12.22.06 Recap

• Was glad to don my presents that same night; only my girls knew what to get to pull that off.
• Gorgeous ambiance at Kittichai and flawless food - an perfect choice for dinner.
• Yes, the Chilean seabass was amazing, but that rack of lamb was gigantic.
• The cake looked so good I didn’t want to eat it. But who would have thought, Kellog’s Corn Flakes? That was my first custom-made cake; I feel so special (and not short-bus special)
• All nine of us in a random limo instead of waiting in the rain? Sweet.
• Getting to Katra one hour late, not cool. Luckily, booze kept the people entertained.
• Great music throughout the night, except for that 30 minutes for the “catwalk.” The cat never did walk.
• Bobby, Jared & Kevin with a hookah… cracks me up.
• Sandwiches from the corner deli at 3 a.m. is pretty funny.
• Splendid.

Happy Holidays & happy new year!!

I do get to travel to some pretty cool places - I am just glad to be in NYC these past few days though.

Next step

Project is coming to an end and it's quite busy at work. What's next will likely be San Francisco starting 1/2/2007.

Oopsy

Do not be devastated and remain calm... I accidentally deleted the customization of the blog, which includes links to other blogs, sites and my favorite posts. I repeat: everyone remain calm - there is no cause for alert. There are no WMD's. I did not inhale. All your bases are belong to us.

This is where I would use an two astericks that sandwich a verb to express distress, like so: *sigh*

Will try put it back up within the month. Maybe I should just shut this thing down. Again. Except this time it's not due to crazy commentary from unnamed persons I do not know.

Birthday Present

Excitedly and unexpectedly, my mom & dad bought me my birthday present a few weeks ago. I dragged them with me to go buy a snowboard, because I needed the ride and company. But they insisted on getting it for me, as a birthday present, and man am I excited for it to snow.

Spec:

Ride Solace 146

You can't see the detail, but this board is gorgeous. I love that a part of the wood is exposed and the graphics are enamel in-lay instead of completely painted over. Why paint over what's naturally well-made and appealing?

The board itself is all-mountain, perfect for my lack of tricks and jumps and desire to just carve down the slopes. With many falls in between.

Ride VxN bindings

Bindings don't get me excited, but at least they match the board. I never thought I'd care about things like boards and bindings matching, but, these are so feminine I couldn't help but let that side take over. Next thing you know, I might match my purse with my shoes...

Salomon Vigil Boots

Comfort is #1. Of all the brands I've tried, Salomons fit me best. The insides are made with slightly plushy material, making it all the more comfortable. Last year I tried on a pair that was made of velour inside; wish I got those as I can't find them anwhere now. Still, these moonshoes are all that I could ask for in a boot. Without heals.

Now, all it has to do is snow...

[Edit: I totally sound like I am in high school in the above post.]

Epic Trip!

I may have mentioned this before, but go here, as I promise you won't regret it: http://www.epictrip.com

You know my passion for travel. You see the brouhaha about flickr.com and youtube.com. Some of you know my theories about the changing face of communications.

Epic Trip seamlessly integrates and presents all of the above, and I think it is what the traveler of our generation has been searching for and is in need of... in essence, it connects travelers to each other, to others' experiences, and very importantly, to the destination. It's fun, it's personal, and it finally speaks to the fact that a travelsite shouldn't just be about the cheapest fare from point A to point B.

Type in a city - you'll get back flickr.com pictures, youtube.com videos, expedia.com pricing, direct-from-hotel videos. Don't know where to go? Cick on Travel blogs or photos, and view member's input. And what's nuts, this is all the Beta version, so there's even more to come. I've already put some of my stuff on there.

I know you'd like it too - since you're my friends and I think I know your taste. For the creativity, for the connectivity.. for the fact that one of my friends is the founder. Check it out when you're free.

From the site:
Epic Trip is a new and unique way for travelers to know what their destinations and their hotels are all about, even before setting off. By connecting our travelers with videos, virtual tours, reviews, and the wealth of experience brought to bear by the very users of Epic Trip, it is our mission is to spark people's desire to discover their own epic trip.

Post Secret

I want to call out a particular website to your attention. It is on my list of Links, but it deserves *special* recognition. The website is http://postsecret.blogspot.com/.

I've made it a habit to read this site, usually every Monday, as new posts are put up on Sundays. In short, it is a collection of people's secrets that they create on postcards and mail to a guy named Frank, who posts them on his site.

The secrets vary in topic as well as the emotions that they ellicit - boring, benign, grotesque, funny, daring, saddening, inspiring, you get the point. Part of the appeal is just that - that the secrets range the whole spectrum of emotion. It is interesting and compelling to read them and to feel just a tiny bit of all those emotions. Another part of the appeal is purely aesthetic. Many of the postcards are creative and unique; everyone starts tabla rosa; the same 4"x6" canvas; but the end result varies so much.

Perhaps the greatest appeal, to me, is voyeuristic. Though it's not pure voyeurism, since people who send in their secrets know that others will see them, it is a window, behind a computer screen, into other people's lives. And not just their lives, but their secrets.

I haven't mailed anything in, but I wonder what it'd say... and I wonder if you guys have.

Wassily Kandinsky

Panel for Edwin R. Campbell No. 3