May 8, 2008  •  In Personal, Relationships

The Monster Me

An excerpt from one of my favorite books, Love Story. This scene takes place right after Oliver and Jenny’s wedding.

…..It was then that the awesome truth started to get to me.

“Jenny, we’re legally married!”

“Yeah, now I can be a bitch.”

Any idiot knows that marriage is a big step in life, full of changes, adjustments, and compromises.

I guess I just didn’t realize how much of an anally retentive, control freak I am until I got married.

I come from a family of neat freaks. I still remember how on every Sunday, my father would take his only day off from work to organize massive house cleanings. My friends and acquaintances constantly comment on my organization and cleanliness, but what they don’t know is that I’m the slob in my family.

Meanwhile, J is a normal guy. Well, maybe a bit worse than most, having had his mother constantly pick up after him as he grew up.

When first unpacking, he haphazardly stashed his clothes in the closet and shelves. I proceeded to reorder his clothes in the closet by type and sleeve length (I resisted the urge to organize by color as well – I knew he’d never keep that up). I took out everything from the shelves, lined the shelves first with tissue paper, re-folded everything, and carefully placed them back in the shelves with the clothes he wears most often at top.

When he comes home from work, he always throws his wallet, ID badge, sunglasses, and loose change onto the table. So I bought him this valet so that he can neatly store his everyday items.

I refuse to let him do laundry, because I need my clothes to be folded a certain way.

As much as I love gadgets, I never use the dishwasher because it can never get everything squeaky-clean and spot-free as I can. I refuse to use rubber gloves when doing the dishes (“But you’ll ruin your hands!” my mother says) because I can only feel every grit and oil slick with my naked hands.

I give him dirty looks when he’s playing on the XBox while I’m unpacking. I’ve asked him every day this week to hang the curtains (unfortunately I’m too short for this job). I sigh loudly whenever I see that he hasn’t wiped the sink clean after brushing his teeth. I yell at him for throwing his dirty clothes and socks on the floor.

Yes, I’m a major pain in the you-know-what.

The thing is, I can be pretty relaxed and easy-going…just as long as the house is clean, that is. Throw back a beer and pizza while playing Smash Bros? No problem! But let’s make our place a HOME first, buddy.

I think I’m starting to succeed. J was actually very happy to see the valet I bought for him. And last night, he hung his clothes for the first time ever.

Little steps, my friends…

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May 8, 2008  •  In Thursday Geek-isms

Hump Day Hook-Ups

I apologize for the lack of updates. Moving is a bitch, and moving while setting up a brand new place (and assembling furniture) is even worse. As of today, I’m happy to say that our place is finally starting to look like a home and less like a tornado-terrorized warehouse.

  1. Ten Days in the Life of a Tampon, Jezebel. The most disgusting story I’ve read in a really, really long time. Oh the joys of womanhood.
  2. University of California, Berkeley Marching Band Does Nintendo Themed Halftime Show, Geekologie. Duude. Duuuuuude. I totally would’ve joined a marching band (and play a…triangle?) for this honor.
  3. Hacking Canon Point-and-Shoot Cameras, Slashdot. Although I have a love-hate relationship with Canon, I have to admit that they make some of the best point-and-shoot cameras out there. I wish I still had one so I can try these cool hacks!
  4. Is IKEA the World’s Largest Charity? Mental Floss Blog. This article came just in time. I had been wrestling with IKEA furniture for the past week, and it hasn’t been pretty (I usually LOVE assembling furniture but when you have 30+ boxes of the damn stuff, it starts to get to you). From what I gather, it seems that the honchos at IKEA are just f*cking brilliant when it comes to jumping through loopholes.
  5. Geek Flowchart from The New York Times, Geekologie. I have a confession to make. I have never played Dungeons & Dragons. I don’t watch Battlestar Galactica either. Sob! I hide in shame…
  6. The Complete Guide to The Moleskine, Lifehacker. I’ve had several different PDAs in my geek life, but at the end, I decided to sever my relationship with the digital and go manual, with Moleskines. They are seriously the best things ever, don’t you agree? And, although I’m not a tourist, I like the New York city book the best, because you never know when you need a map or two. The tabbed sections are also great for keeping track of new restaurants, bars/lounges, wine, etc.
  7. Holy Crap: MacGyver Blockbuster Film Coming! Gizmodo. I used to watch MacGyver every day. I used to envy the way he can fashion nuclear devices out of rocks and paper clips. And, as every geeky girl should, I had the biggest crush on him. I can’t wait for the movie!
  8. How to Fit a Mansion’s Worth of Crap Into Your Tiny Apartment, Gizmodo. I’ve seen most of these on design sites before, but man oh man…don’t you just love creative solutions to real-life problems? Not to mention, they look hot too.
  9. Freakanomics in The Time Magazine: Hoop Data Dreams, Freakonomics. Data and statistical analysis for basketball. I love it. (And I’m rooting for the Celts to go all the way this year!)
  10. Taxes, Warren Buffet, and Paying My Fair Share, Freakonomics. To quote Rachel from Friends when she received her first paycheck, “Who is FICA and why is he taking all my money?” I have to admit I was pretty angry when, after doing my taxes last month, I calculated that the government took more than 31% of my paycheck…and I still owed them $400! In the same boat as me? This article will get you more depressed.
May 6, 2008  •  In Personal, Wedding

