World Series of Pop Culture

The new game show from EW / VH1: World Series of Pop Culture is so much fun. I see the pop culture quiz once in a while in Entertainment Weekly but never seem to be any good, but the show is very entertaining and addicting. Aside from 3 the Hard Way, all the other contestants seem pretty good and nice. Sooo...go watch it!

Ciao Bella Gelato

Last week Joanna, Kay & Deb came up to see me and Josh. Along with them they brought some really yummy vanilla gelato from Ciao Bella. Oh, I must say it is heavenly!! Thanks guys!

If you want, just pour a shot of espresso over the vanilla gelato, put a little whipped cream and you'll get just the most amazing afogato ever. Hmm-hmm.

BNL's Just A Toy

I recently rediscovered the beauty of podcasting. In the morning when I breastfeed, I'm bored you know. I really just...sit there and wait for Josh to finish. When my morning show is over (or if it's a fake-live day), I turn on the BNL podcast. That's another thing, I just recently found out that they podcast!

Their podcast is great, not just because Ed is entertaining, but I actually learn a few things. I found out that one of my favorite songs, Just A Toy, is about. What if Pinocchio had an older brother? What if Gippetto was laboring over this puppet, telling him how he wanted to have a real boy, and he's laboring over him - but somehow time has past and lost interest in this puppet and set it aside. Later he made pinocchio - who became a real boy. This puppet with half a soul was left to languish. All he can do is watch his brother & father from the shelf, brewing and stewing.

First there was me, nothing but time
Till he came along, you told me you'd always be mine
Forever, ever mine
Look at his face, somewhat like mine
But look at his nose, you can always be sure that he's lying
Forever, ever mine

Better than him, worthy of you
Given the chance that he had, I know what I'd do
Forever, ever mine
I call him liar, you call him son
If I could move, I'd set him on fire and I'd run
Forever

Anyway, such a cool song. It's such a shame that BNL is kinda known for kooky songs like One Week when they actually are a good band. Check out this video for Call And Answer, another one of my favorite songs from them, sung beautifully by Steven Page at a Border's appearance.

Lucky Baby Sling

If you're looking for a traditional sling for your baby - check out Lucky Baby slings. They're reversible (shown in lucky circles with cocoa brown) and even has a small pocket for your keys and such! I actually bought one for Josh but it just wasn't for him. I still think it's a great sling. It's simple and their designs are cool.

Real Men of Genuis

God I love this commercial. The Bud Light Real Men of Genuis is a real genius idea! There's a bunch of them in YouTube but I love this one because I think I know one (hi alex!) Mr. Way Too Much Cologne Wearer. I'm sure you know one too. Among others there: Mr. Really Really Really Bad Dancer and Mr. Silent Killer Gas Passer among others. Enjoy!

Big Brother All Stars

Oohhh yeah! Here comes my yearly (very very) guilty pleasure: Big Brother! It's such a guilty pleasure I don't think I even tell my co-workers I watch this trash. Oh, but I do. I even remember moving into our house with this show in the background. I've never subscibed to the Live feed, but I was close.

This year is great because it'll be all-stars! I'm partial to the last season cast members though because it was my favorite season, but I do hope Danielle from Season 3 gets in because, hey, she's from the Bay Area and she was robbed that year. Sooo...here we go!

iomoi coasters

There's a lot of cool stuff at iomoi. Their stationaries and address labels are great - I'm tempted to get some address labels from there, but I don't really write enough to justify it. They also have the same cool patterns in their paperweight and coasters. Shown is one of their coasters & address labels. Check out their other designs as well.

The Catalina

I have posted about the Kolo photo albums before, but I can't help post about it again. This time, I am singling out a particular one: The Catalina. If you can't decide whether to use the Kolo as a photo album or a scrapbook, then this is for you. There are refills for both photo pages and blank sheets for scrapbook uses, and the ring binder let's you add / subtract pages as needed.

