Internet is a necessity, not a luxury

I've decided. Because being without our lovely wireless Internet and catching glimpses on my phone is not the same.
We are STILL moving and will probably be moving for weeks to come. I'd estimate we have about 75% of our stuff at our new home. But little things that we need to pack remain at our old house, things that we don't need but, boy, do we miss when we realize it's not here! Off the top of my head: our cutting board; soy sauce; muffin tins; Pine Sol; Windex; fax/printer paper; things like those.
Oh, and Happy Tax Day! On that note, the note of things that take your money or cause you to be broke, our first mortgage payment is on May 1. Oh dear!
As for everything else ... well, our one year anniversary is tomorrow. Wow, it's been a year. So much has happened, though, it feels to me that it's been longer. We aren't doing anything at all fancy. I requested that, instead of buying a gift, we have a very nice dinner out and he give me a sincerely written (not written on the way home in traffic!) card. As for my gift to him, I wish I could have taken him on a trip. Or even treat him to just a weekend getaway. But we need the weekends to continue to move. And we aren't comfortable spending that much money until we see if our budgeting goes according to plan and find out if we have as much as we estimated after bills. What to do, what to do.
He's not a spa guy (I've tried, ladies, oh lawdee how I've tried!) but I do know The Man needs a massage with the kind of work he does and the extreme stress he's been under lately.
If you read my blog at all you know I LOVE spas and I truly believe massages are sacred. So I certainly have reservations about places that give me the impression of a factory churning out massages. OF COURSE it has to be a good massage. But I'm also very much about the ambiance, the relaxation and basically, basking in the massage after glow glory.
Quite a few people I know have been singing the praises of Massage Envy. From what those folks have said, ME sounds like it's a great place to get a massage. But what about all the other aspects I love so much about spas? I am a big fan of Yelp so I checked out the reviews of the local Massage Envy. They had overall great reviews and many people recommended the same therapists. They also had great things to say about the location.
While I will probably always love spas, ME sounds like the kind of place The Man would enjoy. He thinks the prices spas charge are ridiculous and he is very uncomfortable trying to relax among strangers. Besides, ME prices are pretty fantastic! I booked a 60 minute massage for him and a prenatal massage for me for the price a 60 minute massage for ONE would cost. I think he will appreciate getting all his knots and kinks worked out, especially after the stressful week he's has so far. And I will certainly benefit from a good massage - my first prenatal one!
It's not a trip to Hawaii. Hell, it's not even a trip to Monterey! But, over all, I think it's a very nice way to celebrate our very first anniversary - in our first home together, with our two pups, and a bun in the oven. And it is better than a trip to, say, Reno :)

Um, hopefully I didn't offend anyone with the Reno comment!

All you princesses will appreciate this story

I love spa treatments. Obviously.
Earlier this week, after a meeting, I talked with a new colleague, letting her know that I used to work and play on the Peninsula even though I live in the East Bay. But now that I work where I live, I want to embrace my new playground. This means spas and salons. Nail, that is. I refuse to leave my hair stylist - we have eight years together.
Anyhow, my coworker said there was a spa she and her boyfriend tried in Fremont and she liked it. She warned me that it isn't as pretty as Burke Williams but she really liked her massage. Well, pretty is as pretty does. I only like BW because of it's environment but none of the massages I've received from there were very good. She assured me that she and her boyfriend really liked their massages. But ... the layout is a little odd.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Well, they have a Chinese buffet in the lobby." She replied.
"What?!"
"Umm, and they also take numbers in the lobby. Like a supermarket."
I told her she just had to take me there. I wanted to see it for myself.
So we immediately drove to a Perfect Day Spa. (Check out the link for pictures. I don't think there are any of the buffet.)
The place had hard wood floors and was spacious. And yes, there was chinese food in the front lobby. And a red number dispenser prominently placed where the receptionists sat. They gave us a tour and it was nice enough. They even had a special - $48 for your first treatment.
Lots of thoughts were running through my head. But my colleague swore that she got a good massage. And, as someone who has frequently visited a third world country, I've learned to be open minded about things that are not typically American. And I could TOTALLY tell this one was ran by Asians. (I'm Asian, I can write that. Plus, I really could tell.)
So I signed up for a hot stone massage. Heck, I can spare $48 to check this place out.
Some things I found out:
- They make you take off your shoes when you leave the lobby and go into massage area
- While I had a blanket covering me, the bed was lined by tissue. Like a medical office.
- Hot stone massage to them meant they placed stones on my body and massaged around them.
- Curtains as walls just aren't the same
- I can hear EVERYTHING
There were some positives. My lady was pretty good. She made sure she got the right pressure so she wouldn't hurt me. And the place was clean.
But I can't get past the "cutting corners." Tissue-lined massage tables, curtain walls to maximize space and the on-the-side business of selling Chinese food.
If you're intrigued, you can read these reviews.
I visited Skin Fitness Day Spa in Fremont for a pedicure but, again, little things make all the difference. I received a nice pedicure but it wasn't in a massage chair. And where the hell was the head rest? I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to try their massage at $135 a pop. (Armi, do you strongly recommend this place? If so, which masseuse?)
I am still on the search for a fantastic East Bay spa. Sigh.