Wedding Pictures Preview

Our wedding photographer, Danny Weiss, sent over some teaser pictures last night. I’m so happy that the photographers I originally wanted were all booked on the day of our wedding, because it lead us to Danny (he was a referral from one of the pre-booked photographers). Not only is Danny immensely talented, his enthusiasm and relentless energy just shines through all his photographs. I can’t wait to see the rest of the photos.

Me getting ready:


You can hardly tell from this picture but I was only wearing undergarments!

J tying his bowtie, which he had practiced all week:


I love how his image is crisply reflected in the mirror as one small portion of the entire photo, the rest of which is blurry but still radiates energy.

My bridesmaids lacing up the back of the dress while I cackle like a witch:


Lacing up the dress took forever! I slightly felt like Scarlett O’Hara as they tightened my corset. Thanks for the great job ladies, my waist looked TINY that day.

Tea for the Chinese Tea Ceremony:


I love everything about this photo: the colors, the composition, the focus…everything!

Kneeling at attention during the tea ceremony:


It was was major PITA (and a bit dangerous too) to kneel in my skintight qipao, but luckily we only had to do it once. Once down, we remained there as the adults took their turns in the chairs in front of us. 

Gold bracelets and red packets:


After a while, I thought my wrists were gonna fall off from all the bracelets. 

The bridal party:


Danny doesn’t do many posed shots, but a picture of the entire bridal party is required, no? (We didn’t have a flower girl or ring bearer) 

Hanging out and goofing around:


The bridesmaids and groomsmen were left to entertain themselves while Danny whisked J and I off to take some private shots. Aren’t my girls gorgeous? 

Spring, in all its glory:


I love this photo! We couldn’t have asked for better weather on our wedding day: April 18th was bright and sunny with a high of 83 degrees…which, at the time, was the warmest day of the year! The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and so I specifically chose
The Pond at Central Park
for our photo location. 

Strolling along The Pond:


Another reason I chose The Pond: the landmark 5th Ave buildings that surround it. 

Against the brick wall:


We came across a tunnel with some spectacularly old, textured brick walls. 

Stealing a kiss:


On our way back to the limo to meet our bridal party, J leaned in for a smooch. 

Leaving the park:


I love this shot! 

Walking down the aisle:


One of the most memorable moments of the night: there was a collective gasp as the doors opened and I entered the chapel. 

What waits at the end of the aisle:


J looks very happy to see me. 

The ceremony:


I don’t care for flowers much, so I asked for the cheapest…and luckily it didn’t look too bad. In order to save money, we had the centerpieces for the reception used for the ceremony as well. Yep, that’s our centerpiece you see up there.

Parents of the bride:


I love the colors in this picture: the blues of the background with the various warm hues of my mother and my aunts’ hanboks

You may now kiss the bride:


Our pastor always delivers amazing sermons, and we were so lucky and blessed to have him be ordained this past October and be the first wedding he officiated. 

