Uhmmm. I'm still waiting...

I've received alot of feedback from Chronicle readers about my 'Ann' story; sure, a couple were critical but mostly all very positive. So it breaks my heart to inform you, that my source and inspiration for 'weird ass' behavior has left the building. Yes, as of the end of June, our friend Ann vacated the Sugarfox lair.

However, I was shocked not to hear from her for over a month...but after careful consideration of her past actions I realized this is right in-line with Ms. Ann-tisocial's behavior. So to make this chronicle entry more entertaining...I'll let you piece together which are "Ann" actions per these real life situations. Note: that this will be very much like those 'Glamour' quizzes...where, if you score correctly...you get slammed by the evaluation.

So let's get started:

Situation #1: First day Ann moves into the SF's 'maxi-pad'. The SF helps her lug enormous amounts of clothe from her car, as well as, negotiating with her neighbor to let Ann park in their outdoor spot for FREE (which ironically is also the cost of staying with the super naive SF.) When dinner time rolls around, the decision was to eat somewhere fast and convenient, Portillo's, what does Ann do:

a) Offer to pay for this relatively inexpensive dinner, afterall she is staying in a downtown condominium for the low low price of $0.

b) Suggest a better restaurant since this is the first meal she would be sharing with her roommate. So they end up going to Opera and Ann pays gleefully.

c) At the Portillo's drive thru, Ann hands the SF $20 to give to the cashier...when the change and receipt is handed back to the SF (who is driving)...she hands it to Ann who takes the cash and says "Well, you can keep the receipt and pay me back whatever you think you owe me, K?"

***

Situation #2: Ann gets food poisoning probably from the horrible food she consumed daily (like graham crackers and vanilla frosting or tortilla, refried beans and salsa or Doritos in every flavour available). When the SF hears of her roommates illness, she picks up two different kinds of soups (chicken noodle and veggie soup) on her way home from work on a super rainy day. The very next day, Ann is grateful and does the following:

a) After work, she offers to take the SF to her favorite neighborhood cafe, Gourmand, along with Crazy for a quick soy latte fix.

b) She gave the SF a thank you card with a $10 gift card from Starbucks because she knows Sugarfoxes are addicted to soy lattes.

c) First thing in the morning, she intercepts a groggy SF in the hallway with her wallet halfway open and says "So what do I owe you for the soup?"

***

Situation #3: While the SF is at work, Ann moves the remaining items out of the SF's lair. Ann purchased a condominium in the Gold Coast (this is possible because of the sweet $10K her parents gave her, money from the sale of her condo in Minneapolis and all the fat cash she saved staying in Chicago for free.) Once again, she is grateful for the SF's help, so she decides to do something special, she:

a) writes a sincere message on a thank you card that she propped up against a vase of beautiful spring flowers.

b) wrote a sweet note attached to a brand new olive/grey colored pot for the SF's enormous house plant that had outgrown it's original pot.

c) wrote "Thank you Nga for everything. I'll call you really soon. Ann" on a piece of paper towel left on the hallway table. Note: that the paper towel was from a roll that was sitting on the before mentioned hallway table.

***

O.K. How did you do? Tally up your scores using the following point system: a = 1, b=2, c=1000

* If you scored between 3-5, you are a thoughtful and reasonable individual. You find the time in your busy schedule to thank those who have done you a good turn without going overboard. You're welcomed to stay in the Sugarfox home in the future.

* If you scored between 6-9, you are truly generous and thoughtful. You have not only taken the time to thank those who have done you a good turn, but you've been considerate in all your actions; making those who are generous more apt to help others in the future. You are always welcomed to stay in the Sugarfox home in the future.

* If you scored between 1000-3000, 'ding..ding...ding' you are Ms. Ann-tisocial. Sure, you purchase toilet paper that one time in the 3.5 months you stayed with the SF but that was only because you needed it for your bathroom. And your strange habit of going to bed early only to talk on your cellphone for two hours will not be missed. For your complete lack of social consideration you are not welcomed to return to the Sugarfox home EVER!!!

...and curiously enough...i'm still waiting for that 'call'.

Lollapa-lisa and the Sugarfox' Adventures in the Sun

Hi Chroniclicious readers,

It is both sweet and, well, bitter for me to write to you all from my air conditioned (this is the sweet part) office on the Monday (this is the bitter part) after Lisa Kim's and my great adventure at Lollapalooza... where Grant Park was transformed into a magical musical wonderland.

Sugarfox' freestyle prose to the gods of Lolla:

In this musical wonderland, we were like "pixies" flying about randomly from one stage to another and many of "you (will) know us by the trail of the dead" and spent men we left in our wake...we weren't "killers" or "drive-by truckers" we were simply in search of some "cake" and the "satellite party" ...who knew we caused such "widespread panic"...well, at the end of the day, we took a "(death) cab for cuties" home...I think our driver had allergies or was hot for Lisa..he was a real "weezer".

