Food Review: P.F. Chang's Home Menu

A couple weeks ago I was contacted asking if I'd like to try one of P.F. Chang's new frozen meals and I mean how can I say no to P.F. Chang's? Tonight I finally got around to trying it and man am I glad I did!

P.F. Chang's has come out with eight different frozen food meals based off of their delicious in restaurant and I had the pleasure of trying General Chang's Chicken.

I gotta say it was pretty easy to make and didn't take long at all (eleven minutes on the stovetop) although I did manage to burn the pan (yes, I know, it's ridiculous and I have no idea how I did it). But it definitely a nice treat since I didn't really feel like cooking and tasted just about as good as if I went to P.F. Chang's itself (I just wish it came with a fortune cookie, haha).

Basically P.F. Chang's saved my sanity tonight and you should probably check it out for yourself.

I was sent a coupon to try this meal for free but the opinions are just all miiiiiine.

Game Review: Vacation Isle Beach Party

A couple weeks ago I was contacted asking if I'd want to try out a new game for the Wii and seriously who am I to say no to a Wii game, especially when it involves the balance board!?! So Vacation Isle Beach Party was sent my way and oooh man what a funny game this is.

Not only can I test out my horrible surf skills but I can water ski and ride the wave runner but I can do all sorts of ridiculous water sports using the Wii balance board, the remote and the nunchuck (it gets everything involved). I think my favorite game so far has been the fire dancing, basically because I wasn't half bad and it was sort of like DDR which I'm not horrible at, haha.

Pretty much Matt and I had a great time trying this game out and basically laughing at me because I have no coordination skills but it was still pretty dang funny.

So if you can't get away on an island vacation this year, try the game instead, haha okay that sounds lame. Basically give the game a whirl and let me know what you think if you do.

You can buy it on Amazon here.




*I was sent this game for free to review, but I wasn't paid to say anything schnazzy about it, that was all me*

Show Review: KA

So remember when I first started this review blog and the very first thing I reviewed was Cirque du Soleil's KA? Well we've come full circle kids because I had the pleasure of seeing the show yet again last weekend when I was in Vegas.

Although it was my second time seeing the show I was still completely blown away. Every Cirque show I've seen has been amazing and I can never get over how the performers move so fluidly and at ease and I definitely gasped several times but seriously, just wow.

Seeing this show a second time definitely allowed me to be on the lookout for certain parts as well as keep my eyes open for things I might have missed watching it last year. I definitely loved the humor in some scenes, especially on the beach with the sand creatures.

I also enjoyed every scene involving the moving stage. There is one stage where people are literally running up and down the stage as it is moving diagonally and it's flipping and "arrows" are hitting it and it is just nuts, but all sorts of amazing.

Pretty much next time you're in Vegas you should check out this show and then thank me later. :)


Also check out Jessica's review of the show as well since she was a first timer to the show :)




I was provided a ticket to see KA free-of-charge to provide an honest review. The opinions are mine and were not influenced by any source. I was not compensated monetarily to advertise this show.

Food Review: The Grilled Cheese Truck

Last Thursday I heard that the Grilled Cheese Truck was going to be in Pasadena, so naturally I had to go. And I didn't go alone, I dragged Matt and my neighbor Erica along with me. Basically we got there 20 minutes prior to the opening hours and we waited a full hour until we were served, but my cheese loving heart thinks it was totally worth it.

Matt and I both ordered the Cheesy Mac and Rib which is just as delicious as it sounds and was very much my favorite. It had macaroni and cheese with BBQ pork and grilled onions, aka amazingness. We also order the havartichoke special of the night which was grilled chicken, havarti cheese and an artichoke spread. Pretty much it was delicious and I will definitely have to track that truck down again. Yummmmm.

mmmm what a cheesy dinner.

the fully loaded heavenly sandwich.

Don't forget to follow the GTT on Twitter to find out where it's going to be and the day's specials.

