11.29.2007

hot guy who cooks

please, tell me where i can find this man!

Steve Lewis
Age: 24
Status: Single
Occupation: Chemistry Professor in Training

Stephen enjoys working out, solving Jumble puzzles and looking through his telescope. If you decide to pay him a visit for a little stargazing, be advised: Visitors to his house must remove their shoes before entering.

Seared Ahi Tuna
Fresh ahi tuna
Black pepper
Cayenne pepper
Garlic powder
Salt
Lemon juice
Orange and yellow bell peppers
Garlic
Arugula
Tomato
Avocado
Olive oil

Marinate the ahi overnight in a mixture black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt and lemon juice. Slice the bells peppers and grill with garlic and black pepper until softened. Lay a bed of arugula on one side of the plate. Place sliced tomatoes over the arugula, then lay thinly sliced avocado over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt, olive oil and lemon juice. Once the bell peppers are done, sear the tuna using a nonstick pan: Grease the pan with olive oil and bring to medium heat; cook each side of the tuna until outer layer is cooked, leaving the inner portion raw. (About 1-2 minutes depending on the heat of the pan and thickness of the fish.) Slice the ahi in 1/2-inch slices and lay over the grilled peppers. Serve with pinot grigio or fume blanc for optimum pleasure!

hot guys who cook

11.28.2007

dear santa

update: i got everything except the elliptical.

my e-friend, jenny, inspired me to start thinking about my christmas list to santa. okay, i lie. i've been thinking about what i'm going to ask santa for. There is a very slim chance that santa will read my blog, but just in case, it's always safe to be crystal clear.

dear santa,

i hope this letter reaches you in a generous spirit. i don't need to remind you on how good of a girl i've been this year. so, i'll keep this letter short and cut to the chase. i'd appreciate the following items delivered on christmas morning. i'm not picky, so you can either stuff it down my chimney or leave it on my door step. either way works well for me.

(1) the precor new efx5.33 elliptical with movable arms and adjustable cross ramp will get my buns in shape in no time. 30 minutes a day on this baby will have me looking (even more) bootylicious in no time. no more driving to the gym or waiting for equipment after a long day! you can even use it to!

(2) i always ask myself, "why don't i have the piece that started the speedy family off"? i know you like to buy me the latest prints, but this year, i just want the original gangster monogram canvas speedy 35.

(3) need i say anything about the apple iPhone?


(4) last, but certainly not least, a french beret. i've been wearing this old one that belonged to my grandmother 24 years ago. i love it, but the moth holes are a little distracting.


and, thank you for the early package i received yesterday. i love my new boots!


with love, joe

11.27.2007

the randomness of the holidays

the holiday season is here and along with it comes family, family and some more family. since my family is particularly entertaining, it was fun.

i spent thanksgivng day at my grandmother and feasted on traditional belizean food with an american twist (turkey). now, most central americans hate the traditional way a thanksgiving turkey is prepared. maybe we're not doing it right, but i prefer our way anyway. i can't cook, so i can't tell you how to make it, but i can show you.

before


after


my aunt was ordained as a woman of the cloth this past weekend. although i am not a big fan of church, it was a wonderful experience to see her become ordained. i really couldn't imagine going to church on a regular basis. i get way too generous. i just pledged an undisclosed amount of money to help with the media program. meh. this was the funniest random shot i took at the church. you'd never see this [stuff] in a white church.


after church, my cousins and i rushed home to get ready to go to the club. yes sir. the highly anticipated "all black affair" at the shatto (pronounced chateau) ballroom had arrived. i had been practicing the dutty wine for two weeks for this night. unfortunately, i did not master the dance. its okay. i'm working on the hot fuck for the bikini contest in belize. this is how we get down at the luxurious shatto ballroom! i hope my cousin, c, doesn't get too mad at me for this one...


the rest of the holiday was spent lounging around with some of my favorite people. don't put us in a house with a box of spanish cava, wine and baileys!

