Category Archives: Randomness

Random iPhone Pictures: Frame by Frame

April 3 – Mail (this was my Easter dress)

For the picture themes in April’s Photo A Day challenge (by Fat Mum Slim), I found myself looking more and more at photo composition. I tried to create interest by using the whole frame and I avoided centering my subjects as much as possible. Here are my favorites so far. Hope you had a great weekend!

April 4 – Someone who makes you happy (our son)

April 5 – Tiny (Dominic’s newest car next to a quarter)

April 7 – Shadow (our son again, no filter)

April 8 – Inside your wallet (yes, Rebecca Minkoff again!)

April 10 – Cold (the ice cubes almost look metallic)

Dear Diary: My Blogging History

Before I had a blog, I had journals. Like Bridget Jones and her infamous diary, I wrote faithfully in my journals nearly every night, telling it secrets like it was my best friend. Unlike Bridget, I have been doing so since I was 8 years old. During a much-needed spring cleaning while my husband and son were visiting family in Las Vegas, I found all 15 of them. In an effort to purge and clean out the spare bedroom for our son, I decided to discard the ones that were more about my trials and tribulations of broken relationships right before my marriage. But I kept the ones that were from the 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s, because those were the times of my adolescence, high school and early college years.

I loved reading through the times I spent with my friends, events at school, songs that I was listening to, concerts I attended and clothes that I wore. They were full of angst over arguments with my younger sister and parents, but a good amount of time was spent on unrequited love. I knew I had several rock star crushes, but the most heartfelt ones were mainly over Alan Wilder. I always knew how big of a crush I had on him (post here), but reading my diary entries proved a little painful because it just goes to show where a 16 year-old’s mind wanders off to in times when she feels like there is no hope. My written pleas to the universe of “If I could only just meet him, it would make my life complete!” were almost gut-wrenching. I even had my sister sit down and read them and she almost couldn’t get through the entries because it was a bit uncomfortable. I had to keep reminding her that although I was sitting right there in front of her and the entries were in my handwriting, it was my younger and more immature self penning those anxious words.

Inside cover page of a diary circa 1985 to 1986

I laugh now because I have since met Alan Wilder, danced in front of him for a contest in the middle of a record store, and was later recognized by Alan at his show later that night (post here). I think that 16 year-old would never have believed that it could be true and would have probably squealed in delight and horror knowing that there was a possibility of even being in the same room with him in a non-concert atmosphere.

The saddest but most revealing part of reading my old diaries was how much I longed for a boyfriend. I really wish I could sit that poor girl down and let her know that she should continue to enjoy her family, friends, music, clothes and to not worry about when that boy will finally save her from herself. But despite reading my inner-turmoil over not having a boyfriend, it has been so much fun to see the timeline of events, milestones and just the little things that I did that I could never have remembered on my own, yet opened a whole floodgate of memories once I read the entries. It puts this blogging thing that I do into perspective and helps me understand my personal need to document my thoughts and feelings, even in a forum that I’ve mostly dedicated to fashion & music. That is why I have interspersed my family and personal life throughout my current blog entries, because feel I am capturing life as it happens. This trip through memory lane definitely does spark my desire to continue blogging because I enjoy writing, and because of the documentation of a timeline that I could look back on and say “Oh yes, I remember that!”

Random iPhone Pictures: Listen to This

February 29 – something you’re listening to #joydivision

As stated in a previous post regarding the “Photo a Day” meme from Fat Mum Slim (March’s photo theme list seen here), I’m more inclined to post musically themed pictures, and here are a few recent ones from March. I’ve also recently gotten into hash-tagging my pictures (all of these were marked with a hash-tag of #marchphotoaday). It’s interesting to see just how many people are trending the groups I’m listening to, especially Joy Division.

March 1 – up #depechemode #thompsontwins

March 5 – a smile #depechemode #seeyou

March 7 – something you wore #duranduran

Random iPhone Pictures: It's Called a Heart

February 7 – Button

Here are more photos from the February “Photo a Day” challenge (original post here). I’m enjoying this challenge because I feel it forces me to think about composition and subject, which allows me to not to be so literal. I realize I’m always inspired by music when thinking about subjects other than myself or my family. What inspires you?

February 11 – Makes You Happy (My husband and son saw “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace” in 3D on the day I took this photo.)

February 12 – Inside Your Closet

February 13 – Blue (“It’s Called a Heart” by Depeche Mode on blue vinyl, imported from Germany, from my personal collection.)

