Fifty Five by Jess

TBT: Disney World & Disneyland in One Day!

2013-07-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Happy Thursday! I know you probably would rather hear "Happy Friday" instead, but look at the bright side! Just one more day!!!

You're probably wondering if the title really means what it says it is... YEP! Mr. M and I went to both Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California in ONE DAY!!! This has been something we wanted to do for a while, sort of a Disney bucket list. This was on our last day of the November trip and it was a last minute idea. We realized that we still have a little bit of time after we landed at 9 PM in LA. We were hoping that Disneyland would be closed at midnight, since it was Veteran's day, but it closed at 10 PM instead, which meant we only had an hour to get from the plane to Anaheim. We had our doubts, but we made it just 15 minutes before it closed! Well, enjoy the pictures!

Here we go!

My future wedding venue... I wish...

LOL!!!

With boyfriend #1

And with boyfriend #2 LOL!

We made it!!! =D

Until my next post! =D

TBT: The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Hollywood Studios

2013-07-18T22:13:00.002-07:00

Hey all! Sooo sorry it's been a while since my last post! >< There was a mixture of a short summer break (so I was a little lazy) with a mixture of "Ohhh crap! School is starting and everything is due!!!" Oh boy... first week of school is always the toughest... This quarter I'm taking 4 online classes and 1 in-class. I was very nervous after reading the syllabus that it's going to be a tough quarter, but so far it's been okay... Wish me luck!!!

Anyway, continuing with the crazy frequent trips to Disney World pictures, this is the second day of the November 2012 trip. Mr. M and I started off at Magic Kingdom to pick up some Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom trading cards that you can get for free once a day at the fire station on Main Street. After that we met up with our other crazy Disney couple friend at Hollywood Studios to see The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. It was amazeeeeballsss!!!! Everything was sooo pretty!!! And it was snowing too!!! Afterwards, we headed back to Magic Kingdom to have dinner inside Cinderella's Castle (you don't get to say that everyday... lol). Had some good food and took pictures with Cinderella and some of her Princess friends. Enjoy!

Sooo pweeettyyy!!!

It was way too packed to take an uninterrupted picture ><

Boys and mid drifts...

Slaying the dragon! hahahaha JK!

Until my next post!

TBT: Christmas Tree, Animal Style!

2013-06-27T13:28:00.002-07:00

Hey guys! It's that time of the week again! Throwback Thursday! How's everyone's week been going? Mine has been slow lately at work... But I have a feeling it's about to blow up soon! Well I'm just really looking forward to my 4 day weekend next week for 4th of July, and yours truly's birthday! I can't wait to celebrate it at Disneyland with Mr. M and spend some time with my friends!

Anyway, this is from our third WDW trip of 2012. We went during Veteran's day weekend, which was actually only 2 weeks after the October trip, and it was awesome! Hahahaha! I know, we're cray cray... We caught the last few days of the food and wine festival at EPCOT, and the Christmas decorations were just put up that weekend! It was also a half marathon weekend, but we didn't participate, we are this year though! Enjoy the pictures!

On the Safari!

I found Dumbo!!!

The lion finally came out, hahaha!

Donde esta Donaldo?

The famous Le Celier Fillet Mignon, unfortunately by then the portion was cut in half compared to in October...

OMGGG!!! So pretty!!! ><

This took my breath away...

Can't get enough of this...

Until my next post! =D

TBT: Remaining Days at Disney World

2013-06-20T19:40:00.003-07:00

Happy Thursday!!! How's your week been going? Mine's been great! You know why? Because I just survived my first quarter as a full time student and full time worker! xD It hasn't been easy of course, and I do not handle stress well... Poor Mr. M... I took out my stress on him during my finals week >< But nevertheless, I got through with it and so far I've gotten 2 As. 4 more quarters to go until I graduate!!!

Anyway, here are the rest of the pictures from our October 2012 WDW trip. There's some goats, more foodie pics, and Mr. M taking a nap. Enjoy!

A day at the water park

Ohhh Mr. M...

Hidden Mickey? LOL

Goat tournament!!!

Mr. M knows where to touch the goat LOL

This one keeps coming back for more, LOL

It's like a goat spa LOL

Priceless expression, hahaha

Boardwalk Resort

YUMMY!!! Scallops at the Rose & Crown Pub in EPCOT

Lunch at Sanaa

ZOMGGG I LOVE LAMB!!!

My fave, Pina-co-Lava

For celebrating our anniversary and Mr. M's birthday

My first time at a dine-in theater!

We watched Argo

This was before the new Fantasy land opened

My food haul at Biergarten

The famous Le Celier Filet Mignon

A WDW vacation actually wears you out

Is it just me or the dole whip at Magic Kingdom is bigger than Disneyland's???

Until my next post! =D

TBT: Halloween Time at The Magic Kingdom

2013-06-13T13:30:00.001-07:00

Hi everybody! Happy Thursday! And you know what that means.... Throwback time! Since Mr. M and I were there during Magic Kingdom's Halloween event, we decided to dress up for the whole day! I dressed up as Minnie Mouse and he dressed up as Goofy! I know what you are all thinking... Why Goofy??? Minnie is supposed to be with Mickey! Well, I'm not sure how much truth is in this interesting story, but apparently Minnie has been cheating on Mickey with Goofy! I looked like a total cheater the entire day >< But it was still a fun day, seeing all the different Disney costumes that people wore. We also ate at Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner and at the time, they had a special Thanksgiving feast meal, it was DELICIOUS!!! Enjoy the pictures!

This guy was creepy in the movie AND in person ><

How awesome is this??? Poor baby Snow White...

