Let's Make a Deal Delivers the Goods

Just a recap, Donna and I went on Let's Make a Deal when it was taping here in Las Vegas last year, Sept 25, 2009 to be exact. They no longer tape here, they've move to Los Angeles. It was almost a year before they aired our show, which meant no prizes until then. Our show # 1011 aired last week so I was wondering how long before they would ship out the prizes, since the contract you sign states they have up to 3 months to deliver on them. Well, lo and behold, I received the prizes less than a week later. I was out of town for work, but when I got home, my husband ushers me into the office and there were some rather large boxes. I'm like, I didn't order anything, whatever could they be when it dawned on me that it was from LMAD. We excitedly opened the boxes. Yep there was the Beatles Rock Band for the PSP3 that we won, and also the Beatles's collection of CD and the Beatles Vision Box. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the shipping labels on the boxes. The PSP3 stuff came directly from Amazon.Com, but the Beatles Vision box came directly from 3 Doors Productions (in Burbank) the Let's Make a Deal production company. There was something used about the vision box, it was opened, the back of the box was soiled and the precious laminated to hold the CD's were bent. Like the TV (opened and used), the Beatles Vision Box was opened and had been used on the set as display. I'm hoping they are not expecting me to pay taxes on used goods, because someone at 3 Doors Production Company will be getting an earful-ya you Shannon! Well, at least my daughter is happy that she finally got her Beatles's Rock Band. Have to go now, I'm being called to sing!

Let's Make a Deal Finally Airs Our Show # 1011!

Well, it was almost a year that we were contestants on Let's Make a Deal and all I can say to CBS is, what was the big deal in holding up the earlier shows? After our taping on Sept 25, 2009, we were so excited that we were picked and won prizes, we told our friends and family to watch for the taping. After checking the airdates, we were so disappointed that our show was not listed. We were told that the early tapings were not as good and therefore were probably going to air at the end of the season which was August. At first they gave us the run around saying they weren't going to air during sweeps, then it was something else, then it was the move to L.A. and by then I was so fed up, I had given up all hope. Finally someone said that it would probably (operative word there, probably) air in August (she could have added when no one is watching). Well, it did air last week and after watching it, I'm like thinking it was no big deal. It was the same as all the other shows. Maybe the prizes weren't that great, heck I didn't win the $6,000 trip to Puerto Vallerta, but hey, I won a TV, Sony Playstation and other goodies. And maybe the camera added the 10lbs and 10 years to my look which I was willing to expose on national TV without pause, and maybe I came off as some Krazy Kooky Asian lady, and maybe in trying to get my co-worker (the other Donna) on the stage with me so she could get some air time, Wayne took it as she was my "life partner" (which there is nothing wrong with that) but we're friends, co-workers and not "partners". So in essence, old, fat and lesbian, I was willingly to have this all out there on TV, so CBS, what was the big deal? You disappointed a lot of contestants that participated in good faith during the first months of taping here in Las Vegas at the Tropicana, and yes, we are still waiting for our prizes. I just got stuff but Pocahontas on our show won the car. I guess she must be relieved that she will soon get it.
Watching our show, we were tickled, we giggled every time we saw ourselves and I was mortified to hear that my relatives taped it so that they could watch my royal kooky oldness over and over. Am I happy that we did it, yes but still disappointed that it didn't air sooner. Well, I guess that's Hollywood baby. I'm glad that it's over and now I can't wait to get the prizes-stay tuned!

Sedona, AZ

(view from our room!)

