Last week, while taking a walk with the girls, I came across a small playground that seemed intent on being kept hidden. Located on an overlooked side street and tucked between two tall buildings, it’s large enough for basic playground equipment and picnic tables, but small enough to easily keep an eye on your kids whilst sitting down and taking a break.

I also love that it’s guarded by a heavy gate, so I don’t need to worry about the kiddos running into the street. The crowd that visits is friendly, and perhaps the best part is that it’s a lot closer to our house than my previous favorite playground. Suffice it to say, we’ve been there a lot lately.

Those who follow me on Instagram may have seen this already: a product called “Squeezy Bubbles”— gently squeeze the bottle and the bubble wand pops up, “pre-loaded” and ready to use! It seems to be the perfect little invention for those like Claire who love to blow bubbles but hate getting their hands dirty.

I picked it up at our local grocery store for about $3, and I see that a similar product called Squeeze n Blow Pop-Up Bubbles is available online on Amazon for $10. (It seems to be a much larger bottle than the one we have.)

Last weekend, we met up with friends and family for a mega-playdate at the Liberty Science Center. Similar to what happened during our last time at LSC, the battery on our camera died so we missed out on some major photo ops (this time, it was me who forgot to charge the battery…doh!). However, the kids all had a blast and that’s all that counts, right?

The Saturday we attended fell on the last weekend of the Curious George exhibit, so it was undoubtedly crowded. (I overheard a security guard saying that he’s never seen the line for the entrance that long!) The girls watch Curious George occasionally, so they joyfully explored and played. Claire really seemed to like golf — she got 2 hole-in-one’s in a row! (And I immediately texted my father with the news, with accompanying pictures, since he’s a golf fanatic.)

Here’s a fun side-by-side of Claire entranced by the same exhibition, the left from a year ago.

Lastly, because I have been wondering this to myself and out-loud to J:

He says it’s probably more so because of the latter. Do you agree?

Created by Etckt, this periodic chart includes all characters from Episodes VI, V, and VI. Each character is categorized by allegiance, and their order of appearance and movies are numbered in each cell (in Aurebesh).

Be sure to check out Etckt to read more about how the chart was developed!

Via Neatorama.

So here it is, the top 5 things that have been keeping me busy…

(Cue deep announcer voice)

Number 5…

The NBA Playoffs. The Knicks haven’t made it to round 2 in THIRTEEN YEARS.  And while they still have some kinks to work out (and they shouldn’t be partying the night before games…ahem Smith!), my boys are looking pretty good. Just check out numbers 3 and 1 of last night’s top plays!

Number 4…

My site was hacked. It was a pharma hack, so it’s likely that you didn’t notice anything off about this blog. (And don’t worry. It doesn’t harm visitors to the site.)  But since I didn’t notice it for months, it led to some decrease in my web ranking and traffic. 

The good news is that I think I’ve gotten it sorted out now. Let’s just hope that I’m right.

Number 3…

Dead Ever After, the final book of the Sookie Stackhouse (otherwise known as the Southern Vampire) series. The quality of the books have definitely declined over the years, but I feel the need to read the last one to get some closure.

I’m not holding my breath, though, as most early reviews are far from glowing.

Number 2…

I actually had 4, not 5 items on this list. But since 5 is a much better number than 4, I’ve decided to share with you the following clip of Jimmy Fallon and John Krasinski having a lip-sync battle:

Who knew John Krasinski had so much swagger?!! I’m sorry Jimmy, my imaginary boyfriend kicked your ass on this!

And now, for number 1…

Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day.

It rained today. We’re expecting more through the weekend. And as any mother knows, keeping young kids entertained through long bouts of inclement weather is akin to pulling teeth.

Did you notice heroin is not on the list? It’s because heroin doesn’t need a video game to represent it; it already has Heroin Hero. 

(from the Guitar Queer-O episode of South Park)

Via Dorkly.