Until my next post! =D

TBT: EPCOT's International Food & Wine Festival 2012

2013-06-06T23:17:00.001-07:00

Hiya folks! Sorry it's been a while, my schedule's been super hectic with projects and finals coming up... >< But just two more weeks of spring quarter and I'll survive my first quarter as a full time student and worker!

Anyway, more catch up post! This is from the same October 2012 trip that Mr. M and I went for our 5 year anniversary. We were there during the food and wine festival at EPCOT and OMG! Everything was sooo good!!! They had booths set up all around the world showcase that has different small plates and drinks from different countries. If you're planning a trip to WDW, I definitely recommend to plan it during this event, and you'll probably need 2 days in EPCOT so you can try out all of the booths. I hope you guys enjoy all the mouth watering pictures =P

Jerk Spiced Chicken Drumstick with Mango Chutney

Ropa Vieja with Cilantro Rice

The drink is called Bacardi Frozen Dragon Berry Colada

Trick'n Chick'n Curry with Basmati Rice featuring Gardein Chick'n Breast

Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Puree

Beef Empanada

The middle one is Lamington (Chocolate and Coconut Covered Yellow Cake)

Shrimp on the Barbie with Pepper Berry Citrus Glaze

MY FAVE!!! Grilled Lamb Chop with Mint Pesto and Potato Crunchies

Natilla de Cajeta (Caramel Custard with Caramel Sauce)

Crispy Shrimp Taco (Chipotle-lime Mayo, and Cabbage served on a flour Tortilla)

Taco de Filete (Cascabel Pepper Sauce and Scallions)

Not part of the festival but it was pretty good! Avocado Margarita

Tequila Flight

LOL

Taste of Scandinavia - Cured Salmon, Herring and Shrimp Salad

Rice Pudding with Driscoll's Only The Finest Berries

Swedish Meatballs with Lingonberries

Pork Potstickers

Chicken Satay with Spiced Peanut Sauce and Pickled Vegetables

Mongolian Beef in a Steamed Bun

Mango Tapioca Pudding

The drink is Jinro Chamisul Soju Fruit Slushy

Lettuce Wrap with Roast Pork and Kimchi Slaw

Artisan Cheese Selection with Beecher's Flagship Reserve Cheddar,
La Bonne Vie Goat Brie, Rogue River Creamery Echo Mountain Blue Cheese

Cheese Fondue with Sourdough Bread

Beer Flight

Salsiccia e "Papacelli" Napoletani (Sweet Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions)

Ravioli di Formaggio all'Emiliana (Baked Cheese Ravioli with
Creamy Beef Bolognese Sauce, Parmesan, and Mozzarella)

Lobster Claw Cuddler chilled with Herb Mayonnaise

Sukiyaki Beef Pan and Karaage Hand Roll

Sake Strawberry Mist

We saw Hanson!!!

Beef Rendang (YES RENDANG!) with Jasmine Rice

Seared Mahi Mahi with Jasmine Rice and "Singa" Sauce

Baklava

Kefta Pocket (Ground Seasoned Beef in Pita Pocket)

Merguez Sausage (Beef and Lamb Sausage with Grilled Peppers and Onions)

Seared Sea Scallop with Kumara - Red Curry Puree and Apple Radish Salad

Steamed Mussels in Hoegaarden Beer Broth with Baguette

Escargots Persillade en Brioche (Garlic and Parsley Snails in Brioche)
and Creme Brulee au Chocolat au Lait

Until my next post! =D

FBF: Mr. M and I Celebrate 5 Years

2013-05-25T00:59:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone!

How's everyone doing today? TGIF right? Sooo ready for a 3 day weekend! So since I forgot to post this yesterday for Throwback Thursday, I'm so glad that there's such thing as Flashback Friday, lol. This is from our trip last October to WDW, it was to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. We arrived in the morning because we took a redeye flight. The first thing we did was to hit the water park! We've never gone before so it was pretty cool. We chose Typhoon Lagoon because they had a shark reef attraction where you can swim in a salt water pool with live fishes including sharks! Anyway, after the water park we had to get ready for our anniversary dinner at Victoria & Albert. Here are some pics from our dinner!

We're the Young family, LOL

Until my next post! =D

Im Back!!!

2013-05-20T19:46:00.001-07:00

Hi guys! I'm back! I know I know... I haven't been consistent with this blog... >< It's been too long! Right after the last few Disney World posts Mr. M and I went on a several more WDW trips and it was getting difficult to keep up with that and my school work... (first world problem, I know...)

So let's play a little catch up! Right now I am working and going to school full time. Actually I'm in class as we speak! My group and I are supposed to be working on our power point presentation, but we're procrastinating a little bit, haha. My schedule's been pretty hectic lately, and on top of that I got pretty sick just last week during another WDW trip, and that didn't help... Juggling work and school full time is no joke, and that's why my diet's been going down the drain. But if I can tell you one thing about myself, is that even if I get discouraged at first, I usually end up surprising myself by accomplishing goals that I really set my mind to. The most recent example of that would be... I completed my first half marathon!!! I love how my first was a princess theme ^^

So I'm determined to get back on track with my health and fitness, to be more consistent with blogging, and of course, weekly trips to Disney! Some posts you're going to see for a while are gonna be some catch up ones from where I left off last September, so bear with me! Until my next post!

Love, Jess

Disney World Trip 9/2012 Video

2012-09-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

Hey!!! I'm on a video! This is the video Mr. M made from our trip to Disney World. It's his first time making one but I gotta say, I'm pretty impressed! Enjoy!