For a last hurrah for the summer, we took a short vacation, weekcation, to Sedona, AZ. We had been there years before staying only one night just to soak in the local beauty, but I really don't remember much beyond that. This time we stayed 3 nights. Booked The Best Western Inn of Sedona online. They had a good rate of $119.00 per night which is pretty middle of the road. At first I was like, I want to stay some place in town, but everything was so expensive closer to $200.00 per night and hey, this is not a major vacation, so $119.00 was just in my price range, even if it was a short drive out of town, which turned out to be only about less than a mile and really not a necessity to stay in town if you have a car. We drove from Las Vegas. Mapquest said 288 miles, or 4 1/2 hours with a warning about the dam construction. We took the dam anyway, hoping the delays wouldn't be that great, which it did slow us down for about 45 minutes. We stopped in Kingman for lunch and then it was about another 1 1/2 hours to Sedona. The drive after you turn off 40 to 17 and then to 89A was magnificent. The drive winds down from an elevation of 6500 to about 4500 in Sedona. I had to reign in my impatience at the slow cars that seemed to crawl even if it was posted 30 mph and just soak in the scenery and boy it was beautiful. We arrive at the Best Western and the nice lady said she upgraded our room to the second level terrace. Definitely ask for either the 2 or 3rd level rooms, they have the best views. We climb a short flight of stairs to be greeted with a magnificent view of the red rocks. It was gorgeous! The room was spacious and clean enough. The only bad comment I have to make is that the air conditioning unit roars rather loudly and therefore, I didn't have restful sleep. But all that aside, it was the view that made the room worth it. A large front of the room terrace was nice where you could sit out and watch the sun rise over the mountains and at night count the stars. They have free continental breakfast from 7-10 and free Internet in the rooms, which my daughter loved. The pool is small, but adequate with a nice hot tub.

But enough of resting, the next day it was off to Slide Rock State Park about 6 miles up the mountain you came down the previous day. Entrance to the park is $20.00 per car (up to 4 people). We were told to make sure to head out early because once the park fills up, they stop allowing cars in. We got there at 11:00 am dressed in surfer shorts and tankini's, water shoes and towels, we made the short trek to the river bed. On the way is a market where you can get snacks, drinks and stop for a pee break before heading down. There are no words to describe the awesome beauty of this place and imagine that they actually let you swim and slide your heart out in what should be a historically preserved park. It was beyond me. To be swimming among the red rock, walking over rocky shelves and swimming in nature's river was amazing. Be careful tho, the rocks are really slippery and you could break an arm or leg. The water is really cold but it didn't matter, because it was so beautiful to be swimming in such a natural place. We stayed till about 2pm, by then we were so starving. We drove back and stopped at the Dairy Queen, which turned out to be some popular tourist spot with a few local vendors selling jewelry. The service is excruciatingly slow so be patience. I think the guy takes the orders, makes the orders and takes the cash all while mopping the floors!

We wanted the next day to do the tubing, but unfortunately, we started out too late. The tubing company, Sedona Adventures Outfitters along route 89A suggest to get to the tubing location by 10:30-11:30. It's about an hour drive from Sedona toward Camp Verde, off highway 17. Tube rentals are $25.00 pp CASH only. We got side tracked by seeing all the monuments at Village at Oak Creek, Bell Rock, Chapel of the Holy Cross, that we never made it out and by the time we got to Camp Verde it was nearing 1:00. So instead we had a nice lunch at the Sonic in Camp Verde across from the Indian Casino. Get the foot long chili dog, yum!

Dining tip, the best Mexican restaurant in Sedona, The Javelina, try the green chile tamales, to die for! Nice patio dining.

Sedona, a beautiful place, wonderful scenery, and amazing fun, what more can one ask for?

The Red Box

I've discovered the Red Box! I have been walking by the Red Box every week when I went grocery shopping. At first I noticed it, something to do with rental dvd's. Why bother? Didn't I already have a Blockbuster card which held all my top secret credit card information and my preference in movie viewing? Didn't we just get a new Sony PSP3 player, where lo and behold, my daughter informs me we can rent right off the Sony PSP3 website delivered straight to the PSP player for immediate viewing. No getting in the car, going to the store and renting. Granted you have to buy a giftcard for the PSP3 and granted the PSP rentals are for a 24 hour period and is the same price if not more as the Blockbuster 5 day rental, but who needs 5 days right? And I thought the PSP3 was the next best thing since sourdough bread and butter, but nope I was wrong. I've discovered the Red Box! Why I stopped that one time to read the selection, I haven't a clue but what did grab my attention was the rental cost of, hold on to your seats! $1.00 for a 24 hour period. What! You can't buy gum for $1.00! With a little trepidation, my daughter and I made a selection, we choose Valentine's Day. Stuck my credit card in the slot (I'm always suspicious of phony credit card readers!). Took home the dvd, brought it back the next day, not a great inconvenience, since I go to that market every weekend. Checked my credit card statement and saw a charge of $1.08. No, this is crazy, dvd rentals for only a buck. The following week, we splurged and rented gasp! 2 dvds! Within a span of 3 weeks we've seen:

