judyonthenet

Kelvin started his new job as a tools programmer at some hip, young video game company this week. Despite having contracted the horrible sickness I had, he still went to work on the first day (and hasn’t missed a day since even though he’s still sick). What a trooper! He was rewarded on his first day with company swag. He came home with a bunch of freebie goodies: clothing, mug, notebook, poker cards, Xbox 360, and a lunchbag.

Wait? An Xbox 360???

Kelvin attempting to not look dead with his new 360.

Good thing I already bought Halo 3 Legendary Edition 4 months ago! (Though it was a good deal, I kind of regret getting it. The helmet is taking up more space than I expected.) I didn’t want to get an Xbox 360 until it was dirt cheap, preferably free. (Hey, I got my Xbox for free! Well, not exactly free, I had to drive to San Leandro to get it from the CAG who didn’t want it anymore, buy a modchip for $20, and install an old HD in it to replace the busted HD.) I’m glad we were able to get this while the generation of consoles is still current. I’m further convinced that working for a game company truly is awesome. I’m so jealous.

Our TV isn’t close to the router, and the 360 doesn’t come with a wireless adapter, so I can’t get on Xbox Live yet. In fact, I still have to get a few things in order to optimally use this thing. From what I can figure out, estimated cost the Microsoft way via Amazon.com:
Xbox 360 wireless controller $40
Xbox 360 wireless headset $50
Xbox 360 play and charge kit $20
Xbox 360 wireless adapter $95 (you’ve got to be shitting me)
Xbox 360 HDMI cable $48
Xbox Live 1-year subscription $45
= $298, $398 if I want two more controllers and another play and charge kit

Um, no. I dealt with paying $180 for 3 more wiimotes and nunchuks for the Wii. I’m not paying that much in accessories for a console I was waiting for to reach Dreamcast pricing. Luckily, I have some Circuit City and Best Buy store credit, so maybe I can get a couple things that way. I’m going to need a second controller (wired isn’t much cheaper than wireless), and people are harassing Kelvin to get on Xbox Live, so I think the controller and Live subscriptions are unavoidable. I don’t need to listen to people bitch online, so the single wired headset we have already should be fine. We drain batteries like mad with the Wii, so I’ve been meaning to buy more rechargeables anyway. For online, I’ll try to find some cheapo extra long ethernet cable until Kelvin gets his overpriced Apple toy (Time Capsule?) that he wants to get.

I don’t want to play single-player Halo 3, so I guess until then I’ll just keep playing all these Xbox Arcade demos. Yay for Geometry Wars and UNO :P We haven’t tried much since we’re busy being sick at moment. But whenever we get set up, gimme your gamertags! (Is that how that works? Oh yeah, and everybody with Smash: GIMME YOUR FRIEND CODE!)

New thing I learned today: The Xbox 360 play and charge kit is a rechargeable battery pack and USB charging cable for a wireless controller.

Jeff introduced me to some sort of popular internet meme called “Caramelldansen”, where people animate characters dancing to a sped up Swedish pop song. This video with the entire Super Smash Bros. Brawl cast is not the best animated, but it’s totally the best Caramelldansen video I’ve seen.

I love the contrast between Marth’s and Ike’s facial expressions.

The music is somewhat maddening, yet I can’t stop watching the video…

Edited to add: I don’t know why, but Youtube keeps removing the video. Obnoxious.

New thing I learned today: “Caramelldansen” is Swedish for “caramel dance”.
And apparently an internet meme is something online that gets spread around in a faddish way. I never really knew its definition, so I finally looked it up today.

The fourth shop in my search for a wedding dress was the massive bridal bargain chain store, David’s Bridal. It wasn’t one of my original destinations, but I made a last minute decision to check it out. They’re known for inexpensive dresses (including their $99 dress sales), and I’m on a budget, so I figured it was worth at least a look. They have all their available styles listed on the website. After giving it a browse, I was shocked to find out one of their new dresses is a clone of the dress that I currently like best for ~$300 cheaper, further convincing me to go check them out.

David’s Bridal in Santa Clara is located across the street from Valley Fair. I went after work with only my mother. At the entrance, there’s a desk where you give them all your info and sign in. The paper catalogs are at the desk for you to browse, and the dress consultant meets you here. We got a nice, young white girl named Ashley. Unfortunately, it turns out the service rep on the phone made a mistake and double-booked the time slot. Instead of two girls being assigned to the 7:30PM slot, three girls were, and I ended up with the consultant who had two brides. She led us to a shoe area, where she told me to pick out shoes, and when I was done, I was to go to dressing room area. While it was nice to try on shoes for once, the shoe area looked disheveled, with boxes weren’t always neatly stacked and several were half opened. I think one of the shelves was on the verge of collapsing. I picked out a simple pair with a relatively low heel and headed to the dressing area.