Last Thursday, April 25 2013, was the national Bring Your Child to Work Day. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that J’s company goes all out for this event (he only joined this company last summer) — not only do they arrange food, games, and activities, they also hire outside entertainment and provide nap rooms!

J happily brought Claire along for the ride…

She undoubtedly had a blast; she came home with a swag bag full of his company’s promotional materials (i.e., slinky, stickers, playing cards, etc) and even received her own ID badge! I was afraid that this is what she thinks her dad does at work all day and that she would want to go with him every morning. 

We had believed Aerin to be too young to participate, but J told me that the office was full of kids of all ages that day. Many spouses also accompanied the young visitors, so you can be sure that the entire family will be attending next year!

The next set of pictures are from a playdate we had with cousins Rachel & Ethan. 7-year-old Rachel adores the girls and they all had fun playing dress-up, doing arts & crafts, and chasing each other around the house.

Lastly, a trip we made to the park yesterday. Our building’s elevator was out that morning, so I had quite an adventure bringing both girls, the diaper bag, my purse, and the double stroller down 4 flights of stairs by myself.

But it was sooo worth it, if for the weather alone. I’m usually not able to take pictures of the girls when it’s just me watching over them outdoors, but I was able to snap some shots when the playground was empty and I was able to better keep track of them.

Those who follow me on Instagram may have seen this picture of Claire verrrryyyy carefully pushing her little sister on the swing:

Unfortunately, Aerin was more interested in the flower I had picked
for her. (You can see a bit of the yellow on her lap.)

We were having so much fun at the park that the only way I could get Claire to agree to come back home for their naps was to promise her some ice cream. So there we were, sharing ice cream at Baskin Robbins when Aerin refused to have any more after just a few bites. Claire then said to me, “엄마, 베이비 아이스크림 안먹어. 베이비 이상해.” (“Umma, the baby’s not eating ice cream. Baby’s weird.”)

Why yes, refusing ice cream would mean you’re weird. 

Lastly, a snapshot my mom took of Claire while she was visiting her last weekend. What a little model! (You can’t tell from this picture, but that’s a Hello Kitty umbrella she picked out herself. She wants to go out whenever it rains now.)

And, because squinting at an image is probably not your thing…

GAME OF THRONES By Parks and Recreation co-creator/exec producer Michael Schur (and exec producer Dan Goor)

Act 1 Daenerys Stormborn rides her Khalasar and the 8,000 Unsullied out of Astapor. Looking out at the vast emptiness of the desert, she declares: “I will build a park here!” Ser Jorah: “Who the hell’s gonna come to a park in frigging Astapor?” She refuses to get discouraged.

Joffrey wants to try out his new crossbow by firing it at prostitutes. Tyrion: “Your Grace, whores are not used for target practice. They are used as distractions during plot exposition. Second, you need a government permit to use that crossbow.” As Tyrion and Varys explain the bureaucratic permit process, the prostitutes start having sex with each other.

Act 2 Daenerys holds a public forum to discuss the park. The Starks think the park should have a wolf run, the Targaryens want more fire pits, the Lannisters don’t want to pay for it. Also, Daenerys didn’t get enough snacks, and a bunch of White Walkers start eating everyone’s flesh.

Meanwhile, Joffrey goes to Hodor to apply for a crossbow license.

“Hodor,” says Hodor.

Joffrey, confused: “So I can’t get the permit?”

Hodor: “Hodor.”

Joffrey storms out. “Dammit, Hodor!”

Hodor, to the camera: “Man, that guy’s the worst.”

Act 3 Daenerys loses the vote 300–1. Things look bleak. Then her dragons fly around the room and set everyone on fire. She takes another vote and wins, 1–0.

Daenerys, to the camera: “You can accomplish anything with good ol’-fashioned hard work. And three dragons.”

Joffrey is bummed that he can’t use his crossbow. Then he remembers that he’s a sadistic sociopath, and has everyone murdered and puts Hodor’s head on a spike. But in a funny way.