Movie Review: Clash of the Titans

So of course since I have a huge crush on Sam Worthington I had to see this movie eventually. And it helped a bit that there was some action and it's supposed to be a guy's movie so convincing Matt to see it wasn't too hard. However, neither one of us was that impressed. The movie wasn't awful or anything but it could have been so much better.

Here are some of the suggestions I had to make this movie better:

• Don't have Ray Fines talk in the Voldemort voice, it's just way too similar and not original.
  
• Umm play the most bad ass song ever! Seriously, you tease me with the trailer and then don't have it in the movie, what is that about.
  
• Drop the random love connection with Perseus and Ioda (was that her name), it was too forced.
  
• Have some more fight scenes!
  
• Have Sam Worthington take off his shirt! Seriously what was that about. Although he did rock a tunic quite nicely.
  
  
  
  

So yes the movie was good but could have been better. Nonetheless there was plenty of Sam and I was quite alright with that.

Giveaway: Macy's Fashion Director Challenge Winner

Thanks so much to everyone that entered my Macy's Fashion Director Challenge Giveaway.

I love all of the must-have items you shared, I'm pretty sure mine are a good tank top and pair of flip flops (currently I am living in my Reefs, lurve them).

Anyhoozits, without further adieu, by the powers invested in random.org, the winner of the $50 Macy's gift card is...

Congratulations ThatShortChick who will probably get a cute sundress or two with her gift card!


Thanks again everyone and you still have a week to enter the $500 a day challenge, just head on over to www.macys.com/fashiondirector

Movie Review: My Sister's Keeper

As I've mentioned before, I am a big fan of Jodi Picoult's books. So far I have read My Sister's Keeper, Nineteen Minutes, The Pact and Handle with Care and I plan to read them all eventually I just like to space them out a bit. With that said, I was very curious to see how one of her amazingly well written and emotional books would translate to the big screen and finally I was able to rent My Sister's Keeper and witness it for myself.

If you haven't read the book here' s what you should know:

• Jodi Picoult changes narrators in every chapter. Almost every character gets a chance to speak and you really start to feel connected to all of them for all sorts of different reasons.

• The story revolves around Anna, who was born for the sole purpose of helping her cancer stricken sister, and how she decides to sue her parents for the rights to her own body and no longer wants to undergo surgeries to help her dying sister.

Now how do these key factors translate into the movie? Well there is some attempt at having every character narrate some part of the story but I just don't think it really helped me attach to them in any way. And as for Anna's story? It's not nearly as big of a factor in the overall movie as you would have imagined. I believe there is maybe one or two courtroom scenes and that's it. Her case doesn't become nearly as important and pivotal as the rest of the family's dilemmas and issues and Kate's, her sister, declining health.

So what did I think of the movie overall? I'm still torn. I in no way loved it like I did the book and I still didn't buy Cameron Diaz as a mother of three teenage children. However, I did LOVE Sofia Vassilieva's performance as Kate. She was absolutely amazing, by far the most well portrayed character on the screen. You could not only feel her angst and depression about her health but you also could feel her happiness on the good days and I loved it.

Nonetheless, I absolutely detested the ending. I won't give anything away but it is the complete (and I mean COMPLETE) opposite of the way the book ended which I thought was incredibly appropriate and an appreciated turn of events. I remember reading that even Jodi wasn't pleased with the ending and I don't disagree with her one bit, it's just sad Hollywood couldn't keep to it.

Now I wonder if any more of her books will be penned for the big screen or if they're just better left for our imagination.

Giveaway: Macy's Fashion Director Challenge

Are you a fashionista? Love Macy's clothes and accessories? Well this is the giveaway for you!

Macy’s Fashion Director Daily Challenge is a 30-day contest that lets fashionistas put it all together. By mixing and matching the right pieces around a daily theme, participants get the chance to win a $500 gift card every day. The interactive outfit maker at www.macys.com/fashiondirector lets you combine the season’s hottest fashions and accessories to style, shop, and share the perfect look. From putting together an outfit for a blind date to selecting the perfect look for a big work presentation, the challenges will mirror everyday situations, as well as special occasions. Using the mix and match tool, participants can virtually select pieces to create a unique outfits ideal for the challenge of the day. Suggested pieces from Macy’s Spring 2010 collections will help those in need of guidance.

