Rose Parade on HGTV

Watch me on HGTV's live broadcast of the Rose Parade 2010 at 7:56 am PST on New Year's morning.

Tonight

My butt is at an Echo and the Bunnymen concert and it rocks! Sure you're not jealous now, that's cause you're sans beer and the tix! Seriously, I wish the 80s would live on louder and harder. I need me this music!

Headed to DC for a wedding

And I take off my boots for security and the woman behinds me comments 'already have your holiday socks on huh?' Why, yes. Yes I do. Since October only lasts for a month and halloween is just a couple weeks away, I will break out these orange neon beauties and let the world know! I celebrate starting at my feet. Woot! Oh and LAX sucks donkey nut meats.

Dudes wearing the hoods on their hoodies

Why is it that so many dudes now find it fashion forward to wear the hoods on their hoodies? Even when they already have a skull cap on? How is it 'smart dressing' or cute, especially since the hood is straining to keep on the casabas of these meatballs? Is it that the jaunty cap fashion explosion of 2009 has evolved into the hood-hoodie wearing phenomenon of fall 2009? I'm so confused. But one thing i am sure of, my loins say 'no go!'

LA county Fair

There is one thoing that I look forward to every year. No it isn't my bday, it is the fair, where I can drink, eat corn on the cob (w all the fixins'), and piglet races. Sure PETA would be up in arms, but they're just racing. And it is cute. And I am having a BLAST. Plus I just screamed 'fat hispanic girl' and more than 10 people turned their heads. Awkward.

I LOVE the holidays

But come on! It is the beginning of October and peopke are breaking out the trees? I guess that's why we have the First Amendment. Peace.

RV show

I am currently in Hershey, PA shooting my 4th RV show for HGTV, called RV 2010. It will air sometime in March 2010, hence the title with 2010. I know. My mind is working at Nascar speed today. Woot! Ok so what have I learned in the past 3 days here? Well the locals call this area Pennsyl-tucky, cause it is so Kuuntry. Yep. And that crabmeat covered pretzels are a delicacy, and buffalo chicken covered pretzels are a local fav and, as one waitress said, 'take the left-overs. It heats up nicely.' Meat smothered pretzels and RVs. I don't think I'm in Cali anymore Todo!

New Stuff

All right, so once again I have failed to post. Well let me just say that I have been doing nothing but vacationing on a beach in Virginia, watching Dolphins swim, the Armed Forces fly by, and boogie boarding for the first time! Woot!

If I may just say, I learned how to swim at the YMCA Adult swim classes at the tender age of...well honestly I haven't really learned how to FULLY swim, as most people think I am drowning when I am trying to do a simple stroke. That makes me think of the time when I was shooting an episode of CW NOW in Thailand and we were blessed to stay at a gorgeous resort where we had access to a private beach. Ok now this would usually sit unused by me because we were only there for 3 days, but being that I was jet-lagged, I had nothing to do at 6:30 am, so I hit the private beach. And since that thing 'opened' at 7 am, it was all mine. There was a Thai cabana dude who watched over the kayaks, beach chairs, handed out towels, and served as the lifeguard - which came in handy. So Thailand is incredibly beautiful and the water was warm. Well little miss daredevil dumbass decides to take her sorry swimming skills out to the beach, as 'it ain't that deep', but holy cow, after swimming just a few yards off, and with the waves coming in, that 'ain't so deep' got to be some hella-tall water. And since I am not a good swimmer and while trying to make it back to shore, I hit my knee on a rock, I just thought, 'hmmm....if I yell, can he come get me? Only way to find out is to do it, so here we go.' And as soon as I saw him RUN towards the water, rip off his shirt and dive into the waves, I thought, 'oh sh*t. I feel kinda bad about this now.' And that, everybody, is how I utilized my poor swimming skills enjoying the beach in Thailand. This rambling, folks, tells me that the Y didn't teach me as much as I thought it did. Or my laziness took over my decency, and made some unsuspecting Thai beach worker have a heart-attack, take off his shirt and leap into the ocean after me.

What the hell was I talking about? Oh, I don't remember. I am off to Hershey, PA tomorrow early morning to shoot HGTV's new RV show. Holler. I'll let you know how the sweetest place on earth treats me.