The dressing area has this stage with three small circular platforms on it, all in front of a giant mirror. One side has a sofa, while the other side was lined with four chairs. Both sides were occupied, so we had to stand around as we waited for Ashley. I browsed the flower girl dresses, while my mom looked at gowns. Eventually, Ashley came by and asked that I choose three dresses from the catalog. When I gave her my choices, she ran off again to look for my dresses and her other brides’ dresses. After more waiting, a spot on the sofa cleared off, so my mother and I could actually sit down. Ashley came back with two of the dresses and led me to a dressing room.

The dressing room area is like a hall of mirrors, as the outer walls and doors are covered mirrors. They’re small, about the same size as a dressing room in a regular clothing store. It was worse though, as there were no benches and no mirrors inside the dressing room. I guess the room really was just for dressing. Ashley had placed the other bride next door to me, and she would cycle back and forth between us. David’s Bridal has this ridiculous policy of not letting you take off or put on the dress on your own (probably because they sell dresses of the rack and worry about damage more), so the waiting for her to help us dress wasted so much time. She also spent a strangely large amount of time looking for dresses. Most of the time, I’d be standing in the dressing either in a dress or in my underwear, doing nothing. And she’d keep leaving the door open, so anyone walking by could see me in my underwear. Or if I step forward in my dressing room too much, the bride next to me could see because of all the goddamned mirrors everywhere.

Anyway, on to the dresses. David’s Bridal is known for making cheap clones of styles from popular brands, making the designs more affordable for the budget bride. Like I mentioned before, I discovered one of their newest dresses (T9359) is a complete rip-off of my #1 dress in the running, the Obelix by Pronovias. At first I was disappointed that, since it was a new DB dress, there’d be a ton of girls wearing the basically the same dress as me. Then I came to my senses and realized the Obelix (a 2007 dress from one of Spain’s biggest bridal companies) has already been worn by tons of beautiful girls. The T9359 retails at $699, and David’s Bridal also had $75 off as part of a sale, so the clone would be $400 cheaper. Would the difference in quality show?

Can you tell the difference? You can also see the back shot here.

First, let me mention some design differences to even out the field: 1) T9359 has a shorter train, 2) T9359 already has no straps and has no bow in the upper back, 3) T9359 I tried was white, while the Obelix I tried on was ivory, 4) the T9359 was my size (aside from the bust area), while the Obelix was large for me. I believe the dresses I tried on were mostly size 4, though Ashley said I should probably get a size 2? I don’t get it, why not just have me try the size 2s?

The T9359 certainly didn’t feel as nice as the Obelix, and my mother agreed the material felt cheaper. But maybe we were biased cuz we knew the prices. One thing I definitely didn’t like about the T9359 was the beading. It wasn’t as subtle and definitely looked cheaper, like something you could find at any craft store. And they put beading on the bows, which I thought was pretty ugly. (Though that doesn’t make any difference to me, since I’d get the bows removed.) The lacing used a silver threading, which made it look a little more gaudy. The edges of the train weren’t nearly as elaborate as the Obelix. Kelvin claims the seams looked more obvious on the T9359, but I’m not really one to notice things like that.

The T9359 up close:

The Obelix up close:

Overall, these differences aren’t all that noticeable, especially to folks outside of the uber-picky bride. It still has the same flattering silhouette and basic details for at a fraction of a cost. However, if you shop around, you can probably find the original of a David’s Bridal clone from the original designer (with better quality and materials) at a comparable price. Sometimes, you just can’t beat the price at David’s Bridal, though… especially with the sales they have.

Next, a dress I had considered since the beginning of my wedding planning was T9293, a simple dress accented by a bold Japanese-styled sash. It seemed like a nice Asian touch when I was considering an Asian themed wedding. Retail price only $299! It’s not bad at all for its price, but after seeing tons of elaborate lacy dresses, this one certainly seems plain in comparison. Plus, Ashley gave me a size 4, which was still too big for me (I can’t believe I’m saying that in public), so the sample wasn’t at all flattering on me. She couldn’t use some clips or something?

I really didn’t like the environment for trying on dresses; you’re pretty much on display for everyone in the same area. This means strangers offering their opinions on you and forcing small talk. I’m generally okay with this, but in an environment where you’re trying to make an important decision regarding your looks, you can get really self-conscious. The woman sitting next to my mom kept offering her opinion, which is fine and dandy, but I get embarrassed with comments like “What are you? A size 1?” (I asked if the woman who was trying on dresses was her daughter, but she said they were coworkers. I was SO embarrassed for possibly insulting her… I hope they have a decent age gap between them.) I don’t even want to think if the girls on the other end were talking about me. I was the smallest of the brides there, but they can’t complain, as the other women looked so much better in their dresses. Maybe their dresses actually fit them.

