Memo to Dads-to-Be
Tuesday, June 30, 2004

My mom clipped this article from Parenting magazine for John, I find it to be somewhere amusing and true.

9 Things Your Pregnant Wife Wants to Hear:
1. You gained 20 lbs! that is so great!
2. You know what I would really love to do right now? Give you a back rub.
3. Let's go out and look at baby announcement cards.
4. Can you clear a shelf in the freezer? The week before you're due, I'm going to cook a couple of weeks' worth of meals and store them in there for later.
5. Boy or girl, it really doesn't matter, as long as the baby is healthy.
6. Is it all right if I call your mother and ask her to come stay with us for a few weeks after the baby's born?
7. Who wants a banana split?
8. I was thinking of buying a special "baby gift" just for you. Which would you prefer, a necklace or earings?
9. It's okay. I'm happy just to cuddle and hold hands.

9 Things She Doesn't Want to Hear:
1. Do you really hurt that much?
2. This is the best margarita I've ever tasted.
3. But your sister didn't have an epidural.
4. They were out of mint chocolate chip.
5. Boy or girl, it really doesn't matter, as long as he's healthy.
6. I finished putting the crib together! Wonder why they packed an extra screw.
7. Should you be eating that Milky Way?
8. Which hospital are you delivering at again?
9. Better you than me.

Would you please stop kicking? Mommy needs a break.
Wednesday, June 30, 2004

I am about to enter my 24th week of pregnancy. It is going along pretty well, except the kickings have increased a lot in the last few days. I am sitting here at my desk, the little one just keeps kicking me every half of hour. It isn't just a kick or two, it usually lasts about 20 kicks each time. It was amusing in the beinning, now it is getting a bit painful. Then again, it is the year of Monkey. :)

As I said before, the ultra sound showed it is a girl, but John was skeptical about it. Now I think it IS a girl. I usually have a strong mother 6th sense about it. We couldn't see with John Edward, but since my third month, I have been telling people it was a boy.

I got some window treatment from babystyle.com for the baby's room. I have been eyeing it for a while, it finally went on sale. It is so pretty. This is the color I want to paint the baby's room too. Well, John will paint it, I will supervise.

It is official
Saturday, June 26, 2004

now that we (John and I), as parents, have started to cater to our kid's weekend/out of school activities.

Today is John Edward's first ever summer swimming class at the Y. The swimming pool is behind glass windows. Every parent was watching, taking photos. We included of course. :) We went in the class, did not know what to except. Surprisingly, they divided the beginnings into 3 kids each class, which I was very happy about. That means they get individual attention. Consider it is only an half hour class every Saturday.

They did a lot for the first day. Amazingly JE did really well. He didn't freak out of the water or anything. He was actually having fun and doing what the instructor was telling him. We were more worried than he was. But I think having his cousin there in the same group helped a lot too. They both did a fantastic job.

Here are some swimming photos.

gossip
Friday, June 25, 2004

so "spider-man 2" is coming to town at the end of june. so excited, can't wait.

apparently dunst's new boyfriend is jake gyllenhaal, who rumors to be the next superman. i wonder how he will turn out, think he might be a little young to be superman.

can't believe he was actually in "bubble boy", too funny.

i'm a geek
Thursday, June 24, 2004

as i was sorting through mail at work today, i noticed one of the mail had a postmark stamp consisting of shrek and the donkey, and the words "from far away". maybe i am the only one, but i got totally excited about it and thought it was extremely cute.

yard
Tuesday, June 22, 2004

tonight, john edward is staying at my parents' place, so john and i went to lowes to get supplies for our yard. i like lowes so much better than homedepot. better customer services, lower prices, and more quatities. any we spent a chunck buying pavers, sand, gate, and various miscellaneous

all will be delivered this friday. can't wait for john to start and finish the yard.

i went through three closets. yes, i have that many clothes. mainly because i gained weight from my last pregnancy. i had to buy bigger size. then i lost weight, i bought more clothes. so i went through them, and packed away 4 bags to give to salvation army, and gave away 2 bags to someone at church who can fit into size 4. (yeah, i was hoping i could go back to size 4. that never happened. :)now the baby's room closet is all clean and clear of my clothes.