PARKS AND RECREATION By Game of Thrones exec producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss

The Pawnee Avian Society, led by Councilman Jamm, strong-arms Leslie into building a park for Pawnee’s official bird, the Grizzled-Neck Pigeon. April, the Pale Woman, presides over the dedication, complete with burning garbage pyres. Ron sees a ghost (or a Tammy?) just as his handcrafted birdcage SPLINTERS, slicing Jean-Ralphio in half, breaking Tom’s legs, and rendering Jerry mute, save for his own name… “Jerry… Jerry…” Meanwhile, in Eagleton, Ann amasses a fleet of her own Grizzled-Necks, the Pigeon from the ceremony perched on her shoulder.

Back in Pawnee: Ron sinks into a single-malt depression, questioning his craftsmanship/purpose… He retreats to Brandi Maxxxx’s newest brothel. Leslie presides over the Small City Council, where she accuses Jerry of sabotage. His punishment: He must piggyback handicapped Tom. Ben recognizes the Thrones takeover and insists Andy is the one true Hodor. Tom bribes the Sun to report that his “Jerry-Rig” is the latest “throwback slave couture.” Rent-A-Swag is immediately shut down.

The episode climaxes at Jean-Ralphio’s funeral, kicked off by Mona–Lisa’s twincest-laden eulogy. The Avian Society mercifully interrupts her with what Ron saw before: THE TAMMY WALKER, a Two-Headed Ice-Tammy riding a rotting Li’l Sebastian. Ben prays for a Thronesian miracle… and a flaming yardstick careens into Jamm’s (surprisingly flammable) afro. Cut to Donna, thumbs-up. Everything burns fast — but the Tammy rises from the ashes… right as Ann and her Pigeon Fleet emerge from the Eagleton Highlands, raining down a majestic s—storm, extinguishing her for good.

The gang buries Jean-Ralphio’s tastefully swagged halves, each in its own custom Swanson casket.

Credits: Chris admits he’s a eunuch.

(And in case you’re wondering, I didn’t type out the article — I was able to find a version online. ) 

At $295, the Stuart Weitzman Dubonnet is the most expensive pair of shoes I own. (I may love heels but most of my shoes were under $100.) I only wore them a handful of times: during wedding dress fittings, practices for our first dance, and — duh — on the wedding day itself.

I am so glad I decided to splurge on these shoes, because they’re probably the most comfortable pair of high heels I own. Even with a 4½” heel, I was able to start my day at 8am, stand around, make my way through Central Park, walk down the aisle and be part of a 30-minute wedding ceremony, greet guests, and dance my tooshie off until 10pm without my feet ever being in pain.

Needless to say, these shoes are no longer in pristine condition. But they are still certainly wearable and hold with them many fond memories.

See that red spot at the bottom of the sole? Since we had red flowers in my bouquet, my bridesmaids’ bouquets, and in our centerpieces, I can safely assume that it’s a remainder from our wedding day.

(I also just remembered that I had gotten them re-soled before the big day, for better traction.)

The question remains now as to what to do with them. I can have them cleaned and stored, but I generally don’t like unused items lying around the house. (My wedding dress is at my parents’ house, and although it currently sits unused, I have no problem allowing my girls to play dress-up with it when they get older.)

I asked my sister, who is getting married next month (!), if she would like to borrow them, but she says that the heels are too high. (She was blessed with the better genes by standing 4″ taller than me.)

I could sell them, but is there a market for used wedding shoes? Could they even be sold for a third of the original purchase price?

I’ve also thought about dyeing them a more practical color like black or brown so that I can wear them at future events, but the idea seems so…permanent.

What would you do? What did you do with your wedding shoes?

I confess I quite enjoyed some of his prior action flicks like The Rock (cue Sean Connery saying “Welcome to The Rock”), Con Air (“Put the bunny back in the box!”), and Face/Off (“I want to take his face…off.”).

I really liked both National Treasure movies too.   And Family Man? A severely underrated film.