Love, Jess

Disney World Trip 9/2012: Day 3: Magic Kingdom

2012-09-17T02:04:00.002-07:00

Good morning everyone! I can't complain about Mondays right now because I am currently "funemployed" lol. Today I will be going to Disneyland for the whole day again with some of my friends! I hope it's not crowded at all so we could ride the Radiator Springs Racers... Yesterday Mr. M and I wanted to ride it but the wait was 2 hours long! Yea, I don't think so... it was way too hot to be waiting in the sun. But anyway, here's the pictures from day 3. It's our last day at Disney World, but since our flight wasn't until 6 PM, we went to Magic Kingdom first. It was raining pretty hard and my little umbrella kept getting turned over >< why didn't I bring our ponchos instead... But it stopped around noon until we left, so I guess it wasn't too bad. Plus we got a sunny day for Magic Kingdom last year. Enjoy the pics!

The sight of the Cinderella Castle is still amazing in the rain...

Construction on the second part of the New Fantasyland

Dumbo has two sides now!

As we were walking pass all the walls separating the park from the construction, we saw that a lot of people got to go in through the doors to the new Fantasy Land, so we rushed in too asking what's going on. The cast member said they were previewing a new attraction that will be open in November. I knew it was going to be Belle's Enchanted Tales. I couldn't believe our luck! I was so sad that we wouldn't get a chance to see the new Fantasy Land this year. Belle's Enchanting Tales is an interactive story telling attraction that tells the story of how Belle fell in love with the Beast. The guests (mostly kids) are able to participate in the story telling, along with Belle herself. Some are knights, Maurice, Phillipe the horse, Chip and Mrs. Pot, Madame Wardrobe, and many more. And I got to be a part of this as Madame Wardrobe!

Beast Castle

Maurice's House (Belle's Dad)

The magic mirror that the Beast gave Belle

We chanted "Bring us back to the day Belle and The Beast fall in love!"

The mirror became a portal to the castle!

We were greeted by Madame Wardrobe

Guess who got to play Madame Wardrobe!

I love how much bigger the Cinderella Castle is compared to the Sleeping Beauty Castle...

We had to leave the park by 2:30 so that we could make the 3:25 shuttle back to the airport in time. By then the rain had stopped completely =\ Oh well, until next month Orlando!!! Can't wait! Until my next post =]

Love, Jess

Disney World Trip 9/2012: Day 2: Hollywood Studios

2012-09-16T23:56:00.001-07:00

It's Sunday Funday! I went to Disneyland today and it was fun! Still very hot here in LA but it's cooling down. I'm going again tomorrow too hahaha... Seems that I can't get enough of Disney! Any who, right after Animal Kingdom aroudn 3-4 PM, We left to go to Hollywood Studios. This park is very similar to CA Adventure because the new renovation at CA Adventure resembles Hollywood Studios. Both parks also has Tower of Terror ride, but it is slightly different. Here are the pictures, enjoy!

The park's castle is the sorcerer hat haha

Loveee this ride too!!! So awesome!

LOL look at the lady on the bottom left...

See how my hair is gross here??? ><

Didn't get to see this at night last year... So pretty!

At the Polynesian Resort

Needed this after a longgg day!

OMG O'Hanna was bombbb!!!

We had to take a monorail to Magic Kingdom from the Resort to get back to our hotel, but it was closed because it was a ticketed event called "Night of Joy"

We ended the night with a late dinner at O'Hanna at the Polynesian Resort. It was an all you can eat Hawaiian BBQ and it was delicious!!! I highly recommend trying it, but make sure you book in advance and to come hungry! Stay tuned for Day 3!

Love, Jess

Disney World Trip 9/2012: Day 2: Animal Kingdom

2012-09-15T20:55:00.002-07:00

Hello! How's your weekend going? Mine's good, but I wish I'm back at Disney World... Anyway, here's day 2! We decided to go to Animal Kingdom first because Hollywood Studios opens until later. Last year when we came to this park, it was raining really hard, so we didn't spend much time there. Thank God it was sunny this time! unfortunately I'm not made to be in a super humid environment... The whole day I looked like I just came out of the shower and my hair was flat and lifeless. If only Florida weather was like California weather... Anyway, enjoy the pictures!

The tree of life!

I spot my favorite ride in this park!

On the Kilimanjaro Safari ride

The savannah

Wow those are some pretty eye lashes... lol

A bunch of pumbas

And timons

Baby gorilla! This is a separate exhibit from the safari

These are all male, they separate the "bachelors" from the family pack

Hey! Indonesian instrument!

Loveee this ride!

At Camp Minnie Mickey!

Festival of the Lion King

Riding Primeval Whirl

LOL

On the Maharaja Jungle Trek, this is the Komodo Dragon

I hate bats...

Kitty!

Right after we were done with the Maharaja Jungle Trek, we exited the park around 3 o'clock and headed over to wait for the shuttle that goes to Hollywood Studios. We spent more time at Animal Kingdom because we didn't get to last time, and it was awesome! Cant be thankful enough that we had good weather that day... Stay tuned for the next one!

Love, Jess

Disney World Trip 9/2012: Day 1: Epcot

2012-09-14T14:03:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone! Happy Friday! If you recall from one of my birthday posts in July, Mr. M and I have just upgraded our Disneyland annual pass from a premium to a premier! That's the pass for both Disneyland and Disney World. We couldn't wait to use it, so when we found a fairly cheap flight for a weekend, we started planning! That weekend was last weekend. We took a 6 AM flight from John Wayne Airport on Friday to Houston, Texas, then changed flight to Orlando, Florida!

Waiting for our bus

Our bus driver James

It was just a little bit cloudy when we landed, and see the dark clouds coming in?