Valentine's Day

Shutter Island

Paranormal Activity

Young Victoria

Tooth Fairy

I'm hooked! Red Box, I love you! Just hope no one else discovers the Red Box, because I wouldn't want them to become so popular they raise the price, shush!

Gotta go now, I'm off to the Red Box, I'm dying to see Up in the Air!

I Love New York City-Cheap Eats-Cheap Treats

This much I thought I knew about New York City, it's expensive, it's expensive, it's expensive. We've traveled all over the world, yet we have never visited NYC. My grandparents on my dad's side lived in upstate New York and whenever we would visit we would never get the chance to go to NYC, maybe because my dad hated it with a passion. He's not a big city kind of guy. So it's taken me all these years to make it there, namely because my daughter arranged a family reunion in Boston, but that's another post.

Back to my first statement, well when I was first researching NYC hotels, it was hard to find a reasonable hotel within Time Square, but I happened upon a Priceline deal, New York Sheraton Towers on 7th and 53rd for only $218.00. I was a bit hesitant since my friend booked through Priceline for a hotel in Chicago and was greeted upon arrival with a curt "Oh you're the Priceline people!" (and not in a complimentary way). Not to worry. We fly in from DC on Jet Blue. I had asked the hotel if they had a shuttle from JFK and was informed that there are no shuttles for any of the hotels. Any hotel? Yes, any hotel. After you collect your luggage from baggage claim, there is an information stand where all you have to do is tell them your hotel and they will tell you the best way to get there. In our case, it was to take the Airtrain to Jamaica Station and then the E train to 7th. It was easy and inexpensive and took about 40 minutes which I'm guessing is probably a lot quicker than taking a cab what with all the traffic. We get out of the subway, drag our heavy luggage up the stairs to the street where we now have to find our hotel, when my daughter says there it is, right across the street. How nice! We check in. No mention that it is a Priceline, third party reservation. We are given a room on the 44th. One word, wow, the view is amazing, the room tho is ok. The hotel is a little careworn and needs some refurbishing, not to mention that there is a distinct odor of urine coming from the bathroom. As I go to pick up the phone to complain, my daughter and husband says to suck it up, a little bleach will take care of that. So we stay. We also have 44th floor club privileges, continental breakfast and hor d'ourves (is that the way you spell that? my daughter asks), not available on weekends, but during the week, a great bonus. Nice expansive continental, with cheeses, cereal, bagels, pastries, fruit, and best of all, my favorite self serve espresso machine. The cocktail hour brings, cheeses, meats, mini sliders, egg rolls and fruits. Really great and right down the hall from our room. The club also is equipped with computers and comfy chairs. Do I really need to leave my hotel at all?

Well, this is New York and New York is calling and I'm all about finding the deals. Our first night there, we came in kind of late, which for NYC nothing is really too late. We find a Japanese noodle restaurant, Sapporo, on 7th at 49th (152 W. 49th). The place is small with clean tables and crowded with Asians, a good sign! The menu is not complicated serving up noodle soup bowls laden with ramen noodles and veggies for around 8-9 dollars. Comforting, delicious and cheap!