February 14 – Heart (I called this “Human Heart Mode”.)

February 15 – Phone (“Old School” phone from Pottery Barn, so it’s not a true rotary phone. My niece asked “Is that the kind of phone you used in the 80’s?”)

February 16 – Something New

Random iPhone Pictures: Like This Post!

February 1 – Your view today

I started participating (a month late) in a photo meme called “Photo a Day Challenge” by Fat Mum Slim. Most of these photos are from the early part of the February challenge, which I did on Instagram. My favorite was from the February 2nd photo theme called “words”. This is great meme and I can’t wait to see the different daily themes for the rest of the year.

February 2 – Words (borrowed from @idilvice)

February 3 – Hands

February 4 – A Stranger (does Garfield count as a “stranger”?)

Random iPhone Pictures: Most Fashionable

Our company holiday dinner last month was at a place called The La Jolla Strip club, which is a restaurant where you can prepare your own meat of choice. We had “Supervisor Superlatives” awards as a fun way to recognize each other, because we all know how hard we work. I was voted “Most Fashionable” by my fellow supervisors! My lovely co-workers know about my blog, so I highly think that it was coincidence that I was voted as such. In commemoration, I included in this week’s random iPhone pictures the cute certificate I received, along some of my photos that I posed on Pose and other photos I captured on Instagram. Hope you had a great New Year’s weekend!

An aptly named banquet room at the La Jolla Strip Club.

A shot I posted on Pose. This is the last of the Thanksgiving sale boots (Bongo by Axxiom from Must Have Shoes).

A new fabulous Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail color: Winter Funderland!

Another shot I posted on Pose. My go to uniform of late: rock t-shirt (OMD) + preppy cardigan.

H&M & the always dashing Bryan Ferry: A match made in my version of retail heaven!

Totally Random iPhone Pictures

You can stay healthy with these magazines.

These are some completely random iPhone pictures from the last couple of weeks, no true rhyme or reason. If you follow me on Twitter (@any2ndnow) or Instagram (any2ndnow), you will recognize some of these images. In the end, does it really matter why, when you start the randomness with stunning photos of Alan Wilder and Gerard Butler? No, it doesn’t.

Happy Friday!

Oh. My. Goodness. (Courtesy of The Red Radio)

Originally posted for comparison with the photo above. But do I really need a reason? (Courtesy of Comic Vine Forum)

I have been reminiscing about when I met Alan Wider last year (hence the first photo). This was one of at least ten items he autographed for me. He said “Wow, this takes me way back…” Was it the fact that it was his first EP as Recoil or that it was actually on vinyl? Methinks both.

Aren’t these just pretty?

My companion while at jury duty (thanks Janice for loaning it to me). Read all 358 pages!

If only I had planned it right, I would have dressed like her for Halloween…

Dominic says, “Let it be…”

I love my little family *sigh*

Wore this in honor of my father on Veteran’s Day: it was one of his first uniform shirts.

FTC Disclosure: Although this is a sponsored post, the opinions, pictures & content of this post are strictly my own.

Randomness: Me, Myself & I From A to Z

I saw this great “All About Me” post on All These Pretty Things and Beautifully Invisible (who got it from Smaggle Style). I loved how simple it is, yet how much it allowed you to get to know the person posting it. I hope you like mine and if you are so inclined, please participate and post a link of your own A to Z!

A. Age: 41. Yes, it is true. If I were going to lie, I’d say I was at least 30!

B. Bed size: Queen right now. We need to get a California King to properly fit my 6’4” hubby.

C. Chore that you hate: Tidying up. With a two year old, I have to do it, but I hate it. If I didn’t, I’m sure I’d appear on Hoarders or something.

D. Dogs: We don’t have one, but my husband wants one badly.

E. Essential start to your day: A little nosh & nom in the form of some kind of breakfast food & espresso.

F. Favorite color: Cobalt blue and black.

G. Gold or Silver: Truly, silver but rose gold is really growing on me.

H. Height: 5’4”. Yup, a foot shorter than my husband.

I. Instruments you play: I am a classically trained pianist. I own a piano, two keyboards and a drum machine. I guess I was also training to be a future member of Depeche Mode.