Stephanie Johnson

I'm a bag lady. I love bags, I can't help it. This is a cool cosmetic bag from Stephanie Johnson line called San Sebastian. One in a family of bags with this design. Very hip, and very spring!

Cactus In a Can

Since I'm on a roll, check out this pretty cute Cactus in a Can, one in a series of cool plants in a can, again from Branchhome. Between this and the Egglings, the plant people are trying really hard to catch the attention of non-plant people, and making us plant-killers to think, hey, maybe this time it won't die.

The Jimi Wallet

I have been on the look out for a cool new wallet since the one I currently have is slowly at the end of its limit. So I find the Jimi Wallet - "the wallet for people who hate wallets". Pretty cool, although this looks like it could be more of a guy thing since I definetly have more that four credit cards so it might not fit, and where do I put all my change?? But it is a pretty cool find. Find it at Branchhome.

Paper + Cup

There's a lot of cool paper places out there, and there seems to be a lot of hype for good paper products recently. Check out Brooklyn-based Paper+Cup and their cool line of cards / journals.

Miranda, Steve & a Bugaboo

I've watched and re-watched the Sex & The City several times, but since giving birth, I've noticed a few things I never noticed before. Like, Miranda has a Bugaboo stroller for Brady! A Bugaboo! I can only salivate and ogle because at $800 a pop, um...it's not a wise purchase for poor folk. But man, that's a lovely lovely stroller.

Aside from Carrie & Aidan, my other favorite couple on the show is Miranda & Steve. I just love them. I especially love that in the final season, it was Miranda who was in love with Steve. I love that it was Miranda who proposed to Steve. I love that their wedding was so the anti-wedding (hint hint to a certain someone: you can have an anti-wedding. wink wink). I love that Steve became more assertive this time around: telling Miranda that the honeymoon was his as well as hers, pushing for Brooklyn when Miranda was a Manhattan-girl. It was a satisfying ending to a lovely series, which I can watch over and over again.

Bella Bean Collars n Leash

This is too cute! I wanna take that puppy home with me. But check out his ultra cool collar & leash from Bella Bean Couture. It sure beats the plain ole leash you see everywhere. And I know coz I've bought Blue about 20 plain leashes as he was growing up. It's about time to upgrade him from plain to cool.

Too Much Theo!

Whoa! I've just had an overload of Theo. I was watching the premiere of the new Real World / Road Rules Challenge: Fresh Meat. I just happen to pass by MTV when I realized it was the premiere...really! This time each of the alumni is paired with a newbie: a fresh meat and they compete in challenges.

Then I turn to watch the premiere of Last Comic Standing (since I love stand-up) and lo and behold...Theo is a comic as well. Who would've thunk? He's not bad, so I wish him luck and good jokes to go thru to the next round.

My Birth Story

Although I haven't really been telling stories in this blog, I want to make an exception to this one. It'll be long. It's very graphic so reader discretion is strongly advised. It's my Birth Story...

It all started Saturday, 5.13, day before mother's day. The previous day I spent all day shopping and was exhausted. Saturday, I planned to relax because the next day was Mother's Day and my family is throwing me a baby shower as well. I was sitting on my bed, folding clothes and watching Brokeback Mountain. When I stood up, I noticed an oreo sized water stain. Hmm, that's can't be my water breaking, I still have a week to go, plus, it's too tiny to be it. Watching Sex & the City and Friends, I know there'll be a gush of water, so I was a little apprehensive but continued on my day.

That night, around 4 am I went to the bathroom but noticed the bed was a little wet. Hubby said I better ask the OB-GYN if that is my water breaking. I called - and a doctor returned my call. He didn't think it was, but did say to call him back in the next two hours to give him a progress report. At 5:10 am, I felt it. A gush of water coming out and not stopping. I knew for sure this was the bag of waters. I tried to page the doctor again, but he didn't call back right away.

As hubby started preparing the car, I ate my last meal. I knew when I got to the hospital, there would be no eating for me. I tried to stall for as long as possible, but when the doc called me, he said I should get to L&D (Labor & Delivery) right away.