I tried a poofier dress (E9351) my mom wanted me to try, which I’m pretty sure has to be some sort of Maggie Sottero clone as the dress SCREAMS of Maggie Sottero. Then I tried a more expensive, figure-flattering dress (CK118), which was actually kind of nice… except for the fact it was a size 0!! Ashley said she’s squeezed size 6s in it, but I certainly didn’t look good squeezed in it. The top made my waist look unnaturally small (and it was unnaturally small! I couldn’t breathe).

At this point, Ashley said we were done since it was a half hour until closing. I’m like, what? Four dresses, that’s it? That’s even less than Trudy’s, and if the consultant was at all like the ones I got at J’aime and Bay Area Bridal, half an hour is like three more dresses! The entire time, I never got any feedback from Ashley, she barely helped me around in the dresses, I spent at least half the time waiting around… I mean, the service was non-existent. I don’t blame this on Ashley at all; she was very nice and was double-booked. But it really shows what kind of company David’s Bridal is, to let something like this happen. Ashley mentioned she was fearful of the weekend, saying there were 68 people booked on Saturday alone. She managed to shoo her other bride away, but I was like, heck no, I’m trying on one more dress for kicks, and she was fine with that. So I tried another whipped cream dress (T9104), which was too big and thus looked pretty bad.

My overall experience wasn’t very positive. I understand why David’s Bridal is called the Wal-Mart/Ross/K-Mart/Marshall’s of the bridal world. You’d think that, having most of sizes available in store, the dresses would have fit better. I don’t see how you buy their dresses off-the-rack like regular clothes is considered a good thing, as who knows how many people have tried on your dress and warped it. Trying on dresses was disappointing, with little attention given and very cattle-like procedures. I wasn’t even there while it was busy; I can’t imagine the service on a weekend. That said, it’s really hard to find more affordable dresses anywhere else. I totally scoff at the idea of renting dresses; you can buy a dress for < a couple hundred here AND keep it. (Heck, you can “trash” it in a Trash the Dress shoot. I totally want to do one of these.) David’s Bridal is worth a visit if you’re on a budget, and they have enough varieties to give you an idea of what you like. Just make sure to make an appointment when it’s not busy.

New thing I learned today: An obi refers to the sash (usually top most) on several kinds of Japanese apparel, including kimonos and martial arts uniforms.

I don’t know what is with me the last several months, but I’m sick AGAIN. I got that scratchy feeling in my throat on Friday, but I shrugged it off. Nobody I saw that day seemed sick. Saturday, I started to actually feel sick, with my throat getting sore to the point where I was coughing, and my body started feeling fatigued. I had to leave Kelvin’s dad birthday dinner early to get some rest and hopefully get better, as Rodney was coming over that night and we had an entire day at the movies the following day. Sunday, I felt pretty drowsy, and my throat was really hurting. I took Sudafed (which helped) and drank a ton of lemonade (a large fountain drink plus 4 refills worth, to be exact), so I wouldn’t die during the movies or cough and disturb other folks. Throughout the day, my voice varied, going back and forth from normal to hoarse to nonexistent. I made it through 3 movies (and probably at least a dozen bathroom trips), but couldn’t join Rodney and his friends for dinner. Instead, I went home and passed out, where I developed a fever. Later on, I dry-heaved several times over a toilet trying to cough up phlegm that wouldn’t come out. My coughing was painful and sucked up a lot of energy.

I ditched work today (missing several meetings) after waking up in the middle of the night restless and unable to sleep, and finding myself in the morning with a very painful sore throat (medicine must have worn off) and still feeling drowsy and warm. After several work emails in the morning, I took another nap and woke up feeling a little better. My back is still incredibly sore from the coughing/gagging (I think it’s mainly the gagging, as I recall in the past my abs would get sore from coughing). I didn’t really have any nasal issues before, but now I have all this crap in my nose. I feel really bad for Kelvin, as today was his first day at work at his new job, and he’s started to get the same symptoms that I have. I’m sorry :(

Note to self: Get flu shot next fall :P

New thing I learned today: The active drug in Sudafed for decongestion is pseudoephedrine, which is often used illegally in the manufacturing of meth. As a result, federal and state governments and pharmacies regulate the sales of the drug, requiring the buyer to sign waivers and show ID.