10.12.2007

4 things

because i took so long to post the 8 facts about me, i'm going to do this bonus post even though i hadn't been tagged.

four jobs i have had in my life
1. student
2. girlfriend
3. research assistant
4. project manager for an i.t firm

four movies i can watch over and over and over
1. the wedding singer
2. 28 days later
3. 28 weeks later
4. shottas

four tv shows i like to watch
1. big shots
2. vh1 reality television [flavor of love, i love new york, etc.]
3. my super sweet 16
4. behind bars

four places i have vacationed
1. central america
2. south america
3. europe
4. africa

four of my favorite dishes
1. hawaiian rib eye [medium well] with garlic mashed potatoes
2. spicy salmon rolls with a side of endaname
3. nova scoitta lobster with garlic butter sauce and red cabbage coleslaw
4. traditional rice and beans [made with coconut milk], stewed ox tails and salad

four websites i visit daily (lately, "regularly" is more appropriate)
1. bossip
2. bankofamerica
3. wikipedia
4. guardian.co.uk

four places i would rather be
1. placencia
2. bordeaux
3. at my house, taking a nap
4. at the movies, watching kingdom

the baby mammas are clowning



SMH. shar jackson gets way more credit than she deserves. i mean, what did she do that was so special? she got knocked up and left by k-fed. letting k-fed hit it raw is far from being fame-worthy. but anyway, being the chick that got left for britney spears while 6 months pregnant got her some attention and she's using every last mili-second of her 15 minutes.

shar has been competing on vh1's celebrity rap superstar and has been doing an decent job. she does have an unfair advantage on the other competiors. you see, while the roster is mostly made up of d-list celebrities (reality tv and bloggers), shar has actually been trying to break into the music industry for some time now. so, she is a trained performer. i'm team kendra.

i'm just floored by her line: "they should of had me open the vmas".

britney, you've just been served. in the end, britney didn't end up with the man nor her kids. and shar is still spending her paper and making her own by riding on her coat tails.

haha.

10.09.2007

8 facts about me

so...as this game goes, i've been tagged to divulge eight facts about myself. um, i don't think i know eight things about myself...



1. i'm belizean. my hometown is placencia, belize. "city people" call it the bush. it's actually a small, beautiful beach village in southern belize. you have to endure a lot of bush to get there. there are three ways to get to placencia.



(a) a 4 hour drive, the last 12 mile stretch being a treacherous unpaved dirt road that we call,"the washboard".





b) a 40 minute plane ride on one of those "mosquito planes".






(c) a boat ride. i've only done this once, from dangriga, in an emergency situation - it was not comfortable.


once you get there, it's totally worth it. i am emotionally connected to this town [and my country] after seeing everything my family has gone through to make it what is today. though the vision isn't completed [yet], it's one of my grandma's dreams come true [even though she's now a "city gyal"].


2. i collect louis vuitton [more specifically, speedy purses]. i think my addiction started as a child. i was in love with my mom's monogram speedy 30 and would prance around with her heels and purse, pretending to be her. i was really upset when she gave that purse away. dress up wasn't the same. you can also blame my husband. he's just as bad as me because he feeds the addiction. he even has a shopper at the LV store! his is the newest edition to the louis fam.






3. i sleep with my jewelry on. i don't know why people take off their jewelry when they go to bed. if i did that, i'd always forget to put them back on. this is why i keep it pretty basic; left hand representation, class ring, stud earrings and a necklace. a few nights ago, i half way woke up and ripped my pearls off. i now have to re-string two pearl necklaces and a pearl bracelet. i recently purchased two pearl sets to support my friend, aimee's missionary work in the Philippines.




4. i am a former beauty queen. which gives you an extra bonus fact - i was cute and well polished at one time in my life. i imagine this is how i snagged my husband as he recognized my potential at a ripe age. since i am not entirely out of my glory days, i'm hoping that i can work hard enough to give a couple mrs. pageants a run for their money.






5. i am trying to visit the 100 wonders of the world. i collect pictures of my black cabbage patch doll, diamond, at each wonder. so far, i've visited 43. unfortunately, my husband isn't into traveling too much, so i only hope i'll be able to reach 100 before i am 100! :P




6. my favorite city in the world is bordeaux, france. aside from their lovely wine, i find every single thing i eat in this city is delectable. even sandwiches and prepackaged flan are good there. i think the city makes everything better. it also helps that one of my favorite extended family members lives there and always shows me a great time. if you're ever in the, be sure to hit up club "westcoast". it's the business! one of my fondest memories is walking back to the apartment at some ungodly hour, intoxicated, and falling right on my face. everyone laughed when vanessa yelled, "that was sexy!".



7. i am a newly wed. i got married on 7.7.7 in a beautiful hot pink and black intimate ceremony at the sofitel. we met on crenshaw and dated for 6.5 years before getting married.





