Instant photos - no longer?

I read this on a featured xanga blog. Polaroids are going to be no longer by 2009. Boo. (I know you're devastated, M!) They already went bankrupt in 2005, which I had no idea about. Some memories of polaroids off the top of my head:

~ I used it for my bridal shower as part of the party favors.

~ Bill and I had one of our first photos with a polaroid. I think this was a couple months after we started going out..awww. Check out our psychedelic threads - we didn't plan this either! Wow, what were we thinking? =P

~ Less than a month ago, my dad gave up his polaroid for a digital camera. He's been using polaroids like water taking photos of my parents' lakehouse, a huge work in progress. Imagine that! Taking polaroids left and right of every corner of every developing room of their lakehouse. I truly believe Polaroid can stay in business on my dad alone. Look here!

~ Another thing, those guys who go around the night life taking polaroids to sell overpriced to unsuspecting patrons will be out of a job. They knew exactly when to come around too, when the alkie kicked in and people are willing to pay that much! Funny, I noticed they weren't at AzN places that much probably due to the fact that AzNs all have their own cameras at hand.

Anyway, there is just something special about watching it develop in your hand for that exact moment you took the pic. They will be dearly missed. I will definitely invest in a bunch for future purposes to show my kid(s) that technology "back in the day" was actually cool! And most expectantly, there will be a similar, better invention along the way, and my kid(s) can make fun of how old and out-of-date Mommy is. =)

Oh, and had to throw this in:

[Posted by my brotha in reply to my last blog:]

AHAHhahah!! I see him do that ALL the time. He uses 409 sometimes to... Hell.. i get mad at him when he uses WD-40 to make the cars shiney -_-;

dad: [sprays car with WD-40]
Me: WTH are you doing!
dad: [wipes down car] Iam making it shiney! See? Keeps rust off to.
Me: -________-; WD-40 eats clear coat and makes dirt stick. Use this Quick Detailer
dad: That stuff is expensive, we have alot of WD-40. [laughs]
Me: Um... just dont do my car lol.

Posted 2/25/2008 11:04 AM by Koshi_Le

Ah, gotta love it.

Windex

You must have seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding to get this one.  My wonderful dad did a Toula's dad thing, who thought Windex was the cure for all ailments - from zits to psoriasis to poison ivy.  Apparently, Windex can be used for household purposes too.  B and I had an ant problem coming from our backyard.  They were going through our backdoor and even making holes in our window sills to get in.

Me:  [handing Dad damp paper towels]  Dad, what do you use at home for this problem?  You used ant killer stuff and poured it all over their nests, right?

Dad:  Huh?  Oh, not anymore - that only works temporarily.  [continues to clean up the ants inside the house along the doorstep]

Me:  [watching Dad clean up dead ants and pointing to more coming in]  Dad, you're never gonna get all of them.  So...what do you use then?

Dad:  Oh, easy.  Windex.  It works wonders.  I don't think they came back for awhile. 

Me:  [laugh at the thought of it and as I think about My Big Fat Greek Wedding]  So that's temporary too then.

Dad:  What's so funny?  [smiles]  Yeah, but it lasts longer! 

Me:  We're out of Windex though.

Dad:  Oh, then I guess use your ant spray for now.

Me:  [shakes head]  Why couldn't we use that in first place?

Dad:  Because Windex is better! 

Needless to say, the ants eventually went away, but not with Windex.  Maybe we should give it a shot come this summer, when they come crawling back, no pun intended. 

Mamadom Rant

I don't think I can give up blogging even if many people I know have - due in part (or in most) to not getting as many comments or none at all. Blogging is to share with the world a glimpse of your life; mind you, there is a part of the world you don't want to glimpse into your life, but that's unavoidable. I simply love going back to old entries for that hint of nostalgia and be ever so glad that I wrote anything, even if it wasn't that great.

From a parent to a non-parent (whether you don't have kids or it's been awhile since you had kids or you just don't "get it" when you do have kids):

I. Please do not give unsolicited advice. All parents are different. If anything, I'll ask if I want advice - and this is a general understanding among modern parents. You're not bad parents if you do things differently.

Try this: Find a couple who are parents and berate them about their...

1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breast feeding, sleep habits, toilet training, teething, table manners, and overall behavior.
6. Enjoy it, because it will be the last time in your life you will dare believe you have all the baby solutions yourself.

II. If there is a need or an invitation to leave the house, I can't just drop everything and leave. Leaving the house is extremely different now.

Try this:

1. Take a 15-lb bag of dirt that smells funky and has flailing arms. Dress it successfully. Get yourself ready. Get his bag ready. Make sure he has his bottles, toys, snacks, and diapers in the bag. Get your things ready - jacket, wallet/purse, keys, phone, shoes.
2. Sit on the floor playing with him for half an hour because he got upset and started wailing because you had to ignore him while you got his things and yourself ready.
3. Go out the door with carseat and your stuff to put in car. Come in to get him. Go out, put him in carseat. Come back in to get other things forgotten. Go out again.
4. Spend a split second to make sure you got everything.
5. Actually back out of the driveway successfully ... until you realize you forgot your wallet.

