOLVED

Oh my lord. Finally Megan is using the sippy cup without problems. It's been 3 days and nights and no complaints. I have fully removed the bottles and they are IN STORAGE!

YAY!

How I did it? I don't know.

Ok so I have an idea how I did it. It took 3 weeks though.

Step 1: remove the bottles from sight.

Step 2: Give only sippy cup.

Step 3: After tantrums and crying, I gave up and handed her the bottle.

Step 4: Try sippy cup tomorrow. Add something to that milk. Use something she likes. I used mashed avocado. She loves avocado. Let her see you add that item.

Step 5: Repeat Step 1-4. Add less of "GOODIE" to milk each time.

Step 6: Voila! Hand her the sippy cup without a blink or nervousness. She took it without even a tear.

Hang in there moms. You can sippy cup train 'em.

Mommy Cards Again

I really like this purple color so I decided to do something with it.

B is for Bistro

I love to eat out. But when a restaurant has the word BISTRO tacked on, I'm more likely to eat there more than once a week. I don't know why. It is just the way it is.

In Houston, I love Rattan Pan Asian Bistro. It is a new restaurant, opened about 1 1/2 years ago. Their menu is really diverse from Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai food.

If you want Sushi, they got sushi. Their Tempura shrimp is to die for. I always get their Pork Shanks. The pork is soo tender and moist, followed by buttered spinach mashed potatoes. And for a special kick, a spicy apple chutney is included to bring all the flavors together. Really different.

Rattanbistro.com is their website. Visit it!

Another place that I adore is Cheesecake Bistro in New Orleans, LA. My hometown, so of course, Cheesecake Bistro is my place for hometown cooking. Authentic Nawlins dishes with Cajun seasoning. I'm salivating just thinking of the food. When I lived there, I ordered to go nightly from there.

Best spinach and artichoke dip and the best Stacked Eggplant Napoleon. Oh yeah. Their website is: http://www.copelandscheesecakebistro.com/menu.html#bistrosignature

Diving for Business

Yesterday at work, there was a commotion that I should have been able to take care. It was my day off so no one bothered to call me. Today when I came in, was blown away by how mere hours could change my life and everyone's life around.

I guess in today's economy,people think you have to be cutthroat and malicious to survive. But I beg to differ. I think by keeping promises and building clientelle is the key to everything. Service matters especially in technology based companies.

One of our suppliers handed us the pink slip. They still want us to buy from them but they will be taking over our clients directly. We have been servicing these clients for over 20 years and now boom, no more.

Hopefully, we can make some changes that will indeed get our customers back.

Mommy Cards Design 3

Mommy Cards Design 2

I'm on a roll! Here are some new designs:

Mommy's Card Design 1

How do you like these designs?

Stupid Embarrassing Moment

I went to a playdate at a restaurant. This mexican restaurant is cozy with a sand area for kids to play. I wanted Megan to just have fun, but she ended up HATING sand. She squealed, eeked, and was about to throw a tantrum until I removed her from the sand.

I just ordered her some food, chit chatting with other moms, when Megan began to wail. She was sleepy and tired, and probably bored. All the other kids were playing in the sand. She was stuck in a chair. She was torn between sand or play. She chosed the former - less dirty.

I said my goodbyes and hauled Megan in the car. Strapped her in her car seat and jetted home. As soon as I got home, my head of pounding. I was exhausted too.

Then I remembered, I LEFT WITHOUT PAYING!

The mortification that the other moms and dads had to pay for me, was really overwhelming. I wanted to hide forever and never show my face again.

I was like what am I going to do!?

So I went to the meetup site and posted a message on the forum saying how sorry i was and I was going to pay whoever paid back. Thankfully, they were okay with that. 1 really nice mom paid and I sent her the payment!

I guess I need to instill some confidence at the next outting. Or pay first.

Confessions of a Working Mom

I love these playgroups that I go to. Megan loves 'em. It seems like the kid interactions that she gets, makes her learn new things, fast. I feel like by letting her play with other kids, she's opening up doors and she's growing right before my eyes.

The only thing is most of these playgroups are for Stay At Home Moms (SAHM). And I got burned a few times when these SAHM want to keep to their SAHM groups. What difference does it make if I go to work? I still want my baby to have all the best things she can get, just like any SAHM.

I had met a really nice mom "Michelle" with her baby "Gabby". Megan and Gabby are the same age and were already hugging and holding hands. Michelle and I were chatting and just hanging out. About an 1 later, both babies were tired. I don't blame them. I was tired just chaperoning them. I'm leaving with Megan, and I handed Michelle my business card with email and phone. I told her, "Call me or email me. Let's meet some time and get our kids together." She looked at the card, and I saw the look in her eyes change like "Humm, you work?"