I messed around on the site a bit and it is so easy to use, I think I even like it better than Polyvore (not that I use that site all that much). However it is a little dangerous to my wallet since I've found so many cute outfits I want, haha.

Anyhoo, so not only can you win a $500 gift card every day from Macy's, but you can win a $50 gift card from me!!


How to win?
Leave a comment telling me what your favorite item of clothing is or your fashion must-have.

For additional entries:

• Twitter about the contest "Calling all Fashionistas! Put it all Together with @MacysInc and @katelin for a chance to win a Macy's $50 gc http://bit.ly/a6JzQ7" and leave the permalink in a separate comment.
• Follow Macy's on Twitter
• Blog about the contest
  

Giveaway ends Wednesday, March 31st 4pst.


So embrace the fashionista inside and good luck!



*Macy's is a client of my company.

Movie Review: Public Enemies

For a movie starring Christian Bale AND Johnny Depp you would have thought I was all over seeing it in theaters. Alas it was one I missed but thanks to the wonders of Netflix I finally saw it Sunday night and umm I don't really know what to think.

There was so much potential with this story and the cast but in the end I think it just fell short and was so incredibly slow! At one point, both Matt and I were playing games on our phones and loosely paying attention to the movie, why we didn't just turn it off I have no idea.

In case you've never even heard of this movie, the plot goes something like this: The movie follows the final years of notorious bank robber John Dillinger (Depp) and his gang as well as the FBI agent that finally brings him down (Bale).

Basically the story was lackluster and I really disliked how it was filmed. It was like the director wanted to go for a realistic feel and give the movie a documentary effect, however I just thought it came off as annoying. Despite the weird filming and slow moving plot I did enjoy Marion Cotillard's character (Dillinger's girlfriend) and all the other random celebrity spots (Stephen Dorf, Channing Tatun, Leelee Sobieski) just for making the movie interesting.

I will say that the movie peaked my interest in learning more about Dillinger (thank you Wikipedia!) like most true story movies do, however I don't think I'll be watching this movie again, once was enough.

Book Review: Water for Elephants

Yes I realize it's been a while since I've done a book review and boy have I been doing some reading, but this book definitely warrants a review because it was just so good.

I don't even remember who recommended this book to me or what reading list I saw it on, but I am so glad I picked it up at the library. The book revolves around an elderly man, Jacob, as he looks back on his time where he unconventionally and unintentionally worked with a traveling circus.

I know that's a pretty vague description but you don't really want to know more before getting into this book because there are so many twists and turns along the way it was so entertaining not knowing what to expect. I also appreciated the book went back and forth between Jacob as an old man and back to his youthful days multiple times, like two coinciding stories almost.

However I will say, be prepared to be a little shocked, maybe shed a tear or too and sometimes feel a little risque reading it. But all around I absolutely loved this story and I didn't want it to end. So go pick yourself up a copy right this second!

And made reading this book even better? Water for Elephants is currently in the process of coming to the big screen. And who will be playing Jacob? None other than Mr. Rob Pattinson himself. I can't say that he's a perfect fit or anything but I definitely won't object to seeing him on the big screen again especially in a story that I love.

Giveaway: TCM 21 Days of Oscar Winner

Thanks so much to everyone that entered my TCM 21 Days of Oscar giveaway. It's good to see so many fellow movie lovers out there that I know will be enjoying the Academy Awards this Sunday as much as I will.

So without further adieu, the winner of the TCM Oscar prize pack is...

Congrats Nora, who said her favorite movies are the Shawshank Redemption and the Notebook. Um I freaking LOVE the Notebook.

Anyhoo, I hope you have a very A-list Oscar's!