i am on the roll
Tuesday, June 22, 2004

got this from xinh

1. Where were you when you heard that Ronald Reagan died?
At work, got the news from CNN.com.

2. Where were you on September 11, 2001?
At home sleeping. John called me shortly after the first tower got hit.

3. Where were you when you heard that Princess Diana died?
In Austraila at John's parents'.

4. Do you remember where you were when you heard Kurt Cobain had died?
In Vancouver, Cananda.

5. Take one for The Gipper: What’s your favorite flavor of jelly bean?
Green apple.

6. Where were you when Magic Johnson announced he was retiring from the NBA due to AIDS?
In Chicago.

7. Where were you when Reagan was shot?
In China.

8. Where were you when the Challenger exploded?
In China. It was such a big news, they broadcasted all over the country.

9. Where were you when the 0J verdict was announced?
At work listening to the radio.

questions and answers
Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Who would you most like to get stuck in an elevator with?
Viggo Mortensen/Sean Bean/Tom Cruise/Guy Pearce.

Were you named after anyone?
No, unless you count the queen of England. ;)

Do you wish on stars?
Yes.

Which finger is your favorite?
I don't believe I have a favourite finger.

When did you last cry?
I can't remember, probably while reading a book or watching a movie. It could be LOR: Reutrn of the King.

Do you like your handwriting?
No.

Who do you consider to be your best friend?
John.

Any bad habits?
Yep. Do you really want me to list them? :)

Who is your biggest supporter?
My mom.

What is your favorite radio station?
KROQ 106.7.

If you could see one person who has died who would it be?
My uncle Bobby. (if our 2nd child is a boy, i will name his middle name after him, Robert that is)

Do looks matter?
Yes, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Have you ever misused a word and it sounded absolutely stupid?
Yes.

Do you think there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?
Yes.

Do fish have feelings?
Fish are sensitive to changes in their external enviroment, and are also capable of feeling emotions.

Are you trendy?
Somewhat.

How do you release anger?
Throw things around.

Do you trust others easily?
To a certain degree.

Do you have a journal?
Yes, you're reading it.

Do you use sarcasm a lot?
Sometimes, especially when I am mad. Which does not improve the situtaion.

Would you bungee jump?
I will like to try someday.

Are you in love with anyone?
Yes.

Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
Most of the time, no.

What's your favorite ice cream flavor?
Something with chocolate in it.

What's your favorite color?
Blue.

How many wisdom teeth do you have?
2, all on the left side. But they will be gone after I give birth.

Would you rather spend your life with the one guy/girl you love, or spend your life cheating and getting everyone you can?
With one guy, and I am doing it now.

Happy Father's Day
Sunday, June 20, 2004

last night after taking my parents to dinner for daddy's day at "the outback", john and i called xinh to see if she was free to see "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban". she was, so we picked her up and watched a 9:35pm showing at one of the many burbank amc theatres. The movie was all right, they didn't sway from the book too much and they introduced a couple of new characters.

btw, during dinner with my parents, we gave my dad a t-shirt with a photo of john edward printed on it. he loved it and put on right away. and of course he did, he is a grandfather. :)

today, i didn't get up until almost noon, then we went to a dim sum restaurant in monterey park for lunch. it was so yummy, i totally pigged out.

on a totally different topic, i am in my 22nd week of pregnancy. if you are interested in it, here is a photo of my current condition.

top 100
Friday, June 18, 2004

Here is a list of the Top 100 Grossing Films Of All Time. Bold ones I have not seen. The one(s) in italic I have seen, but wish I have not wasted my money.
stolen from xinh, as she stole it from the CheeseMistress.