We got in around 8:00 am and a wonderful english nurse named annette tended to me. In tow was a nursing student. Annette checked my cervix and said I was 3 cm dilated, 90% effaced and at about a -2 station.

Half an hour later, my OB-GYN came by to say hi. Unfortunately, unless I got into active labor in the next few hours, he won't be able to deliver me because it's Mother's Day and he has a thing. The on-call doctor we'll name Dr. S. I was disappointed since Dr. S was not one of my doctors, so I hoped he would be good.

At 10:00 am, Annette checked my again and there was no progress. my OB-GYN suggested I go home for a while but annette said I should just stay. It looks like the ETA for my labor would be around 3 am. And so we stayed. I took a shower there and walked around a bit...

The day dragged on. I was progressing very very slowly. Even annette was a bit concerned. By 7:30 pm, I was only about 6 cm dilated - when supposed to be, once I reached four, I would be dilating at a much faster rate.

Shift change. Wendy is my new nurse. She's very nice as well. I asked her about medications. They were concerned about giving me a epidural because I'm progressing so slowly, it might make things slower, and we do not have much time. I have to have the baby before 5:10 or else we'll be going beyond the 24 hour mark.

A few hours later (I forget the exact time), Dr. G (the anesthesiologist) and Dr. S came by and said we are ok to do the epidural if I want. I said I was concerned that it'll slow an already slow process. Dr. S said that it might actually help since maybe I'm not dilating fast enough because I was tense from the pain. So, sure ok.

Hubby watched as Dr. G inserted the big ole needle. Of course, my luck, he had to do it twice since he couldn't find a space the first time around. I felt relief from the pain.

Sometime later again (midnightish?), there was talk. Doc said that they're giving me pitocin and if I still don't dilate, we should consider a c-sec. Hubby asked doc at what point should we call it quits, but the doc was vague and told my hubby that it was his (doc) decision as to when we should stop trying [this made hubby outraged but that's another post]. At this point, I'm starting to panic and prayed that the pitocin would work. Hubby fell asleep, I couldn't. They've turned down the lights and I can see Wendy monitoring me.

Then I was feeling it. Definitely, something was going on. I was hurting...feel like contractions are stronger. I told Wendy what I felt and she gave me an exam. She said I was about complete (yay!) and she called Dr. S. Dr. S did the same exam but said my station was still high so we should wait and not push.

Now this was the hardest part of the evening. As the contractions became stronger and stronger, it was so darn hard not to push. I was holding on to hubby for dear life and did all those breathing things we talked about. We did this for 45 minutes - seemed like an eternity. I tried. I really tried. But Wendy kept giving me an out. If you really feel like you have to push, then let's push, she keeps telling me. The she said that I probably wouldn't push for too long because the baby looks like it's headed down.

And so I push. I'm sorry, this is the hardest part. Hubby has my one leg and Wendy the other. She kept saying encouraging words to me: That's a girl! Good Job! and so I thought things are going ok. I did wonder why we started pushing without the doc but at that moment, I was very confused. We pushed for two hours to no avail. So she got the doc and explained to him what happened. No words were said but I knew he was not happy. He checked and said that the baby was still too high, and implied that we shouldn't have started so soon. He also said I wasn't pushing with all my might. What? I wanted to smack him.

Then after another hour, he decided to lower my epidural. Um, hello! Why wasn't that thought of sooner? He also wanted to increase the pitocin level. The nurse kept telling him that if they give me more, my blood pressure will drop but he didn't seem to listen. So, sure enough, my stats beeped like crazy.

Then, with what seemed like hours of pushing he said that the baby is turned up and that he needed to turn him around but he's too high up to do that. He told me to push some more and said that I wasn't pushing with as much intensity because, hello - it's been three hours. He said the first two hours didn't count because I wasn't doing it right.