8. i have a bad habit; i use a lot of profanity. i'm trying to stop.

books and music

this post is way over due. i'm sorry. i've been a bad blogger. my life just isn't as exciting as it was a year ago.

i met karrine steffans at her los angeles book signing event for her new book, "the vixen diaries". now, karrine and i come from two completely different worlds. i'm not a video vixen, nor am i really interested in the music industry's sexcapades. however, what drew my interest was simply, her life and struggle as a woman from the caribbean.

my sister sent me her first book, "confessions of a video vixen" while i was living in santiago. apparently, this chick was creating quite a stir in hollywood by exposing her sexual tirades with "high profile" [i'm using that term loosely] celebrities, some of whom had families. to many, the book reads as a tell all. to me, it read as a woman's misguided journey through life and the unsympathetic dog-eat-dog entertainment industry.

after reading the book, i was actually proud of her. there are many "video vixens" or just plain ole hoes that get used and abused by the industry, never get out and damn sure never do anything productive with their lives. at least this chick wrote a book, made some money and to some degree was able to expose the entertainment industry for what it is.

when i heard of her second book, i really wanted to support her. BAD IDEA.


her second book sucked. her promo tour to follow was even worst. in all of her interviews she seems to have changed so much. everything is about how much money she has and how much of a celebrity she is. bitch is still a hoe. in one interview, she even stormed out yelling, "i cannot talk to ignorant black people". during her jaime foxx radio interview, she continuously refers to black people as "porch monkeys" and brags about the "millions" of books she has sold. i was just disgusted.

DON'T BUY THE BOOK. BORROW IT IF YOU MUST READ IT.

now, for the music segment of this blog. the day after vixen diaries released, so did keyshia cole's new album "just like you".

the album is great. it's even better for people going through break-ups. meh.

8.30.2007

ghetto-fabulous


i was double-tagged by my friends wee and trish. i am trying to think of eight facts about myself. i've been working on it for two nights now - pretty sad, huh. well, i have to take another break from it. i'm on my way to one of hub's ghetto ass friend's bday party. this should call for a good story and photos for tomorrow's post.

8.29.2007

i've been tagged

so...as this game goes, i've been tagged to divulge eight facts about myself. um, i don't think i know eight things about myself...



1. i'm belizean. my hometown is placencia, belize. "city people" call it the bush. it's actually a small, beautiful beach village in southern belize. you have to endure a lot of bush to get there. there are three ways to get to placencia.



(a) a 4 hour drive, the last 12 mile stretch being a treacherous unpaved dirt road that we call,"the washboard".





b) a 40 minute plane ride on one of those "mosquito planes".






(c) a boat ride. i've only done this once, from dangriga, in an emergency situation - it was not comfortable.


once you get there, it's totally worth it. i am emotionally connected to this town [and my country] after seeing everything my family has gone through to make it what is today. though the vision isn't completed [yet], it's one of my grandma's dreams come true [even though she's now a "city gyal"].


2. i collect louis vuitton [more specifically, speedy purses]. i think my addiction started as a child. i was in love with my mom's monogram speedy 30 and would prance around with her heels and purse, pretending to be her. i was really upset when she gave that purse away. dress up wasn't the same. you can also blame my husband. he's just as bad as me because he feeds the addiction. he even has a shopper at the LV store! his is the newest edition to the louis fam.






3. i sleep with my jewelry on. i don't know why people take off their jewelry when they go to bed. if i did that, i'd always forget to put them back on. this is why i keep it pretty basic; left hand representation, class ring, stud earrings and a necklace. a few nights ago, i half way woke up and ripped my pearls off. i now have to re-string two pearl necklaces and a pearl bracelet. i recently purchased two pearl sets to support my friend, aimee's missionary work in the Philippines.




4. i am a former beauty queen. which gives you an extra bonus fact - i was cute and well polished at one time in my life. i imagine this is how i snagged my husband as he recognized my potential at a ripe age. since i am not entirely out of my glory days, i'm hoping that i can work hard enough to give a couple mrs. pageants a run for their money.






5. i am trying to visit the 100 wonders of the world. i collect pictures of my black cabbage patch doll, diamond, at each wonder. so far, i've visited 43. unfortunately, my husband isn't into traveling too much, so i only hope i'll be able to reach 100 before i am 100! :P




6. my favorite city in the world is bordeaux, france. aside from their lovely wine, i find every single thing i eat in this city is delectable. even sandwiches and prepackaged flan are good there. i think the city makes everything better. it also helps that one of my favorite extended family members lives there and always shows me a great time. if you're ever in the, be sure to hit up club "westcoast". it's the business! one of my fondest memories is walking back to the apartment at some ungodly hour, intoxicated, and falling right on my face. everyone laughed when vanessa yelled, "that was sexy!".