Then wham! Started raining cats and dogs

We got to the resort 40 min later. We were a little bummed out that it was raining, but it must have been the leftover from hurricane Issac. Man was I glad I did the online check-in... The line to check-in was super long! All i had to do was go to the online check-in line, which was empty, and picked up my room key packet. It was still raining pretty hard so we busted out our Mickey and Minnie poncho and made our way to Epcot!

Oh how I've missed this...

I spot the Eiffel Tower!

Once we got there we made our way to the entrance, but turns out we needed to go to guest services to activate our pass since that was the first time we were gonna use it in Orlando. But after that, we quickly walked to the Paris showcase to make our dinner reservation at Les Chefs de France. All of the waiters there were French.

Escargot

Flatbread with bacon and sweet onions

Lobster bisque

Dinner was awesome! The escargot was delicious, and I didn't think I could ever eat snails. The pizza was good too, but my favorite was the lobster bisque, it just melt in your mouth. The restaurant decor looked like a real French restaurant too, it reminded me of the movie Midnight in Paris. After dinner we stopped by this cart outside of the restaurant for drinks. I got this yummy orange alcoholic drink (I forgot what it was called ><) and it was yummy! Then we just walked around until we made it to Japan. Last time we were there we watched the Illuminations show on top of one of the buildings in Japan and it was awesome, so we thought it would be nice to be there for the show again. Before the show started, Mr. M wanted to set up his camera so that he could record it. So I had time to trade some pins. Right after the show started we ended up moving around a few times until we found the perfect spot.

After the firework show was over, we walked around some more. Epcot doesn't have much rides, but it's my favorite out of the 4 parks in Disney World. We did ride the Donald Duck ride, Mission Space (forgot how intense this is and almost blacked out during the ride lol), Soarin', and Living with the Land.

China Pavilion

Living with the land

Believe it or not, this thing is a ride

After that we went back to the hotel to get some rest, because the next day we would be tackling down 2 parks! Stay tuned for more! =D

Love, Jess

The Good Idea

2012-09-12T16:52:00.003-07:00

Hello everyone! So if you've been reading my blog, you know that I've done several 5k runs. My first one was last November, the USC prostate cancer run.

The second one was the Neverland 5k for Disneyland's Tinkerbell half marathon weekend this past January.

And the third one was the Revlon 5k for women's cancer this past May, that I raised over $500 for.

Also I've signed up for next year's Tinkerbell run! Just the 5k again though, since the half marathon was sold out already. It's crazy how fast these Disney runs sells out, but I guess when else can you run through the theme parks with Disney characters cheering you on???

So it's sad to say that I've hit a little bit of a plateau on my weight lost journey. I admit it, I'm a huge emotional eater, and it's a really bad and consuming habit. That's the major reason behind the setback. That and it really is easier said than done to motivate yourself. So I tried a different approach. Last week I signed up for the Princess half marathon at Disney world!!! Yea you read right, HALF MARATHON! 13.1 miles that I have never run before. It's going to be next February and takes place in Orlando which mean I have to fly there for that weekend. This event is non refundable and I will have to maintain a 15 min mile pace to qualify. I'm hoping to do better but we'll see... This is how it's going to motivate me. It's non refundable so I will have to go through with it. It's very expensive, so if I can't keep up with the pace I won't be getting the very pretty crown medal, which will make the whole thing useless if I don't train correctly.

This is something I've wanted to do since I've discovered Disney runs! Something on my bucket list really. After this I'm going to do next year's Disneyland half marathon so that I could complete the coast-to-coast challenge and get the coast-to-coast medal! The coast-to-coast challenge is when a runner does a half marathon in WDW Resort and another one in Disneyland Resort within one calendar year. Wish me luck!!!

Until my next post! =D

Good Idea, Bad Idea

2012-09-11T21:54:00.001-07:00

Hello world! Yes I still exist, LOL! I'm sooo sorry that it's been so long since my last post. A lot of personal things happened and I just couldn't get myself up to write anything. Beware, this is a super long post! But I promise it might come in handy! On a lighter note, I hope you like the new blog layout! I was only using a template before and though it was nice, it wasn't very original. So here's a simpler one and more me. =]

Did you ever watch Animaniacs when you were little? It's a cartoon show about a lot of different side stories. One of my favorite was this skit about good ideas and bad ideas, and it was the first thing that popped into my head when writing about my "coming back" post, hahaha.

So one of the things that happened to me was, I got into a car accident in May. To be specific, I got rear-ended at a stopped light. I took me by surprise because everyone was going pretty slow. When I got hit, I jolted forward but didn't hit my head or anything. I also didn't hit the car in front of me which goes to show how important keeping your distance is from the car in front of you and NOT tail gate people. So the person who hit me and I parked at a nearby gas station to be exchange information safely without worrying about the traffic hitting us. She assumed responsibility that it was her fault. I did call 911, but unless it was a major enough accident, or someone got badly injured, or the party at fault did not want to assume responsibility, the police will not come.

So while the other person took my information and I was done taking hers, I took some pictures. This is when having a camera everywhere you go is handy! The damages on my back bumper weren't as bad as the damages on her front part of the car. I wanted to be angry but the other person looked like she was scared enough as it is, so what use will it be for me to give her even more of a hard time, plus accidents happen all the time. And her insurance will take care of everything anyway.

Even though the insurance assumed responsibility, they will try to minimize how much they spend on you. First they marked my bumper as a refurbished one so that the value dropped, and then they didn't give me enough for the rental car fee. But once the check is issued, you can't change anything about it.

