Hi folks. Lots going on over here. First, I gotta say: Bubbey Belvedere rocks. Nothing like coming home to a hot home-cooked meal. And I always have leftovers for lunch the next day. I might have to start watching my intake actually, because as my friend Fonda exclaimed, I’ve “gain a lot of weight. A LOT.”

Mind you, she tells me this practically every single time I see her, and it is sort of an Asian ideal to be wafer thin… Seriously, I’m about 5 lbs. heavier than when I first arrived two years ago. Wup dee doo. I mean, sure, after watching all these damn dance shows on tv, I suppose sacrifices could be made if I really want to attain the “dancer’s body,” as Bubs and I term it. Whatever though. I’m not losing sleep over it, because at this point, with hip hop, rollerblading (at lunch now), AND swimming (the pools is finally heated now), it’s all good.

In other news, Bubs and I had a fun little project in the kitchen recently. I was reading the May issue of Ladies Home Journal (Yes, totally a magazine for someone three decades my senior but hey, it’s free so I read it). Anyway, there was this crazy article about creature cupcakes, with recipes to make cupcakes that look like penguins and horses and pandas and shit. It was so insane. And just to prove my point, I showed Bubbey. Next thing I know, we’re at the supermarket getting all the ingredients to make these things. Needless to say, it was an entertaining evening. Of course, in typical fashion, I made some substitutions here and there. Specifically, I opted for milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate frosting. And well, I went without food coloring. Budget cuts, you know. We had fun, but it was still a bit frustrating. As my hip hop class has taught me, I hate sucking at stuff. To make matters worse, the next day my artistic, former-landscape architect of a friend Tina came over to show us up. Just to give you an idea of the craziness we’re dealing with here, I included shots of cupcakes made by the pros. You can also guess which creations are Tina’s. Enjoy.