Category Archives: Randomness

Any Second Now 2013 in Review

(The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.)

“The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 32,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 12 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.”

Happy New Year again to you all! I’d like to share with followers of Any Second Now my stats for the year 2013. It was quite the busy year for me, and I just wanted to say thank you for following along my crazy little life. According to this WordPress Annual Report (click here to see the complete report), my most viewed post this year was an outfit post, called “I Confess“, which featured The English Beat shirt I bought from the concert I attended back in January last year. Next most viewed was when I got to meet Peter Hook the following month. This goes to show the interest in my blog has evolved and changed, and I’m so honored to know I’m reaching a different audience, outside of fashion.

Thanks again to all of you who take the time to read my humble little blog. Here’s to more fun in 2014, cheers!

From the outfit post “I Confess“, February 1 2013

From the post “Unknown Pleasures: Meeting Peter Hook of Joy Division & New Order“, February 4 2013

BonLook Giveaway WINNER!

A winner has been selected for a pair of BonLook glasses: Please help me congratulate Bree! Looks like you can replace the pair held together with tape my dear!

BonLook will contact you by email directly with the details on receiving your new glasses*. Yay Bree!

FTC Disclosure: The winner of a pair of BonLook glasses was chosen at random using Math Goodies. This post and the initial contest announcement post (seen here) were in partnership with BonLook, and I received product.

*FYI – Shipping is not included

More Holiday Happenings at Fashion Valley!

Fashion Valley is turning out to be a holiday place to be for 2013! Here is some information on how you can make the most of this holiday at Fashion Valley, including more information about their new personal shopper service. Hint: it involves a lovely San Diego Style Bloggers contributor! Have a wonderful weekend!

Ring in the Holiday Season at Fashion Valley

Tree-lighting, holiday carols and good ole’ St. Nick to add to festive cheer

Tis the season to experience holiday magic, and Fashion Valley has plenty of festive cheer to go around.

To welcome the season of Santa, gifts and gratitude, Fashion Valley is hosting its annual Holiday Kick-off Tree-Lighting Event on November 23 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Elevator Court, near the Prada store.

The kick-off event, which is slated to be emceed by San Diego 6 anchor Heather Myers, will include a festive show by the Salvation Army brass band as they perform popular holiday carols. After the band serenades the crowd with joyful tunes, a local San Diego family will join Santa on stage to help light Fashion Valley’s glittering tree.

Throughout the event, guests are invited to help children in need by visiting Salvation Army’s Gingerbread House located next to Santa’s unique holiday home. Hosted by The Salvation Army’s Santa’s Little Helpers, the Gingerbread House will be decorated with tags displaying a child’s name, age and gift wish. Guests are encouraged to take a tag and return with a gift, or an American Express® Simon Giftcard®, for the child that they selected.

And what would a holiday celebration be without gifts? The first 200 revelers in line to make the nice list will receive Fashion Valley swag bags filled with retailer gifts and a holiday-themed book for little ones.

After Santa finishes mingling and jingling with everyone on the nice list, he will take his place in his winter wonderland in Center Court, where he will pose for photos and listen to holiday wishes through Christmas Eve. Santa will even pose with furry family members on November 24 and December 8 from 6:30pm to 7:30pm on special Santa Pet Photo Nights.

Families and visitors can get into the holiday spirit by posing with a 20-foot Christmas tree, featuring strands of twinkling lights and festive ornaments in a variety of colors and shapes.

To add to the holiday memories, seasonal entertainment from local organizations and groups will be available on select days throughout December. Fashion Valley will also surprise and delight loyal shoppers who have made the center their retail destination of choice. Fashion Valley’s mall management “elves” will greet and reward shoppers who have been on their best behavior this year with surprise treats and goodies throughout the holiday season.

Fashion Valley’s Holiday Kick-Off Tree Lighting Event is free and open to the public. For more information, please call (619) 297-3381 or visit www.simon.com.

Fashion Valley Saves the Holi-day with New Personal Shopper Service

New Amenity Enhances Customer Shopping Experience

Don’t know where to start with your holiday gift list? Stressing over finding the perfect outfit to wear to your holiday office party?

Have no fear, Fashion Valley has you covered with a new personal shopper service, just in time for the rush of the holiday season.

“Our goal is for each customer to enjoy a quality, convenient shopping experience at Fashion Valley,” said Robert Doherty, mall manager at Fashion Valley. “The personal shopper program is a fantastic amenity for those looking to save time or just enjoy a customized shopping visit.”

Gift shopping is a breeze this year, with Fashion Valley’s new personal shopper service, meant to help customers save time this season.