It was late July that I started feeling back pains and headaches that wouldn't go away. I was also feeling fatigue all the time and didn't know why. Then the pain started shooting up to my neck and shoulder. It was so bad that it was hard for me to hold my neck up and it feels like my throat is closing up. So Mr. M told me that I should go see a chiropractor. I called one that I found on yelp near my place that got 5 stars and made an appointment with a female doctor. On my first visit, Dr. K took some X-rays. The bottom part of my back is good, but my upper spine is curving forward instead of backward, which was causing my pain and headaches. Honestly before going in, I didn't think it was the accident because my car damages weren't that bad I though I couldn't be that... Now that I remember it I did have a little bit of discomfort after the accident, but thought nothing of it. Plus I didn't want to be one of those people that got hit with very little damage and claimed bodily injury just to get money, I believe in karma and didn't want that kind of bad karma on me.

Anyway, Dr. K asked if I did anything to have caused the pain and I said nothing out of the ordinary. I was biking and running ever since last August and even when I'm tired and sore it would go away in a day or two. So she asked me if I was in an accident and that's when I said yes. She said some people could have a delayed reaction to it, because the way my spine is protruding took time to be the way it is, not right away. So she suggested that I claimed bodily injury through the other person's insurance. Legally I have 2 years after the accident to claim it.

Long story short, because I took 3 months after the accident to seek treatment, there's no way I could prove that it could have been something else that caused me the pain. I wanted to get a personal injury lawyer, but they all said the same thing too, that the 3 months gap makes me look bad and they all declined my case. The insurance offered me $300 to settle the claim, which was pretty much nothing... Even though I wanted to fight it, the more I think and stress about it, the worse my back pain became. So I told them I would settle because there's nothing else I could do.

So that was the "bad idea", don't do what I did. Here are some tips on what to do if you get hit by a car or if the other person was found at fault.

1. Have the person at fault write a written statement that it was his/her fault, then both sign and date it. Because sometimes bad people will switch the stories around when they open a claim with the insurance.

2. Go to a doctor right away just to check if everything is okay. You'll never know what might happen later on.

3. When asked if you're hurt or okay, answer "I don't know" because if you say you're okay at the time, and you feel the pain later, they will use that against you.

4. Insurance companies are only in the business to make money. Even if the adjusters seems nice to you or care about you, they really don't. They only want to save the company as much money as they can. At the end of the day you have to look after yourself if you are hurt.

5. Which leads to, if the damages are big enough or/and you are feeling some pains, get a personal injury lawyer right away! and make sure everything is documented, a long with the doctor's check ups. Do not disclose anything to the insurance adjuster at this point. If they ask to record you, it is so they hope you'll say something wrong and use it against you.

6. DO NOT LIE! If you lie about feeling the pain even though you don't have any, the doctors will find out about it. So only claim injury if it's true.

I hope this will help other people, because that's the only thing I could try to do at this point. I will post about the "good idea" later!

Until my next post! =D

Birthday Dinner at House of Blues

2012-07-24T12:12:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone! I realized that I haven't finished my birthday story, actually this is the last part of it. After spending all day at Disneyland, I went back to the car to change into my birthday dress. Then I met up with some of my friends at House of Blues in Downtown Disney. Funny thing, I was actually going to make my 21st birthday there. Here are some pics that my two photographer friends took, enjoy!

What a great background =]

This girl drinks like a man

After dinner when I was about to get the bill, this beautiful cake came out for me!!! So Mr. M ordered me this cake and had one of the guys picked it up since Mr. M was going to be with me all day. Now I know why my friend pretty much dragged me to the bathroom even though I didn't need to go haha. Let me tell you a little something about this cake. Last month our Disney couple friends celebrated her husband's birthday. Since he didn't get a "groom's cake" she got him a Donald Duck cake that was the cutest thing I've ever seen. I jokingly said to Mr. M that I want a Disney cake for my birthday too but a princess one. They asked me which princess and the first thing that popped into my head was Rapunzel. And I also said that I wanted her hair to be wrapped around the cake. I couldn't believe that Mr. M made the cake into everything I wanted! He drew a model of it too for the bakery. How awesome is he? ^^ Oh did I mention it's red velvet too? My favorite! I think he got extra brownie points from all the girls lol! I love you hunny... <3

Look at all their faces LOL

It really hurts me to cut that cake... it was way too pretty!

She caked me then licked me @ _@

The two culprits who caked me the second time

Thanks for such a wonderful birthday hunny!!!

I have great friends =]

It was seriously the best birthday I've had in a really long time. The past four birthdays have been a bust due to dramas and such, even though Mr. M still tried to make it a good one. I'm really thankful for everyone that came to celebrate with me. Thanks to the two photographers for taking such amazing pictures. And last but not least, thanks to my Mr. M. for being the best boyfriend ever!!! I know sometimes I don't understand the things you do or say to me, but I know it's always for my best. Until my next post! =]

Follow me on Bloglovin' here, and my Instagram (55byjess)

NSV: A First Time S6

2012-07-21T10:01:00.001-07:00

Happy weekend!!! Update on my weight loss journey! By the way, NSV means non scale victory. I finally got my self into a size 6 pair of jeans!!! This is the smallest size I have ever been! Well maybe since I was like in 9th grade... Yea I know, I was big already. The thing is, when I was little, I was really skinny. To the point where you can see my rib cage.

And then when I moved to America and got introduced to burgers, hot dogs, pasta, pizza, and all the unhealthy food possible, I blew up like a giant balloon ><. Often times I would blame America, because it is the fattest country in the world. It's just easier to put the blame on everything other than your own lack of self control. But better late than never right?