Stuff from Comic-Con

here is some of the stuff I did at Comic-Con. It feels so real, you can almost taste the elbow sweat of the Con-goers.

link

Euna Lee freed!

This news is incredible! Euna Lee and Laura Ling freed! Euna and I worked together in San Francisco at TechTV and it was heartbreaking to hear about their arrest and their conviction. And now everyone is rejoicing that they are freed. Euna is an amazing woman, and an even better mother. This is so great. Words cannot express my joy and gratitude.

And this is the monster...

Behold! Deep fried twinkie!
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Wow

God knows what I want.

Yup

This is what I'm talking about!

Fremont Street Experience

No trip to vegas is ever complete without a trip to downtown where the light show s nightly and the twinkies are deep fried and $.99! Atop that sweet smell of deliciousness is the rank scent of tobacco, body odor, despair and broken dreams. I have to admit, I feel at home.

A cricket!

I am finally back in my vegas hotel room, and what is in my room to meet me after my ok streak of wins and losses on the strip? A cricket m*therf*cker. Seriously. I love nature and camping, but not in my vegas hotel room after a day of driving and smelling other people's cigarette smoke. Luckily I'm deaf in an ear. And tonight I will be sleeping on it! You sonofabitch cricket. If I could find you behind the dresser, I'd eat your antenae, then eyes and then hit his arms, feet, and leave the rest for his friends to see what happens when you go into a hotel room and keep people up. That guy shut his legs up fast once I typed this. Chicken cricket.

My asian-ness has taken over

It seems that my first weekend off has inspired a trip to vegas. Hmmmm. I wonder why that is? How did a chinese girl with nothing to do from Sunday-tuesday get lured to sin city? Hmmm.....lemme think on this. Oh yeah, gambling is in my blood. I'm up $50 in blackjack babies! Wish me luck. I am going to the slots next.

Kids WB stuff

So I blogged that I am now doing content for kids websites, kidswb.com and dcbeyond.com. Well the first teases to the stories we got at comic-con can be seen here.

the guy, Steve Z. is my partner is crime and he is adorable and hilarious! but adorable and hilarious dudes don't get the big swag at Comic-con. The girl with a hard to pronounce name, now that gets the free stuff flying! T-shirts, bags, itty bitty toys, and my all-time-favorite toy of all, the Mattel "Adult collector's" Batman Tumbler/Bat-Pod model that depicts the scene where the Bat-Pod breaks from the Tumbler in THE DARK KNIGHT. this thing is so bad ass, I literally lost it when i saw it, and Chris, the uber kind Mattel dude, was like 'here, have one'. then I fainted.

More videos to come from the Comic-con adventure. :)

Patrick!

Second day od Comic-con? DONE! And of course I got myself a pic with Patrick the Starfish. Woot! I played Scribblenauts, a new DS game! And now it is time for a seat! I'm tired of walkin!

The Big Bang Theory

It is a hot, sweaty, crazy mess here at the WB booth! The cast and creators are all here to do signings with fans and lemme just say, people have been waiting for hours to get some hot pen action on some flat pictures from these guys. CRAZY! Another day at Comic-Con and not one bit slower! They're bringing out the big guns.

Captain Caveman makes Comic-Con appearance!

It was unannounced but John DiMaggio, voice of Aquaman and Gorilla Grodd among others on THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD cartoon, did an in-depth interview with Captain Caveman for Kidswb.com and DCComics.com! Cool!

End of first day at Comic-con

And that is my man hand around that drink. It was that crowded and hot, but totally worth it! I was told by a security guard today, 'you're so great at what you. I'd totally love to be doing kids content (I'm rolling wih Kids WB this trip!!!!!!) If my agent would get off his ass.' A Comic-con security guard! Oy. I love this stuff.
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Comic-com

This is my first day at Comic-con and there are some awesome things...like the real Bat-Pod from The Dark Knight! The nest from 'where the wild things are' and more action figures and toys than you can shake a stick at! More to come.