Another great find is a restaurant called Bella Vita, right off 7th, 211 W. 43rd on the right side if you are walking down from 53. A tiny unassuming Italian eatery where I can spy from the doorway the chef hand throwing the pizza dough. There is a small wait and the restaurant is packed, another good sign. There is a deli case to the left where walk-ins can order food to go. We are ushered to a small table wedged in the middle. The menu is your typical Italian menu, but the food is anything typical. My daughter orders the eggplant parmigiana, Andy orders the pesto and I get the pasta Bolognese. A true test of a good Italian restaurant is how good their Bolognese is. They don't give bread, which was kind of disappointing, so we order the garlic knots, similar to the ones they make at Sabarro. Our pasta plates come out, hot and plentiful. Two words, crazy delicious! Everything was absolute perfection, but I must say the dinner prize was the pesto. Andy ordered it with spaghetti as it was over corkscrew pasta on the menu, but when he got it, it was over the corkscrew anyway. Needless to say, after one taste, all was forgiven. It was one of the best pesto I have ever eaten. Bright green, creamy, rich and nutty. The sauce would have made strips of shoe leather taste wonderful. My Bolognese was just as rich and meaty to rival anything I have ever eaten in Italy and my daughter's eggplant was sheer heaven. The pasta plates were around 12-16 dollars, a small price to pay for perfection. The pizza's looked amazing and delicious as well. The table next to us ordered the calamari appetizer which looked so crispy I had to restrain myself from reaching over and helping myself. Ah excuse me....

The best buys on the street are of course the independent vendors selling all those "pashmina" scarves for only $5.00. Make sure you open the package since some of them do have runs or flaws in the fabric, but a good deal none the less. I wish I had bought one in every color! I bought my daughter a splatter NY hoodie for about $20.00 (at Time Square) but those can be found on the way to the ferry for the statue of Liberty for $15.00! If you are lucky you might be there for the street fair, which is one of my all time favorite things to do when going shopping anywhere in the world. This one was on Broadway and then on Lexington Ave the following day. The best deals were the Murano necklace pendants with a colored ribbon. Cheaper than going to Venice, Italy! Another good bargain, leather belts for $4.00 and knockoff sunglasses 2 for $10.00. Speaking of knockoffs, I was excited to shop Canal Street to find some knock off purses. I had heard such fantastic stories. When we got there, it was basically the same unrecognizable purses that were in the shops at Time Square. The only knock off I could barely recognize were the terrible Coach knock offs, who would buy one that had the logo CE? Believe me I learned my lesson from Venice, Italy, where we ignorantly bought knock offs that had the initials of LX and FL (Louis Vittion and Fendi). Sorry no refunds. The purses sold for around 25-35 dollars and when you have to ask the salesperson what knockoff is it supposed to be, then that's pretty bad. Stick to buying at the outlet store ladies. You can buy a real Coach purse for $75.00! My suggestion for cheap buys is sticking with the "pashimas" and leather belts and watches. I got a very good buy on a white enamel watch for only $15.00.

I absolutely love New York and can't wait to go back. A foodies paradise and a shopper's dream. Not to mention, Phantom of the Opera was utterly beautiful, I wept. Did I feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, when she went to the SF Opera and wept during Carmen? not quite, but I still felt like weeping at the sheer beauty and grandeur of it all!

Let's Make A Deal-Finally!

On the airdates on the LMAD website, they finally have our show 1011 listed for airing 8/18! What it's only been 11 months, more laborious than giving birth! Not having our show air was like the elephant in the room. Well, we'll see, who knows, an earthquake could strike and all the old tapes could be destroyed!

On Parenting-This Much I Know

On Parenting:

This much I know:

My daughter is 12. We adopted her when she was 18 months, so we missed parenting her infant baby years. I imagine those must be the happiest times of joy and wonder. Don’t get me wrong, the entire experience of parenting is of joy and wonder. But, I’m thinking the pre-verbal years are the best.
We did have her for her terrible twos, but terrible they weren’t. She was still adjusting, getting acquainted with her new US home, so everything was just wonderful. She potty trained really quickly, maybe due to the fact that in China, they don’t keep the kids in diapers for too long what with the cost of diapers and all. When we first got her, her pant seam was split so one could easily put her on the potty. Not a diaper to be found anywhere in our group. Usually before the age of 2 Chinese kids are potty trained.