It was all a blur. I was in too much pain, yet I wanted to just finish it. I've been in labor at that point for more than 24 hours and I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. I prayed with all my might to have the strength - but it wasn't meant for me. By 6:00 am - Dr. S still wanted for me to push, but the nurses pulled him aside and told him that we are beyond the 24th hour and my fever was very high and we (baby & I) might end up having infections.

When Dr. S said it out loud, tears started rolling. It won't stop. I couldn't believe that after all that, it wasn't over. Wendy kept telling me I did a good job, but I was numb. All feelings have risen to the surface. My face was calm but inside I was bawling. I asked for some ice chips because I haven't eaten in 24 hours. But of course I couldn't have it coz now I'm going into major surgery.

The surgery table is as hectic as I imagined - all these people, all for me. I kept asking if I'm going to feel it. Dr. G said I won't, but when I felt the incision, I started to panic. It wasn't that painful, but boy did I felt it. I felt them moving my guts around. I saw hubby trying to peek. Then I heard it. A little cry. Then some whispers. Then a louder cry. Hubby squeezed me. I heard congratulations. I saw him in the corner of my eye as they showed him to hubby. The told hubby he can follow them to the nursery, but he stayed by my side. I was still in tears. I didn't hit me yet that I just had a baby. When everything was over, the doctors told me I did the best I could, and that I was marvelous. Joshua Alfonso Do was born on a Monday, May 15, 2006, 7:30 am. He weighed 7 lbs., 10 oz.

They wheel me to the recovery room around 8:00 am and said I had to stay there for two hours. It was the longest two hours. I kept staring at the clock. There was one nurse with me. I was so thirsty. I ask for ice chips but at first she said no. I felt trapped. I wanna see my husband. I want to see my baby. Later, she said. So I stared and stared at the clock.

Finally at 10:00 am, they wheel me to my room. I see hubby and my family there waiting for me. They were all smiling and yet I couldn't muster a smile. He's gorgeous, mom says. But all I can say is, I haven't even seen him yet. They give me words of love and encouragement but I wasn't really taking it in. But then they wheel Joshua in. My eyes wander to the little bundle of joy and then it hit me. I've just had a baby - and he is the cutest thing ever. My heart filled with love that I couldn't quite explain. In that moment, the pain, the struggle of the past day just melted away. What did it matter how he came out? He's here and he is love. My eyes filled with tears again - but this time, it was tears of joy.

Bodhi Fortune Cookies

As Blue sleeps on the floor beside me (right now), I look at his sleeping face and realized I haven't given his a nice real treat in a while. And since this is the year of the dog, maybe I should give him this Year of The Dog Bodhi Fortune Cookies. They're cute and cinnamon-y and the picture of that dog is just to die for!

Belles of the Ball

Smokedog's latest blog post talks about his TV shows he misses. What do I miss? Sex And The City - which I believe is still one of the best shows out there.

I'm going to give props to one of my favorite episodes of all time: Episode #58 (Season 4) Belles of the Ball - picture shown.

If I haven't blabbed to you already, I love Aidan. I love Carrie with Aidan. During Aidan's reign, I see their relationship as most real [cue scene with Aidan & Carrie in the bathroom both wearing tidy whities brushing their teeth.] Aidan would be a perfect boyfriend - perfect because he's not perfect. Big, for me, is too perfect. Handsome and rich, sitting in the back of a limo. I'd rather have someone cuddle with me eating KFC than having a dozen roses sent to me by boyfriend's assistant. But that's me.

Anyway, this episode brings us to the country where Carrie & Aidan are spending the weekend. Big calls all upset because his actress girlfriend has dumped him and wanted Carrie to comfort him. Big barges in on their weekend and Aidan shows restrained anger - after all, this was the guy Carrie cheated on him with. All of this leading up to the fist fight the two boys have the next day to which Carrie utters my favorite line of all time: What are you doing!? You're middle-aged!

As I was watching the two boys, at dawned on my just how hot Aidan was. Big looked old with a bit of a belly, while Aidan was lookin' goood. Sigh...Season 4 rocked. Let me go watch that again.

