So... Did Amy Put Out For Blogger Prom?!

I know it's hard to believe, stunning, charming and engaging as I am, that I NEVER went to prom. Or any school dance or party for that matter. No prom, no homecoming, no jr high mixer, no Sadie Hawkins. I did ask two boys out in high school. One for Sadie Hawkins and one for, I think, senior prom, and both turned me down. Excuse me while I go carve the word "why" into my forearm and rock back and forth slowly to the St Elmo's Fire piano theme song...

OK, I'm back. Honestly, I don't feel too bummed about missing out on that part of the teenage experience. It really wasn't my scene (read: I was a total dork and miserably unhappy in my teens). But when my friend, Marsha, aka SweatPantsMom invited me to the 2010 Blogger Prom at Yamashiro in Hollywood, well I got all tingly inside and promptly began to practice writing my new name in cursive: Mrs Amy Sweatpantsmom.

Seriously, I checked the box "YES" and threw the note back to her and it was official: I scored a date to Blogger Prom. No small feat as Blogger Prom invited, I'm guessing, 100 or so of the hottest bloggers in SoCal to attend this shindig. I was told there were 220 people expected to attend which included dates, like myself.

This year's theme was old Hollywood glamour and I was impressed at the way people really got decked out - boas, long gloves, fedoras, oh my! I threw on a dress that I bought for a friend's wedding a few years ago. It looked a little more "dress I bought for a friend's wedding a few years ago" than Hollywood glam, but it was nice. My shoes were really cute, so there. You can visit the Blogger Prom blog (how appropriate) to see some photos of the great outfits!

It was a really fun night of drinking, eating and drinking and eating... and of course, networking and socializing. Being a mother and a former LAMomsBlog contributor, I'm usually invited to "Mommy Blogger" events and while I did see some of my mom blogger friends there, it was a refreshing change of scenery to see and meet so many other types of bloggers. Bloggers who have never changed a diaper or spent their Friday night at Mickey's Magic Show and considered it a BIG outing (yes, that's where my boyfriend and I are taking my daughter tonight. It's a family night "date".)

Sweatpantsmom gets her taco!

My favorite consumptions of the night were the Pinky cocktail made with Pinky Botanical Vodka. Strong and yum! This amazing thing called "Cheese Sex" - creamy, salty cheese spread on a slab of peanut brittle? I shit you not. And the world's cutest cup of carnitas on rice that I've ever had. There was so much to eat, I didn't get to it all, but I left Yamashiro stuffed like a gyoza.

That's the Cheese Sex, in the middle & that's my Pinky cocktail right next to it!!

See! Super cute (the carnitas, not me)!

The BEST part about Blogger Prom 2010, however, was the charity recipient, Operation Frontline L.A. The good folks there are fighting hunger and teaching low income families to shop for and prepare low-cost, healthy meals. 100% of the proceeds for Blogger Prom went to this worthy cause and you can read more about it here.

A huge thank you to the Blogger Prom committee for a super fun evening! And I didn't even have to take my dress off! I'm happy to report that Sweatpantsmom was a complete gentleman.

Follow Your Heart & Chow DOWN!

Hey SF Valley friends... Just a quick note to let you know about this awesome Screamin Coupons deal that is on sale now!


This is one of my favorite restaurants and I'm not a vegetarian. It's a vege restaurant in Canoga Park (next to Woodland Hills) called FOLLOW YOUR HEART and they also have a great little natural food and health products store in front. 


The specialties are their made from scratch soups, Mexican plates and amazing milkshakes!

Use this link to get $20 worth of food at Follow Your Heart for only $10!

And if you haven't signed up for Screamin Coupons yet, here's an additional deal. Sign up with my special link and get a $5 credit, so that will be only $5 for $20 worth of food. You can use the credit for something else if you want and it is free to register. 

$5 Credit Sign Up Link!!

Screamin Coupons works just like Groupon, but it's better because it's a local company and they give back 5-10% of their profits to local schools and non-profits. Even cooler? You get to choose a local recipient when you register so you know the percentage of YOUR Screamin Coupons purchases goes to a school/non-profit that you designate. Such an easy way to give back to your community while saving some money on things you love!

Have a great day and maybe  I'll see you at Follow Your Heart. I'm going to buy my coupon right now!

My Week in Hong Kong

With my friend, Sheri & Jami, Take Out Comedy Club owner

My week in Hong Kong is coming to a close. My friend, Sheri, and I will head out tomorrow night and arrive home in Los Angeles - magically - the same night. I love that time travel thing.

An amazing skyline & two awesome chicks!

This was my first trip to Hong Kong and I have to say it is quite an amazing city. Crowded and intense, yet efficient and orderly. It's filthy and clean at the same time. Clean for the number of people squished into one place, at least. Hong Kong is 6x the size of teeny little Washington D.C. but has over 7 million people. That's a LOT of people. Fortunately, they are mostly small. Hee hee.