(all the names in quotes were some of the kick-butt bands who rocked Lolla land! Whoohooo!)

...Needless to say, Lisa and I had a blast. The following are fond memories which are, like life, full of sweetness and bitterness. Enjoy!

• Running 12 miles Saturday morning followed by hours of dancing and standing. We realized our folly too late....we were in major pain by sun down! (Bitter)
• Getting smart and bringing a big blanky to collapse on.. (Sweet) ... the big blanky was also great for sneaking in bags of chips and sandwiches.
• Going back to the Sugarfox' pad periodically to cool down and, in some instances, to perform a wardrobe change...SWEET!
• Missing a huge part of the "Cake" show b/c we took our sweet ass time getting back from a trip to the said Sugarfox pad (Bitter)
• Cake singing a bonus song 'aka' Sugarfox' favorite Cake tune, The Distance, in time for us to hear (Sweet)
• Liz Phair was not so good 'live' and then we heard "Kaiser Chief" (who played at the exact same time as Liz at another stage) was THE band to watch live. (Bitter)
• Although at Liz Phair, we met some really nice guys from Warsaw, Indiana...and Lisa being from Warsaw, Poland..that kind of irony is SWEET!
• Lisa's foot getting so hot... she had to constantly poor ice cold water on them...(Bitter)
• Sugarfox snuck in some Vodka in a water bottle and got drunk cuz she was taking shots of it ...with complete strangers....(Sweet)
• Lisa and the Sugarfox being offered personal foot massages at the "Over 21" wrist band booth (Sweet)...then, Sugarfox getting a "Yawza!" from the same guys even after they found out she was 32...(Even Sweeter)
• Due to extreme weather conditions on Sunday (or as the singer from Kasabian put it eloquently....it's Jesus Foooking Hot out here)...Lisa was forced to wear a bikini top with her oh-so-cute denim skirt while the Sugarfox went all out and wore her bikini (top/bottom), an enormous Pink/Lime Green beach hat and sunglasses....it was a very effective disguise.. Lisa said " You look like you belonged on a Beach..not an outdoor rock concert." All together, both outfits were SWEET!
• Even with our 'cool' outfits on...104 degree weather got to Lisa and I...so we decide to take advantage of the cooling buses provided by the CTA. As we get on this somewhat packed bus....a CTA employee proceeds to announce loudly...that there is another bus across the street...unfortunately this 'announcement' was right in my ear, so I said..loudly "God, you didn't have to scream that in my (insert expletive of choice here) ear!!" which was quickly followed by us getting kicked of the cooling bus.. (Bitter!)
• One of the guys from Warsaw, IN. had a Polo (horse) tattoo on his chest which made it look like his 'birthday suit' was made by Ralph Lauren.... this was a great source of comic material for the Sugarfox (Sweet...and way cheese ball)
• At the completely packed Killer's stage, we claimed an enormous amount of real estate near the front for our friends who went to get us beer. (Sweet)
• We didn't hook up with our friends so no beer (Bitter)
• Finally spotted one of the boys, Ruben, who we had been trying to call for 1/2 hour...the totally sweet part...he was crowd surfing right in front of the Killer's!! We then pointed and exclaimed "hey, that's the guy we've been trying to call!!!" and got approving nods from our neighbors.
• Sugarfox challenging one of the Warsaw boys, Tom, to two (not just one) foot races and smoked him..twice (Sweet)
• Lisa, once again, being oblivious to a boy's obvious attempt at getting with her (Bitter)... So, one of the Warsaw boys 'volunteered' to go with Lisa to the porta potty....Sugarfox settled in for a long night of playing the wingman....when low and behold...Lisa comes back in minute...huh?!? "Oh...I didn't know" was her response to the wingman's glare!
• Ex-boy toy sitings....Lisa bumped into her ex' sister..who spotted her with several boys..teehee....that's Sweet. Sugarfox spotted an old flame and he looked HORRIBLE! (Sweet!)
• Finally, Lisa and the Sugarfox getting free beer for most of the concert (Sweet).....Sugarfox even scored a free beer from a complete stranger after her kicking-ass performance in the Lollapalooza footrace!

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend as much as we did....especially Carolicious out in the Dominican Republic!!!

Do you mind ?!?

So last week, Thursday and Friday, my company sent me to the Western Open (you know, the Golfing 'event' at Cog Hill in Lemont, IL) to network with some customers...We had a great hospitality tent which made the Open feel like a cruise ship. We had a constant flow of food and liquor... Naturally, this is bad news.