III. You know how they say stay-at-home moms are considered to have two full-time jobs? Well, do the math!

Typical schedule (when I was on maternity leave and now after work and on weekends):

1. Feeding: prep food, attempt to feed, feed, attempt to feed more, watch food fly, finish feeding, clean up high chair/floor/face of baby/your face/baby clothes/your clothes/dishes - oh yeah, add in formula, juice and snacks.
2. Changing: diapers 4-5 times/day, clothes throughout the day (try putting clothes on an octopus that doesn't stop moving), bathe (refer to octopus), add in times when the kids like to drop off kids that come out of the diaper
3. Sleep: Bedtime routine, which takes anywhere from five minutes to an hour some days. Add in naps. Keep in mind, they absolutely love to fight sleep.
4. Let's not forget adding in taking care of other necessities - cook, clean, and laundry 24/7.

Sigh. In all its chaotic glory, mamahood does make me feel complete somehow - and I never thought it would. It doesn't suddenly fall into your lap when you pop the boogers out. It's not magic and stars and a big boom or anything spectacular when they plop him in your arms screaming and wonderful. It's gradual. And it all comes together. Then, miraculously, life before kiddos was a mere fleeting moment. I just don't appreciate how people without kids can't appreciate it and especially those who have kids can't handle it. As they all say, you don't understand being a parent at all until you have your own kids. And that's fine if you choose not to have kids - at least you realize the dedication and sacrifice it takes.

I've embraced my choice to go back to work. Work makes me feel connected to reality. I feel that if I stay home, my whole reality is inside the walls of my home - but the trade off is I'll never have to worry about my baby. So lately, I'm beginning to rethink my decision. Mothers are constantly torn between whether they should work or stay home.

None of my friends (at least my close ones) have babies - so it's tough to relate to anyone who can truly understand. Discussing mothering issues with my own mother doesn't exactly turn into a mind-blowing, educational experience. I always end up saying "Well, of course I know you've had experience, Mother."

Again, sigh. Decisions, decisions.

*Last two photos courtesy of n0smoking.

Cheers to a long, fun-filled weekend!

This past weekend was spent with friends and family celebrating none other than my burfday! Oh, and the day I was joined with someone else, the someone known as my Billybob. Words can't describe how wonderful it feels to be loved.

It started off with the in-laws coming over Friday night. Grandma offered to babysit earlier in the day, so Bill didn't hesitate to take advantage of it. Afterall, it's not so often we get to leave the house anymore, so we almost always take every chance we get, not to say we don't love spending time with Preston.

We decided to chillax somewhere. We drove to Rice Village and decided on Jonny's Sports Bar. It used to be Joia, then changed to Touch night club, and now did a 180 to a laid-back sports bar. (Ironically, before all these changes, it was Timberwolves, which was a bumpin' sports bar during its time.) It's rare to have parking right next door to Rice Village bar, which coaxed us to come in. The first thing I noticed was this place seemed to have simply turned on the lights to turn it into a bar because it looked almost exactly like it was when it was club Touch, which I went to over a year ago. With the 4 tatted-out, emo dudes in one corner, the group of college kids playing beer pong and shuffleboard, and the lonesome older single men at the bar, we felt it was a tad too chillax. After a few games of Photo Hunt on the touchscreen game console (check it out at a bar near you - it's super addicting!), we bounced on outta there.

Then we hit up Mugsy's, just outside of Rice Village inside the loop. Turns out, the bartendar went to high school with Bill. (It seems like everywhere we go, Bill constantly gets drink hook-ups somehow. Maybe this explains his alkie ways - or perhaps why he became one..ha.) This place was as dark as it was laid-back. Bill said he used to come here to hang out with friends a lot, but it sure screamed cozy date place with all the (duh) couples, low-lit candles at every (small) table and classic mahogany decor. (The thought of asking how many girls he took here crossed my mind, but gotta keep that to myself - don't want no dramz!) After a short while, we decided to call it a night because we missed P-man.

I noticed that when I go out now, the crowds are not as pleasant and energetic. I guess all those people got a hint and realized the Houston scene ain't what it used to be so they'd rather spend it elsewhere, as do we.

That's why I decided on Maple Leaf Pub for the following night to celebrate my bday, so I can actually converse with people, instead of scream over bad music and getting constantly bumped into. Thankfully, by the end of the night, I was satisfied with the choice. Although I would have liked to go somewhere to dance, choosing a club where you can get all your (Asian) friends in without any issues deterred me from leaving the pub.

To be continued - with photos!