Focused on enhancing the customer shopping experience, this personalized amenity is available in time for holiday shopping and can be enjoyed by anyone.

During the initial complimentary engagement, which typically lasts up to two-hours, Fashion Valley’s personal shopper Lisa Moore of San Diego style blog Mona Lisa Marie, will work with customers through style assessments conducted by phone or in person.

“Fashion can really be an expression of individual personality,” said Moore, a professional in the healthcare field who works at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego by day. Moore began blogging and styling as a creative outlet to express her passion for fashion. “I’m thrilled to be help shoppers display their individuality through styling, and help them save time while doing so.”

As a solution to the stress that can sometimes come with holiday shopping, Fashion Valley’s personal shopper can either function like a concierge service and do the shopping for you, or to escort you on a custom shopping tour of the center, to help with your tough-to-tackle gift list or holiday fashion dilemmas.

“We encourage the custom tour of the center, because it allows shoppers to really maximize the experience and pick up some shopping and style tips along the way,” said Moore.

Should customers decide to use Fashion Valley’s personal shopper for additional services, Moore’s rate is $50 per hour.

(Thank you again to Noelle from Curator PR for allowing me to share these exciting happenings at Fashion Valley! Photos 1 & 2 courtesy of Fashion Valley. Photo 3 taken by me at the J.Jill grand opening.)

Happy Halloween 2013!

Just a quick little post to wish everyone a Happy Halloween. This year, my son decided he wanted to be Iron Man, so included is a picture of Dominic and my niece Mei-Lin as Wonder Woman, right before they attended a birthday party last weekend. My sister took the picture and I love how the flash reflected off of Dominic’s chest, giving the effect of the Arc Reactor lighting up! The second picture is a throwback picture of me in the very early 90’s at the tender age of 21 or 22, when I was Left Eye of TLC. Have a wonderful and safe night!

BonLook Giveaway!

It’s definitely no secret I absolutely adore BonLook glasses (I own four pairs myself). Which makes me very excited to announce that I have teamed up with BonLook so that one lucky Any Second Now reader can win your favorite pair! Here’s how:

1. Leave a comment on this post with which style you would like to win (they have an awesome selection!)

2. Click on the link below to enter your email address

BonLook and Any2ndNow.com Giveaway! Enter now for a chance to win your favourite pair of BonLook glasses!

3. Sign up for their newsletter here

The contest ends November 30, 2013. Good luck to all!

(Pictured clockwise, from top left: La Marquise in Black; Eva in Sepia Kiss c/o; Honeybadger in Chocolate Tortoise; Cavalier in Burgundy)

Morse High Class of 1988 Celebrates 25 Years

It’s hard to believe I just recently had my high school reunion…and that it was 25 years since I graduated! It was a fun-filled weekend, beginning with part one at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery in La Jolla on Saturday August 17th. Part two was a family picnic held at Glorietta Bay Park in Coronado the following day. I was on the committee for our 10 year reunion, so I thought it would be fun to be a part of the 25th one (the 10 year reunion was larger and at the US Grant). We did have a smaller more intimate 20 year reunion back in 2008, but my husband and I were unable to attend because we were in London at that time. Our 25th year also marked the 50th year anniversary of our school, Samuel F.B. Morse High School, “Home of The Tigers”! It was fantastic to see old friends and classmates again. Someone mentioned that although we didn’t get together that much in person, we can remain somewhat up to date with each other’s lives because of social media, especially Facebook. I’m also glad to see that the reunion spirits didn’t stop that weekend, as many of my Tiger buddies are getting together and hanging out again. These are just a few of the many pictures taken that weekend, and if you are a class of 1988 Tiger reading this or know someone who is, we have a Facebook page where you can catch up with other fellow Tigers, and see additional pictures. Hope you had a great weekend!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/morse1988/

Treasures from our time capsule. I’d like to take credit for adding the Depeche Mode cassette tapes, but that’s not my writing. But that is me in the yearbook picture above. I was the layout editor. I guess things haven’t changed that much!

Our class president, Nancy Cawley (formerly Rabelas), introducing the committee.

The reunion committee. Lots of hard work was put in by my fellow Tigers!

Lots-o-photos of the night!

Tigers who couldn’t make it due to distance or other obligations could join in the fun via our live stream (that’s Romeo Cruz, who chatted with some of our classmates). We had it aimed at the dance floor. Oh how I love technology!

Music for the evening was provided by 3-Style Attraction DJ’s. They played Depeche Mode and New Order, as requested. Thanks James and Ray!