7. i am a newly wed. i got married on 7.7.7 in a beautiful hot pink and black intimate ceremony at the sofitel. we met on crenshaw and dated for 6.5 years before getting married.





8. i have a bad habit; i use a lot of profanity. i'm trying to stop.

8.26.2007

dirty money


i had to go see illegal tender. it was a must. yes, i love gangster movies. the godfather was the first movie i ever sat and watched - the entire trilogy. i also really like frank reyes, who was also the director for empire. but it wasn't the gangster plot or frank reyes that pushed me to see this movie in its opening week. i was really excited to see [and support] rick gonzalez in his first lead role.

i heart rick gonzalez. i've watched him play the token puerto rican kid numerous of times and i was really excited to see his true acting skills. well...

the movie was decent. at least to me it was. the story line was pretty much the standard gangster movie; sombody coming up while someone else is going down [six feet]. my other half begs the differ.

8.23.2007

yea, i still got it

this entry is way over due. i've been tumbling around in the mess that's called my life. it has drained every last ounce of energy that i have. but i'm taking it back!

last weekend, we [as in my cousin s, her boyfriend and i] celebrated a coming of age celebration for x-tina. well, i watched as she celebrated her coming of age. being the hag that i now am, i spent most of my night making sure x-tina didn't drink herself into a coma, down any dangerous mixes or offend any gang-bangers. the rest of the night, i acted as a referee. in the end, i still had a good time.

i must agree with the words of a fellow blogger, "i am married not buried"!

yea, i was at the club. yea, i took a couple shots with the bartender. yea, i was scantily dressed. yea, i'm married. and?! marriage doesn't = the end of your personal life. i don't make out or go home with random guys [anymore]. each time a guy tried to take it "there" [cue t-pain], i had to break the news. yes, i am married. off the market. keep your drink and don't ask for my number. their jaws dropped. you're married?! it's like you have ebola.

anyway, my husband and i still have our own lives. of course, it's minimal but i think it helps us to preserve our individuality.




8.08.2007

one month anniversary


yesterday was our one month anniversary. i was half joking with hub when i told him "happy one month anniversary" yesterday morning. when i cam home, i found a vase full of my favorite flowers [lily stargazers] and two roses symbolizing him and i. aww...he's such a great hub!

so far married life has been great. of course, we have had our share of ups and downs; most of them occurring in bed bath and beyond. that man is one hell of a shopper!

i am so happy with my decision to marry him; think that we did everything perfectly. sometimes i think of all of the decisions that i've made and how drastically different my life would have been today. i definitely have him to thank for keeping me focused and grounded on a consistant path. i couldn't imagine calling any other man, "my husband".

for everyone one who hasn't found that person, remember what keisha cole says, "if he ain't going to love you the way he should, then let him go! if he ain't going treat you the way he should, then let him go!" do yourself favor - and drop the zero and get a hero.

7.31.2007

hub's birthday recap


husband did so well with my birthday and really did not want to dissapoint him. i had already forgot to wish him a happy birthday before he left for work, so i knew i had to work something up.

my original gift, that would have blown him out the water was not ready, boo. i was planning on giving him an album with my boxing themed boudoir pictures and autographed glove...but that hasn't quite worked out in time. so, i had to move on to plan b.

part 1: a custom made birthday card with sweet words and a teaser of what is to come once the boudoir album is finally finished.



part 2: a pair of gucci sunglasses that he's been hinting about.


part 3: dinner at one of our favoirte restaurants, the palm.

the palm is one of those traditional white jacket steakhouses. it isn't fancy or romantic. actually, it is the opposite. you get a bib with your lobster dinner. but we love it. we are always welcomed with open arms and our waiters know to birng extra horse radish with husband's shrimp cocktail each time. we love the food and the service, we even snuck away to the palm after our wedding.



getting out the door was pretty hectic; our new furniture arrived, so the house is in an uproar. there is always drama when i'm involved. but, in the end, i think he enjoyed his birthday.

7.30.2007

eye candy at lunch


today is husband's birthday and i had to run to the mall for a card. ugg. i was loathing the idea. i hate leaving the office in the middle of the day, but i figured it was a good cause. my boss agreed to grab lunch with me while i was there and that sealed the deal.

i'm sure glad i did end up at the mall. i was in for a very pleasant surprise. i ran into junior, a new r&b singer featured on yung berg's new single, sexy lady. he was absolutely as handsome in person.