Crotchless panties or spa treatment?

I know, it depends on the gal. But I know my friend and she digs spa treatments more than lingerie. (I'm not knocking it, I'm just sayin'.) We are leaving for Oahu next week for her wedding and, as a bridesmaid, it's one of my duties to make sure she's relaxed. So off we went to Burke Williams!

Today I took her for an awesome pedicure -
"Foot Fantasy - We soak your hands and feet in a special blend of essential oils. Your feet and calves, hands and forearms are cleansed and exfoliated. Then, your tired muscles are gently but firmly massaged, again. Finally, your nails are trimmed, shaped and polished."

While this place doesn't give the best massages, they have plenty of space to lounge around - a quiet room with comfy recliners, a big jacuzzi, and an area that looks like a living room. It's closest thing I've seen in the Bay Area to the wonderful spas in Las Vegas.

We went to Burke Williams bright and early this morning. It was soooo nice. There weren't as many people around so it was very peaceful. In the Manicure/Pedicure Room, there were only three pedicure chairs in the room and, because it was early, my friend and I were the only one clients. What was different from most nail salons is that the pedicurists didn't talk to each other. They were quiet. And that was just wonderful. My friend and I relaxed in peace as our ladies loved our poor feet.

Anyhow, I don't remember her name but my woman was wonderful. (How very man-ish of me.) She gave an awesome foot massage - the kind that makes your feet tingle even after she's done with the massage. And my friend had a great pedicure, too! We were very happy gals when we left. My gift to her before she goes to Hawaii and gets hitched. I like these kind of gifts.

Got the day off

I went to Watercourse Way* and it was fan-flippin'-tastic.

(Unfortunately, I wasn't on a sunny beach but it still felt good.)

Since I worked 12 hours on Friday and five hours on Saturday last week, I got today off!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh .....
Can I get an amen??

*WW has special deals if you schedule your appointment during the work week and before 5:00pm. Oh, and ask for Malka. She is s-t-r-0-n-g.

Mabuhay y'all!

It's true - I'm going to the Philippines!

Now, a few of you might think, "What's the big deal? You're Filipino. You should be going to your Motherland." Here's the thing - I am 100% American, too. The whole identity or labeling thing has the potential to be a whole other long a$$ entry but just know there is a difference between being Filipino and Filipino American. Obviously, I fall under the latter.

What does that mean? Well, you can't really generalize Filipino Americans (FA) either b/c we're all different. And just like the US, the Philippines has different regions and provinces so each FA could quite possibly have a very different background from the next. For instance, like a kid from Hollywood vs. a kid from the Bronx vs a kid from Waco. Different.

Here are some of my obstacles -
1. I am extremely uncomfortable in 90+ degree weather. Sleeping is damn near impossible.
2. I speak Filipino food only.
3. My hair is too long for bucket showers. Again, this would be a whole new blog entry but I'll get to it, I promise.
4. I'm about 10-15 lbs too heavy for my relatives' comfort (you bet your sweet a$s that's going to be another blog entry.)
5. I am irregular when I travel. This probably makes me the most sad. Not a damn thing to do with being FA, it just makes traveling difficult.

Despite these obstacles, I'm very excited to be going. I've been to the Philippines a few times and know how to make it fun. Trial and error right? Here are my plans for my vacation in a few months -
1. Two weeks max. A lot of people say that two weeks is too short. That I would need to stay at least three weeks to get my money's worth. Believe you me, two weeks is long enough for me to stay anywhere. Don't judge me! That's just how it is.
2. My own room. Heaven bless my parents. They are so sweet. But one hotel room is NOT big enough for me, my dad and AL. Not when I was 17, not when I was 21 and certainly not now. But since I'm gainfully employed, I can spring for my own room. This prevents a war being waged between AL and AL Junior. Yes, I absolutely admit that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
3. Spa-ing in a third world country. Don't know if it's a Filipino thing but AL has never been into spa treatments. I didn't really get into spas until the past year. Well, guess what?? The Philippines has many many resorts where people from Australia, America, Japan and Hawaii vacation (don't ask me, they just do.) It's still a tad pricey but less expensive than American spas. And they are top notch because of their clientele. That's right, BIG PIMPIN' on a small budget.

Well, I'm pretty sure this question is in vain b/c I know my peeps. Got any suggestions for my PI trip? I'm open to them.