1. Titanic (1997) 0,779,824
2. Star Wars (1977) 0,935,665
3. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) 4,949,459
4. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) 1,065,444
5. Spider-Man (2002) 3,706,375
6. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The (2003) 7,019,252
7. Passion of the Christ, The (2004) 0,025,697
8. Jurassic Park (1993) 6,784,000
9. Shrek 2 (2004) 6,211,000
10. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The (2002) 0,478,898
11. Finding Nemo (2003) 9,714,367
12. Forrest Gump (1994) 9,691,196
13. Lion King, The (1994) 8,423,001
14. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) 7,557,891
15. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The (2001) 3,837,577
16. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) 0,675,583
17. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) 9,125,409
18. Independence Day (1996) 6,124,059
19. Pirates of the Caribbean (2003) 5,411,224
20. Sixth Sense, The (1999) 3,501,675
21. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) 0,158,751
22. Home Alone (1990) 5,761,243
23. Matrix Reloaded, The (2003) 1,492,479
24. Shrek (2001) 7,652,016
25. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) 1,970,615
26. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) 0,031,035
27. Jaws (1975) 0,000,000
28. Monsters, Inc. (2001) 5,870,172
29. Batman (1989) 1,188,924
30. Men in Black (1997) 0,147,615
31. Toy Story 2 (1999) 5,823,397
32. Bruce Almighty (2003) 2,589,580
33. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) 2,374,454
34. Twister (1996) 1,700,000
35. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) 1,437,427
36. Ghost Busters (1984) 8,600,000
37. Beverly Hills Cop (1984) 4,760,500
38. Cast Away (2000) 3,630,478
39. Lost World: Jurassic Park, The (1997) 9,074,524
40. Signs (2002) 7,965,690 (it is on the netflix list)
41. Rush Hour 2 (2001) 6,138,454
42. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) 9,200,000
43. Ghost (1990) 7,631,306
44. Aladdin (1992) 7,350,219
45. Saving Private Ryan (1998) 6,119,491
46. Mission: Impossible II (2000) 5,397,307
47. X2 (2003) 4,948,780
48. Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) 3,079,163
49. Back to the Future (1985) 0,609,762
50. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) 5,399,422
51. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) 4,843,350
52. Exorcist, The (1973) 4,565,000
53. Mummy Returns, The (2001) 2,007,640
54. Armageddon (1998) 1,573,391
55. Gone with the Wind (1939) 8,655,278
56. Pearl Harbor (2001) 8,539,855
57. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) 7,171,806
58. Toy Story (1995) 1,800,000
59. Men in Black II (2002) 0,418,803
60. Gladiator (2000) 7,670,866
61. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) 4,925,485
62. Dances with Wolves (1990) 4,208,848
63. Batman Forever (1995) 4,031,112
64. Fugitive, The (1993) 3,875,760
65. Ocean's Eleven (2001) 3,405,771
66. What Women Want (2000) 2,805,123
67. Perfect Storm, The (2000) 2,618,434
68. Liar Liar (1997) 1,395,380
69. Grease (1978) 1,360,000
70. Jurassic Park III (2001) 1,166,115
71. Mission: Impossible (1996) 0,965,237
72. Planet of the Apes (2001) 0,011,740
73. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) 9,870,271
74. Pretty Woman (1990) 8,406,268
75. Tootsie (1982) 7,200,000
76. Top Gun (1986) 6,781,728
77. There's Something About Mary (1998) 6,483,808
78. Ice Age (2002) 6,387,405
79. Crocodile Dundee (1986) 4,635,000
80. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) 3,585,516
81. Elf (2003) 3,381,405
82. Air Force One (1997) 2,888,056
83. Rain Man (1988) 2,825,435
84. Apollo 13 (1995) 2,071,312
85. Matrix, The (1999) 1,383,253
86. Beauty and the Beast (1991) 1,301,428
87. Tarzan (1999) 1,085,177
88. Beautiful Mind, A (2001) 0,708,996
89. Chicago (2002) 0,684,505
90. Three Men and a Baby (1987) 7,780,960
91. Meet the Parents (2000) 6,225,040
92. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) 5,500,000
93. Hannibal (2001) 5,091,464
94. Catch Me If You Can (2002) 4,435,221 (it is on the netflix list)
95. Big Daddy (1999) 3,479,795
96. Sound of Music, The (1965) 3,214,286
97. Batman Returns (1992) 2,831,698
98. Bug's Life, A (1998) 2,792,677
99. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) 1,963,000
100. Waterboy, The (1998) 1,487,252

No wonder these movies made so much money, I saw almost every single of them.