Giveaway: TCM 31 Days of Oscar!

If you read my blog you know that I pretty much love all things Hollywood. This also means that the Academy Awards is one of my favorite events of the year (seriously, it might be up there with Christmas and my birthday).

So when I saw that Turner Classic Movies was doing their 31 Days of Oscar I knew I wanted to get involved and spread the word! Although 31 Days of Oscar has already started there are still plenty of days to watch as award winning movies are played commercial free and in a 6-degrees style. You can check out the entire schedule here:





See any of your favorite movies or any you want to add to your to-see list? I know I did and my DVR is about to get even more backed up because there are so many classics I've never seen, so thank you TCM.

And as an extra bonus, there's a giveaway! Are you planning on watching the Oscars with a bunch of friends? Just you and your cat? With your grandma? Heck it doesn't matter who you watch it with because TCM is offering a fabulous Oscar prize pack to one of my readers. The prize pack includes everything from popcorn and candy to a martini glass and shaker set, and more. Basically everything you need for an A-list evening at the Oscar's.

To enter leave a comment telling me your favorite movie, Oscar nominated or not, I want to know!

For extra entries you can:

• Tweet about the giveaway and leave the direct link in a separate comment.
  
• Follow TCM on Twitter.
• Become a fan of TCM on Facebook.
  
• Blog about the giveaway and leave the permalink in a separate comment.
  

Giveaway ends next Wednesday, March 3rd 4pst and I will email the winner after they are selected randomly.





*Thank you to TCM for providing an Oscar prize pack for both myself and a reader*

Movie Review: District 9

So I'm trying my hardest to get through all ten best picture nominations before the big day on March 7th and the latest movie to watch was District 9. I was a little skeptical about it and I had pretty much no idea what it was about before I watched it and umm I'm a little speechless still.

Once I got past the gross looking aliens, the black vomit, the all around gore and violence I did enjoy the movie. It had a pretty intriguing plot and I liked how it was filmed sort of like a documentary but also like a movie.

So what is the plot of this movie? Aliens land on earth 20 years ago and for some reason aren't able to leave. The humans round them up and put them into District 9, a housing area, which basically turns into a slum. One day the humans decide to evict the aliens and move them to District 10 which is out of the city limits and in the middle of nowhere to appease humans that don't want the aliens there any more. Basically all hell breaks lose when the man in charge, Wikus, gets infected and friends becomes enemies and enemies friends and yeah, it's nuts.

I spent a lot of the movie covering my eyes and saying "EW" but that doesn't mean I didn't like it. The whole story line reminded me of the X-Men movies and how although using something so far fetched from reality (in this case bug-like aliens) it openly exposed human politics to different cultures and behaviors.

Ultimately you do feel bad for the aliens as humans are exposed as trigger happy bullies and the battle that ensues is quite captivating and leaves you wanting a sequel for sure. I'm not sure that this movie will win Best Picture but I am glad I saw it and you might want to check it out as well.

Movie Review: The Hurt Locker

My heart can't handle these kinds of movies. I'm serious. I don't know why I thought I'd be able to handle a movie about deactivating bombs because I hand my hands over my eyes for a good portion of the movie. However, that doesn't mean I didn't like the movie. It was excellent.

As a daughter of a vet (and cousin and friend of several men in the armed forces) I usually stay away from war themed movies but since The Hurt Locker is one of the ten movies nominated for best picture I figured I should see it.

The first ten minutes of the movie I was already on the edge of my seat as the it starts right in the midst of mission where three soldiers are attempting to deactivate a IED. Needless to say the whole movie I was either gasping, closing my eyes or praying that a bomb didn't explode, it was intense. However the parts when my heart wasn't racing I was laughing, mainly at Jeremy Renner's character, Sgt. James. He's the new guy in the company who doesn't play by the rules. Pretty much he's a delinquent badass. He doesn't listen to orders, he disables bombs without the proper outfitting, he goes on a rogue mission, he flips off his commander, pretty much the list goes on but I think you get the picture.