Oh, did I mention that I will be meeting The Man's side of the family my second week? Please, enlighten me: Why are female relatives SO protective of their male family members? Brothers, uncles, cousins, nephews. I kid you not when I say I'm a little bit skahred to meet his family. I'll ask you to wish me luck when my vacation draws nearer.

I'm a certified spa whore

I know, people go to Vegas to gamble, kick game, dance, drink, get some action, see some skin and/or to eat at the buffets. (Did I ever tell you that I can eat my money back in bacon? It's true, don't try to challenge me. But that's another entry.) I'm amazed by the millions of dollars poured into Las Vegas to make it what it is and respect the entrepreneurs who are just trying to get theirs. But it's not my kind of town. I like the beaches, laid back attitudes and slow pace of the tropics.

I'm not complaining, this trip was paid for by work. And I figured going with a whole bunch of gung-ho vegas lovers would help me see what they see. Besides, half the time I would be at a conference shmoozing (I hate that word but it best describes the deed,) educating myself about my job and doing everything short of actually handing out my resume.

I wasn't a stick in the mud. The first night, I went out with the work bunch and downed glasses of rum and diet pepsi - no cherry diet pepsi to be found :( Danced to a band called Groove Kitten and apparently, I smacked of "sister girl" attitude because the ladies wanted to dance with me (in a straight, sister girl kinda way) so I shook my groove thing as long as I could. I think I even won over some coworkers that thought I was Miss Goody-Goody. We closed the place at 3:00am. In our drunk haze, my roomie and I forgot to close the curtains all the way so the morning light woke us up at 7:30am. Choice words were said for 15 minutes or so until we knew that we weren't going to get anymore sleep. Dysfunctional doesn't even begin to describe my state of the mind.

My roommie, Kat, is a Vegas lover and was determined to show me its beauty. We roamed around the Venetian, the Excalibur, and MGM Grand. I'm an occasional smoker but I was getting tired of smelling like ashtray. Knowing that I was dying to find out what was so special about Las Vegas spas, Kat lead me to the Grand Spa. Oh me, oh my, my senses were met with the scent of lavender and eucalyptus. Coming from the casinos smelling of cig butt, the spa entrance was like heaven. I must have looked like I was experiencing euphoria because Kat seemed thrilled that I was loving some part of Vegas. Mind you, we were just in the front entrance.

Kat suggested I try a hot stone massage, promising it would be good one. We asked the spa receptionists if there were any openings for early afternoon. Fate on my side, they said yes and would we be interested in checking in now? Shoot, if I was smitten with the entrance, I could only imagine what heavenly goodness was past those doors. Heck ya, check my a$$ in. We walked in an hour and a half before our appointments and were anxious to be pampered.

People, this spa was GORGEOUS. It is what every spa should look like or attempt to be. No longer will I go to a spa that lacks a lounge area. MGM Grand Spa had hot and warm pools, a TV area and a quiet area with comfy cushy chaise longues. Fruit, snacks, water, coffee and tea were also provided. We wrapped ourselves in luxuriously thick robes and dangled our legs in the hot tub. We weren't prepared with our bathing suits so we had to improvise. Ten minutes before our treatments, Kat and I go to the quiet area and relax. I was ready to nap when my massage therapist called my name.

Her name was Marla. I can't nor will I try to explain the wonders of her stone massage. Of all the massages I've ever had, hers was the best. Ever. I was ready to propose to her when she was done and I'm completely in love with The Man. She led me back to the lounge area and gave me a hug goodbye. As I exited this heavenly oasis, I signed my credit card bill with no regrets. Remember, the airfare and hotel were paid for by work. Plus, I didn't gamble, see a show or buy any souvenirs. (You bet your sweet a$$ I will justify this until the cows come home.)

Please, do yourself a favor. If you are ever in Las Vegas and need a little lovin', don't bother grinding at a club, going to a skin show or entertaining a one night stand. Or do. Who am I to tell you how to get your swerve on? :) But you also got to see Marla. She will make you feel like a million bucks. And you won't go home dirty*.

When I got back from my trip, I told The Man about my spa experience but didn't go into much detail. Our conversation went like this-
Me: "I went to a spa."
The Man: "Didn't you just do that?!"
Me: I threw my arms around him, kissed him, and confessed, "It's like crack! I'm addicted!"
The Man: "I think crack is cheaper."

I didn't tell him how wondrous it was because I feared he would ask me the cost. Then, because I try very hard not to lie to him, I would have to tell him the truth. Then The Man would have hit the roof and told me that that's ridiculous, don't go anymore and he would give me the treatment himself. I then would have to figure out how to explain the burns the size of softballs all over my body from The Man trying to give me a homemade hot stone massage.

That would be all bad.


*(One of D-Doll's favorite lines.) All I'm saying is that you won't need penicillin or a special ointment when Marla's done with you.