Our Honeymoon

Pin It now! i almost forgot to post our honeymoon! aruba was amazing. it was exactly what we needed...to do nothing except eat, drink and sit by the pool. we stayed at the riu palace which was all-inclusive. yes, it was M's dream come true - food all day! the food was great and the drinks were even better. instead of the no-name alcohol, they served absolut, malibu, johnnie walker, etc. we met some great couples who were also on their honeymoon and of course a family from new york.

our first honeymoon vodka shots...out of the always-stocked bar in our room. plus M's tropical drink of choice...the sunrise and amstel bright. he was so excited because the amstel brights
can only be found in the caribbean

our jeep tour around the island in jeeps we drove ourselves and that looked like they were from jurassic park

i rubbed the buddha's belly for good luck. M poised with a pig

Blue Moon

Pin It now! M found this on a phonebooth. we drink blue moon all the time and i love how it can be turned into art.

NYC Blogs

Pin It now! just like me, this blog has lost its identity. ok fine, i'm being dramatic. lately, drama is my middle name so keep up with me! i'm not sure if this is still a wedding blog. it might have turned into a nyc blog. who knows, but the benefit of having your own blog is that you can do whatever you want with it. today, it's an nyc blog, which means we get to see our other favorite nyc blogs. yay!

brian dubé's new york daily photo is fantastic. it is exactly what it sounds like...a photo of a part of new york city delivered to you daily. he captures the city so well and includes history lessons.

obviously gothamist has to be included. who else is going to give you the latest nyc gossip or tell you that Godzilla, snapping turtle was relocated into prospect park from the brooklyn botanical gardens?

nycbloggers isn't a blog, but i still think it's cool. it's a a catalogue of nyc blogs and you can register your nyc blog on the website by your subway station. i haven't registered and i can't decide whether i should log myself under the A/C/B/D's columbus circle station or the N's 57th street station.

melissa plaut is/was a nyc taxi driver and blogged about her experiences at newyorkhack and then wrote book about it, hack. she hasn't blogged in awhile since her book came out, but it's a great view of the city, especially since most of us take taxis so much.

overheard in new york is a collection of conversations overheard in ... (wait for it)...new york. fine, it's not a blog either, but it's still fun.

the ny times has the city room blog. love it! btw, they're rolling out hybrid garbage trucks in september.

Four Karaoke Songs & A Birthday

Pin It now! this past weekend was all about singing and birthdays. on saturday we went to our usual 3 hour, all you can drink, karaoke party at japas 38 for joe's birthday. we've done a lot of these karaoke parties before and they're such a hit. three hours of all-you-can-drink sake and beer and endless trays of sushi and food. this was the first time a couple of our friends did karaoke with us and said they wouldn't sing...yeah right! newbies always end up singing!

sunday we celebrated my sister's birthday at maria pia with yummy italian food and a delicious blackout birthday cake.

The Look for Less

Pin It now!

ever since i was a kid, frugality was a staple in my house. my mom shopped all the sales and never paid full price for things, and she passed this useful skill to me and my sister. i almost never pay full price, try to find discounts for everything and negotiate whenever i can. my sister is a whiz at finding online coupons. why pay more when you can pay less (heard that on a commercial for a store i can't remember. please do sue me!).

there used to be a great show on the style network called the look for less. every episode, someone would take a designer look worth thousands of dollars and recreate the look (usually by shopping at a suburban mall) for much cheaper. loved the show! the show is no longer on, but the concept is genius. to look fabulous in nyc and still maintain a positive balance in my bank account is somewhat easy. by taking my mom's lessons in frugality and the show's model, i love shopping the "look for less".

the first in our "look for less" series...ring bowls. i found paloma's nest on etsy and wished i could convince myself to spend $34 on a ring bowl. look how gorgous it is though! and it was featured on martha stewart!

my ring bowl...$2 at tjmaxx.

ok, it's not the same color or style, but it's just as pretty and serves the same purpose. the point is that you can find what you want at an affordable price. until we hit the $234 million megamillions jackpot, the "look for less" will have to do.

Identity Crisis

Pin It now! as much as i'm excited to be M's wife and take his name, i didn't realize i would be as anxious and sad as i would be to change my name. i just got back from the social security office to get a new SS card issued with my new name. while i was signing the form, a tiny wave of anxiety washed over me. i questioned whether i made the right decision to change my name and that maybe i could go back and change my marriage certificate. i've been me for the last 30 years! now as i move on to the next part of my life, i feel like i'm leaving a part of me behind. it's especially hard since i had a chinese last name and now it's italian. everyone tells me that i'm the same person and that i'll always feel like an "eac", but i've lost all the chinese-ness in my name. i know things will feel more comfortable as time passes. M has been very supportive and has no preference on whether i change or not. for me, it's a personal choice and i think it's important. it's another step of commitment. ask me next year how i feel...

before...


after...

Happy Birthday Ray!!

Pin It now! it's my baby sister's birthday today. i can't help it but to call her my baby sister since she's 7 years younger than me, but she's longer a baby. she's a beautiful 24 year old living and working in nyc and parties like a rockstar with her friends. of course i still get the occasional phone call with her complaining about our parents or J. happy birthday my darling!

Can't Get Enough Pictures

Pin It now! there were SO MANY pictures from the wedding. we haven't even received our pro-pics yet. here's a few that summarized the day.

in no particular order...

lots of cousins!