Happy Mother's Day

and in the tradition of so many upstanding and loving Chinese daughters, I am taking my mother to San Manuel Casino and playing some slots and BINGO! Yeah. Cause that's how we roll.

I just finished reading Malcolm Gladwell's fascinating book about success called 'Outliers'. And some of the theories he has are fascinating! He speaks of geniuses such as Bill Joy (creator of JAVA), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Joe Flom (powerhouse lawyer), and others as people that were a product of their culture and environment, going back sometimes hundreds of years. Gladwell also goes on to discuss the theory of why asians are so successful, especially at math, starting with the way we say numbers in Chinese - quickly (as in one syllable, aiding our memories); and our histories as rice farmers - crazy tenactious farmers waking at 3 am and working with family to farm rice in the fields.

I would go on and talk more about the book, but seriously, I have a casino to go to. And bingo to play. and although this is not drag queen bingo of West Hollywood, I, as an Asian, hope my math skills thanks to hundreds of years of rice farming, will aid me in winning cash muuunnnnneeeeeyyy!

Happy Mother's Day.

And if you get a chance, check out Justin Timberlake and Adam Samberg doing the 'Mother's Day' digital short that aired on SNL last night. so good!

So long....

It has been so long since I posted. And what is my first post? Me at a Lucha VaVoom show at the Mayan theater in LA! Woot! Get ready dirty sanchez and chuppa cabarra wrestlers.
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I'm hard at work!

This is what I do, I sit in a chair and ask the director of 'Fast and Furious' questions like...'If you were a street car, which one would you be?' Discuss.

Fast and Furious

Now I'm no big car girl, but take a look that that sweet green 1972 Gran Torino! Woot. I wouldn't mind smacking my ass down in one of these babies going to work everyday. This car is one of the stars of the movie 'Fast and Furious' #4. The movie is one of those popcorn action films with lots of fast driving and action. The funniest thing about the movie, there's lots of girl on girl action...now for a director (Justin Lin) who always expouses about not exploiting women, it is funny to see many a shot in the film always start or dolly into hallyways or rooms where all of a sudden, there are 2-3 girls making out with each other. Now I've talked to more than one dude who parties often and he never sees ladies on each other like that. But then again, they are LADIES. Now I'm educated in the ways. Enjoy the cars. Peace.

HGTV Dream Home Giveaway March 15, 8 pm

You can catch me on another HGTV special, the Dream Home Giveaway on Sunday, March 15th at 8 pm. I'm exhausted and have to go to bed. oy. g'night!

RV 2009

All right! This is short notice, but here goes...I shot a special on RVs for HGTVin Hershey, PA last September and I am happy to report, it will air this Sunday! Yeah!

RV 2009 on HGTV
Sunday, March 8, 2009 at 8pm

If you miss this show, I will also take part in the HGTV Dream Home Giveaway that is slated to air next week! I will post more details when I get them.

But for now, lemme ask you all this. How does a grown man sleep at night when during that day he wears a knit lei with macadamia nut accents? KNIT people?! Obviously we are fast approaching the end of the world.

finally, the Spike.com videos!

all right, so after two weeks of being on the road, my lower back is sore and i am glad to sleep in my own bed. My last leg of the race to see america was up to San Francisco, my old stomping grounds, where it was wonderful to reconnect with old friends, make new ones, and visit my old favorite restaurants. GAWD i love food!

Here are the links to some of the CES videos we did for SPIKE.COM. Enjoy!

Outdoor gadgets
Top 15 products part 1
Top 15 products part 2
Green Stories
Top BIG stories

Fools

After two weeks on the road, I get home and do 3 loads of laundry. Woot. What a way to cap of an amazing experience, and even better, my two fools can't leave the clean, fresh scent alone! Why even clean the clothes at this point?

Same day, overcast and rainy!

Crazy right? When the light breaks through the clouds, the Grand Canyon's colors just explode. Can you see?

Grand Canyon

Here are a couple pics of the Grand Canyon. Was there for two spectacular days and loved every second of it. More to come. For now, look at the pics. I am almost to LA! 2932 miles driven on this trip so far.

Battleship Rock in the Painted Desert/petrified forest

All right. I never thought I'd be able to say I've driven through over 200 million years of history, but today, I say it to your face! Or at least I type it softly into my PDA and hope you read it.

