Ella's World by Ella | English, baby! Blogs

Bye Bye 2011

Ella — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 01:37:48 GMT

Bye Bye 2011

Hi English, baby! friends. This has been a crazy year, I can’t believe 2011 is almost coming to an end! These past couple of months have been crazy! I spent a few weeks in Thailand with my family and as usual, had a few trips to Tahoe in the meanwhile. I have big news to announce, I AM MOVING TO LAKE TAHOE!

After thinking long and hard, I’ve decided this is the next best chapter of my life. I’m excited to be a ski bum for a bit, but I am also looking to return to school and get a graduate degree in Public Health Nursing. This should be an adventure. The best part is that everyone has been super supportive. Have you ever had to make a big move? Why? What was it like? Do you have any tips for me?

Going to my birth country of Thailand was such an amazing experience. I learned so much and got to meet so many amazing people. While I was there, the entire country was battling epic floods, so I saw the country in distress. Luckily, it didn’t put a huge damper on the trip, but it was definitely something we had to be aware of as we traveled through the different provinces. I can’t wait to go back. Now I really understand my heritage and how it affects my sister and me. It truly made me appreciative of who I am. Please enjoy these snap shots from the trip!

On a lighter note, I had another photoshoot with the amazing Simon Wan.

Well, ski season is back! And as you know, I am ready to shred! I plan on hitting Mt. Hood a couple times before the move, but here are some pictures from an epic hike I took up to Timberline with some girlfriends.

Well, friends, I hope you are well and learning lots of English. Have fun and stay safe wherever in the world you are!

Birthday in Vegas!

Ella — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 22:05:20 GMT

Birthday in Vegas!

Hi friends! How are you? I'm bummed and stoked at the same time because summer is coming to an end, but the good news is that winter is nearing and I can head to the mountain soon!

This month has been such a fun month. I went to Las Vegas with my best girl friends, spent my actual birthday in Tahoe and had a small intimate get together in town after my birthday.

I know many of you may think it's excessive that I've had three celebrations to commemorate my birthday, but I think turning 25 is a big deal and feels like its a fresh start from the crazy year I had while being 24.

This next coming month should be fun as well, I'm going on my annual beach trip to Pacific City this weekend and San Francisco next weekend. Then I'm throwing a themed party which should be a blast! Can't wait to share my adventures with you! Here are some photos from my Vegas and Tahoe birthday celebrations!

Well, friends, I hope you're learning tons of new words! Stay safe and have fun wherever in the world you are!

Lake Livin'

Ella — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 04:33:24 GMT

Lake Livin'

Hi Ebaby! friends! It’s summer here and I’ve been keeping busy with lots of time in the sun and staying active. One thing I’m looking forward to is my all girls weekend in Las Vegas! Similar to Girls Night Out, six girlfriends and I will be spending an entire weekend in Vegas. We rented out an amazing suite in the new Vdara hotel and will be attending shows and experiencing the night life. I really cherish time with my girlfriends. As we get older and more of my girlfriends are getting engaged and married, these trips become more rare. I can’t wait for the fun that’s in store for us!

Lately, I’ve spent a lot of my summer so far in Lake Tahoe, California. I’ve done lots of bike riding and sun bathing on the lake. It is so beautiful there and the people are so friendly, I always have a great time when I go. I’m actually driving down there this weekend! It is a long 10-hour drive, but the reward always pays off! Here are some photos from my latest trip:

I also recently shot with the amazing Simon Wan again. We did a shoot in Hotel Monaco and tried a couple different styles. What do you think?

Well, friends, I hope you're having an amazing summer! Learn tons of new words and stay safe wherever in the world you are!!

New ventures!

Ella — Tue, 03 May 2011 04:55:22 GMT

New ventures!

Hi friends! How are you? It's been quite a while! I can't believe it's finally spring! I've been doing the usual, trying to balance work and play. This snowboarding season has been amazing. One of spots I frequent, Meadows, received the most snow in the entire world, compared to all the other resorts! I went over the weekend and it was amazing! Blue skies all day and it was warm enough to snowboard in a tank top and sunglasses! So amazing!

In other news, I’ve decided to finally pursue a dormant passion, filming! I just purchased a Canon T3i Rebel and intend on starting quite a few fun projects. I’ve always loved to film. I got my first video camera when I was in 6th grade. I filmed EVERYTHING, but when I moved to Oregon and got more involved in high school, my interest had to be put aside. Now that I have some time and the resources, I can finally get back into it! So exciting!

