Saturday, January 17, 2009

The 99¢ Store


Well, not only did my body go on a diet, but my wallet did too. I've always been a bargain shopper so I'm not unfamiliar with stores such as Dollar Tree and the 99¢ Store, or let me correctly say it, the 99¢ ONLY store. I would only go there to pick up party items and maybe some paper goods, but never did I start grocery shopping there until I got here in Ventura.

The first time we came to visit, we tried to save some money on food and Glenn found the 99¢ Store and bought fruit there. A box of strawberries, bags of oranges, pears, were only 99¢. So was juice and fresh bags of salads. The vegetables don't look as pretty as the ones at Von's but I'm not paying double for something my stomach can't tell the difference with. Plus, it makes it seem more organic since the fields are nearby and they sometimes look like they just came out of the ground. I also don't have as much room from downsizing and I tend to waste less food now and purchase in quantities that I need.

So that started my love affair with the 99¢ Store. Needless to say, it's been a lot more crowded nowadays as the economy has people looking for ways to save money on their groceries. I used to not go if the location is what I call "ghetto" but I don't let it stop me now. It is now also my "prize" store that I take Kalista to, not Toys R' Us. She gets to pick out a prize once a week if she wakes up on time for school the whole week. She loves looking at everything and always finds more than one prize she wants, but she only gets one...

I am fortunate to have access to two in Ventura and one in Oxnard. I'm listing my top 10 favorite things that I now buy there.

1. San Luis Bakery-Sourdough Bread
Right next door at Trader Joe's they sell the same bread for $2.69

They also carry Sarah Lee Bagels and bread...normally over $3.00

Gorditos-again, $3.69 at Trader Joe's

2. Fresh Express Salads-Yes, sometimes you can get them on sale but I don't have to wait for a sale

3. Vegetables- Broccoli, Cauliflower, carrots, fresh whole mushrooms, red, green, yellow and orange peppers, green onions, potatoes etc.

4. Butterball Deli Turkey Meat-this even comes with a plastic container that you can re-use to store your leftovers!

5. Lean Cuisine Entrees

6. Yoplait Yogurt- You can buy a 6 pak kid's or two regular and Light versions...

7. Seasonal Fruits- I am beginning to love those tiny plantation bananas!

8. Disney items and stationery stuff (I know these aren't food items, but I lumped all the vegetables and fruit in two categories)

9. Hair accessories- can never have enough bands and clips

10. Twin Dragon Almond Cookies (Although I recently stopped due to my healthier eating habits) They did carry Weight Watchers muffins this week!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

You are Watchin' What????

I'm currently watching the Korean version of Hana Yori Dango aka "Boys Before Flowers". I thoroughly enjoyed the Japanese version and not sure what to think about the Korean version until I finish all 24 episodes. I did think that the guys in Japan were "hotter". Maybe it's my preference for Japanese men. (Right Glenn?) There is a Taiwan version also called Meteor Garden that came out too. I heard it wasn't as good, but I'm gonna check it out soon. Hana Yori Dango did do the triple Asia sweep as they say.

I absolutely loved this series based on the manga Hana Yori Dango. I saw all two seasons and the concluding movie in one weekend. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much. So far, I think the guys in F4 here are much more original and believable than the Korean version.


This week will mark the end of this drama and I am sad to say that one of the "good" characters dies off. Kingdom of the Wind is sort of the sequel to Jumong which I highly enjoyed and it's funny to watch Song Il Gook do both the characters of Jumong and then later his grandson who becomes king.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Song Il Gook

Song Il Gook is one of my favorite Korean actors. I first saw him in the series called Emperor of the Sea. Although he played the antagonist, you still felt sorry for him and wished there was some other way that he would end up the good guy. That's a good actor for you. When you play a bad guy and everyone still cheers for you. He gets even better and then plays the good guy in Jumong and finally, the series I am now watching, Kingdom of the Winds, which ends next week with the final two episodes.

Kingdom of the Wind
Jumong
Emperor of the Sea

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Inauguration Party to follow...


Meet the new Vice President of Marketing in our company. Me...
What is my job? Marketing my husband...doesn't that sound funny?
Glenn thinks I spend too much time on Facebook so I might as well get on the internet and blog. That takes a lot of time. So, that's what I'm doing now. I am now scouring real estate blogs and getting information just to pass on to innocent bystanders. So some of you will just have to bear with me when I talk "shop".
Funny though, when we do tell people what we do for a living, "we're real estate brokers", everyone seems to have an opinion or at least think they know what the market is doing nowadays. Not too long ago I think there were more licensed real estate agents than there are valid vehicle drivers here in CA. But that won't be for long. I think many of them who once carried this so called "give me 3% back" card will now not even have enough cash to renew their licenses. Too bad? Quite the opposite. Now, the market will have real professionals who really know and love real estate and love telling you about it. Check out Glenn's site at www.superkash.com and watch for our real estate blogs coming soon...