His character is the light heartedness needed in any war movie. He shows what some soldiers are really like and how there aren't set "rules of wartime" and I liked that. That doesn't mean I didn't yell at him when he made some dumb decisions (because I did) but I still liked him.

All in all, if you can get through intense "will it explode or won't it" and "is he going to get shot or not" scenes then I think you can appreciate the story this movie is trying to share and have even more respect for our soldiers at war.

Movie Review: Avatar

Yes, it's true. After much debate I finally gave in and saw Avatar. And....I didn't hate it. I knew I wouldn't haaaate it persay but I went in with very low expectations and I'm glad to say it exceeded my expectations.

So if you're living in a hole or can't tell from the previews, Avatar basically is a grown up, live action Fern Gully. It takes place in 2134 (I think) and humans are on this foreign planet, Pandora, trying to dig out this incredibly valuable mineral however it is underneath a giant tree where the Natives (aka the giant blue people) reside.

So what were my thoughts? Well...
*some spoilers included*

One. I am so glad my IMAX 3D experience was nothing like the last time. The screen was huge but I was far enough back I could see the whole thing and the 3D glasses covered my actual glasses without really irritating me too much and I pretty much okay for most of it.

Two. Pat yourself on the back James Cameron because the visuals were quite impressive. Pandora was quite the visual experience and sometimes I forgot that the movie was like 85% CGI.

Three. Why did Sam Worthington never take his shirt off when he was human?? I mean really that's just not very nice. And he looked a million times better with the crew cut as opposed to the scraggly business with facial hair.

Four. When the hometree crashed down all I could think of was the scene in Titanic when the boat crashes down and all the people in the water get crushed, way to stick to what you know James.

Five. I almost threw something at the screen with Jake goes into his whole "I fell in love...with the forrest" speech. It was just so gaaaah! I mean the love story was sweet but sometimes I thought it went a wee bit overboard.

Six. I may have jumped in my seat at certain points when random creatures popped on screen and flew in my face. And man they were creepy and gross and wow.

Seven. Did Jake ever sleep? I'm pretty sure he didn't, maybe once, he's like Jack Bauer.

Eight. Can I have a flying horse thing and plants that are awesome and not creepy because that would be lovely.

Nine. I thought Sigourney Weaver's Avatar looked the most like her than anyone else's, it was kind of funny.

Ten. If Jake hadn't lived and turned into his Avatar at the end I would have officially disliked the movie. I mean Jack died in Titanic, I didn't want to have to go through that again, so I'm glad I didn't.

And finally, although the movie was good (definitely entertaining) I honestly don't think it is Best Picture worthy. Visual Effects? Yes. Best Picture? Not so much. And I am glad I saw it in 3D IMAX, it was worth it, you were right, I was wrong. On to the next Oscar nominee....

Giveaway: Macy's Go Red for Women Winner

Thanks so much to everyone that entered my Macy's Go Red for Women giveaway, you all listed some fabulous Red items that I may just have to check out for myself.

And I hope you're all rocking your red today for National Wear Red Day!

Anyhoo, without further adieu, by the powers invested in random.org, the winner of the $50 Macy's gift card is...

Congratulations Jamie Lovely! Who would get this super cute red dress from Macy's.


Thanks again to everyone that entered! And don't forget to GO RED!

Giveaway: Macy's Go Red for Women

Macy's Go Red for Women campaign is celebrating National Wear Red Day this Friday, February 5th. Go Red for Women is the American Heart Association's nationwide movement that celebrates the energy, passion and power of women to join together to wipe out heart disease, the number one killer of American women and men.

There are several ways we can all get involved:

• Red is the color that saves at the Wear Red Sale
• Take fashion to heart and buy the limited INC International Concepts Little Red Dress
  
• Speak up against heart disease by sharing your story at the Go Red Casting Calls
• Attend a Go Red luncheon in your area
• Join Go Red for Women!
  

Such a great cause right? So get going and get involved!