I want to thank Mr. M again for always motivating me to be a better person on the inside and out. It's really important to have the support of your family and friends when you're trying to do something difficult. Because at one point or another you're going to want to give up, believe me, I've done it countless times. But having people there who believes in you and doesn't give up on you will make such a big difference and will make you more motivated to not disappoint them. So whatever it is you want to accomplish, don't stop until you get there. Until my next post! =]

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SD Comic Con 2012 Part 3: True Blood

2012-07-20T11:39:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday!!! Phewww... Finally, part 3! Right after the Vampire Diaries panel, it was time for True Blood. There was another small break and this time Mr. M stayed in our seats so I could look for one closer. But still no luck, because I think the people in the front has been there all day. So I went back to our seats feeling defeated. But then I thought, it's only my first time there and I go to see the mail panels, so I guess it's alright.

OMG! Alexander Skarsgard!!!

On screen daddy daughter lol, they seem to have great chemistry too

Wow, Anna Paquin is really pregnant

The entire True Blood panel

Rutina's belly roll

Alan's belly roll, LOL

Joe throwing a dollar bill on Alan

Alex signing his panel name for a fan who asked for it, arghhh so lucky!!!

After a fan asked if Alex and Stephen could flex, Christopher Meloni wanted to video tape it lol

Apparently this is Alan's last season as a writer, so the cast gave him a standing ovation

I wish I got there earlier...

The True Blood cast were also great, but I really just wanted to see Alexander Skarsgard. He plays Eric Northman in the show. Seeing Ryan Kwanten who plays Jason Stackhouse was awesome too, he's very good looking haha. But Seeing Joe Manganiello takes the cake! He plays the werewolf Alcide Herveaux, and he's also in the movie Magic Mike right now. The interview portion was funny, but unfortunately Mr. M was way too tired, so he fell asleep half way. The Interviewer asked if Rutina Wesley learned how to strip from Joe Manganiello since her character is stripping a little this season. This is when Joe got up and did a little belly roll, and of course all the ladies went wild. Yes, including me lol. Then Rutina did one too. Then the producer Alan Ball did one too and Joe came over to his chair and threw a $1 on him hahaha.

Another good moment was during the fans Q&A. A fan asked if we could all see Alex and Stephen flex, but instead they pointed out that Ryan could do a handstand, and he did it on stage! Oh yea, and an extremely lucky girl asked if she could have Alex's panel name with his autograph. I thought, oh poor girl, she's gonna get shot down too. But then Alex asked for a pen and signed and walked over to her and handed her the panel name!!! So jealous!!! >< I should have came down for the questions... but I didn't want to leave Mr. M alone, so maybe next year. After the panel was over I tried to go up to the stage because I saw that they were signing their panel names and throwing it to the fans. I didn't get one though, I got there too late. But at least I got to see them up close.

Saying it was a long day was an understatement. We didn't get to eat much either. After the True Blood panel, we met up with N & G at the exhibition hall to look at more merchandise. They bought a bunch of anime paintings which was really nice, and I bought a bunch of Disney POP figurines. We decided to leave since the exhibition was going to close in 30 min, but as we were walking, we passed by the WB booth and noticed that the True Blood casts were being interviewed and about to do a signing in a few minutes. I found out that you had to have a wristband to be in line to get an autograph. I didn't even know... So me and N just walked back and forth real slow passing the booth to take a few pictures of them.

The cast were being interviewed on top of WB's booth

A lady next to me was yelling "OMG JOE!!! That man is gorgeous! He's God's gift to women!" LOL!

I tried to get a good picture of Alex but it was really hard to do when everyone keeps pushing you

LOL this is a funny one... Chris Meloni seems like a funny guy

A couple that dressed up as Jack Sparrow(Pirates of the Caribbean) and Giselle (Enchanted)

$60 for parking @ .@

As we were leaving the convention, I saw this couple who dressed up as Jack Sparrow and Giselle. What an unlikely couple lol. It was a really fun experience but extremely tiring. Next year I will definitely attend 2-3 days at least and stay over there. Also it'll help a great deal if you plan everything you want to do so you don't waste time figuring out where to go, where things are, and what time it is. There's also a rumor circling around that my friends and I will dress up as Pokemons LOL! I call Togepi!!! Have a great weekend every one! And if you're watching Dark Knight Rises today, be careful! I just heard about the shooting in Aurora, Colorado this morning and it's devastating to hear about it. Until my next post.

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SD Comic Con 2012 Part 2: The Vampire Diaries

2012-07-18T09:05:00.003-07:00

Good morning! Ready to read all about part 2 of my first time at SDCC? After Mr.M and I parted ways with N & G, we headed over to ballroom 20, where they usually have panels for the really popular movies and TV shows. What I really wanted to do at Comic Con was to watch the Vampire Diaries and True Blood panels. Because these are the main panels, my friend suggested that we wait 2-3 hours before hand. Since the Vampire Diaries panel was at 3:30PM, I thought going around 1PM should give us enough time. But since we were finished with shopping at 10:45AM, we decided to go early anyway, just in case. Wow, that was a smart move. The line was so long I didn't know if we were gonna be able to go in there in time. While waiting in line, the girl in front of us dressed us as Kitana from Mortal Kombat, and she got a lot of picture requests. Then N & G called us to let us know that they were going to wait for another big panel. It was for WB's showings of their 5 upcoming movies and the Iron Man 3 Panel. We finally got in at around 3PM and got to watch the last half of the American Dad panel with Seth MacFarlane and the rest of the cast. They were extremely funny. Sorry if the pictures are bad quality, I had to zoom from my seat ><

The American Dad Panel

Paul Wesley!!!

I love Nina Dobrev...

But not as much as I love Ian Somerhalder!!!

That's how far I was...