But by the time she was three however, when we moved back to California, and she in her new very big bedroom, she went through what must have been her terrible two’s or trying three's. She screamed nightly saying there were ghost in her room. She would cry for hours, so much so, that I told my husband, maybe we should hire an Anthropologist to see if our house was on a sacred Indian Burial Ground. Don’t be crazy he says, it’s just a phase and it was.
By the time she was four and in pre-school, talking was the problem. She wouldn’t shut up, so much so it became a behavioral issue at school. It’s just a phase my husband says, and it was a phase, a phase that lasted well into elementary school and on into middle school, where thankfully she has learned to keep silent in class. Whew!
In elementary school, I became concern that she was not quite grasping the concept of composition and grammar structure, so much so, I enrolled her into Sylvan, against my husband’s rolling his eyes and saying it’s just a phase. Ok, she’s our daughter and I expect her to be genius. I expect her to write volumes suitable for publishing at the age of 7. Well, after a few months of Sylvan and a lot of money later, (could work for you) we (I) decided I was being overly expectant and took her out.

At the age of 7 we enrolled her into private guitar lessons, which her teacher commented on how quickly she picked up things, (well, yeah, she’s got a new brain!). We rotated the guitar lessons with piano lessons. She definitely did not like the piano. Ok no piano. When she enrolled in middle school, she wanted to play in the orchestra but that required playing the violin. So it was on to playing the violin. Never mind we spent hundreds on guitar lessons. I'm hoping that somehow she'll parlay those lessons into some kind of talent, yeah right!

Middle school posed new problems and new phases. And as such, with each new phase, we can only hope it goes away quickly. I agonized that she was spending way too much time in front of the computer, but secretly hoping that it wouldn't end. The minute my sister-in-law let the words out of her mouth and spilling them into the universe, well be thankful she's not at the mall, our daughter said she was getting bored with the computer and maybe she could meet her friends at the mall if we would let her. Uh, I think not! Now go back to playing on the computer!

So now looking back on parenting retrospectively, these are the things I’ve learned:

Don’t worry too much about your child, it’s probably just a phase
Don’t expect them to be geniuses
Expect less get more
Don’t over react
Don’t spend too much dough on private tutors, they probably don’t need it (especially in elementary school!)
Don’t rush out and buy the latest thing for your kid, what will they have to look forward to?
Don’t spend tons of money on your child’s wardrobe, they’re kids, they grow too fast and don't care what they are wearing , at least not until middle school
Don’t expect them to be like the other kids, which in some ways is a good thing.

Don't worry, that computer phase where they are always playing their games on the computer doesn't last long so enjoy! Home entertainment will soon become extinct.

and lastly,

Practice practice, patience, because this too shall pass.

Book Review-A Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond

This story is a mother's worst nightmare. You glance away and in that one minute of inattention, you lose your life. You lose your child. How does one deal with something like that? The story's been done before, Deep End of the Ocean, by Jacquelyn Mitchard, which they made into a great movie, The Adam Walsh Story, heartbreakingly played by JoBeth Williams as the mother, and Kate Nelligan as the brave mother in Without A Trace. For this story, it centers around Abby, who isn't even Emma's mother, but who is engaged to her father and finds herself in that terrible situation. I think maybe in this case it would be a much greater case of loss and sorrow, to lose someone else's child, how could you live with yourself? How could you ever forgive yourself, even if everyone else does? Abby and Emma are shelling for sand dollars on the shores of Ocean Beach, where a foggy haze lingers over the sky. Abby looks away from Emma to take a photograph of a seal pup. When she looks up, Emma is nowhere to be found. Thus starts the heart wrenching search, a story of realization and determination. A story of faith and hope even when it seems everything is lost. A story of discovery and justice. Every street scene evokes the mood and atmosphere of my beloved city by the bay, San Francisco. Every chapter would elicit my response of I've been there, which is one of the reasons why I loved this book so much.

As with any good book, I hated for it to end, but hurry to the end I did, the suspense was killing me. I then turned it over to my 12 year old daughter to read. At first she was like, it's too slow, but with a little prodding, she quickly became engrossed and we had many a lively discussion on which actor would play who. She was so taken by the book, it became the subject of her final book project for her reading class in school. A great summer read and I can't wait till they turn this one into a movie!

