Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Lessons Learned Planning a Surprise Party

I decided to throw my boopy a surprise birthday party... here's what I learned, for you fools out there who decide to do the same.

Plan early(ier).

I made the mistake of planning it in a week. If I had more time, it would have been easier to collect all his friends' contact info and invite them to the party. Also, it gives them enough time to plan to attend. Facebook and MySpace are great resources.

Don't have it at your unfurnished apartment.

I thought it would be a good idea to have it in my unfurnished apt because there was space (and it could possibly double as a 'pre-housewarming'). But I realized I had to rent furniture. And deal with (any) bathroom situations. And clean up afterwards. So I changed the venue to a lounge down the street and it was definitely a good move.

Choose a cool bar/lounge

The place I ended up picking had a great atmosphere. There was also a cool bartender and they played 80s music. Double plus.

Plan more than one distractions.

Your best idea for a distraction can go up in smoke; literally. Fortunately, I had some good backup options that I could pick from.

Have a good excuse for your own absence (if you want to setup the party yourself).

Preferably one that doesn't make them think, "He's cheating on me." I opted for the "dinner with family," having my sister as the accomplice.

Have party favors.

Make sure one of them is temporary tattoos. Enough said.

Bring backup cameras.

Anything can go wrong - and that's why you want to be ready to capture it forever. Unless your memory card suddenly craps out on you. And mine did - otherwise I'd be posting all those naughty places people slapped on a temporary tattoo. So definitely plan on having more than one camera (or memory card).

The party turned out great. I take back the 'fools' comment I said earlier; seeing his surprised (and shocked) face was worth all the trouble I went through.


Tuesday, January 22, 2008

A Real Tragedy

Heath Ledger. 4/4/1979 - 1/22/2008.

Thank you for the entertainment; you were truly a great actor.

And thanks to all who commented on the NY Times blog entry; a tragedy would not be complete without your crazy ass comments. My favorites are 52, 74, 174, 292, 339, 344, 466, 468.. (and counting!)

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Oh Lordy...

Damn! Another 11 months until Christmas?!

macbook air

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Why I Was Up at 6am, Day After Christmas

Uniqlo.

Sample Sale.

Two.. err.. three words that should never be put together in my presence. And somehow they were. Cursed Racked.com!

As sample sale shopping enthusiasts know, if you want the good stuff, you have to get there early. And did they say $20 cashmere? You know I'm there!

And there I was, 7am in the morning, second in line. By 9am, when the doors opened, the line had grown to nearly 200 people, at least.

While waiting, a manager-type did come out a few times to welcome us and to inform us they had sold-out of cashmere and there was only four racks of clothing.

"Uhm. Excuse me?"

Yep. All gone except for four racks; cleaned out at a 'pre-sale'. What the hell is that about?! Surprisingly, I didn't see anyone leave the line - probably because they didn't believe her. Just like I didn't; she's just trying to trick us into leaving. Well, it's not going to work!

The doors opened at 9am, and everyone beelined it to the sample sale area - and she wasn't kidding; only four racks!

Madness, then disappointment, ensued as 200+ people pulled items from the racks - including myself. I was able to a few items to buy; but definitely not enough to warrant the 2-hour wait.

Throughly disappointed, I decided to take it to the internets - I commented on Racked.com and then emailed Uniqlo. To my surprise, Uniqlo replied! It was a genuine and sincere apology from the regional, and he even promised to give me ample notice about the next sale.

And I read yesterday that the Uniqlo CMO wrote a formal apology about the sample sale.

Even though the sale was an utter failure, I give them credit for good customer service. Plus their new spring stuff is HOT!