If you watch professional football, you will know this fellow Morse 1988 alumni. If you don’t, this is Lincoln Kennedy, formerly of the Atlantic Falcons and more notably of the Oakland Raiders. He was on the Raiders team that played the Superbowl here in San Diego against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This is Roger Bradley, my prom date back in 1988. We thought it would be fun to pose together again. We matched much better back in 1988!

My prom date for life. This picture was taken by Angie Benedicto.

Pictures from the picnic the following day. We brought my niece Mei-Lin to join in on the fun with Dominic.

The kids had lots of fun activities like a scavenger hunt, water guns, and tattoo art!

My hubby said, “I want to play golf over there…” And so he did!

The Children of 80’s Teenagers

Growing up in the 80’s, it would be fitting that my sister and I should have our children dress accordingly. Or, at the very least, wear shirts of our favorite groups from the 80’s. As if on cue, Dominic decided the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were among his favorite superheroes (just like daddy) and he likes The Best of The Human League (he can find the album on my iPod without assistance). Dominic can sing nearly all the words to the Royskopp version of “Puppets” and if you ask him, he can tell you mama’s favorite group is Depeche Mode, all of which tickles the soul of my inner 80’s teen. Who knows, maybe Mei-Lin will like Jem and the Holograms? I think she’ll stick to Hello Kitty for now.

Oh yeah, it’s tricky!

Mei-Lin was totally 80’s back when she was three, with leg-warmers AND side ponytail!

Dominic in the same shirt. Can I call it “vintage” rather than “hand-me-down”?

A little Flash Dance, Mei-Lin’s outfit was courtesy of yours truly (she added the Hello Kitty). I think I wore the exact same thing in the 80’s!

Of course Dominic has a Depeche Mode shirt. Was there any doubt?

I found that John Cusack shirt at Hot Topic a several years ago, intending to turn it into a pillow. I’m glad I saved it so that Mei-Lin could rock it!

TURTLE POWER!

Birthday Goodness

I spent my birthday a bit differently than usual. It started off with a call from my husband, who was out of town with family in Las Vegas. Then it continued with a birthday potluck and cake from my wonderful team at work, lots of Facebook birthday wishes, presents from my sister and niece, and ended with the Poshmark party at The W Hotel, where I met so many wonderful people (lots of San Diego Style Bloggers were present). Not only did I see Paulina of the blog Lil Bits of Chic and Pat and her daughter of the blog PatFlor, but I got to hang out with the beautiful Alessandra of My Fatshion Diary again (I last saw her at the Shimmer event). I also met new blogger friends: Bianca of The In Between Girls, Laura of Laura Neuzeth, and Eunice of E Glam Style. I also got to meet Heidi and Maria of Poshmark, and Poshmark user Jillian Alyson…who we’re trying to encourage to start her own blog!

I took the following day off so that I could pick up my husband from the airport and we spent a relaxing day with our son. All in all, a very easy-going birthday. The next few days will bring light festivities with my husband, son, mom and my sister’s family, ending with a dinner on Mother’s Day. In the meantime, I thought I’d post a few pictures of my day, and I want to thank Poshmark for the invite to their lovely party. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Pretty birthday flowers and colorful balloons at my desk at work

Pressies from my niece and sister

At The W Hotel for the San Diego Poshmark Party

Posh party people

My birthday drink (specially made by the bartender)

With Jillian Alyson, new friend and Poshmark user

With Laura of the blog Laura Neuzeth and Alessandra of the blog My Fatshion Diary. I love this picture (look, we’re all wearing blazers)!

(The last photo is courtesy of Poshmark, and more photos of the fun San Diego event can be found on their Facebook page)

Another Weekend in South Park

Yes, it’s true! This past Saturday, Dominic and I ventured into South Park yet again. Can you tell I love that neighborhood? This time, I got some great pictures of The Grove at Juniper & 30th, which we visited during the South Park Wild West Walkabout (posts here and here). I really went back to The Grove to buy an adorable bird print blouse by Everly, similar to a blouse that I bought from ModCloth recently. I didn’t quite understand the concept of the store when I first went during the Walkabout because it was full of people and I couldn’t get around like I would have liked. But because we went during a regular non-event weekend, I got more of a sense of this fantastic space. It’s much bigger than I remember and there is quite a bit going on at The Grove: it’s a book nook, clothing boutique, kitchen shop and creative space all in one. They even have sewing and knitting classes. I picked up the blouse that I wanted, and a couple of things for Dominic as well (a story book and a cute little toy dump truck).

The clothing area. The blouse I bought is just past the mirror (outfit post to come!).

Look how large the space is, perfect for sewing and knitting classes!

