Fuddruckers, Frostings, and NPH

In the movie Idiocracy, a reference is made to a burger chain known as Fuddruckers. It didn't occur to me that this place actually existed 'til some friends mentioned it to us a few weeks ago. Last night, Marc and I met up with our friends David and Jane at a local Fuddruckers establishment. I'm not going to lie, I was quite excited for experience not only because it was referenced in a movie but also because it had it's own 'produce bar' where you basically build your own burger. I had a blast drenching my fries in cheese and loading up my burger with tons of bbq sauce! Count on me going back!

Marc and I kind of cheated and had a little bit of dessert before dinner. Frostings happened to be across the street so we made a mad dash, picked up some cupcakes, took a few bites and saved the rest for later.

What's in the box?

Lavender Pear. White cake cupcake with chunks of pear frosted with lavender-vanilla frosting.

I loved it! You can really taste the lavender and it compliments the pear quite well.

Raspberry Truffle. This was Marc's choice. It really did taste like a raspberry truffle as it had some sort of raspberry filling in the middle. Yum!

Food aside, I received a Tweet this morning and two words popped out: Neil Patrick Harris (NPH) and Rent. I got really excited as I thought Rent would be revived and NPH would reprise his role as Mark Cohen. I'm secretly hoping he goes back to Broadway for ANY show. So it wasn't quite exactly that. Instead, I found out that he will be directing Hollywood's rendition of Rent this summer. That is still exciting news to me! Now I just need to keep tabs on who will be casted for this production. I admit, this is my favorite musical of all time and I do have a dream cast that I'd like to see perform for this production. I'm no casting agent but I can dream, right?

Ok, enough Broadway nerdiness.

Friends+Food+awesome news= perfect way to start the weekend!

American Idiot on Broadway

It has been a long week and I am just now catching up on my Broadway updates. Is it obvious enough? Previews for the American Idiot musical begin next month on Broadway. I'm still kicking myself for not seeing it in Berkeley when I was there this summer! In this musical, Green Day's songs have been rearranged to tell the story of a group of teenage friends who feel numbed by their mundane lives. I am in love with the harmonies from the musical's rendition of "Wake Me Up When September Ends." Opening night is in April. Who wants to sponsor my flight and show ticket?

Love Never Dies

Andrew Lloyd Webber has done it again! Love Never Dies, the sequel to the famous musical, Phantom of the Opera, began previews in London this week. The show is scheduled to come to NYC in the Fall. So there goes my birthday wish for the year. :)

I can't stop watching this video of Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom in this amazing sequel. It gives me chills each time-there is just so much emotion and his talent just blows me away! See for yourself.

p.s. Ramin makes one good looking phantom!

Still moving

One of Marc's most prized possessions. Not only does it include instructions on how to properly fold a dress-shirt; it doubles as a template. What a nerd! I just witnessed him neatly folding his dress shirts with this contraption. :)

I suspect that the next few posts will involve this same subject. Trust me, we don't have a lot of stuff to move. So why is it taking us forever to clear out of our current place? Well, it just so happens that the husband and I are so particular about packing. We're not the type to just stuff whatever fits into a box. There has to be some sort of order, categorization and mind you, even color-coding of boxes. Call it anal but it just makes life that much easier...and entertaining, if you please. All of our large furniture was taken out this morning and moved to the temporary holding place known as my parents' house. We will be sleeping on our makeshift bed on the floor for the next few days. I feel like we're on an extended camping trip. Next week, we plan to scope out potential living spaces. Plans for that are to be made this weekend! I can't wait!

Boxing up the goods

Please forgive me for my lack of posts lately. My spare time has been consumed with exciting activities such as re-constructing boxes and filling them up with belongings. I'll have some fresh posts once the chaos dies! :)

Some things just make me happy!

Pantages has an amazing line-up for 2011! It hasn't been officially announced but it was released to the nerds like me via Twitter. Thanks, Pantages!

Phantom of the Opera, Shrek, West Side Story, Rock of Ages, Rain, Hair, Spring Awakening, Burn the Floor. Oh me, oh my!

I really should move to LA.
The 2010 season has barely begun and I'm already excited for next year!

Vegas Valentines Weekend

Perfect weather and awesome company makes for a great weekend in Las Vegas. The time we spent in the so-called entertainment capital of the world gave us (extremely) full stomachs, nearly-empty wallets, and happy hearts. Sin City, as it is rightfully called, is definitely a place that should not be frequented! But spending time with friends should always happen. :)

The high-rollers at the slots. Don't even bother to ask what the denomination was. When we play, we play big!