After a couple gin and tonics during and after lunch on Thursday, I wandered out towards the white picket fences that separated the hospitality area from the 'rough' and even further from the fareway. Some guys from TOTO, the largest manufacturer of plumbing products (this is not a plug), were giving me a hard time for not being on their 'side' of the fence. I was in the middle of delivering a zinger of a response when I noticed, like, 20 pairs of eyes on me.... a guy holding a 'quiet' sign a couple yards from me...and a golfer (can you imagine) staring at me....

Quiet sign guy: SSSSsssshhhh!
Golfer: DO YOU MIND?!?
Me: (gulp) sorry.... (in the smallest voice ..ever.. and slowly placing both hands over my mouth)
Golfer: (glaring at me) hummphfff
Me: (mouthing) sorry (as I shot an accusatory glare at the TOTO guys who also looked pretty sheepish)

The Golfer (whose name I didn't catch) proceeded to hit his ball onto the green (finally!!) and stomped away, indignantly.

**In my defense, (1) this golfer was WAY off the fareway and was probably pissed with his totally poor performance. (2) Plus, he didn't have a large following, so he was hard to spot out of the golf viewing pedestrians. (3) And a suggestion for the officials, the "quiet" signs should be much larger and brighter for players who wander off the green.

Needless to say, I was paranoid of the 'quiet' signs for the rest of the Western Open. And the running joke amongst my customers was the term "DO YOU MIND???" for everything!!

I hope this joke gets old fast.

Laters

For heaven's sake...

If you're a friend o' the Sugarfox, you must already know that I'm not the 'sweetest' amongst God's creatures. Nope, not even close. I mean, I don't pride myself on being aggressive, temperamental and, in some instances, mentally unstable. But, I accept who I am and most of you (at least those on speaking terms with me) have accepted this fact as well.

So naturally, I'm constantly surprised that I've been blessed with such a great family, tons of loyal friends (who would die for me, right?!?) and an unbelievable life!! I feel the need to share in my good fortune. So, I randomly decided to sponsor a little girl in Thailand by the name of Natthaporn..after watching one of those sad commercials they run like 24hours a day. In any case, she is adorable!When she was three, they sent me a picture of her with her family. She wore a little white short-sleeve button down shirt, a blue skirt and the cutest little blue rain boots. She's definitely my sponsor child...that sense of style is uncanny! Recently, her sister-in-law (married to her brother who I think is only 16...yikes!) wrote a letter to me on her behalf. This is an excerpt from the letter:

"Recently her school had school games. Natthaporn ran a race and won a gold medal. Then, she and her friends enjoyed relishing ice-cream."

Isn't that crazy?!? It's as if I raised her, myself. The running...the competitive spirit...the hangin' out with my homies...and 'relishing ice-cream'??? Come on, that's all me. I plan to go get her one of these days, say "mo cuishle"* and bring her back to the states. Where she can meet a nice boy on Match.com. Of course, y'all will be invited to her wedding. I hope she stays unmarried until I pick her up....probably not... if that sister-in-law has any say in it. (Note to self: send extra money for a chastity belt...)

Till the next blog consider getting a sponsor child, too. This, also, helps with that nagging biological clock :-)

Laters.


*note: this reference will be lost on you if you haven't seen Million Dollar Baby. And if you haven't seen that movie, like, where have you been?!? And why are you reading my blog?!? You need to stay on top of these pop culture references or you'll never keep up with the Sugarfox.

How crazy do you have to be???!!!???

I'm not sure how many of you chronicle readers know that I currently have a house guest, Ann, who is staying with me until she purchases her own place here in Chi-town; this should happen soon, since she just put in a bid and will close on the property at the end of June.

Up to now, I've struggled a little with having a roommate because of our complete difference in personality, taste and sleep patterns. None-the-less, my overall experience with Ann has not been terrible UNTIL this past Sunday. I went out late on Saturday (5 A.M.) and, naturally, did not wake up until noon on Sunday. I hazily walk into my living room. Ann was watching the boob tube and looks up smiling at me...

Ann: (coyly) Nga guess who I met yesterday?

Nga: (confused and not a little hung over) Who?

Ann: (I will replace this person's name to protect the innocent) PJ! You know? Your PJ.

Nga: WHAT!?! How? You don't even know him.

Ann: I remember him from the pictures (Pictures she saw on my computer 4 months AGO! Cuz she's a snoopy butt.)

Nga: What?

Ann: Well, I recognized him from the pictures. I have this amazing memory for faces...

Nga: OH MY GOD!!

Ann: I went to a street fair yesterday and recognized him. I went up to him and asked him if his name was "PJ". He thought he met me before but I told him I was your roommate.

Nga: OH MY GOD!!

Ann: He asked how you were? (This is because PJ and I haven't spoken for over 5 months b/c things just didn't work out) I said you were doing great. You were renovating your kitchen and you were so generous to let me stay with you.

