~ Are You Waiting for Final Fantasy XIII? ~

Final Fantasy XIII is going to arrive on March 9th, 2010!!! Here's the trailer. The song is pretty good! I like it a lot.

I am not sure how I feel about the characters at the moment. I like to have a hero when I play RPGs. Someone .... hot :) But the male characters don't look like someone I can fall in love with. Maybe Snow. What's up with these names? Snow?? I don't like his hat/bandana thing.

In this trailer though, you can see Snow topless. Looks like he is hurt, with bandages across his body. I think he looks better there, like a bad ass (excuse the language there, but I just have to say it).

Hope??? He looks like the typical weak kid. But, he's very good looking. I am sure a lot of girls are going to like him.

Lightning is another weird name. I like her silvery, red hair though. Looks like a tough girl.

Vanille looks cute! Well, very sexy right here. That outfit would make a fun cosplay costume.

But, is it me or does Vanille's clothes look like Yuna's outfit from FFX2? Her boots are pretty cute though!

Serah here has a nice outfit too! I love her skirt! School girl skirt with black lace? Hot stuff. That necklace looks like something I can make too. This may end up to be my next cosplay outfit. I don't like her hair though. I don't like the one sided pony tail. Looks so childish.

Oh yeah, what about game play and fighting system and all that? I am sure it'll be great. Story line? I hope it has more romance than FFXII. FFXII was too much political struggle and big general theme. I want a love story like FFX. That's just me being girly. To prepare for this game, I should really finish playing FFXII. I think I have like 10 hours left. Time to test out the PS2 with the new TV :)

~ Willard Wigon's Micro Sculpture Exhibit ~

I had another adventure this weekend with my girls! We went to Georgetown to see Willard Wigan's micro sculptures at Parish Gallery. Those tiny little sculptures are amazing! The sculptures are only there till the 23rd, so go stop by if you have a chance. It's $5 for entrance fee. This is the "apparatus" that allow you to actually see the sculptures.


This "Beauty and the Beast" costs $80,000! You need to really see it in person to appreciate the detail on these sculptures.



I like his fun pieces like this incredible hulk and the Simpsons.



Here I was looking at the little dead flies that he dressed up as dancers. I can't find a picture of them on the web, but it was quite interesting.


One of my favorite is this titanic. It's put on top of a piece of broken crystal.


Check out this "Valentine Lunch" The guy is holding a glass and the girl is holding utensils! The details are incredible.


He has a lot of other ones like the Obama family, Charlie something or another on an eyelash, fairies with a real fly's wings and more! Some pieces are even made out of solid gold. These pieces take up to a couple months to finish. According to Willard's website, he "enters a meditative state in which his heartbeat is slowed, allowing him to reduce hand tremors and sculpt between pulse beats." Talk about hard core.


Lesson learned? Size doesn't matter :)

~ Winter Wonderland at National Harbor ~

What a busy weekend!! I had a software release for work today, so I have been working all weekend. But, there were a few special events so I just had to go. One of them was ICE! at Gaylord National at National Harbor. This was the last weekend, and I got 1/2 off tickets from Groupon. So, we packed up the kids and our warmest sweaters and headed over there.


Thank goodness they gave us parkas. It was really, really cold. Just 9 degrees! My hands were getting numb just from taking pictures. My hands got so cold that when I touched the ice, it didn't even feel wet. Ok, pictures galore now...



Swan lake!


The biggest bear butt ever!



They had an ice horse drawn sleigh!


Of course lots of Christmas stuff.


And it's not a winter wonderful if there are no penguins right?


These are cute! hanging from the ceiling.


We were inside an igloo.


This is one of my favorite parts. So pretty!!!! They have something similar at Clyde's I think. But the one at Clyde's isn't iced out like this.


Look how crowded it was! They were all trying to go up there so they can slide down the ice slide.


Ok. Seriously? Who would want to lick these?


It's just crazy how detailed these carvings are.