Donna's Crock Pot Chili

I know it's almost approaching summer, but one last winter day meal and something I cooked last week, a little north wind was blowing (howling actually at 30 mph) so something soupy in a bowl was just the thing!

In a skillet, heat up some olive oil, add 1/2 onion chopped and soften. Add 1/2 green bell pepper, cook for about 5 minutes, add 1lb ground turkey cook till brown.

Put all of the above in crock pot, add 1 can crushed tomatoes (large can) and 1 can of beef broth. Add three cans of red (cooked) kidney beans (rinse before adding to pot). Season with salt, pepper, chili powder, about 3 T, cumin 2t, and 1 jalapeno pepper with most of the seeds removed (I just keep a few seeds for heat). Add 2 cloves chopped garlic and cook on high for 6 hours.

Top it off with either sour cream, cheese, and avocado!

Delicious!

Doubletree Disneyland

Last week was my daughter's long awaited trip to her Fine Arts Competition held in the Anaheim area, with the awards ceremony held at Disneyland. The school's buses left the school yard promptly at 7:00, four white buses loaded with screaming kids, instruments, and suitcases. Myself and husband after dropping off the dogs at the vet, played catch up on I-15 looking for the white buses hoping to catch up. We passed one white bus and thought it must be one of them, but when we didn't meet up with the other three, it must have been another group. We finally met up at Barstow where the kids were let off for a break. This was my 12 year old's first trip semi-away from her parents, although we were tagging along and she was going to share a room with her friends with us in a room on the upper levels. I was a little nervous on how she was going to handle it. She can barely stay over someone's house for a sleep over when she calls and says she's homesick. We decided to make the trip to Disneyland, because they were planning to return back to Las Vegas at 2:30 in the morning Sunday, which I'm like I'm not getting up in the middle of the night to pick you up. Better go and she can leave with us on Sunday at a reasonable time.

We played cat and mouse with the buses on the freeway, myself not quite sure of the freeway routes. I usually stay more toward the valley side of LA. I was amazed how fast the buses made the trip. We left Las Vegas at 7:30 and we were rolling in to the hotel at 12:00. I've only known one way to get to Disneyland and that is off the Santa Ana freeway, south. Take a note, the quickest route to Disneyland from Las Vegas: I-15 south to 60 West to 57 South. Nice and easy. The school booked rooms at the Doubletree next to the Block at Orange, which is an outdoor shopping mall. The kids were let off there for lunch and shopping (which proved not a good idea since most of the kids spent their Disneyland money on stuff there). Thankfully I was there to give her more money after she spent over half her $100.00 on stuff from Claire's.

The Doubletree was a pleasant surprise. I always had liken the Doubletree to the hotel level of the La Quinta's. Don't get me wrong, nothings wrong with those hotels, but this Doubletree, I was like, what am I at a Westin or something? The rooms were large and nicely appointed. But what was a true gem was that the restaurant on site was really good. Being that the aunt had a bum leg, we were not able to find parking at the nearby Block at Orange where there were a pleathora of restaurants, we had to eat at the hotel restaurant, which was surprisingly delicious. That night the competition, back to the hotel where the kids were served a dinner buffet and then the next day Disneyland and the award ceremony at the Park.

That night after being at the Park all day, we decided to come back to the hotel and eat at the restaurant again. Unfortunately, as I told the waiter, the chef from the previous night must not be working because the food was awful. Our pasta sauce was watery and Andy's steak didn't have the onions and mushrooms as the menu said. When the waiter asked if we would like something else, the aunt said she would take the club, because how can they mess up a club sandwich? Well they can if they bring you out a cheeseburger! The waiter got so flustered, he called the manager who was so professional and did the right thing and not charge us for a single thing. Aricela was the restaurant manager's name, and I cannot stop complimenting her enough. Finally in this world where no one cares if you got what you expected, she was fantastic. Give that girl a raise!

So if you plan a trip to Disneyland, stay at the Doubletree (100 The City Drive) next to the Block at Orange. It's a nice hotel and just a short drive to the park. And oh yeah, my daughter's orchestra group took first place in everything. What more could a mother ask for! Woo Hoo!