Love this unique Origami font made by HandMadeFont, based in Estonia. 

How cool!

Chicagoans!  Don't miss "QiXi: A Chinese Love Story" at Millennium Park on August 22, 2010 from 2:30-4:00 pm, starting at Cloud Gate! 

Qi Xi (pronounced "chee shee") is the story of Niulang and Zhinu – the cowherd and celestial weaver princess, whose forbidden love caused the creation of the Milky Way.  This colorful, traveling performance showcases the talents of 200 performers - dancers, martial artists, Chinese opera singers, lion dancers, and musicians. 

The Chicago Chinese Fine Arts Society is asking for your support.  Any donation is appreciated. This will go to all production costs: costuming, transportation, promotion, stage management, rehearsal costs, etc.  Click on QiXi Kickstarter to see last year's video and to get more information.

CFAS is also raffling off two coach tickets to Shanghai or Beijing from American Airlines.  Raffle tickets are $10 each or 3/$25, and you can buy them online at the CFAS store.  The drawing will take place at the QiXi After Party on August 22, and tickets will be valid for a year from that date. 

I've been reading quite a few books lately, catching up on my reading while the kids are at their swimming lessons.  I had picked up A Wedding in December, by Anita Shreve, from the library's used book sale last spring.  I enjoyed it--found it to be well-written and engrossing.

This is a story of the past meeting up with the present and the choices that one makes in the name of love.  Once a close-knit group of high school friends, these men & women had lost touch with one another over 20 years ago, until now.  They're brought together again by two of their own reconnecting at their high school reunion and deciding to get married.

Bridget, now with a diagnosis of breast cancer, has rekindled her romance with Bill, splitting up his marriage and family.  Bill's daughter is confused and angry, refusing to attend the wedding.

Nora, recently widowed, owns the inn where the wedding will take place.  Harrison comes all the way from Canada alone--without his wife & kids.  He still remembers every detail of his first encounter with Nora and still regrets the things he should have said & should have done that day.

Agnes had never married and had never disclosed to her friends the reason why.  Why now, after all this time, does she feel the need to tell them the story of her deep love affair with one of their favorite teachers?  Rob arrives with his partner, Josh.  Did anyone even know that he was gay?  Jerry shows up in a limo with his icy wife, Julie, who carries a fur.  Was he always such a jerk?

And so this weekend in December, they learn things about one another that they had never known.  They rediscover one another.  Will it be another 20-odd years before they meet again, or has the course of their lives changed forever...for some of them?

tobuy

Have you ever tried Restaurant.com?

Right now, you can get a $25 restaurant certificate for $2 with their coupon code: PLATE until Jul 31, 2010.  Check it out!

*Heard about this from RetailMeNot.

 
Congratulations to Guest 6 for winning a $75 gift certificate to Novica.com!

Come visit Asianmommy Reviews to find out more about Novica.  

A friend of mine shared this on Facebook, and I thought it was so cute! 

This is how the Swedish Chef makes popcorn in his kitchen...

We recently visited the Mayan Adventure Waterpark in the Chicago area.  It's an indoor waterpark located in the Holiday Inn in Elmhurst, IL.  We got a Day Pass and went for a half-day, but you'll need to call on the day you go to make sure that Day Passes are available. 

This waterpark is just the right size for our 5 & 8-year-old kids.  They just learned how to swim this summer (Yay!), and this was their first time going down a big waterslide.  The waterpark was not crowded (on a Saturday in July), and the staff was friendly & helpful.   

There is a tube slide, a body slide, a lazy river, a basketball area, and a zero-depth playstation with little slides for little ones and a giant dumping bucket.  The hot tub was not open and one of the kiddie slides was closed off the day we visited.  There's a snack station that serves pizza, hot dogs, burgers, etc.  Towels are provided, but the locker room is small and doesn't have showers. 

It's not the newest or fanciest place to go, but we enjoyed it.  The kids had a great time, and we would go again.