7.25.2007

the uninsured

fuck uninsured motarist [uim].

today i stopped by my parents to drop off invitations to my husband's birthday party this weekend. i wasn't in the house but 10 minutes before we got a knock at the door.

me: yes?
neighbor: i just wanted to let you know someone just hit your car.
me: what? is it bad?
neighbor: it sounded (is that a word?) bad; i just thought somone should tell you. the other neighbor girls knows who hit you, she had just gotten in their car before they hit you.
me: thank you neighbor, i am going to check it out.

i go outside to inspect the damages. lucky for me, the only visible damage was a bent license plate. i was more pissed that the little bitch hit my car and ran. the boys across the street saw the whole incident. i warned them that i would be calling the police to report a hit and run.

two minutes later i get a second knock at my mother's door.

me: yes?
neighbor boy hands me his cell phone.
uim: hi, i am the girl who hit your car, i'm sorry, i didn't mean to hit your car and run, i just thought it wasn't a big deal.
me: well, of course its some kind of a deal, you hit my car and left the scene. that is called a hit and run.

the conversation ended with her agreeing to come back and give me her insurance information. she never did. five minutes ago, i received a call on my cell phone from neighbor girl [not uim].

me: yes?
uim: hi, um, i had wanted to talk to you because, um, well, i was insured under my mother, but she stopped paying the bill, so i don't have any insurance.
me: so, this means that your driving without insurance [which annoys me even more]
uim: well, i never hit anything before. people do it all the time. i'll pay for a new license plate.
i shoot my phone a dirty look.
me: it isn't the licese plate that i am concerned about. apparently, you hit my car hard enough to bend the license plate, i need to make sure my bumper is properly attached to my vehcile.
uim: well my mom said there is nothing wrong with the car.
i shoot the phone another dirty look.
me: perhaps your mother and i should have a conversation because you don't seem to understand that you hit my car and we need to exchange some kind of information.
umi: well, i don't want to involve my mom and you can reach me via neighbor girl.

if you are not adult enought to maintain your own insurance, you should not be driving on caroads. now, should i report her to the dmv or what?

the young and the dateless

i should really be careful when using the word "dateless" now that i am married. because now, i'm supposed to have a permanent date, right? no. i'm not going to force husband to go to places/functions that he has no interest in. nope. i'm saving those "go to event free" cards for things that are very important (i.e. christmas at my parents).

tomorrow i am going to a networking dinner over the hill. which means that my potential date would have to find their own way to the venue. shoot, i already have to fight the 405 to get there, i am not about to pick anyone up or drop them off home afterwards. this leaves my pool very limited. i already don't have many friends, much less those who are (a) mobile and (b) interested in this type of stuff.

i can say i have all of three friends who are interested in the things that i am. and that may change with the new husband and potential family. but i'm going to try my best for it to not.

friend 1: is taking the bar exam this week. i've been sharing her with the bar for close to 7 months now. she first took an out of state bar earlier this year and now is taking ca. i am excited to have her back this weekend.

friend 2: works to much. now that we have successfully married myself off, it is now on to mission two; find friend 2 a wealthy husband. she'll probably be working tomorrow anyway.

friend 3: deadline diva. like friend 2, she also works too much. the only difference with friend 3 is that she has hard deadlines that she must meet - or else "we", yes "we" don't eat. because you know i be at her house for dinner - my girl can burn (literally and implied).

-speaking of which, i really need to get used to going home after work so that i can start attempting to cook for my husband. next week we start operation house-wife. i'm going to give a shot at balancing a professional and domestic career in the twenty-first century.-

back to my dilemma...

i also have two other male friends who are interested in the same things i am, but both have better things to do (chasing hot chicks) than to go to a boring dinner with me.

woman chaser 1: would have accepted the invite for tomorrow, but has to do church errands. boo!

woman chaser 2: has been recently chasing this new chick that he met 2 weeks before the wedding. i don't want to interrupt this whirlwind romance.

7.24.2007

mamma said knock you out

husband is a boxer and a huge boxing fanatic. his grandfather and uncle were both great boxers and he was raised in the sport. he eat, drinks and breaths boxing. when i decided to take boudoir pictures, i knew that i had to incorporate boxing into them as a personal touch for him.


to make a very long story very short i got personal help from a boxing legend, freddie roach. freddie gave my wonderful photographer and i full access to his gym to shoot. it was awsome...freddie roach said i was beautiful! to add to the gift, freddie [who trains some of the big names in boxing] is collecting autographs on a pair of boxing gloves for husband.
crissy and i had so much fun that day!
here are a few teasers that crissy posted on her blog.