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Diet Resolutions

At this time, millions of people including myself make resolutions to go on a diet, go to the gym, or as some would say, "make lifestyle changes". We promise to lose a few pounds, read our Bibles more often, be on time, wake up earlier or in my case, sleep earlier and a whole bunch of other things. We all know that the gym gets crowded for the first 3 weeks or so and then returns to normal. Sears sells a whole lot of treadmills, only to have a sale on the ones returned in the month of February. We get to the book of Numbers and never make it past Deuteronomy.

I found some goals I wrote last January for my diet. As I read them, I noticed they are much the same ones I wrote for this year. Why? Year in and out I couldn't do the simplest things consistently. I did well in year 2007, what happened to 2008? I gained it all back!

1. Drink 10 cups of water a day.
2. Exercise away at least 500 calories a day.
3. Limit my portions to only my palm.
4. Exercise in the morning instead of the evening. (I was at a plateau)
5. Get 8 hours of sleep.
6. Take my vitamins and medicine.
7. I will not eat junk food or candy.
8. I will plan my meals.

I will tell you what happened...ACCOUNTABILITY. I didn't have the accountability...The gym teacher who says, "where were you Tuesday?" Or the friend who says, "I saved you a bike in spin class and you didn't show up?" Or someone saying, "Are you sure you wanna eat that? That's 45 minutes on the treadmill!" I even had a personal trainer I paid for to make me show up just because I paid for it in advance.
So, with our economic times, where I can't afford a personal trainer, I have YOU. Whoever YOU are...

Monday, January 5th, 2009, I begin my promise to myself to change some habits of my eating regimen. I read on a fitness website the 7 things you should never put in your mouth ever. So...I'm gonna try this year to not let any of these come near me and tell you now hard it is for me.

1. Doughnuts-Ok, we all know that these are the most fattening things in the world. This is not as hard for me now since I don't live near Krispy Kreme like I did in Union City. I do find it hard to resist Hostess Powdered Sugar Doughnuts though when I go on vacation.

2. Cheeseburger and Fries-They say the average cheeseburger like the Whopper with cheese has an average 720 calories. They used to only have about 300, but our portions have gotten bigger. The fries add an additional 610. So I just about hit my daily limit in one meal. What am I to do? I LOVE In-N-Out Burger!

3. Fried Chicken and Chicken Nuggets-Ok, I can't go for Tuesday's $2.99 special at KFC anymore.

4. Oscar Meyer Lunchables-Can you believe it? They listed it as full of fat and bad carbs.

5. Sugary Cereal-I had to get rid of my Sugar Pops, Fruit Loops and Cocoa Rice Krispies.

6. Processed Meats like hot dogs, sausage, jerky, baconm, anything with sodium nitrite. OMG, that means no SPAM Musubi!!!!!!

7. Canned Soups-Yes, I have to resort to making soup from scratch since these easy to open cans of artery plugging, high sodium whatever disease causing preservatives are put into them. I guess I'll just start with Stone Soup.

Ahh, but I can still take a cup of black coffee anytime with you. It's mostly calorie free and cheaper too. I even make my own at home now and tout it around.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Friends Near and Far...

2008 appeared to be a year some wanted to forget. My blog was no different. I didn't make one single entry in 2008 so I guess I really did forget. Somehow, the resolutions I made and lots of other things couldn't be found. Partly because I moved to Ventura in April. Glenn and the rest of the family moved in June and sold half my stuff. Praise God, there there things I didn't lose but gained this year which will always be precious to me. Memories...and the people that go with them. With so much change and volatility in our times, I wanted to make sure that people that were important to me knew it. Facebook was one way to keep up and attaching myself to their blogs was another. Reconnecting with old friends from high school, Continental Ministries, churches, business, work, and relatives. So I decided to make efforts to really see people this year whenever I can...Here are some highlights of 2008 of my friends far and near...well, this is only January's. I'll post the rest of the year in another slideshow spot when I figure out how to do it...
Of course, there's always iChat or Skype now...get a webcam!


Charlie Tang Born 1/9/08. We got off the plane from Hawaii and jetted straight to the hospital...

The Bolivar Family in Fremont

The Martz Family in Fremont visiting from Placentia

Pastor Sherman & Marti Williams, celebrating their retirement from Fremont Community Church





Glenn's cousins Owen and Don (by the way, both single)

Cousin Debbie and her daughter Nicole and Aunt Martha. Cousins Mark & Fern


Todd Yokotake


Blogging in the new year



So, I'm still learning how these blog spots work and how to post things so they look decent so if you'll bear with me...oh, you're supposed to type after all the gobblygook. Did you know that I already lost three copies of this post? With so much to write about I don't know where to start? How about Day 0, New Year's Eve...and Day 1, New Year's Day?

I'm just gonna click "post"

Fine in '09

So, in June of 2007, I attempted to start a blog of some sort, but that didn't get too much attention since Facebook seemed so much easier to keep in touch with 500 people. But, as we say in our businesses, it's the details that matter. So for one of my 2009 resolutions, I will keep up my blog. In light of the economy, the title now seems very appropriate for our times. I don't know if I'll be able to get you more cash, but you'll get more talk from me for sure. One of my new jobs is keeping up my husband Glenn's real estate website. So I figured if I am on the computer, I might as well work on my blog and Facebook and website and shopping online...oh, I wasn't supposed to say that? Thanks for coming along with me on my journey.