Our first dance:


How did Danny manage to take the picture at the exact moment that another flash went off? How did know to position himself so that the flash is located where J and my hands meet? He’s a genius! 

Ending the first dance with a low dip and a kiss:


J and I decided to go along with my mother’s wishes and chose to do a choreographed routine for our first dance, to Michael Buble’s “For Once in My Life.” I wanted the Stevie Wonder version more since it’s more fun and more “us,” but the beat was a bit too fast for my big poofy gown. (Again, notice the timing and placement of the flashbulb…genius!) 

Getting a sneak peak:


J’s uncle interrupts our dancing to show us a shot he managed to capture. 

Shaking my booty with my aunt:


I danced so, so much that night…while wearing my 5″ heels! The next day’s pain was worth it – I had a blast. Apparently, my mother said of me, “I never knew my daughter could dance.” 

Adults have fun too:


My parents’ friends can be real party animals. (I’m 100% serious here…they go out more than me!) 

More partying:


It was very, very important to me that the guests have fun at the wedding…and I’m so happy they did. 

One last kiss:

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May 2, 2008  •  In Gadgets, Geek, Personal, Reviews

Apple Replaced My MacBook Pro for Free!

My MacBook Pro was still an infant at 1.5 months old.

During my honeymoon, I noticed a black dot on the upper right-hand side of the screen. I immediately whipped out my iKlear travel singles and wiped and wiped…with no avail. I changed the background image, played movies over the dot, and dragged windows repeatedly over it.

It was a dead pixel.

Needless to say I was very upset, especially because I knew that Apple (like many other LCD vendors) would not replace an LCD for just one dead pixel.

(Normally, one dead pixel is hardly noticeable and should not cause much concern. However, I do a lot of design work on my MacBook Pro…I need the screen exact to my specifications. My OCD nature doesn’t help either.)

My LCD troubles only grew from there.

Was it the Mediterranean air? The sea breeze? I have no idea.

All I know is that the next day, I opened my laptop to wake it from sleep to find alternating light and dark vertical “stripes” extending from the bottom of the screen.


(This isn’t a picture of my screen, but this is exactly what the problem looked like…
I found this image in this Apple support discussion board, which cites the problem as
faulty LED backlights.)

I panicked and called out to J, who is better at diagnosing hardware problems. He proceeded to calm me down and rebooted the machine.

All better.

…or so I thought.

Over the next couple of weeks the vertical stripes reappeared a few more times. Each time, the problem disappeared upon reboot.

Now, the dead pixel and the occasional backlight problem are more nuisances than real disasters. Everything else about the MacBook Pro was PERFECT.

However, I had never experienced anything like this in my 4-year relationship with my PowerBook G4. In addition, I expect better from Apple.

So today, I headed over to the Apple Store in Chelsea where I had originally picked up my baby. I made an appointment with the Genius Bar and waited.

Derek, the technician who called out my name, was an absolute darling. He was courteous and knowledgeable, never once talking down to me as many tech support guys have in the past.

On my side, I did my best to remain calm and collected, even managing a few smiles and jokes. I tried to be as detailed as possible in my explanations and politely informed him of my disappointment over a machine that was still quite new.

Apple has a strict 14-day return policy. However, I was still under the 90-day complimentary support period so I kept my fingers crossed.

Derek excused himself while he conferred with a manager. He returned with great news: since my laptop was still fairly new, and the problem seemed to be a hardware issue, they will give me a replacement Macbook Pro at no charge! They even switched out the upgraded memory so that my new laptop will have the 4 GB of RAM that I had purchased separately.

Apple…have I told you lately that I love you?

I have a brand new MacBook Pro to play with this weekend!

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May 1, 2008  •  In Personal, Travel

Honeymoon Days 7-8: Santorini

Our second day in Santorini was the Greek Easter, which the locals and hotel staff had promised to be a day full of good food and festivities. However, we woke up to thunder and rain, which continued throughout the day. We decided to stay in all day, bum, and order room service (which was the same price and same menu as the restaurant).

Our third day was still cloudy, but we decided to head out into the town of Fira to do some sightseeing. Fira is a 5-minute drive from the Santorini Princess, but we decided to take the scenic route and walk instead. Since the majority of the walk is uphill along gravel or cobblestone streets, the trip took about 30 minutes.