Nga: (with murderous glare) Ann, you have no idea what you did!! What kind of freak introduces themself to someone else's ex!?! Who you only know through a picture. Ann? No one even knew we were seeing one another. PJ and I agreed to keep it on the DL. Now, to him...I apparently talk about him constantly and have a life size poster of him over my bed with the words "Nga and PJ 4ever!!" on it. OH MY GOD!!!

Ann: No...no...I told him I saw his picture on your computer

Nga: OH MY GOD

Ann: ...and that I saw it months ago...and besides he kept saying you were a nice girl.

Nga: Oh my god!! What is he suppose to say, you psycho?!?

Ann: I'm sorry, Nga, I guess I was drunk.

Nga: No, Ann. When I'm drunk I wake up with strange bruises not horrible character defamating stories!! You were not drunk. You're stupid!

Ann: I'm sorry ... if it makes you feel any better...he's still really cute!

Nga: NO!! That doesn't make me feel better. You complete moron!! When I get back you better be ready for some PAIN.

(Storm out of MY OWN HOUSE. I took Crazy for a 45 minute walk...and have since cooled down. No harm was done to my complete idiot of a roommate.)

If there was ever a chance that PJ and I could just be friends...Ann made sure that would never happen. Thanks, Ann, one less guy for me to worry about.

Extracurricular activities...

Fridays are now my 'down' days; so, I'll take this time to update chronicle readers about my weekly activities outside of work.

So, let's start with the Running. I run 4 times a week logging anywhere between 15 to 40 miles (a week.) I volunteer to lead a pace group (currently 9:30 to 10 minute pace) with the Chicago Area Runner's Association (CARA) out of Jackson Park (63rd/Lake Shore Drive). We meet every Saturday morning at 6:30 A.M. for our 'long' runs (eventually running up to 20 miles together). Additionally, I run with a running group called Team Fabulous during the middle of the week which meets in downtown at Monroe and Lakeshore Drive.

Associated to my running group is my second 'activity' and that is to volunteer at the Living Room Cafe where members of the running group prepare meals for the homeless. This tradition was started by a socially conscious member of the Jackson Park CARA team, Jim McGowen. Each month a menu is prepared and members are drafted to purchase the ingredients, prepare the food, take orders from the customers (hence the cafe concept) and serve. Needless to say, I get alot more out of this volunteer work then I put in. Nothing gives you perspective like spending an evening with others with greater needs then the latest Jimmy Choo shoes. I plan to run the marathon for the Inspiration Corporation (who is the overarching organization for the Living Room Cafe). I will be badgering you all for donations later.

Outside of running, I play tennis with my partner, Jan (pronounced Yan). We're in a mixed doubles league with eight other couples. Amazingly, we are currently tied for the No. 1 seed. In an effort to improve my tennis, I am also taking lessons each week (Mondays) with my coach "Earl" who is not only a tennis guru but also a philosopher with some very insightful observations beyond the tennis courts (but that's for another blog posting.)

Tennis and running are great activities for the body but what about the mind?!? Well, that's what my book club is for. My very close girlfriends from high school started a book club 3 years ago and we've met approximately every month to talk about our book selections (which is chosen on a round robin basis from all 6-8 members.) Our current book is by Anchee Min "Empress Orchid". I'm pretty vocal at these 'get togethers' if and when I make it to the meetings. As an English Lit major, they all dread my book selections!!

Finally, my very last (and 'favoritest') activity outside of work is to spend quality time with my family, my friends and my dog, Crazy. Some upcoming 'known' events with the above: Akira Breast Cancer event at Galleria Marchetti (where yours truly will be the MC), weddings (Yen, Joslyn, Jackie, and Christine) and my sister, Dai's annual pilgrimage to the windy city. I will need to add swimming to my list of activities since I plan to spend eight days in Costa Rica at the end of this year learning how to surf. Kowabonga!

Technical Genius .... I am NOT

So, you're wondering why I have an enormous image of myself on my Blog. Clearly, only a truly self absorbed person would do such a thing. Would you believe I've been trying to post an image on my 'profile' and somehow it landed on my blog. Oh well, technology sales person I am but technology wiz I am not. Good thing my boss doesn't read this!! I keep this side of the Sugarfox on the DL at work.

Laters.

Nga

My very first blog (tear)

I'll date myself, a little, by telling you this but my very first job out of college was selling 100MHz Pentium servers and 486 PCs....whooohooo...speedy. Now they have 2 GHz processors in a laptop! I feel like those old people who used to say: when I was your age, we used 2 cups and some string to communicate not this fancy 'blog' thing. Well, I'm glad it's here and I hope you all enjoy my big bad blog!