Jack and Lulu

Another cool little thing - from a company named Jack and Lulu - gift tags made of ice cream wooden spoons. On one end it has To: and on the other From:

From the website it looks like they only sell these in bulk but it's a crafty slash ready-made-ish idea to use ice cream wooden spoons as gift tags!

Mesu Measuring Bowls

Cute stuff for the kitchen! These are the Mesu measuring bowls from Studio Panepinto. It's a set of 6 nesting bowls that are freezer, oven, microwave & dishwasher safe. It's so cool, that it makes me want to bake something...

Margaret Nicole Purse

Oh! Look at these cuutttee cable knit clutch purse from Margaret Nicole - Don't look at the price though, you may not want to buy it. But I love purses and bags and I love brown (you know I do).

My Bathroom

Since I've been having conversations with most of you (yes, you!) about home improvements / remodeling, I've decided to open up and show a little about myself - ahem - my home. This is our guest bathroom, which we've been slowly remodeling since we got the house 3 years ago. It's no dwell-home, but trust me, it's an improvement to what was there before.

Being in architecture, I had high hopes in remodeling when we first got the house, but as real life would have it, my hubby does not share my views regarding design. So, there's been a lot of compromising. The color palette we could agree on was a neutral one: creams & browns with punches of color.

Our favorite place to get tile is the Import Tile Company in Berkeley. We got our floor tiles there - and - we installed it ourselves! Pretty good for people with no installing experience whatsoever. The shower curtain & mirror I got from Target. The medicine cabinet from Ikea. And the magazine rack is from the Container Store. The one thing I love about this bathroom? The dark brown paint on the sink cabinet. I love love love deep brown. Alright. End of sharing!

Wallter Circles

There's always something cool at Urban Outfitters. One thing I'm debating of getting are these Wallter Circles. They're 3-D wall art - Connect them to make a pattern that's completely you!

Flushable Diapers

As I was browsing through the latest issue of Cookie (a magazine I'm trying out. I'm not quite loving it, but I'm giving it a shot.), I saw a little thing on flushable diapers. Yes, flushable diapers. The company is called gDiapers and they're saving the earth one poopy diaper at a time. Now, I don't know anybody who has used these things in order to know if it's really a good and practical option, but how cute are those diaper covers??? I want it all!

Our Neighborhood Garage Sale

Today we had our Annual City-Wide Garage Sale. It's the first year we are joining as a seller, and it was an experience both good and bad.

We started preparing our garage at 7:30 in the morning. In our court, 4 houses were doing it, so already in the morning was an atmosphere of fun / anticipation. I had high hopes that I'll be able to sell a lot of our junk including our Loveseat, bookshelves, bikes, old TV and other stuff. Right away, I realized that we were total novices. 1) Our prices are too high! Why did I think someone would want to buy my old pajamas for $3? What ended up happening, $.25 a set. Ha! 2) We wasted $20 registering to be an "official" seller when none of the houses in our court did it. 3) The layout of our stuff wasn't conducive to selling. The clothes should either be laid out or hanged instead of in boxes.

But it was also a good experience. The atmosphere was neighborly and fun and we got to talking to one of our neighbors (which we normally don't do). In the end we sold $150 of stuff and got to clear out our garage a little and gain some experience for the next year. Next year, we'll rock. We'll totally have a storefront and categories and stuff. Yeah.

LOVE the LoVe

I must say that one of my guilty pleasures is watching Veronica Mars. I'm guilty in that, I'm thirty years old. Why the hell am I doing watching a teen drama?

Well, it's so good. The writers are good, the storylines have continuity, and the characters are awsome. Kristin Bell & Jason Dohring have so much chemistry it's palpable.

The scenes they had together from the last episode had me in tears. Logan - drunk - telling Veronica how their love was epic, their near-kiss...with Veronica pulling away the last minute, and Veronica the next day pouring out her feeling only to find out that Logan didn't remember anything he said the night before and on top of it, that he had just spent the night with another woman. Tears - I was in tears. Come on kids, you can work this out!