More food, the town of Fira, and Lounging by the Pool:

Fira is a small town that is filled with tourist-y shops. We didn’t buy anything save some local wine poured directly from barrels. Honestly, I never really liked white wine too much until I tasted Santorini wine!

When we returned to the hotel we were pleasantly surprised to see the sun peeking out from the clouds, so we decided to lounge by the pool. J had bought a Cuban cigar in Mykonos and he put it to good use, smoking and relaxing while watching the sunset. I ordered a cocktail and took a little nap.

After a relaxing bath in the ginormous whirlpool tub, we retired for the night in preparation for our 7am flight the next morning. Again, the hotel was wonderful…knowing we would be leaving before the kitchen opened, they sent a complimentary tray of coffee and pastries at 5:20am. At check-out, they even gave us two complimentary bottles of wine, both of which are supposed to be better quality than the bottle we had at the restaurant!

Due to the chilly weather (it was only slightly warmer than NY, mostly in the 60s) we didn’t visit the famous beaches (I really want to see the black-sand beach) or volcanoes. However, J wants to return for a week-long trip to just Santorini in the near future because he loved it so much. What a great, great island.

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May 1, 2008  •  In Personal, Travel

Honeymoon Day 6: Santorini

On day 6 we packed our bags and headed to the pier for the ferry to Santorini. I had no idea what to expect, but the ferry was very large and quite luxurious…the seats were far roomier and more comfortable than the ones on planes!

The Trip from Mykonos to Santorini:

With stops at the islands of Paros and Ios, the entire trip took roughly 2.5 hours. Luckily, we had entertainment…THE BEST part of the ferry trip was:

They played Return of the Jedi!

After disembarking, we met our transport who drove us up a VERY steep cliff. The roads were straight out of a movie: narrow, winding zig-zags that were cut directly into the cliff.

After driving through the town of Fira, we approached some buildings that were clearly more luxurious and secluded from the rest. This was where the Santorini Princess was located.

The hotels we stayed in at Athens and Mykonos were both 3.5-star hotels, but we had decided to splurge and go out with our hotel in Santorini. I had learned about the Santorini Princess from a internet friend and worldwide traveler who informed me that this is, hands down, the best hotel she’s ever stayed in. With 5-star accommodations and and impeccable reviews, the Santorini Princess sure did not disappoint.

Arriving at Santorini and the Santorini Princess:

Not only was the view gorgeous (the front faced west for watercolor sunsets, the back faced east for immaculate sunrises), the facilities were A-class and the staff just brilliant. For example, they only came to clean the room when we were out, as opposed to other hotels who usually interrupt for maid service. How did they know we were out?

The restaurant served a great mix of traditional Greek and Mediterranean dishes, and both J and I agree that the food here was the best of all we tasted in Greece. The hotel even has its own sommelier who was very friendly but proper, recommending a €21 bottle of white wine that tasted far superior than $100+ bottles we’ve tasted in the states.

(Note: Santorini, with its hot sun and wet soil, produces some of the best white wine in the world. They say that there is more white wine than water in Santorini, and this certainly seemed to hold true during our stay there.)

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May 1, 2008  •  In Thursday Geek-isms

Hump Day Hook-Ups

I’m still jet-lagged from the trip but I couldn’t pull myself away from my beloved Google Reader, which had thousands of feeds waiting for my return.