I had originally only planned to go to three bridal salons, focusing on Bay Area shops that sell dresses from the Pronovias group. I made my last appointment with Rin’s Bridal, but a day later I started wondering if I was maybe limiting myself, both in style and price range. As a result, I impulsively decided to arrange appointments with two more salons close by that don’t carry any Pronovias dresses, the first being Bay Area Bridal. I made an appointment on a Monday night, and I dragged Kelvin along for the first time since I wasn’t expecting any of my bridesmaids to come on such short notice (but Anna did, thanks Anna!).

Bay Area Bridal (AKA New Things West) used to be located near Valley Fair (I know because I bought one or two prom dresses there an eternity ago), then it used to be located in Vallco. Now, they’re in an old Cupertino shopping center, located on the second floor (in fact, right above Pot Sticker King, one of my favorite Chinese joints). It’s easy to locate, though it’s a little trickier to find the entrance to the store. The stairs are located off to the side next to PSK. Entering the store, you go through a short hallway of dress-covered mannequins before you see the front desk on the left. The girls who work here seem young and high pitched; Kelvin was instantly annoyed. The place is HUGE (or at least seems that way). I can’t imagine browsing through the dresses.

You don’t get to search through the dresses though. When you get there for your appointment, the first thing they do is sit you down in the waiting area, where there’s a coffee table completely covered in binders. The binders are full of printed out pictures of some of the dresses they offer, with no brands, model numbers, or prices listed anywhere. The pictures looked like they were printed on some crappy, first-gen inkjet, and the binders were totally unorganized. I saw the same pictures over and over again. They ask you to choose your top five, and then your consultant will figure out the rest. Since I wasn’t partial to any brand in this store, I let my mother and Kelvin pick some dresses for me. I’d take them out of the binder and put them on the coffee table. My dress consultant, Helen, was a young Asian girl, and she’d see if I took out any pictures and immediately run off to fetch it before I finished picking my five. I wasn’t comfortable with this, as I was worried I’d see something better and not have a chance to try it out. My worries were totally unfounded though, as it turns out Helen was super-efficient at pulling dresses and having me try them on.

After I picked my five, I was led to my dressing area, which was a separate room with two dressing rooms and two square platforms surrounded by mirrors. No one was using the second dressing room, so I had this entire private area to myself, which was really nice. The dressing room itself was also quite roomy. The square platforms weren’t as flattering as circular platforms, but it just means its less deceptive about your height. Unlike J’aime and Trudy’s, where they let me put on the dresses myself and I’d ask for help at my leisure, Helen was with me the entire time, including when I was undressing, which is kinda weird for me. She helped me into all my dresses, and she was very good about answering my questions about materials, brands, and whatnot. The weird thing about Bay Area Bridal is that they don’t list the model name of the dress anywhere on the tags, nor do they offer up that information when you choose your favorites.

I started trying on dresses, and this time I experimented with more dresses outside what I typically liked, including some poofier ones I tend to stay away from. I had read in Yelp reviews that Bay Area Bridal doesn’t allow pictures, but Helen was totally okay with it. And it wasn’t just her; the other consultant working was also allowing her bride take pictures, so I don’t know if they recently changed policies or the manager wasn’t around or something. If it’s a change, it’s definitely for the better. (I don’t get how brides did this before. I can’t remember most of what I’ve tried on at these places, even WITH pictures!) After trying around 3 of them, I came to the conclusion I’m not a fan of the poofy A-lines. The more slender dresses I picked, I didn’t like much either.

After my initial five, Helen really went to work. While I stood around in a dress, she’d observe feedback from my entourage, ask me what I like and don’t like, and then run off to grab dresses. She’d usually come back with two dresses. At first, she had me try some different things, which I appreciated. I even tried one of those “whip cream” dresses I despise so much. (Kelvin: “Your cake is ready!”) Strangely enough, I actually somewhat liked the whip cream dress I tried on. I think it was the shiny, soft material, plus it didn’t have much volume. Anyway, she’d bring me tons of dresses, and I turned away a lot of them. In terms of quantity, Helen was certainly doing her job.

I get the impression that Helen was a bit new to this. Compared to the last two dress consultants, she didn’t seem to connect with what I liked as well, but I don’t blame her for this since I was throwing a ton of curveballs with my experimentation in this dress session. She also seemed less experienced at clipping, as dresses weren’t on as tight (therefore not as flattering) and clips would pop off. I slouched a lot in the pictures since it felt like the dress might fall. It also didn’t help that Helen, in an effort to find style I like, would bring me dresses they only had in a plus-size in the store to try on. Seriously, no amount of clipping will make a size 16 dress look good on me. I’m guessing they have a wide range of dress sizes in store, as they were also the first store to have a dress I could try on that actually fit me without clips.