J. Job title: Operations Supervisor for a pharmaceutical development company; Mommy; Wife; Blogger.

K. Kids: We have a beautiful boy named Dominic who is currently two and a half. He’s kinda cool.

L. Live: San Diego, CA.

M. Mother’s name: Colita.

N. Nicknames: Cy (used by most everyone); Ate (Tagalog loosely translated as older sister pronounced as “ah-tee”, used by my sister); Cyril (used by my mom); Auntie (used by my niece); Honey (used by my hubby); Mama (used by my son)

O. Overnight hospital stays: Only when I had my son. We were there for 3 days because I had a scheduled cesarean section.

P. Pet peeves: Ignorance, lack of hospitality, impoliteness, condescension.

Q. Quote from a movie:

“People are always saying that change is a good thing. But all they’re really saying is that something you didn’t want to happen at all… has happened.” Kathleen Kelly from You’ve Got Mail.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life starts going okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces.” Bridget Jones from Bridget Jones’s Diary

(I like this quote thing, so I added more of my favorite quotes that are not from movies.)

Quote from a TV show:

“If you prick me – do I not… leak?” Lt. Commander Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation episode The Naked Now

Lt. Tasha Yar: What I want now is gentleness. And joy… and love. From you, Data; you are fully functional, aren’t you?
Lt. Cmdr. Data: Of course, but…
Lt. Tasha Yar: How fully?
Lt. Cmdr. Data: In every way, of course. I am programmed in multiple techniques. A broad variety of pleasuring.
Lt. Tasha Yar: Oh! You jewel, that’s exactly what I hoped!

(Above quote also from Star Trek: The Next Generation episode The Naked Now)

“[In response to a stupid comment] You have to stop the Q-Tip when there’s resistance.” Chandler Bing from Friends

Quote from a song:

“Let tomorrow and today/bring a life of ecstasy” Alan Wilder, If You Want

“Easily and elegantly/Tear my world apart” Martin Gore, Surrender

“I survive on the breath you are finished with” John Mayer, Come Back To Bed

R. Right or left handed: Originally left, but my mom switched me to right when I around four years-old.

S. Siblings: One amazing younger sister who has an equally amazing daughter.

T: Time you wake up: 4:30 am because my shift starts at 6am.

U. Underwear: Always!

V. Vegetable you hate: Eggplant, bitter melon & okra. Ewww.

W. What makes you run late: Me. I am my own worst time enemy.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Lungs, teeth & other parts that I won’t mention here.

Y. Yummy food that you make: Most any baked good. No, really. My father was a great chef, especially baking. I feel I have taken after him.

Z. Zoo animal: Pandas, koalas, penguins, tigers and elephants (oh my). I love the San Diego Zoo.

(Top image courtesy of TechPP)

Randomness: Happy Friday!

By the time this posts, I will be finishing up a few wonderful days in Palm Springs with the family. We decided to take a mini-break so that Deon could get in a few days of golf while Dominic and I lounge around the pool, sleep in and do a little shopping. While we relax a bit, here are some random items to take you into the weekend. Happy Friday!

Fantastic fashionable find

I’m always glad to turn others on to sites that will help make their lives more fashionable. My friend Andrea turned me onto this great site for gals to find boots with just the right fit. Wide Calf Boots City is a site with links to different places to get boots with wider shafts to properly and comfortably fit your calf. Sites include Zappos, Endless and Shoe Mall.

Come and knock on our door!

Last week, my friend Kimberly, who is in town for the month asked a bunch of us to meet her at The Regal Beagle. I asked, “Like the bar in Three’s Company?!” Sure enough, there it was, tucked away on India Street in Mission Hills, next to El Indio and Shakespeare Pub, up the street from Lucha Libre. I had to take a picture of the sign, but I’ll do a more robust post on it at a later time because the atmosphere was fun, the beers were cold and the food looked great.

Was that REALLY 26 years ago?

A reader named David emailed me and asked if I could scan my ticket from the Depeche Mode concert I went to in 1985 because he collects ticket stubs. I thought it would be cool to include the image here. Check out the price of the ticket. If only concerts cost that much now!

Hello to a new sponsor!

Cheap prices on hot titles like these every day.

I’d like to say a quick hello and thank you to a new sponsor: ValueMags.com and MagsDirect.com. Periodically, you’ll see little mini ads like the one above on my posts. When you click on the ad, you can check out great deals on subscriptions to your favorite magazines.

A Week in iPhone Pictures

This was a very busy week, so I’ll just post a few pictures taken with my iPhone. This device is one of the best things I’ve ever owned because it combines all the things I need at a moment’s notice (music, camera, phone). Hope you all have a great weekend!