Time just put out a list of the top 25 blogs of 2009. Check out the full list here. My faves from the list:

Lifehacker – they offer really great tips for making your life more efficient and simpler
Metafilter – you can pretty much find the answer for anything here
Official Google blog – yes, google is taking over the world and you can follow them on their blog!
Detention Slip – a blog about the mishaps in the education system…and yes, there’s enough of them to make a whole blog around it! scary.

and I love how perez hilton got on their list of most overrated blog. with all of the new gossip blogs out there now, I find perez hilton doesn’t really dish up the latest but rather just makes up immature comments about the people he doesn’t like in the industry. WWTDD on the other hand. hilarious. :) (NSFW by the way)

Also, Times Online (not to be confused with Time) did a list of the world’s 50 best food blogs. Get ready to drool!

Here are the top 5:
Orangette – her journey from no-name blogger to a column writer for Bon Appetit, as well as a soon to be author for her first book is pretty amazing!
The Wednesday Chef – this one is a new blog for me so I dont know much about it
Delicious Days – one of the most popular food blogs out there
David Leibowitz – his pictures, writing, and recipes make me drool. Just look at his post on braised short ribs!
chez pim – when it comes to a food blog for me, good photography is so important and this is definitely one of the top blogs in that area

Since I just got back from vacation, I still have traveling on the mind. I discovered this cool mind map of things not to forget to pack when you travel. You can download the full version here.

It even has an “other” branch that you can add your own unique items to. One thing that I always forget to bring when I travel, and which was inspired by my old roomie, is to bring house slippers! It’s great and so much more comfy to have your own slippers to walk around in your hotel or wherever you are staying at.

Also of note, the LATimes has just released their travel guide for 2009 including their top 10 destinations. It’s definitely worth checking out if you plan on traveling this year!

I had a really great Valentine’s Day.

It started out on friday night when boyrobot surprised me with tickets to my favorite comedian, Demetri Martin!! It was the best show ever. We proceeded to repeat every joke from the show for the rest of the weekend and cracking up. If he’s ever in your town, GO SEE HIM.

Then at midnight, he surprised me with a box containing a few things in it:

a mix cd – and it’s so good. i can’t stop listening to it!
a message in a bottle (inspired by my earlier post which I thought was hilarious!) – and the note inside was SO sweet. it made me cry. i can’t believe the boy can still tug at my heartstrings the way he does!
tickets to see O in vegas when we go next month – we’ve been wanting to go since forever. i can’t wait!
and lastly a really cute menu that he created from scratch – It included a list of appetizers, main entree, dessert, and a late night snack. Each category had a few options for me to choose from of things to do/eat for the whole day. Is that not the sweetest thing ever?

Overall, the day was filled with good food, laughter, and most importantly quality time together. This is the recipe for a perfect Vdays don’t you think?

Lastly, I just have to plug one of our favorite dessert places of the moment and the “dessert” I chose that day: tutto amore. They are located in Laguna Beach, so quite a drive if you’re not from OC but if you’re in the area it’s well worth it! They sell an assortment of gelato with some pretty interesting flavors. I like to order this special they have where you get a scoop of gelato in an expresso. It’s YUMMMMMM. They also sell it with hot chocolate instead of expresso.

Overall, it was a great way to end my my most excellent week. :)

I am out of the country this week on vacation and will return to regular posting next week!

Seriously. Like big tear drops rolling down my face! And I don’t even know this guy.

Ben’s Got Cancer – He actually passed away December 8th after a 6 month long battle with cancer. Can you imagine? Finding a lump and then 6 months later…gone. Cancer is so scary.

Anyways, I just thought I would post this because it really touched me. It is always good to remember to be grateful and to not take things for granted. Appreciate everything and everyone you love.

I’m going to go call my parents now.

911 caller puts police dispatcher on hold to make a drug deal, lands in jail – darwin award anyone?
Deal or no deal strategy guide – I know boyrobot will enjoy this one..he loves probability!
Boy, 14, dupes police and patrols Chicago for 5 hours – this story made me LOL. how stupid???
One sentence true stories – check the homepage for other ones!
Fast food critic closes down his blog – better for his health!
White hot chocolate – I need to try this recipe! I once had it at a coffeeshop and it was to die for!

Yes, this picture is the cutest thing ever!

20 Worst Foods of 2009 by Men’s Health

This list is so depressing. Not because I eat any of the items on the list specifically, but because often I will eat things that are very similar. For instance, the very worst food was the oreo shake from Baskin Robbins. I’ve just started getting into the oreo shake from Jack In The Box. When I read that I was like :O because the oreo shake from BR is 2600 calories!!!!!!!! Luckily, the one from JIB is only 910. But still….that’s a LOT!!! This news makes me very sad.

Considering I try to eat around 1200 calories a day, this does not leave much room for my other meals. Bah!

Other ones on the list included a full rack of ribs (uh I LOVE ribs), bacon burgers, chicken tenders, and pastas. It’s kind of scary when you see the numbers next to them!

also, for the curious…a calories per day calculator

If you’re looking for some valentine’s day ideas, nothing beats a homemade card. I still remember the robot one boyrobot made for me one year. So cute!!!

Here’s a list of 5 cheap diy card ideas by Wisebread. I really like all of these ideas. So creative!

My favorite is the message in a bottle:

Shopping list –
1 glass bottle with cork – $2 (I got mine from Michaels, try any craft store)
1 piece of scrapbooking paper – 15 cents (choose a theme appropriate to the message)
A few small shells from the beach – FREE (or, get a bag for $1 from a craft store)

Instructions –
Do I have to spell it out? Ok. Take the cork out of the bottle, write a lovely message on the paper, put a few shells in the bottom of the bottle, roll up the paper, pop it inside and put the cork back on. Really simple. Do it on Valentine’s Day or an anniversary, or a message to friends/relatives overseas. Trust me, it’s a winner.

Read about the rest of them here.

Stick it in the fridge for a short time and cut it while it’s still cold.

Wear contact lenses

Buy these

Slice the onion in half and quickly throw away the center

Light a candle

Place a piece of bread in your mouth (it’s supposed to block and absorb the sulfurous compounds)

Slice the onion in a bowl of water.

Use a fan to blow the fumes away