Matt and I got out of our Wigwam and hit the national park hoping to 1: desecrate a national park and 2: steal a piece of wood turned to stone. Well we are failures. Wowed by the natural beauty of fossilized wood that over 200 million years, has absorbed all of the minerals around it and been through being underwater, then locked into rock, and eroded out by wind, these pieces of wood that are now hard as stone, display some of the most beautiful concentrations of color we have ever seen. Each one of these logs keeps on keepin' on, giving the Bee Gees song, 'Stayin Alive' new meaning to me. Honestly it is crazy to think that all of these thousands of logs could have grown as a lush forest in this now barren land. Or that some of these trees were washed down from another state and got caught up in lava, sediment or some other force of nature, locking it there until Mother Nature eroded the sand and silt around it, exposing these beautiful petrified stones for us to see. With so much being locked into the earth in this location, you would think, huh, there should be some old bones. You're right! Dinosaur bones and many artifacts from the Triassic period were found in this park, making the surrounding areas of the national park dinosaur statue crazy. That means in-between all the truck stops and RV Parks on the highways, you will see more than any normal human's share of not classy dinsaur replicas.

If you ever get out to Arizona, this is definitly a stop. as Matt and I started out in the Petrified forest, we drove north to the Painted desert and from 220 million years to just400 years ago, when Pueblo people inhabited the lush desert and water was plentiful to support human and animal life. There were a few really cool things to this end of the park. 1. Petroglyphs, 2. Pueblo ruins, 3. Colors of the painted desert.

Going to certain sites in the park, you're able to see amazing old writings of the Pueblo people. These writings look to us like rudimentary drawings from a kindergartener, but for the Pueblos, those pictures all explained stories and instructions to other peoples as to where to hunt for food, the 3 day walk to the lake, and the ubiquitous 'Jake was here'. Seriously, with my crazy telephoto lense, I was able to get a pretty close picture of some of these awesome petroglyphs and the images of people that the Pueblos chiseled into the rock showed me that the ladies were feminine and the men liked to see themselves as more than well-endowed. And they told the world.

The pueblos were just a neat look into history and to see the ruins made us feel small, insignificant, and very young. We also remembered how small people were back in the day.

And as for the painted desert, truly, this thing doesn't look real. I cannot believe that these colors occur naturally in this landscape and are there for us to take in. When you see beauty this stunning and vast, with colors this drenched, you think a master artisan put it together with some oils, not Mother Nature letting it just be in Arizona! This is one of the most stunning views of any land I've ever seen.

And that my friends is all I can type on my phone while getting carsick in the car. Headed to the Grand Canyon tomorrow.

Petrified forest

Can you see the logs?!

The Teepees

This is at the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. The next few will be images too.

Interior of wigwam (read El Paso to AZ post first)

This is the inside of my wigwam. Do you see the angled walls? And the wood widdled furnishings? Bold choices abound in the southwest. :)

El Paso to Holbrook, AZ

That's right y'all. I've been in the south for less than 5 months and I'm usng y'all and bless his heart---a lot.

Anyhow we drove today from El Paso through New Mexico on the I-60 into AZ on the I-180. It was AMAZING! Although I thought I was gonna get Freddie Kruger on some ass when we left a hwy whose speed limit was 80 for a smaller one whose limit was 65 mph, I didn't. I was surprised too! Instead, we ended up driving past the VLA (Very Large Array) area, a place in the middle of NM where there sits a cluster of 25 high powered sattelites that shoot into the sky, hoping to get something back from other lifeforms. Tax dollars at work baby. Why doesn't the government just rent E.T. and get some skittles. We all know that's what aliens want. Anyhow, these massive disks, which for some god forsaken reason I forgot to take a pic of and upload--i blame it on a brain fart, been eating a lot of beans with my tex-mex food, were soooo impressive! They were enormous, and would move every 10 minutes or so, and the sound of these disks moving was so slight, you really had to pay attention. Besides that sound, the entire place was absolutely silent. I've never been anywhere that quiet before. America is astonishing. All right, it is except for the name VLA. Someone fell asleep at the wheel on that one.