But yes, grimy and gritty like a metro area should be and it stinks, just like NYC but unlike the Big Apple that I love so dearly, there isn't trash in the streets, graffiti on the walls or general vandalism. For the most part, people here follow the rules and respect public spaces and property. It is a safe city with an extremely low crime rate. Let's face it: Asians (not Asian Americans) make good lemmings. It is part of their culture and it is why over 7 million people can live in a small space and not steal stuff from each other


This city is the city that really doesn't sleep. There's an amazing night life and party atmosphere any day of the week if you just look in the right place.


The shows I headlined at Jami Gong's, Take Out Comedy Club, were a ton of fun and I really hope I get to go back again soon.

The food, of course, is amazing. I only wish we had had more time to visit some locals-only places, but we did find a couple great ones. We also had dim-sum three times and I loved every bite. Well, OK, I didn't LOVE the chicken feet, but they weren't all bad.


...well, I started writing this when I was in Hong Kong and now I'm home in Los Angeles. It has been a week and I'm still not fully recovered! It really was intense. 

I think my favorite parts of Hong Kong were getting out of the city and going to peaceful Lantau Island where the Big Buddha is. And it really IS big! And actually just walking around and seeing the locals in action and meeting the many ex-pats who populate the landscape. It was an eye-opening experience to see so many caucasian people in the minority. 


If you like to travel, Hong Kong should be on your must-see list. It is truly one of the great cities of the world. Sorry to sound like a cheesy travel book, but it really is! I'm totally hooked. Next time I go, however, I hope it's not during the humid/hot season and I'd like to go over to Macau Island to do the world's highest bungy jump! WOOHOO!! Here's to next time!

M-I-C...K-E-Y is MAGIC!!

I mentioned a little while ago that I am going to be taking my three year old daughter to a Disney Live! production later this month and I wanted to remind you of the details in case you're interested... 

The show is called Mickey's Magic Show and I'm SO excited to take Aubrey! This will be her first large scale, theatrical performance viewing so I'm sure she will be blown away by it. Honestly, I think I will be too. I've attended many Disney events since becoming a mom and they always do it up right, sparing no expense to make a memorable and magical experience for kids of all ages. 

I have always loved magic and Mickey's Magic Show is a combination of world class magicians and illusionists working alongside the beloved Disney characters, including Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, the princesses and more, to create a family show of oohs and ahhs that everyone will love.

Aubrey is a big Mickey Mouse fan and she also falls for that "I've got your nose" trick EVERY time, so I think this show will be a winner! 

Mickey's Magic Show is touring across the United States through April 2011. To find the performance nearest you, visit the Mickey's Magic Show website. I hope you can make a performance and if you do, please come back and tell me what you thought! I'll be sharing my afterthoughts too.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Mickey's Magic Show

I have a three year old and that means there is a lot of Disney action in our house. Last year, Aubrey got invited to her first Mickey Mouse event and I have to be honest, I wasn't sure if she knew who he was at that point, but apparently she did. As soon as she say the costumed character, she wanted to hug him immediately! Now when I'm trying to get her to look at the camera for a picture, I yell, "Aubrey look! It's Mickey Mouse!" Works every time... heh heh. (Don't worry. I'll cough up the green for her therapy bills later.)


We just found out that Disney Live! has a new Mickey Mouse show and we can't wait to go! It's called Mickey's Magic Show and we are thrilled that they are coming to SoCal and right down the freeway in Thousand Oaks too. 


In Mickey's Magic Show, world class magicians will perform family appropriate magic based on the beloved Disney movies. Of course, costumed characters Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Cinderella and more will be there too so it should be a fantastic night for the family.


Mickey's Magic Show just hit the road this Labor Day weekend and is crossing the entire US through April 2011. Check their website to find the location nearest you.

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!

My little schoolgirl!

Today is my birthday. At least it's the day that I celebrate as my birthday. Many of you know my little orphan backstory... I was abandoned on the streets of Seoul, South Korea, at the Yongsan Train Station on September 3, 1972. I was estimated to be two days old, so... September 1st was the birthdate I was given. It Could be correct or slightly off, so I guess we'll never know if my numerology charts are accurate or not. Dang.


Well, I'm officially 38, as far as I'm concerned and I really enjoy getting older. I love my birthday and like most people, I've never felt the need to lie about my age. Maybe because I still look 8-10 years younger than I am, but I don't want to brag. Let's face it, it's one of the great advantages of being of Asian descent. That and the ability to pretend you don't speak-y Engrish in difficult situations and then just walk away. It really works. 


Today is also my little Aubrey's first day of fall preschool! She already went for the entire summer, so it's just another day to her, but she will have some new classmates and will also be attending 5 days a week instead of 3 now. I'm so proud of my little turkey! She's a keeper. (Check back in with me in 10 years though.)


Better run. It's almost time to pick her up. Have a great September 1st everyone and if you need an excuse to enjoy a piece of cake today, please, feel free to use me.