The ladies posing in front of probably the best Anthropologie yet. Why? Because they're open 'til midnight! Visit it now at the Forum Shops. I'm promising good finds that you won't regret!

This is what husbands do while the wives shop. Typical, very typical.

Vegas at night.

Happy lunar new year + v-day!

Oh Serendipity, how I've missed you! Thank you for coming to the West Coast!

The ladies in front of Serendipity at Caesar's Palace.

Toasting with Mimosa's to a fabulous trip! I like to call it, the perfect ending.

Las Vegas Lovin'

I'll be spending the weekend of love in the city of lights with a handful of my favorite people. I can hardly wait! Hope you have an amazing weekend!

Hello West LA!

Poster I found on the corner of La Brea and Melrose.

We went home to Redlands to spend the weekend with family. Just when we thought we could sit back and relax, my brother called and asked us to pick him up. We made an impromptu trip to LA and made him wait...just a little, as we perused through shops and enjoyed the sunshine that broke immediately after the rain. The rest of the weekend was spent in our pajamas, cheering for the Lakers, a little bit of the Super Bowl, baking, and plenty of time to relax.

5 minutes (or more so, 5 miles) before I took this photo, it was pouring pretty hard.

Looks like it never rained! The Wiltern Theater is so rustic looking.

This HV is located at the Wiltern,

Would you mind telling me, what makes a drug ethical?

Where we spent most of our time. There is nothing like hitting the jackpot. (aka: used bookstore)

They weren't kidding when they said 1000's!

$9 later, we came out with 5 books! I love buying used books; it makes me feel less guilty when I give them away. Being the anti-hoarder that I am, I only keep my favorites on the shelf.

I finally found some authentic Moroccan Mint tea at T Salon in Melrose. It tastes exactly like what I had at Marrakesh a few weeks ago! I have been drinking this stuff like water lately.

When it rains, it snows!

Snow on my butt-evidence of falling hard-many times.

The heavy rains brought blankets of snow to Southern California's mountains in the past few weeks. We're talking about fresh, powdery snow. Translation: Ideal conditions for snowboarding. Nearly four years ago, I invested in a snowboard, several pieces of gear and a season pass to a local resort. I made the pilgrimage to the mountain almost every other weekend. Marc, our sisters and myself were really faithful about waking up at the crack of dawn and heading out by 6am on Sunday mornings. I never got really good at it. I'm sad to say that I haven't made it back since then. School and other things took over and the snow disappeared sooner and sooner each year. I've thought of selling my board several times. Lift tickets have risen in price, it's such a hassle to drive up the mountain especially when chains are required and well....I just totally suck. This snowboard is now patiently parked in the garage of my parents' home. Whenever I look at, I think about the many hobbies and projects I've started yet have never come to finish or fulfill. I'm instantly reminded of second, third, fourth, endless chances. I'm reminded of growing, progress, and practice. I'm reminded of how impatient I can be and how I need to learn to "just give it some time." It may have been years since my last run down the mountain but I'm certain that it won't be the last.

New toys

Us with our loaner sewing machine from Ella

As we were getting ready to leave the OC for the weekend on Friday night, I got a phone call from the partner-in-crime. Turns out, they were in the area so we all went out to dinner at our favorite California Fish Grill. During dinner, there was talk of borrowing Ella's sewing machine and that made us pretty excited. After having Saturday lunch with my family at the usual Souplantation, (aka: post-church destination of all SDA's in the IE) and listening to my brother wail about wanting a hamster, (*lol*)my Mom and I escaped for the Cabazon outlets. Marc went go-karting with Ella and Shelby. It was a tiring day so after dinner with the parents, I fell asleep. Marc woke me up when he got home by shoving a huge box in front of my face. Yes, it was the sewing machine! Thanks for the loan Ella; it sure is nice to have new toys to play with!

My bright yellow plastic cam

Yesterday afternoon, I happened to stop by Urban Outfitters .I picked up a super fat lens plastic cam. I had been wanting the Slim Angel for quite some time now but when I saw the Yellow Peace for $10 in the clearance bin, I decided to make it my new toy. Not only that, there was an additional 50% off too so I walked out paying only $5.

I anticipate a lot of playing this week!