I noticed that the writer of the show is wearing a Fifty Shades of Grey button! I didn't even know the author was gonna be at Comic Con =[

After the American Dad panel was over, it was time for the Vampire Diaries. Since there was a small break in between panels, we tried to find seats in the front, but it was close to impossible, so we went back to our old seats way in the back. Thank God for the jumbo screens or we wouldn't be able to see anything. The Vampire Diaries cast were awesome and surprisingly funny, so Mr. M enjoyed it quite a bit. Note that Mr. M doesn't watch this show or True Blood, so thanks again hunny for accompanying me for hours and hours while I scream for other men, LOL! OMG! I finally get to see Iam Somerhalder and Paul Wesley in real life!!! They were more gorgeous than I thought they would be. Those two plays Damon & Stefan Salvatore, they're vampires who's in love with the same girl, Elena Gilbert. I also love Nina Dobrev who plays Elena and Katherine. I've always thought she's such a great actress for portraying both innocent Elena and evil Katherine. I would've love to get a picture and autograph from them but I didn't research the event enough and didn't know when or where it was going to be held. Next year I will definitely be more prepared. The sad thing is, I think this is Twilight's last time at Comic Con since their last movie is coming out this November. Their panel was on Thursday, so I didn't get a chance to see them =[ The panels consists of interviewing the casts and fans Q & A. One girl asked Ian Somerholder for his panel name with his autograph, but he said he couldn't because it was policy that they can't give it away. Over all it was really good. Even though we were really tired, I'm glad that Mr. M enjoyed it too. Until my next post about part 3!!! =D

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SD Comic Con 2012 Part 1: Exhibition

2012-07-17T17:13:00.002-07:00

Hi every one! So on Saturday, Mr. M and I along with our two friends N & G, made the trip out to San Diego for the 2012 Comic Con. I'm a nerd at heart, so I've wanted to go for a long time, just haven't found any body to go with. I grew up reading lots of comic books, mostly Japanese love stories, Doraemon, and of course, Sailor Moon. Also I'm a big Anime fan. But I've noticed that over the years, Comic Con showed a lot of popular movies and TV shows, including my absolute favorite, Twilight, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries. So I was excited to read that the cast were going to be there. It was a long day! So I'm going to have to divide it in 3 parts. First up, the exhibition!

What time is it???

I got a Fringe bag but I was eyeing a girl with the vampire diaries bag and she noticed she suggested we trade

The Golden Domo!!!

Limited edition pirate Domo

I found waldo!!! hey wait a minute...

It's the Japanese toilet from Cars 2!

so cuteeee!!!

I want one... =[

The Hello Kitty Chun Li

I never thought maleficent could be so cute...

The original Power Rangers

I used to watch Dragon Ball all the time too!

These are original paintings, and that's the artist

LOL

Anime Tinkerbell hahaha

Someone in cosplay, LOL

The day started at 6AM. We made it to SD at around 8:30AM and it was crazy!!! The parking structure inside the convention center is completely full because you have to buy the parking permits as soon as the tickets went on sale. So we had to drive around Gaslamp Quarter to find parking. Everywhere were pretty much full, but we decided to try a nearby mall parking lot that was only 2 blocks away. However, parking will be $60 for the whole day... I think that's the most I've ever paid for parking. We walked over the convention center and I've never seen so many people in one place! Other than Disneyland of course. And almost every one dresses up like it's Halloween, most of the costumes are homemade too. We didn't dress up because it was our first time there and we didn't know what it was going to be like, and we only went one day (it's a four day convention). I think next year I would want to go for at least 2-3 days, and stay over in SD.

There were too much things to do over there that people have to choose which ones they really wanted to go to. G wanted to do some shopping for SDCC exclusive limited edition merchandise, and I also wanted to get the Angry Pink Panda, which is only limited to 100. But since we came on the third day of the convention, most of the good stuff were gone. I heard people were even lining up since the night before. G really wanted the Hello Kitty Chun Li, but all sold out. There's only 1,000 of those, so I had no chance in getting the Angry Pink Panda =[ We walked around trying to get free stuff, but the lines were so long. I saw some people carrying a Breaking Dawn good bag but by the time I got to the booth it was already gone. Instead I got a poster and some pins. We pretty much walked from one end to another to look for limited edition stuff and looking at convention goers with costumes. A lot of Stormtroopers, Waldos, a Stormtrooper Waldo (go figure), and surprisingly Disney Princesses. After that Mr. M and I wanted to check out the panels, but N & G wanted to shop some more. So we parted ways. Stay tuned for part 2! =]

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Balenciaga Birthday Present

2012-07-16T08:50:00.001-07:00

Good Morning! I wanted to give a big thank you to my awesome friends who got me this beautiful Balenciaga Double Tour bracelet in Rose Thulian with Silver Hardware. I love it!!! And what a coincidence! I've been wanting one in pink too ^^

I'm still so beat from Comic Con. It was a very.... interesting experience... I'll tell you all more about it in my next post. Take care!!!

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Pins & Premier

2012-07-14T05:33:00.000-07:00

Hi every one! How's your weekend going? Today I am off to San Diego for Comic-Con. I've always wanted to go but heard that the tickets always sells out quickly. But this year I got the chance to go. I'll tell you more about it later.

Last Saturday Mr. M and I went to Disneyland to celebrate my birthday again, since we will be having dinner with some friends later on at night. We tried to be there when CA Adventure opens so that we could get a fast pass for Radiator Springs Racers and then ride it, but we ended up being 30 min late. As a result, the fast pass for the whole day, yes the WHOLE day, ran out, and by then, the wait for the ride was already 3 hours long... -.- major fail... It's alright though, we got a relaxing Disney day. Just walked around, had wine, and I got some new pins.

My absolute favorite pins

The new pins I got that day

I know I wasn't there on June 15... BUT I was there the next day AND a week before!