  1. Dealzmodo Ahoy: HDTVs Will Get Stupid Cheap Next Month, Gizmodo. My jaw dropped as I read this, because we had just purchased a large screen LCD television last month. $F@(*SKJF!!!!
  2. Why New York Pizza is so Tough to Replicate, Neatorama. I’ve had “New York style” pizzas all over the country, and I don’t think I’m being biased in believing that NY truly has the best pizza (even better than Chicago). Even pizza from Penn Station is better than some of the crap I’ve tasted in other cities.
  3. Life Imitating Art, Perez Hilton. Amy Poehler and Will Arnett are pregnant. Can they be my parents instead? Seriously. They’d make such cool parents! They’re up there right alongside Randy Marsh in my book.
  4. Harrison Ford & Carrie Fisher had drunken space sex, The Superficial. Han Solo and Princess Leia really did hook up! Sweet…
  5. 5 Superhero (and Supervillian) Origins, Mental Floss Blog. Who knew that Lex Luthor lost his hair in a freak chemical plant explosion?
  6. Superior Alternatives to Crappy Windows Software, Lifehacker. A must-read for any Windows users…and I wholeheartedly agree with most of the suggestions!
  7. Tiny Lego Men Assist in iPhone Unboxing, Wired Gadget Lab. It is my theory that all (girl) geeks must get their panties wet when viewing unboxing pictures of the best and latest gadgets. Add tiny Lego figures? The floodgates have opened!
  8. Slide to Unlock Tee: Not the Way to Declare Your Girl Geekery, Geeksugar. I generally don’t like gadget/technology sites geared for women because I find them misinformed, demeaning, and oftentimes mocking us true geeks via pink, “form over function” materials. This site is one of them. However, I subscribe just in case there is something that pops up…and this week there was! This t-shirt from ThinkGeek is just fantabulous. Me must have. And no, I don’t find it insulting. I figure that 99.8% of men check out all women’s bewbs anyway, so why not keep them entertained?
  9. WWW domain country codes of the world, Boing Boing. Another perfect blend of design and geekery! I am very tempted to purchase a copy…
  10. What makes a design “Googley”? The Official Google Blog. I found this a great read, because not only does it pertain to web development and design, it also applies to business models and life as
    well.
Apr 30, 2008  •  In Personal, Travel

Honeymoon Days 4-5: Mykonos

Our second day in Mykonos was a beautiful, sunny day. After a small breakfast we laid out by the pool and actually got some sun. Afterwards we decided to take the hotel shuttle into town.

Mykonos is a very windy island, and since the main town sits right along the harbor, the small winding streets are subject to many unpredictable and powerful drafts. For this reason, it is advisable not to wear dresses or skirts when walking around town. I repeat: DO NOT WEAR DRESSES OR SKIRTS when walking around Mykonos. Because it was a sunny day, I foolishly wore a skirt and ended up flashing many locals and delighted Japanese tourists. J was no help at all; all he would say whenever a gust of wind lifted up my skirt was “Nice” or “That’s hot.”

Our second day at Mykonos was disappointing. We woke up to the sound of window shutters banging against the building, and the crazy wind remained for the remainder of the day. I used to get scared when living by myself on the 17th floor of a high-rise apartment building in Baltimore because the wind was so terrifyingly noisy. Well, the wind at Mykonos was a lot worse. It knocked over umbrellas, tables, and chairs…even the hotel staff opted to stay indoors. A couple of them actually apologized, saying the wind was unusually strong that day.

We ended up spending the majority of the day in our room sleeping, watching reruns of South Park and The Office on my laptop, and playing high-low (yes, very classy for a honeymoon):

(The hot pink playing cards are courtesy of my sister who packed it in the awesome “Honeymoon Kit” she assembled for us)

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Apr 24, 2008  •  In Personal, Travel

Honeymoon Day 3: Mykonos

We got up bright and early on Day 3 to catch a flight to Mykonos (our travel agency recommended air travel since ferries from Athens to Mykonos aren’t very reliable). After a delicious breakfast, we headed to the airport to find…a tiny, dinky plane. We joked that if the plane crashes, at least we’ll die happy on our honeymoon.

Getting There:

Fortunately, the 25-minute flight was uneventful and we arrived at the beautiful island of Mykonos and settled into the San Marco Hotel.

The San Marco Hotel, Mykonos:

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Apr 24, 2008  •  In Personal, Travel

Honeymoon Day 2: Athens

What’s a visit to Greece without a tour of some of the world’s oldest treasures? Luckily, one of J’s friends from college is currently working as an archeologist (!) in Athens, so she took a day off to show us around the historic sites. We were able to squeeze in the Acropolis, Agora, and Kerameikos.

(I was a dork and I forgot to charge my camera the night before…so the last quarter of the pictures were taken with J’s camera phone. Why did he bring his camera when he can’t use it? I have no idea.)

Click on the thumbnails to see the full gallery!

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