Then there’s Adaptation, which I consider Charlie Kaufman’s greatest (and that’s saying a lot because all his movies are effing brilliant), and Kick-Ass, which blew me away.

As such, I can’t quite agree with ALL the placements on the matrix below, but I think it did a pretty good job. What do you think?

I also feel the need to add that Ghost Rider should be off in a corner so right and to the bottom that it might as well have its own graph. Yes, it was THAT BAD and I will never forgive my husband for making me sit through it not once, not twice, but THREE times. 

Via Reddit.

But just how prevalent is plastic surgery in Korea?

And, perhaps more relevant to this discussion, just how homogenous is the standard of beauty in Korea?

These questions, along with the argument over the “westernization” of ideal beauty in Korea — and, as a result, the cosmetic surgery  procedures that seek these features — were hotly debated when Redditor ShenTheWise posted photos of the 2013 Miss Korea contestants for the world to scrutinize. The photos quickly went viral, and it’s easy to see why. Take a look for yourself:

The OP adds these comments along with the pictures:

1) You arent racist. Those women in fact do look unnervingly similar and yes, Koreans think so too. This is because they all get the exact same plastic surgeries and the surgeons follow the same formulas for noses and eyes and everything else theyve had done (fillers, cheek and forehead implants, eye surgery, nose surgery, jaw reduction, breast job, calf muscle job, fat grafting etc). Every single one of them has had nose and eye surgery. Those faces costed those girls thousands. Also dont underestimate makeup, theyve got it caked on in a similar style.

2). Those are called the Korean plastic face look. In certain areas of Seoul, you would think all the women are sisters because they look so similar due to same surgeries.
Koreans cant tell them apart ether. Theyre jokingly referred to as “Samsung Robots”

3). Most korean women dont look like those women. Not anywhere near actually. Most dont have the money to fund their body dysmorphia. Some actually have self esteem. Without the plastic surgery, korean women are very diverse looking and easily can be told apart. The surgery takes away their individuality and uniqueness and its sad. Most are beautiful without it but telling them that their korean ethnic features are infact lovely is as effective as screaming at a brick wall. They wont believe you because theyve been brainwashed to think westernization of their features is superior, i dont think they want to look white, but a mix of white and asian and definitely less Korean.

4). Its weird to see the real plastic ones with kids. The kids look adopted. I always wonder how they explain to their kids later on why they look so different, “Dont worry when youre old enough we will have a surgeon fix the ugly parts just like mommy did!”. And yes many korean men DO ask for old pics before getting serious about a woman.

I have stated in the past that I have nothing against plastic surgery. My bone of contention with this story is that the Korean society — a highly competitive environment that values conformity — puts pressure on its women to look the same.

And if you don’t conform to this standard? Well, tough luck. Or, just get surgery!

I’m reminded of the time my mother informed me I have the type of face that is considered beautiful by the older Korean generation, but not the younger current.

I know that the issue isn’t just isolated to Korea; who can forget the story of the Chinese man who sued his wife for hiding her surgeries from him — thereby giving birth to a baby he found to be “horrifically ugly” — AND WON!

Not the family in question, but a very popular photo among Asians.

Via Absolutely Fobulous.

ETA, ~12 hours after publishing original post:

I have just learned via KoreAm that the photos are NOT of Miss Korea 2013 contestants, but of the Miss Korea Daegu contest. (Daegu is a city in southern Korea, and coincidentally where I was born and lived for the first 7.5 years of my life.)

The article raised a good point, which I deserves mention on this blog:

While it’s startling to see how similar the contestants look and perhaps it’s easy to get get caught up in online rants about how Korea is too materialistic and shallow and are besmirching the good name of beauty pageants everywhere, it makes more sense that a handful of contestants in a regional contest will look similar due to going to the same doctor rather than Korean plastic surgeons across the country working with a universal manual on current beauty standards.

What do you think? Does this clarification make the story any more acceptable/tolerable?