not!
Thursday, June 17, 2004

What kind of disease are you? Liz:
Liz is caused by bad television.	Liz disease causes feet to become sharks. To cure Liz infection, keep a live squirrel in your underpants for a week.
Name?

guess who we saw?
Wednesday, June 16, 2004

we went to the grove today. as we were standing in front of barnes & noble. we saw Nicholas Brendon, aka xander from "buffy the vampire slayer". well, john spotted him, as i had my back to him. john was like, look it is xander, it is xander. the whole block could have heard him. :) first i didn't think it was him. then when he walked past looking at his side, yep, it was him. i think he is trying to grow a beard or something, and he was wearing a pink polo shirt. yes, pink i said. yikes!

ultra sound
Monday, June 14, 2004

i took the morning off to have my ultra sound done at my ob, with john and je tagging along. i had every intention of going to work in the afternoon. but my ob wanted me to do a diabetic test after ultra sound, which required me to drink this bottle of orange soda flavor glucose, then i had to wait for an hour until i was able to be drawn blood. when i got out the ob office, it was already noon. there was no way i would make it to work at 1:15pm.

at this point you might be getting frustrated, who cares about this test, just tell us, is it a boy or a girl? according to my ob, it is a girl! but the little one was so active in my tummy, she was particular having a boxing match in there, would not stay still to let us have a good look. as far as the ob is concerned, there is nothing between her legs. HAH. we will see how accurate he is. we have picked out both boy and girl names, so no worries on that part. and no, do not ask us what they are, as you will only find out after the birth. only part that frustrates me is that i can’t decorate the baby’s room and john won’t let me go crazy buying girl’s outfits. :)

chocky frogs & tim tams
Sunday, June 13, 2004

Yesterday morning we had John Edward’s birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. It was quite expensive, but I figure we need to do this at least once for his birthday. We had about six kids. Basically every kid went about their business of playing around on the various games, until were called back for pizza and gift opening. JE was totally excited and definitely had a good time.

Afterwards we went to the Monrovia Y to sign him up for a 6-week swimming class with his cousin Ethan. JE didn’t like to go into the water, hopefully by taking the class with someone he knows, he will do what the instructor tells him to do. Then he spent two hours at E’s place playing train sets with him.

This morning we went to LAX to meet up with U. Peter and A. Pat. We got some goodies from them, Chocky Frogs and Tim Tams. John has already started on Tim Tams. (and Xinh, you can’t have any, well, maybe a couple. :) After having breaky at Denny’s, then dropping them off at LAX for them to catch their flight back to Cleveland. We headed out to Venice Beach. Our original intention was to have some Aussie pies in one of the restaurants on the broadwalk, but we ended up just walking up and down and the broadwalk. We watched a bit of x-games that was going on there, then spent about an hour playing in the sand near the water with JE. I got sun burned, I missed my back and shoulder when putting on suntan lotion. I am feeling the pain now.

Overall we had a pretty good weekend, but very exhausted.

birthdays
Friday, June 11, 2004

so yesterday was JE's birthday. i went to his school party in the afternoon. JE was a really good host, he helped distributing napkins, drinks, and the goodie bags afterwards. we got him an chocolate chip ice-cream cake from baskin robins. since he is really into Dora the Explorer right now, we paid extra to put dora decoration on top. the cake turned out to be pretty good, and all the kids seemed to enjoy it. go figure, they are kids, and it is ice-cream. :) i took some photos, will load them up when i get home. most of all he was really surprised & happy that i showed up.

there are 12 kids in his class, five minutes after walking into the class, i had an headache from all the screaming. i admire his teacher, how she does it day after day i have no idea.

for my birthday tonight, i requested japanese food, which is my favorite. unfortunately i can't eat sushi which i totally love. :( oh well.

john asked me what i wanted for my b-day (he is really bad at giving gifts). original i wanted a princess cut diamond pendant, then i figure it isn't very praticial, i am not really a jewerl person, maybe he can give me this for our anniversary next year. instead i ordered wood blinds for our bedroom. yeah, i am totally in a home improvement mood. they are arriving in 2-3 weeks, i can't wait.