There's only two more episodes before the finale - I can't wait.

Petchitecture

Tomorrow is the annual Petchitecture event and I'm really bummed I won't be able to go. I've gone, I would say, 3 three times and every time I had a great time! The last time I was able to bring my dog Blue and let him socialize. Haha. Lucie last minute said she'd give her ticket to me, but the way I'm so exhausted in the past few week, I probably won't be able to enjoy. Plus, I'm too big and weak to make sure my 120 lb. dog behaves.

I feel our firm always puts out an excellent piece of furniture for the event and this year is no exception. This year, MBH is putting out a piece dedicated to the dog, since it's the year of the dog. I only wished I was part of the team. Well, there's always next year.

Bibs

Even more cute baby stuff from Sprout Home: bibs! This time I do have a favorite. It's the egg / hot dog combo.

Baby Bodysuits!

Oh...look at these cute little baby bodysuits! They're 100% cotton and comes in the "take-out" container! Fun gift idea for a baby shower. Which one do I like? Hmm...the dog! No...the dinosaur....or the ox...No, I want them all!

Find it at Sprout Home.

Timbuk2 Spring Sale!

Just wanted to let you know that Timbuk2 is having a spring sale: 30% off select items including the Marina Laptop bag I wrote about months back. Hurry, they're selling out pretty quick!

I Want Sumbody to Share...

Over the weekend, I treated myself to an early birthday present - to get a massage! This time, I tried sumbody in Alameda - by Park street near the Tomatina, Starbucks and Pippen Hill (Joanna's favorite baby store) and I came out of there feeling great.

First of all, I guess I wasn't expecting a whole lot. I've been to Azul Spa in Berkeley and while the massage was pretty good, I found the ambiance lackluster at best. The partial height partitions made everything bright and I can hear conversations in the main sitting area while I was getting my massage. Now, it's not as nice as International Orange because there, I remember they had a nice lounge with one of the best dark chocolates I've ever tasted in my life - I've even tried to call to see if I can buy those chocolates to no avail. The massage was great there as well. My problem with them is that they don't have easy access from Bart and it's so hard to get parking!

Sumbody is a mixture of the two. It's a small place. I don't recommend having a spa party there since there's really no place to "hang out" and chat, but with that being said, the atmosphere of the spa area is really well done. The rooms are cabanas and the lighting / music fit in to transport you from a typical Alameda storefront to...Some sort of cabana paradise (sorry, I'm no writer). The massage I got was so great, I can't believe 75 minutes went by that fast. The best part? They did not try to sell me their products at the end - coz' I hate that. I always get duped into buying some expensive cream that I never use. Of course, there are a few things they can improve: 1) Add a closer to their door. Sometimes I can hear the door opening and closing (because we are only in tents - no drywall to shield you from the noise) and 2) Splurge on better slippers - one that does not make noise when you walk (because of reason found in #1).

Overall, I loved the experience and was happily surprised that I found a place that's pretty good that is not so far away (like Napa), nor super expensive (like International Orange) and not ugly (Like Azul - sorry). I'm actually thinking of going back there next time I've saved a few bucks. Thanks so Ann - who was a very good!

Vaja for Razr

I know I'm years behind the times, but I just now upgraded my phone to the razr - for free! So of course, I check out my favorite case place: vaja cases to see what kids of good they have on this phone. And sure enough - they have cool stuff. For $240, you can own this bedazzled leather cover. (For $55 - the have the simple un-bedazzled version)

Cool Posters

You don't need hundreds of dollars to get good art on your walls. I know having a Rembrandt would be good but next to your Ikea couch? Maybe not. Check out these really cool posters from The Heads of State. They're affordable and really cool art for your modest walls!

Dwell Baby

I couldn't help but splurge on these cool Nursery bedding from DwellBaby. The simple patten makes it timeless an not too baby-ish, if you know what I mean. Plus with the 50% off sale they're having (limited time!) it's such a deal!

Backpacks are IN again!