I don't know how long we were inside, but I was hoping we could stay longer. But, it was really cold and crowded. I didn't get to take as many pictures as I liked. I think we spent more time in the gift shop afterwards 'cause everything was 75% off! I guess it was a good thing we went during the last weekend. Got 11 shirts for $55 :)

I just think these are cute.


All in all, it was fun! It's incredible that they built everything out of ice. I would definitely go again next year, if they have 1/2 off deals again :)

~ Keep Warm with Victoria's Secret's Boucle Sweaters ~

I am a big fan of Victoria's Secret's Boucle sweaters. Granted, some of the styles are a little bit weird, but I love the material! It's soft and stretchy and so very warm! I walked through Chicago downtown in frigid weather wearing a boucle turtleneck and a thin leather jacket. I felt perfectly fine. Right now, this pink and another blue color is on clearance for $14.99. Great deal!!!


Here are a couple more $14.99 styles. These ruffles may be a little much though. I feel like the material is too soft and fluffy for that button on this sweater. It may come off easily.


This one you can wear is as off shoulder or as a cowl neck. I got pink and blue. Who can resist $14.99?? I have gotten a few of these sweaters at full price before, but I usually wait for sales. I think I have about 12 of these sweaters and probably gave away more than 12 as gifts.



This one is a cardigan. I am thinking about it. $15 is not a lot....right??


This one is $19.99. I don't know why I got it. It's just different I guess. I love the puffy sleeves. But I hate wearing a coat of top of this because the sleeves get all bunched up and really annoy me.


I got two of these last year. I like them a lot! These are not on clearance this year though. $39 each.


I absolutely love this one!!! Too bad they are out of white for my size :( I have to get black. My mom is getting this in pink. This on is on clearance for $29.99!! That's not clearance price, but I like it too much to wait for the price to drop more.


I am very tempted to get at least one of the peplum styles. These are $19.99. I just feel like these are too trendy. It's so 2009. I won't be able to wear them again next year.



There are a few additional offers for VS right now like 25% off any non-clearance item, free shipping over $100 and free panties. For details, go to retailmenot.com. The ones on sales are cheaper than the so called "Boucle" sweaters at Target. And, I assure you that the ones from VS is a lot softer than the ones from Target.

These sweaters are 56% Acrylic, 27% nylon, 16% wool and 1% lycra spandex. I am guessing the lycra is what makes it so stretchy! Machine wash is ok. The tag says lay flat to dry, but I have thrown them in the dryer with no issue. I think one sweater's sleeves got really stretched out. But, that's ok. I love really long sleeves. Also, I am slightly allergic to wool, but I am perfectly fine with these sweaters. My oldest one is from 2004 and I still wear it sometimes.

Ok, one con about these sweaters. They take up a lot of room because they are so fluffy!

On a side not, VS also has some fun looking beauty products on sale right now. These are all half off! The sets are $16 and the lipgloss tube is $7 now. I am tempted to buy, but I haven't even opened one of my Sephora purchases yet. I must resist makeup!





If you don't know, these low prices are all part of the VS Semi Annual Sale. There are a lot more things like coats, leggings, and of course, undergarments. Have fun shopping!!

~ The Biggest and Softest Koala Slipper ~

It's been really cold, so I wanted to show you my favorite winter accessory: the Koala Slipper. Yes, it's just one.


Ok, it's really a feet warmer instead of a slipper. Isn't it so cute??? I got it in Hong Kong last year. Hong Kong is full of the cutest and softest plushes. They are everywhere!!! You walk down the street and there are shops and vendors showing off the latest and greatest. I tried hard to resist because they simply fill up too much precious space in the suitcase. But, when I saw this, I couldn't resist. I just have to have it! Here's a mug shot of it :)


When I am working at home, I usually sit at my dining room table with my work laptop and my feet in this giant slipper. Momo either sleeps on the chair besides me or on top of the slipper. Here's Momo, being nosy.


Tried to get some artistic shots :)



How are you keeping yourself warm through this arctic blast?