After about 11 dresses (not including the ones I turned away for trying), the store was reaching closing time. Despite this, Helen still brought two more dresses to see if I wanted to try either of them last minute, to which I declined. I was pretty sick of trying on dresses. What’s disappointing is that I didn’t really like any of them. I did like Helen’s efficiency and enthusiasm. It’s kind of interesting how different she was compared to Marika (even Anna noted this), though Marika did read my tastes better. I guess the experience does show, but I’m sure Helen will get better at it. The dresses I tried on were varied in all aspects. I tried on at least 7 different brands, and their prices ranged from $700 to $1800, with at least half in the sub $1000 range (mostly close to $700). I don’t think some of the dresses I tried on are as nice as the ones I tried on at J’aime and Trudy’s, but the average dress price was certainly lower.

Maggie Sottero Camden - Not plus sized, but still a little big for me. I wish catalog
pictures would just let the skirt fall naturally instead of making the model look like
they’re wearing a cone. I don’t see how it makes the dress look more ideal.

When we finished, Helen gave me a card with the brands (no model numbers) I liked listed, which were a Private Label by G dress and a Maggie Sottero dress (tho I was meh on both). She also entered our information into their computer so it could be accessed if I decide to visit again. Once again, I didn’t feel any pressure to buy, and I left with very positive feelings of the service. I wasn’t as fond of their selection, but I sort of knew that before I came in. I think Bay Area Bridal is a good place to visit or start your dress search, simply because of its size and variety. And I believe you can get a 10% discount on bridesmaid and mother-of-the-bride dresses if you get your gown there.

New thing I learned today: “Paloma blanca” is Spanish for “white dove”.

Since the year and a half that he’s been in the Bay Area, Rodney has gained a passion for salsa dancing, spending like 4 or 5 days a week at least tending to this hobby. It’s gotten to the point where he joined a dance team that performs, so I finally checked out one of his performances in Berkeley. It was cultural dance recital thing held at the YWCA, and there were several classes performing.

All the performances were neat, but the ones I found particularly interesting were belly-dancing, salsa (duh!), and flamenco dancers. The belly-dancing class was the second performance, and it was a decent-sized group. There was a beginner’s class, not-beginner’s class, and teacher performance. All the students were pretty good (way, way, WAY better than me), and seeing the teacher (Nanna) perform was a real treat. (Though, IMHO, my teacher is better ;) ) My only complaint was that the not-beginner’s class had creepy music.

Second to last was Rodney’s salsa dance team (what the heck is a “symbolic”??), and they were fun to watch. It wasn’t just because Rodney was in it; they had a lot of energy and looked great. Rodney’s really good! I have video proof!

I don’t have much decent footage since we weren’t optimally seated to see Rodney (he was mostly on the other side). Someone has the whole thing on Youtube. His dance team was followed by a couple that I guess was extra-good or something, cuz they were doing all sorts of stuff that looked not safe (but of course was entertaining to watch).

The last performance was the flamenco dancers, and they went all out with live musicians. Every dancer was really good, and there’s no way you could be bored with their shoes stomping on the ground like they’re coming to kill you. It was a good way to finish the event.

New thing I learned today: Volcom is an urban clothing manufacturer founded in Fargo, North Dakota. Its brand is aimed at the snowboarding, surfing, and skateboarding markets, and its clothing features prominent use of its logo. Its motto is “Youth Against Establishment”.

A while ago, I was in SF visiting Rodney. I was getting cold, so I went into Urban Outfitters to get an overpriced hoodie, apparently a Volcom piece of clothing. I thought it had a nice pattern and color; I had no idea it was any sort of recognizable brand. That is, until I saw there was a Volcom boutique in Berkeley. I really liked the hoodie, so we checked out the store. I found an awesome pair of jeans I loved, so I came to the conclusion that Volcom has clothes I like.

Upon researching the brand later, I didn’t realize it had a distinct logo that was used in all its designs. I also wasn’t aware of its “Youth against establishment” motto. I had no idea that the hoodie I liked had the Volcom logo ALL OVER it.

I don’t consider myself to be against establishment or young, so I hope I’m not giving anti-establishment youths out there the false impression that I think I’m like them. I’m certain I’m bringing less edge to the brand name. That’s not going to stop me from buying their clothes though; I still dig them.

Our server’s been crashing the middle of the night, and when it hasn’t crashed, it’s been slowed to crawl. Somebody else on the same machine as us is apparently doing some not-so-happy things. I think tech support is working on it.