I came up with a Christmas gift list filled with cool things that are reasonably priced.

For your tech lover friend, purchase an Anker® Classic Portable Wireless Bluetooth 4.0 Speaker for $44.99. It has great high-def sound and a 20 hour rechargeable battery.  The speaker also comes in blue or white.

For the cat lover in your life, buy I Could Pee on This: And Other Poems by Cats book for $8.50.

For your mermaid loving friend or a girly girl friend, purchase a funny Sorry I Can’t Run,I’m a Mermaid t-shirt. It’s usually $29, but currently on sale for $24.

For your friend who loves shower products, get the Lalicious Brown Sugar Vanilla Sugar Scrub for $34.  My friend Cory bought me their Sugar Kiss Sugar Scrub for my birthday and I love it! I seriously wanted to eat it since it smells so good.  It leaves your skin feeling soft. 

For your chocolate lover friend, purchase a lovely Vintage Ganache Cake for $40.  I love the limited edition book box it comes in.

For the baby with Star Wars loving parents, buy a funny Darth Vader onesie for $19.95.

For a tween, buy the Dabble board game for $18.17.  It’s a fast paced thinking game that’s fun and educational.

For your friend who is obsessed with going to the gym, buy the Sex, Weight and Protein Shakes t-shirt for $13.95-$17.95 depending on the size. Pick from the colors: black, grey, gold, white, blue, purple, green, pink, red, orange, navy blue, maroon and safety green.

For your boozy friend, pick up a pair of classy diamond glasses for $34.

For your skull loving friend (you know you have at least one!), get a cool skull shot glass for $9.95 or buy the 4 pack for $14.95.

For your tea loving friend, get a Mr. T teapot or teabag holder in orange or red for $8 and add a pink Mr. T teapot for $40.

For your friend who just loves to cook, pick up a cool comic apron for $45.

For the Alice in Wonderland fan, grab a cute Alice in Wonderland bracelet for $29.03.  There’s a couple different Alice in Wonderland bracelets in the EveisScrapping Etsy store like Tweedledum and Red Queen.

Hope my list helps you out.  Let me know in a comment below.  Happy Shopping!  Hope you have a great Christmas!

Las Vegas has been slow to even grow to love house music. Any American club is way behind compared to European clubs where they have been raving for decades.

I do remember the first mega club C2K in the Venetian.  Dance music definitely wasn’t as popular.  I just knew I loved dancing crazy and enjoying the music.  These days the clubs are divided with two types of people: people who like hip hop and people who like house music.  I don’t like hip hop when it’s bump n’ grind kind… But, I do enjoy old school hip hop like Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J and The Sugarhill Gang.  I’m definitely on the house music side.  House music is a lot more popular these days and many big name DJs are in the clubs like Fat Boy Slim, Tiesto and Avicii. 

My husband Ivan and I were talking about how different it is in Las Vegas clubs compared to Europe.  In Vegas, even if you’re at a house music night, the DJ could still play some bad hip hop in the mix.  In Europe, you’re guaranteed to hear just house music.  Also, in Europe there’s a lot more variety to house music. 

Tonight, we saw Indris Elba (His DJ name is Driis), Pete Tong and Fatboy Slim.  Ivan said that Indris Elba’s music reminded him of 90’s house music in England.  It was funky house with some deep house.  Las Vegas seems to have house music with lots of vocals especially of current popular songs.  If you’re lucky, you’ll hear about 10 minutes of dubstep or deep house… but usually nothing more than that.  It’s sad really.  I think European DJs should be bold and play a variety of house music even if it’s not the norm.  I know Ivan and me would love it.  I’m sure there would be others as well. 

When my husband and I are at a club, we love to get as close as possible (usually in the front since I’m really short) since you feel the bass and hear the music better since it’s so loud. 

I was thinking about how house music makes me feel while dancing tonight to Pete Tong in Ibiza, Spain.  I feel so alive dancing.  When the music is good, I get lost in the music.  No, it doesn’t have to be trance music.. just any good electronic music makes me lose myself.    I let the music move me.  It courses through my body and makes me dance.  The bass resonates in my body.  I close my eyes and move my hands, hips, head and legs.  It is like you’re letting go and losing control.  The music just takes over.  The energy that generates from a crowd of people dancing is amazing.  I feel it and it just feels like love.  I know that sounds cheesy.. but that’s how I feel.  You feel energized and feel like you’re on a lovely high that you don’t want to come down from.  Somehow, you feel connected to the DJ since he’s making you feel so awesome with his cool beats.  I like to put my arms up to the sky while dancing.  I’m not really sure why though.. maybe I’m trying to reach something like the lasers.. or maybe something even beyond that.

Thinking about how music makes me feel, made me think of what Billy Elliot says in the musical when the Royal Ballet School asks him “What does it feel like, when you are dancing?”

His response was a song which does describe how I feel.

I can’t really explain it, I haven’t got the words
It’s a feeling that you can’t control
I suppose it’s like forgetting, losing who you are
And at the same time something makes you whole

It’s like that there’s a music, playing in your ear
And I’m listening, and I’m listening, and then I disappear

And then I feel a change, like a fire deep inside
Something bursting me wide open, impossible to hide
And suddenly I’m flying, flying like a bird
Like Electricity, electricity
Sparks inside of me, and I’m free, I’m free

I was waiting for Fat Boy Slim to come on and I could feel the anticipation. I was REALLY excited like a little kid waiting to open their Christmas gifts on Christmas morning.  Fatboy Slim is definitely me and my husband’s favorite DJ. He just plays the most fun music.  His music just makes you want to jump around and dance.  His funky music is filled with cool lyrics.  He loves to throw in lots of classics and fun songs.  I love DJs who are really into the music has much as you are.  It just shows that they love their job and enjoy making their fans feel good.  It’s also cool to think that a lot of DJs like Pete Tong, Fatboy Slim, Judge Jules and Paul Oakenfold are in their 50’s but they still love DJing.  House music has no age.  I even saw a lady in her 50’s tonight.  I thought that could be me someday.  Somehow I know that I’ll love house music for a long, long, long time. It only just makes me laugh, feel good and feel happy.