Dominic found goodies for himself, too.

The bathroom/fitting room, way cute!

Afterwards, we had a delicious dish of ice cream at The Daily Scoop, then we walked around a bit more, of course heading back over to Bad Madge, Make Good and Junc Life & Style. I want to send a big thank you to Jeffrey, owner of Junc Life & Style for your kind words on your Facebook page about my post (I wore my hat when I went in on Saturday)! We didn’t have dinner planned, so we picked up a pepperoni, sausage and mushroom pizza at Mazara Trattoria. My husband has fallen for said pizza and we are now in plans to have a sit down meal there soon. We devoured that pizza before I remembered to take picture of it for the blog. All the more reason to go back!

Lemon Custard ice cream in a waffle bowl. So. Yummy.

What a deal: $22 for these beauties at Bad Madge (the Everly blouse from The Grove is underneath)!

Dominic has been an excellent little boy this week (he’s already such a great kid, he’s just been extraordinary this week), so we rewarded him with a superhero outfit from So Childish. He wore the cape and mask for the rest of our walk and posed next to the yarn bombed bike in front of Graffiti Beach. Heads were turning as we walked around South Park and Dominic asked, “Mama, why is everyone looking at me?” I explained, “It’s not everyday they see a superhero walking around!”

Pink Candles in My Burning Kitchen

Two weekends ago, I had the pleasure of meeting two local ladies who are food bloggers. Darlene of My Burning Kitchen discovered my blog due to a link on M-Theory’s Facebook page to my post about Peter Hook. She contacted me through Twitter and we started to chat. Through Darlene, I met the lovely rocker girl of Pink Candles at Ridgemont High (I will respect her choice to remain annonymous, so I’ll just call her Pink Candles). Both have posted very sweet comments on my blog, and through email exchanges, we discovered that we each have quite a few things in common, mainly to do with loving the 80’s. Darlene shares my love of Duran Duran and groups like Depeche Mode and New Order. Pink Candles is more a hard rocker, which actually equates to our mutual love of metallic spikes and edge in our style (she had killer boots on when we met up). After a few Tweets and many emails later, we decided it would be fun to meet up.

Pink Candles arranged when and where, which I fully supported because I definitely would trust food bloggers to pick a more than suitable place to eat! She choose the Eclipse Chocolat Bar & Bistro in eclectic South Park. It was the perfect time of day to have their Sweet & Savory Bunch special, which is $16 for three plates. After having a salted mocha with homemade marshmellows, I started brunch with the rosemary potato wedges in a burnt caramel hollandaise sauce. Very savory indeed! Sadly, I don’t recall what Darlene and Pink Candles each had for their starters.

Next we had our main dishes, all pictured below. Darlene had the grilled panini (left), I had the build-a-benedict topped with brown sugar-pulled pork with a chile burnt caramel hollandaise sauce (middle), and Pink Candles had the mushroom thyme quiche (right). We all shared bits of our main dishes with each other and although my dish was very good, I liked Pink Candles choice of quiche. That flaky pastry was quite heavenly.

We closed with the sweet portion of brunch. I think it was an accident that both Darlene and Pink Candles ordered the same dessert, which was the burnt caramel apple cobbler. Now, that was a very interesting and very savory dessert because it was spicy, sweet, creamy and rich. The chile burnt caramel hollandaise sauce blended well with my build-a-benedict so the heat of the spice was more mild. But the spice was very prominent when used over the cobbler. I’m going to have to bring my girls Janice and Regi here, because I have found a new favorite dessert, which was the frozen peanut butter mousse. All elements of this dessert worked so well together and I just couldn’t get enough, even though I was a bit full from my starter and main dish. Next time, I will go there just for that dessert with a cup of coffee. So. Good.

After brunch, we strolled around South Park for a little bit, taking in some shopping. Pink Candles bought a few goodies and I vowed to go back there after Lent and explore more in depth the stores that we visited that day: Bad Madge, The Make Good, Junc Life & Style and Graffiti Beach.

And finally, pictured below are the desserts that both Darlene and Pink Candles each made and brought to share (as the sole fashion blogger not knowing this food blogger ritual, I came empty handed). Pink Candles made the yummy blueberry mochi cake and Darlene made the equally delicious yellow cake with sour cream chocolate frosting (the cake & frosting recipes are on her blog here). Pink Candles even made beautiful earrings for each of us (I have wore my pair to the Alicia Keys concert). I like this ritual, and I will definitely bring something the next time we all meet up! I have found new friends in Darlene and Pink Candles, and you can be sure that this will not be the only time I go on an outting with these beautiful and fun food bloggers.

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