Happy Birthday John Edward
Thursday, June 10, 2004

You are four-year old today. Time sure fly by quickly. It seems like just yesterday that I was cradling you in my arms, feeding you, changing you. Now, you are a talking (and boy you talk a lot :), walking, and sometimes driving us mad big kid. Soon, you will be a big brother, and next year you are going to kinder.

So Happy Birthday John Edward. I love you.

I will stop now, so later on when you do decide that it isn’t such an uncool thing to read your mommy’s blog, you don’t get too embarrassed by all the smooches.

round and round
Wednesday, June 9, 2004

Answer the following questions in the comment box:
1. Who are you?
2. Have we ever met? (IRL)
3. Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it.
4. Describe me in one word.
5. What reminds you of me?
6. If you could give me anything, what would it be?
7. Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't? (If yes, why couldn't you tell me?)
8. Are you going to put this on your weblog and see what I say about you?
9. What do you love like a fat kid loves cake?
10. What makes you come back here?

Got this from Xinh's

it is june!
Monday, June 7, 2004

i know it has been june for seven days now, but i love june. for one it is my birthday month and JE's; second uncle peter and aunt pat are coming back from AU soon, they will be bringing back a lot of yummy goodies, awwww, chocky frog, tim-tams... *drool* (and a friend of John's will also be coming in july. yay, more goodies:)

we took a drive sunday morning to the wilderness park up in the santa anita canyon in arcadia. we got there just in time, because the park will be closed from june 7th-early sept.

we hiked a little until we found some benches for me to sit and rest, while father and son continued to hike further up. they came back about 20 minutes. JE had a really good time, but at one point he slipped and felt. but he didn't seem to be bothered with it.

afterwards we went to a party store to get some favors for JE's b-day parties for his school and on saturday. we also ordered a chocolate chip ice-cream from baskin robins for his school party, and a regular chocolate cake for his chucky cheese party on saturday. man, this is getting expensive, and he is only 4! :)

oh oh oh, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" is in theatre! i am so excited, can't wait to see it.

what's your name?
Monday, June 7, 2004

E	Emotional
L	Legendary
I	Important
Z	Zany
A	Altruistic
B	Bright
E	Emotional
T	Tender
H	Handsome

can't sleep
Saturday, June 5, 2004

it is almost midnight, and i can't sleep. mostly to do with the fact that i didn't get up until 10ish this morning, then went down for a 4-hour nap with John Edward after lunch. needless to say today was a totally unproductive day.

about this and that
Thursday, June 3, 2004

let me see where i should start?

didn’t go to work yesterday. had trouble breathing after waking up, so called in sick. i am so no in the working mood, wish i can stay home and be a full-time mom. oh well. btw, i am in my 20th week. half way through, baby.

went to the mall after taking JE to McD for breaky and dropping him off at school; bought a jacket and a couple of t-shirts for JE and a gift certificate for Jared at baby gap. stopped by at the post office to send a really cute card with the g/c to him afterwards. talking about Jared, here is some good news, he is out of ICU. yay! we are so relieved.

called john to get direction to burbank cingular. i lost my cell after coming home from universal city walk on saturday. i looked everywhere, but no sight of my cell phone. waaaaaaaa. i had to pay to get a replacement, but i got a newer model than what i had. still i love my old phone. last time we had to get a replacement for john, because i washed his cell and tumble dried it as well. heh.

got totally sucked into a BBQ craving after reading Amber’s blog yesterday afternoon, wanted to try out Zeke’s as well. but john didn’t want to drive 30 mins. on weekday traffic, might go there for father’s day. instead we substituted korean BBQ for dinner. (note to myself: need to get card/gift for dad). but did have some american BBQ for lunch today. downtown LA had a “Hope for Firefighters” event on hope street; there were a lot of food, drinks, and dessert vendors. both john and i paid each to get plate of BBQ pork with potato salad. it was not great, but filled my tummy. also got a firefighter t-shirt for JE. it was quite expensive, but was to benefit firefighters, so i was willing to pay the price. also the t-shirt was very cute.

now i am eating a yummy vanilla/milk chocolate ice-cream bar. hmmmmmmm.