After that little break out of the car, we kept driving and finally found some food in a town called, wait for it...Pie Town, USA! And what did we eat there? Well I dunno about you all, but I had some scrambled eggs. Good stuff on the, as they advertised, Great Divide. And we ate the peanut butter pie. So rich I almost went into a cardiac arrest, but since we were in the boonies, I didn't know where the nearest hospital was and wanted to get to AZ. So off we went!

Now this picture you see is of the Wigwam Hotel outside the Petrified Forest on old Route 66. If you're a fan of 'Cars' the animated movie, you'd totally fall in love with this place. I see the inspiration for Larry the cable guy's character and the hotel in the movie so clearly, I feel like they should pay me residuals. Anyhow, the huts look kinda scary when you roll up after 8 hours in the car. And the top of the doorframe to enter a wigwam is all of 6'3, so Matt is bending down, so he doesn't bludgen the noggin. Once you enter this luxurious place, you'll notice that none of the furnishings have been changed since 1940, when the hotel first opened. It is a sight! First thing I did when I walked into my teepeen I laughed out loud. There is huge kitch factor here so it makes it very adorable, and to be able to see the Rainbow and Petrified Forests this is totally cool.

I'll post a pic of the interior for you to see too.

Bank at Fredericksburg, TX

On my way out of Austin and headed to El Paso, Matt, my boyfriend, and I drive through a small early German settlement town. Sure my picture may not be very good, but it is of what looks like an original building and the Fredericksburg bank!

I thought it looked cool. Now let me share with you a little something about TX. Sure I've enjoyed myself in the beautiful city of Austin. I've visited the capitol building, very impressive, and enjoyed the view from Mt Bonnell. This city has a great energy and much to offer. But driving IN texas is the bane of my existence. The other night, after a delicious dinner at this joint right off I-10 in houston, Pappasitos, I get in the driver's seat and take over duties. All is good until I take the interstate that takes us into Austin. This little two lane thing is crawling with troopers. And yes, within 10 minutes of getting on the thing, my Chinese ass gets the flashing lights and the pull over signal. B$tch! All right. Be cool. I give him my license and insurance. He asks if I'm a student? Why am I in such a rush and gives me a printed out 'warning.' The warning states that I was going 10% above the speed limit. Argh. What I really wanted to say was 'Listen my bald headed mo-fo of a trooper, I'm a good girl driving a corolla. Don't you have better things to do? This is costing me valuable sleep time.' But since it was just a warning and not a ticket, I let him off.

A few minutes after I get that first warning and start along my way, on cruise control at 66 mph, I get pulled over AGAIN?!???!!!!!!!???!! This time it is. Because I was pointing out to Matt how 'the Man' pulled over another sorry human being and I slowed down since they were on the side of the road. I didn't switch lanes cause I thought too jerky and dangerous of a maneuver. And wouldn't you know it, I get pulled over for NOT switching lanes unsafely. Oy! Now this guy was nice about it, saying most people don't know it is law to switch left when an emergency vehicle is on the side of the road, but gives me a written warning anyhow. And when was this? The warning was printed all of 16 minutes after my FIRST warning. I am over driving in Texas. God bless texas my ass! Am I gun shy about driving in this huge state? Yes!

And the funniest thing I saw at the capitol in Austin? All the light fixtures in the House of Rep and Senate rooms had beautiful lights, and in every light was the word 'Texas', just in case you forget what state you're in. That picture will come later. It was pretty fun.

Now off to El Paso, the half-way point between Houston and LA! Jeopardy trivia. Uh huh!

Bayou outta New Orleans

So my first stop was New Orleans, and yes, I stayed right off Bourbon street. Walking up and down on that street first thing in the afternoon as soon as my boyfriend Matt and I arrived into town was interesting. The street was fairly unpopulated and with all the bars and XXX establishments, it reminded me much of Tijuana. Then we walked along the water, saw the lovely Jackson Square, and came upon Bourbon, in full debauchery mode. Now, it is about 10 pm and the crazies are out. It is the evening before Mardi Gras starts, and there were many people walking up and down the street with their 'Big Ass Beers'. And since the celebration starts the next night, many of the celebrators were out and about practicing how go 'get beads' aka people in their golden years were screaming for beads, begging for empty plastic beer souvenir cups, and a couple people flashed...all for plastic that probably costs all of 2 cents to make in China. Good times.