And as if you needed any more incentive, to help celebrate GO RED DAY I'm giving away a $50 Macy's gift card!

And how do you enter to win such a fabulous prize?
Visit the Macy's website and come back here to leave a link with a RED item you'd love to own.

For additional entries:
Twitter about the contest "Go Red for Women with @MacysInc and @katelin & win a $50 Macy's GC http://bit.ly/cVWbWp"
Become a fan of Go Red for Women on Facebook
Follow Macy's on Twitter


The giveaway ends this Friday 4pm. PST and I'll email the winner after they are selected randomly.


Good luck and GO RED!




*Macy's is a client of my company.

Movie Review: Sex and Death 101

Seriously Netflix has opened up a whole new world of movie watching for us. Random movies that I had never even heard of being suggested to me and voila we can watch it when we have the time. And since I've been on such a Simon Baker kick lately I decided to check out one of his movies, Sex and Death 101.

How do I sum up such a strange movie? Well Simon Baker's character, Roderick Blank, receives an anonymously sent email listing off all of the women he's ever had sex with and will eventually have sex with, which leads him to question his pending marriage and thus leads to him becoming quite the ladies man. While all of this is going on there is a femme fatal on the loose, Death Nell, putting womanizing men into comas and leaving bizarre messages on their walls.

Pretty much this movie had a whole lot of naked people, cursing, sex scenes, Simon Baker, more naked people, a couple funny sidekicks, a magical computer and some more sexual innuendos. That's about it really. It was funny in parts, I'll give it that but I don't know that I'll add it to our instant queue again any time soon, it was just so weird sometimes.

However, it wouldn't be all that horrible to watch Simon Baker in action for two hours again, haha.

Movie Review: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Matt and I are now the proud owners of a Netflix account and it is awesome. I seriously don't know why we didn't have it sooner? Well then again we didn't have a BluRay player that could let us stream movies live until Christmas so that sort of instigated our NetFlix venture. Nonetheless, we can now stream movies and watch them whenever we want as well as request them and it is awesome. And the first movie we streamed....Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.

I sort of really enjoyed this movie. Yes it has every aspect of a quirky indie/Michael Cera movie but I thought it was adorable and funny and entertaining and just cute. I also love that the movie takes place all in one night, one very long night in New York City and it's just quite an adventure.

Pretty much the gist of the movie is as so: Nick (Michael Cera) is in a band and getting over a crazy ex girlfriend, Tris, when he meets Norah (Kat Dennings) and the night goes from there as everyone searches for the infamous band Where's Fluffy as well as trying to locate Norah's incredibly drunk friend, Caroline. Caroline was probably one of the funniest characters in the movie besides Nick's gay band members because they had me laughing every time they were on screen together. Also I just loved how care free these kids were and how they were all up literally all night and learned all sorts of life lessons like good moral movies do but not without mishaps and hilarious adventures.

Pretty much if you want a quirky coming of age Michael Cera movie, this one's for you. Also, Where is FLUFFY???

Brand Review: LuShae Jewelry

A week or so ago I was contacted by Australian based Sarah at LuShae Jewelry asking if I'd be interested in reviewing a piece of her jewelry. Um say what? Why yes I'd love some jewelry. Not only that but I got to pick out whatever piece from her store that I wanted.

So what did I decide on? Since I love necklaces I went with this Summer Bouquet.

Isn't it gorgeous? And super fun? And cute! And yeah I sort of like it a lot.

And check out that baby on me...

pretty right?

So what can I say about it that you can't tell from the pictures. Well I love the fun colors in the necklace, it's light (which is always a perk to me), the clasp is easy to put on by yourself (I hate super difficult clasps, I mean really, what's the point?) and it's super cute.

LuShae jewelry not only has necklaces, but earrings and rings as well. So head on over to check some cute styles for yourself.


I was given this necklace free-of-charge. The opinions are mine and were not influenced by any source. I was not compensated monetarily to advertise this brand.