The Erotic Poetry Night at the Erotic Heritage Museum wasn’t very busy which was good for me.  I still get nervous reading in front of people.  I’d rather sing in front of a crowd than read anything.  Sometimes I mess up my words and then it’s embarrassing.  A lady reading from her iPad was up when we arrived.  Her poems were good.  Next, the host Amanda was up next.  She’s a sexologist who teaches at UNLV and is the event and education director at the Erotic Heritage Museum.  One of the guys liked using big words with ex at the beginning… he wasn’t shy in front of crowds for sure.  I’m SO glad I didn’t have to follow him.  I was up last.

I was nervous reading my poem and was really quick about it. I did well though. I plan to write more poetry and perform more.  Hopefully, I’ll get more comfortable with reading poems in front of people.

Years ago I got a tattoo because I thought it would hurt too much.  It didn’t and I have a big heart on my thigh.  Would love to get another one.. just not sure what.  I need another fear to conquer… what next?  What fears do you want to conquer?

So, I am trying to talk like I’m British.  It’s a bit easy if I really remember and concentrate on it.  I hear my husband talk a lot so I can easily copy what I hear.  When we were in Las Vegas, we’d listen to a lot of BBC One Radio.  If I lived in England, I would eventually get the accent.  It seems that when I come back from England, I have somewhat of a British accent.

I have been trying, but it’s so much easier to talk in an American accent since that’s what I’m used to.  Ivan says that I should practice talking slowly and annunciate my words.  I think that does help.  I do think that it would help to start afresh with the language from the beginning.  There’s a program I saw online that you can buy so you can talk in an English accent. 

I was on a pub crawl the other day and I told the guy I met that I was American. He said Oh, I thought you were English.  Nice!

I was thinking that if I thought as if I’m talking in an English accent that might help.  That takes effort though… maybe I should try it more.

I’m so very American though!  I say things like awesome or lame.  It’s time to learn more English slang words.  There’s plenty of things to learn so I sound English.

I made some scones when Ivan’s parents and brother were in town.  I need to learn to make more English dishes.  I want to have a proper English tea party where I make scones and sandwiches and serve lovely English tea.

This is another challenge for me and I’m up for it!  Let’s hope that someday people will actually think I’m British.

I know that if I continue my horrible anger that it will drive people away.  So, I’ve taken a new attitude of life.  I feel so much better!! Ivan thinks I’ve skipped Jen 2.0 and I’m the brand new Jen 3.0.  I’m like a new, better version of Windows (We all now Windows Vista was super slow and very crappy!). 

I’ve been talking a lot more now.  I want to learn so much and do more things.  I can’t wait to learn swing dancing and learn how to sew when I get back to Vegas.  I feel ALIVE!!!

I have adopted two mottos:

Keep Calm and Deal with it — can be Shut Up and Deal with it, but it sounds more positive with Keep Calm

‘Bahala na’  which is a Filipino saying my mom used to say a lot.  There’s lots of different meanings.. but I always thought it meant Whatever may be, will be.  Check out another meaning here (search for Bahala Na).  I think it’s funny that is rhymes with Mahama na.

I’ve had a wonderful trip in Ibiza and Barcelona with Ivan, Charisse and Noelle.  It’s great to be on a trip where everybody gets along great.  Drama free and tons of fun!  I hope the girls had as much fun as me and Ivan did. 

Tomorrow, we’re off to England.  Ivan’s Aunt is having her 100th birthday party! Wow, I wonder what the secret to long life is!  I’m going to meet lots of Ivan’s family.

I’m really trying to control my emotions which always seem to get me so angry.  It’s a hard battle.  I am just afraid that I’m going to make myself sick and have a heart attack because of my bitter anger.  I know that if I don’t change, it could also leave to relationships turning very sour. 

I’m currently reading Angry All the Time: An Emergency Guide to Anger Control.  It’s very direct and honest.  I do need to read it more.  I hope that it helps.  I’ve read other self-help anger books and I guess I don’t practice everything they say.  I do at first, but then somehow I go back to the way I was.  I know I can control it.. I just have to make the conscious decision to change my actions and emotions.  I know that I’m the problem and nobody else is to blame but me.  I can’t be an uncontrollable volcano for the rest of my life or my health is going to pay.  I need to stop myself when I get angry and breathe.  I should count to 3 when I start getting angry, which may help the anger go away.

Some days I just want to punch people because I’m soooo angry.  I don’t, but that’s how angry and emotional I feel sometimes.  I know this is not going to be an easy thing to change.  But, in the end it will be worth it.

I hope to be a more positive person and not be so negative about everything.  I think it goes hand in hand with anger somehow for me anyway….  I shouldn’t be bitter.  Not everybody is out to get me.. it’s just in my paranoid head.  Not every person is a mean person.  I shouldn’t be a misanthrope.  I should live life and accept that people can actually be nice and loving.

Soon, we’re getting married!!  It’s been nuts trying to find a venue. But, it looks like we found one.  It’s time to plan it now!!  I’m creating a site for the wedding.  Evernote has been helpful for making lots of lists for things I need to buy or do.  We need to find a Caterer and a DJ ASAP.

I’ve been getting into mailart.  My art creation site is House of Art.  I’ve sent out three pieces so far.  I can’t wait until I receive some mailart!!

Free Jung Personality Test (similar to Myers-Briggs/MBTI)