Wow, big difference. It's been 2 months, and I haven't heard from Michelle. So sad. I know it's my business card. Should I make Mommy cards? LOL... I heard of these cards that mom's hand out with their info, just in case people need to contact them.

Goodnight

you look so peaceful
sleeping in your tiny bed

I can't believe you're with me
a part of me forever

rosy cheeks, little toes & finger
curling up against your blankie

you snuggle against your teddy
not even a peep can wake you

always I want to be with you
watching you sleep in the dark

I am comforted by your nearness
looking out for your at all times

Can't wait until you wake
and see that smile of yours

Brighten eyes, musical laugh
I can see how fast you grow up.

Goodnight baby, sleep tight
mommy's here for you all right.

Katie Holmes - Glamour Shoot

Isn't this a beautiful picture of her? I love her tossled hair and her makeup is perfect.

This picture will be Glamour's 70th Anniversary issue.

In this issue, she talks candidly about her relationship with Tom, her career, and being a famous mother.

I looked at the other pictures from the photo shoot and most showed a very slim Katie Holmes. She looks worn out, unlike this picture to the left.

I remember her as Joey from Dawson's Creek. Don't we all wish we can back to the old days?

Playing Hookie

I am supposed to be at work today, but decided to stay at home. To do what? NOTHING.

yup, nada, zilch, not a thing.

Actually I have a newsletter, catalog, and a brochure to be working on but I'm blogging. I can't make myself work or go to work for that matter. Don't know what came over me. I didn't even nap and I haven't eaten a thing today. I feel like I'm back in college.

Skulls and Tattos for a Baby

At first look, this Mei Tai Baby Carrier is SOOOO CUTE!!! I immediately wanted one and loved the idea that it would be able to handle my already 24 lbs baby.

But at closer look, the carrier had SKULLS on it. While some might think it's alright, I'd rather purchase something for my baby that's less frightening. At oompa.com they also had a Tattoo one where there's a sword piercing through a skull.

I don't like it. I might buy the more traditional Floral and Peacock designs (though I don't like the colors on those).

Are you moms okay with Skulls and Tats on designer wear for your baby?

Too Much On My Mind

It is bedtime and I'm still awake. This has been happening more and more lately. I am so tired, my eyes are drooping. But my brain is still active. It's churning and things keep popping up that I have to do.

1. Find stupid font that can be embedded into Adobe Indesign and exported to a PDF.
Sounds harder than it actually is. I have been searching for so called font for the past 24 hours.

2. Sippy Cup mess continues. Baby refuses any sight of a sippy cup with milk. Will take sippy ONLY for juice and water.

3. Get MBA? Where the hell did that come from? Should I be going to school at all?

4. Work on baby#2.
Yeah right, when baby#1 is a handful already. I must be insane. But maybe I am insane, cuz I do want a baby #2.

5. Need to finish catalog drafts for print production. Way behind.

6. Need to submit data for April's Newsletter.

7. Taxes

8. Schedule flight and hotel for Los Angeles product meeting.

9. Design a blog layout. I feel creative lately.

10. Stories. Mad mad stories of Gracie and Nick. They want their romance story told.

Why Are You Breaking Everything?

"Why are you breaking everything?" - That's what my husband said to our baby daughter, 14 months.

She was reaching up trying to turn the tuner dial of his stereo. He had to grab her away while she was happily trying to break off the switch.

Nice. That's my baby!

Sweet Baby Smell

My baby was sleeping so peacefully last night. I was giddy that she was sleeping well. Occassionally there are nights when she would fight sleep while sleeping. She would kick her legs and fling her arms from side to side. I don't know what she's doing, fighting in her sleep, but it sure doesn't make me sleep easier. Those nights are the toughest because I would be vigilant throughout the night. I wouldn't get any sleep because the slightest peep out of her, would make me pop from bed to take care of her. She never needs me, but I just worry.

Last night was a good night. I saw her clutching her blankie, sleeping on her side, breathing in and out. That was peace to me.

I gave her a kiss on her cheek and I just had to sniff her. And yes, that sweet baby smell was still on her. It's been there since she was born. The first time I held her in my arms, and I thought "She smells so good. I don't want to let her go."

So she continued to sleep. And I dreamt of her toothy smile when I woke up. I wasn't disappointed.

"The Hills" on MTV

The Hills Season 5 Returns This Spring!!

I am not a big fan of The Hills, but I like Lauren Conrad. She's likable. I just like the gossip on the show. I don't know how much of The Hills is scripted or real, but whenever I catch it, I get sucked into the story.

Well on March 30, 2009, Season 5 of The Hills starts. I was this trailer and even though I don't watch the show, I felt emotional to Lauren and Heidi hopefully renewed friendship from what the trailer presented.