But the highlight of the day has got to be getting the ultimate Disney Annual Pass. Mr. M and I decided to take our relationship with Disney to the next level. We got a Disney Premier Passport!!! If you're wondering what that is, it's basically a Premium Pass for both Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California and Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. We've been wanting to get one for a while, but we had to make sure that we were going to make the commitment to fly to Orlando a couple of times within the year. I am beyond excited!!! Have a great weekend! Until my next post! =D

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21 Going on 24

2012-07-13T09:54:00.003-07:00

Happy Friday!!! See, we got through the week! It wasn't so bad was it? So I just realized that I did the exact same thing for my 21st birthday and my 24th. Mr. M took me to Disneyland. We were already passholders back then, and actually that was when Disney gave out free tickets if you go exactly on your birthday, but if you have a pass, then they'll give you a gift card that's the same amount as the tickets. I got a really nice pink and grey sweatshirt that I still love to this day out of that free gift card.

Anyway since I've just turned 21, Mr. M got me my first glass of wine and we sipped it out on the patio at California Adventure. Coincidentally, that's what we did this past weekend to celebrate my 24th birthday. Here's the picture to proof it LOL.

Awww look at younger me... Chose a D'Asti back then

They ran out of my favorite wine, Magicale, so they suggested Jones of Washington Rose Syrah, not sweet enough...

And of course, the dinner at Napa Rose. I've only been there twice and the first time was for my 21st, as I have said in the previous post.

Well what do you know, last time I got the Chocolate Molten Cake

This time I got a Cherry Upside Down Cake

For some reason, this coincidence made me think about the last 3 years of my life. Have I matured? Have I grown? How much have I changed? I know back then all I wanted to do was go clubbing, and although I still would now, I don't have the urge to go anymore. That's why when it was time to decide what I wanted to do for my birthday, I chose to spend it at Disneyland. It's ironic how I feel like I'm too old to go clubbing but never too old for Disneyland huh?

Aside from how I like to "party", I've also noticed that over the years my perspective have changed as well. Mr. M has always told me that I'm so negative, because I like to think the worse. In my defense, it's so I wont be disappointed if things doesn't go the way I want it to. In the end I'll end up being disappointed anyway because I really did have a higher expectation, and this is just generally speaking by the way. It gets tiring living that way because your emotions are going up and down so fast you don't have time to adjust. Now I just try to go with the flow of life and if things doesn't go my way, I try to take it as, well it wasn't meant to be that way. That God had a much better plan for me for what I had in mind for myself. Once I've accepted that fact, it felt like a huge weight has just been lifted off my shoulder, and I'm able to be truly happy with life.

I like to take this time to thank everyone that has been reading my blog. I didn't know what I wanted it to be about when I first started. I started with reading a lot of fashion blogs and lookbooks and thought it was awesome and wanted to do that. Although I love fashion, I also love a lot of other things, as you can tell, Disney is probably number one haha. So now I'm seeing this blog as my diary. Something I can look back to in the future and remember with details. Have a great weekend every one!!!

Until my next post! =]

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Birthday Dinner at Napa Rose

2012-07-12T08:43:00.003-07:00

Hi guys! So guess who's birthday it was last week? Yours truly! ^^ Since my actual birthday was on a work day, the boyfriend and I, let's just call him Mr. M from now on, celebrated it on the 4th of July. Something about Mr. M that you should know is that he cannot keep a secret or surprise to safe his life. So two weeks prior, he blurted out "Arghhh! I can't keep it in anymore! We're going to Napa Rose on the 4th to celebrate your birthday!!!" Hahaha! And something you should know about me? I don't care much for surprises unless it is executed perfectly, so of course I was thrilled! Napa Rose is a fine dining restaurant inside the Grand Californian Hotel. Mr. M actually took me here for the first time on my 21st birthday, so this place holds a special place in my heart.

Friends of ours came here last month and actually did the Chef's Counter. It is when you sit in or next to the kitchen, the Chef will ask you if you have any food allergies or anything you don't particularly like, and will surprise you with dishes of his or her choice! It sounded so exciting so I told Mr. M to please take me there for my birthday, but at the time he didn't say anything. So I guess it was kind of a surprise... Here are our six course journey through Napa Rose's Chef's Counter. Enjoy!

The Chef

Even the bread was good haha

Champagne shooter with melon

Mr. M got beer pairing and I got dessert wine pairing, too much alcohol!!!

Salmon Carpaccio

Shirmp Ceviche

Pan Seared Scallop with Lobster Vanilla Sauce

Sakai Salmon

Pheasant

Rabbit with Carrot Puree

Filet with Gnocchi

New York Steak

Cherry Upside Down Cake with Ice Cream

Chocolate Molten Cake with Ice Cream and Popcorn Garnish

Thank you so much for taking me there hunny ^^

Some Pixar Wines hahaha so cuteee

Until my next post! =]

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World of Color: Glow With the Show

2012-07-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

Hi every one! How's your week going so far? I know it's only Tuesday, but before you know it it'll be Friday! so hang in there!

So after the delicious dinner at Carthay Circle Restaurant, some friends and I headed over to Mickey's Fun Wheel to wait for the special showing of World of Color that's exclusively for passholders that have registered for it. Each passholders also gets these new Glow With The Show Mickey ear hats! Don't you just love free stuff??? hahaha. So Disney has this new hats with lighted up ears that syncs up with other ears, Mad T Party, and the World of Color show. Not only that it just lights up, when I saw syncs, I meant it glowed with the show! the ears were the colors of the fountain and it also goes with the song! It was truly amazing... Especially being around every one that's also wearing the ears, because not every one is going to have the ears on a regular showing. So thanks for my Mickey ear hat Disney!!!

Until my next post! =]

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