Today, we decided to see the legendary cemeteries in New Orleans. We started at the St. Louis Cemetery #1 above the french quarter. It was pretty cool as it supposedly housed the corpse of Marie, the Voodoo queen, a chess champ, mayor of New Orleans, and lots more. This cemetery was really spooky but charming, with such interesting graves. For instance, did you know people were buried above ground because it is so wet, if they went below, the rain may wash up their bones? Dogs would love it, sure, but the families, not so much.

Anyhow, we then did an Antebellum architecture tour of the Garden District and saw Anne Rice's house, which is really close to a beautiful and well maintained cemetery in the chic chic garden district.

My take on New Orleans, last night: 'so glad we're outta here in the AM' this afternoon: 'the town is really charming and beautiful, and I love the ironwork all over the homes. And gimme more seafood! Delicious city.'

Bourbon street reeks of despair and mistakes aided by beer goggles, while the rest of the city smells like delicious savory goodness we should all enjoy at least once in our lives.

Next stop, Austin, TX tonight!

Buffalo chicken wing shortage be damned!

Superbowl weekend can go on for another year without worries. In the center of Atlanta, GA, a major city...roams a free chicken. A chicken people. In aparking lot, just kicking it, enjoying all the sites Atlanta has to offer. And that is just great.
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What happened to Moose?

Here he is...keeping sentry at my parents' house. Absolute stud. Woopa!

Not a clear picture, but I have to share.

I was catching a plane from Atlanta to LA last night (I currently hate AirTran) and I couldn't help but notice a very strong choice a female passenger made. Get this. She is carrying a Gucci purse and is wearing Converse style Gucci sneakers. Now this story doesn't seem special until you notice that this woman decided with her adult brain to wear one denim leg shoved into her sneaker so you could get the full effect of the Guccis on her shoe, and the other pant leg down. As soon as I saw her, my jaw dropped and I had to take a pic and share. I wanted to go up and ask her how she decided on THIS choice but couldn't stop judging and laughing. Oy. I am going to hell.

Update on HGTV's DESIGNED TO SELL

All right, so i hauled my little So. Cal loving butt to Hotlanta to do some work on HGTV's show, DESIGNED TO SELL. Well after filming 11 episodes, we were told the show, whose other cities have been cancelled, will not be renewed. And my episodes will air July 2010. I know, this isn't great news. But do not fret! I was on the Rose Parade for HGTV and will find another series soon! Plus you know me, I'll pop up somewhere somehow...

Speaking of...I went to CES to cover the show for SPIKE.COM. The videos are being cut and I will VO them soon. I will let you know. What did I see that was noteworthy at this show? Lemme just say, not really much! Holy crap! Look, this show hasn't really wowed any reporter for some time. It wasn't like someone came out with a fax machine that uses sheets of paper instead of a roll! Or we saw the first integration of the camera into the phone. I did see two things that were cool.

And this makes CES worth attending....only at a show like this do you get to see prototypes like this: Panasonic's Ultra-thin technology that allows them to cram a gorgeous 50-inch plasma into a 1/3-inch profile TV. Now remember, this is a prototype. I saw bubbling at the top of the screen, it was so early.

Another cool thing? I saw a completely waterproof MP3 player from Freestlye Audio, and earbuds. It isn't water resistant; you can actually go snorkeling with this thing and listen to a soundtrack as gorgeous sea life swims by you. I like that. It isn't the first one out, but since most out there don't work, this could be the first working waterproof MP3. I saw this thing sitting in a vase full of water for a good 30 minutes. I asked if it could last longer than that and was told yes. It peaks my curiosity.

Okay, and since my show for HGTV isn't being renewed, I was thinking of driving across country back home. I am thinking hard...most people are saying don't do it.

Thoughts?

Sunrise on new year's day

Happy 2009! This is my stage manager, John, who will try his best to keep me from being float carnage. I'll give him a run for his money!