My favorite bag company Timbuk2 has a few new items out for spring! Check out this cute Hayes backpack. I love the blue-khaki combination and the proportions are great. If you've stopped using backpacks because they're "out" - this one will surely get you back "in" again!

Geek Love

As I watched the season premiere on The Amazing Race, I was half excited, half-relieved. This is what my favorite show is about: The dynamic of two people set in a whirlwind adventure! I am loving this new season and already I have a lot of favorites. One of them being Dave & Lori: self-proclaimed geeks. They're so adorable and is giving me hope that geeks will be seen a different light. (Being a geek can be kind of cool.)
There's also a mother-daughter team whose adorable (daughter is kinds hot). and of course, hippies from San Francisco. It's going to be a great season!

Mimi - If you need the season premiere still, shoot me an email. I can probably mail it to you!

Big Fat Wallet

OOhh, I'm an updatin' machine! I was about to go to bed when I found this Triple Wide Wallet on Elsewares. Omigod - I want it soo bad. It's big (8" x 4"), and has three ID sized slots, and made of cordura nylon!

Ace of Hearts

So I'm crushing on this David guy - contestant on American Idol 5. I'm blaming it on the hormones because normally, I find these kids annoying. Anyway, it is so bad because:

1) He's 17 - I'm soo going to jail for just thinking about him.
2) He's not a good singer - nor is he a good performer
3) He lists Kelly Clarkson as one of his favorite signers for crying out loud!

So, that's not all, I'm also crushing on Ace - which is more understandable since, he's well, he's really hot. And he can sing. And he can actually perform. And he picks good songs (well, for now). You may not agree with me on my David-crush - but really, who can resist Ace?

Again with the Diaper Bags

You know what I've realized, I love bags! I can't get enough of these beautiful suckers. I know I've just posted about a diaper bag, but as I was browsing in Pottery Barn Kids - I love love love this chocolate "Ultimate Diaper Bag". It just looks so beautiful and sturdy at the same time!

Hugger Mugger Yoga Goods

The coolest yoga gear around is the Hugger Mugger. Just look at these beautiful big yoga bags - which can fit more than just the mat, and so stylish as well.

These products can break your bank though so intead of thinking about how broke you are, just channel your energy into your downward dog. Namaste!

GR8X

I love these cutte Diaper Bags from Gr8x. The first one is called the Baby Traveller and it unfolds to become a change mat so wherever you are, you are ready to go! The Satchel is also a nice stylish bag that has room for all your baby's stuff (and some of yours!) Beautiful stuff...

Slotted Pillows

Since EQ3 is opening a store in Bay Street, I decided to post about them. These slotted pillows are pretty cool for the neat freak. After a good ole pillow fight, put them all back nicely in the slot - it's a cultured way to fight.

Wonderful Graffiti

This is one of my favorites of the wonderful things found in Wonderful Graffiti. You can have the words customized to your names, places...things you love or anything at all. People would visit your say and think, boy, she really is into puzzles.

March of the Penguins

I recently watched the March of the Penguins on DVD. The film follows the journey of Emperor penguins as they trek through the Antartica Ice desert in the winter in order to mate. The film is magnificent in capturing this journey and it deeply touched me.

The penguins travel long and hard through the blizzard to the place they were born. There they find their mate and lay their egg. After the female has laid the egg - it is carefully transferred to the male for safekeeping (nested between their fun and their feet). The females then head back to the water miles away after weeks without nourishment to get food for themselves and their chicks. The males are left to brace the winter cold without food to keep the eggs safe until their return.

The image above is one that stayed with me. It is a photo of the male penguins all huddled together to brace the winter blizzards - carefull to keep their eggs warm tucked in their legs. (If the egg fall out, the cold hard ice would kill the egg instantly). After two months without food, the eggs start to hatch. The father and chick then wait for the mother to come back with food.

Once the females return the males would transfer the chick back to the mother and they will trek out to the ocean to get food for themselves. It's a beautiful story of love, which we can all learn from.