Also, I recently purchased a bicycle. FINALLY! Portland is a very bicycle-friendly city so it was about time I joined in on the fun! I live five minutes driving distance from downtown, so I figured it would be a good workout to ride to my work and enjoy the awesome weather when it comes. I got a white bicycle that is known as a hybrid, good for both road biking and mild mountain trails! How do you get around where you live? My new bike:

And for some fun stuff, I did an awesome shoot with photographer, Simon Wan. It was really fun. My sister did my hair and make-up. The shots turned out great. Hope you enjoy them too!

Well, friends, hope all is well in your neck of the woods, keep learning and stay safe wherever in the world you are!

Stressed Out

Ella — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 04:17:59 GMT

Stressed Out

This month has been a very stressful month. Things at work have been very crazy and I've been working over time! Also, I've been trying to deal with family and personal issues. With everything going on this month, I've come to see that I don't deal with stress very well. I have no clue how to express my feelings sometimes. I'm pretty much happy 90% of the time, so when I am not happy, I just have no clue what to do with myself. What do you do to deal with stress?

As usual, I've been doing a lot of snowboarding on Mt. Hood, which has been fun, but unfortunately, the snow has not been so fabulous! I'm excited for spring to get here though and start spring skiing.

No big trips were planned this month, but I did do a last minute vacation to Seattle. We stayed at an amazing 5 star hotel and had a great night out on the town!

This has been a very busy month for photoshoots though. I did the spring catalog for Leanna NYC and then a charity fashion show for the Ronald McDonald house. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Learn lots of English and be safe and have fun wherever in the world you are!!

2011!

Ella — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 06:43:48 GMT

2011!

2010 is over. It went by so fast! Looking back at the beginning of the year, do you remember those New Year’s resolutions you made? I think I accomplished my main goal, which was to travel once a month! I definitely did that, as you can see from the photos.

Since my last blog, I went to Florida for Thanksgiving. I did the usual beaches and relaxation and spending quality time with the family. It was a well needed break!

After coming back, I rapidly rushed into throwing my annual holiday party! My best friend and I have been throwing a party for six years called Peppermint Party. It started out as a small dessert party with 10 guests in 2004 and grew to almost 200 guests this year! It was a blast. Even Jason stopped by!

Well, friends, this will be the last blog for 2010. It was a great year with lots of ups and downs. I can only try to make 2011 even better! I wish everyone luck into the new year! Be safe and have fun, wherever in the world you are!

Tropical Paradise & Sequins Storms

Ella — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 01:10:44 GMT

Tropical Paradise & Sequins Storms

Hi Ebaby friends!! I am back from my Hawaiian vacation and am currently in Florida. The 2010 year is coming to an end and I am really reflecting on how things have changed and what needs to change in my life. Like Ella in the series, she has a wake-up call that really forces her to shapen up. I am attempting to do the same in my personal life as well. I'll let you know how that goes!

So last month, I visited the island of Oahu and got to do a lot of different things and try some new foods. I spent a lot of time relaxing on the beach. I also went hiking at Diamond Head and got to take in the gorgeous views of the ocean and city. I attempted to body board, but the waves were very strong and I am not a good swimmer, so I chickened out and went back to shore. One really fun thing I did was snorkeling on Hanauma Bay. I brought with me an underwater camera and tried to capture the experience. Here are some photos from my trip:

This month, I had a photoshoot with Olivia Nelson. Our theme was sequins. Right as we began shooting, it began to pour with rain so it was a big challenge to shoot. Nonetheless, it was really fun and we got some decent photos from it. Here are the final products:

Well friends, I hope you are learning lots of new English terms! I’ll share with you my Florida adventures next time. Til thn, stay safe and have fun wherever in the world you are!

Fashion & Fun!

Ella — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 05:03:54 GMT

Fashion & Fun!

Hi English, baby! friends. How are things on your side of the world? Things on my end have been picking up and I’m back in the mode of being super busy again, which is nice. It’s so funny that my character on the soap opera is such a slacker, because in real life, it’s the exact opposite. I have my normal job that takes up anywhere from 30-45 hours a week and then a lot of side projects that I work on, such as modeling and party planning, and as you all know, traveling! As I type this, I am actually on a plane heading to Hawaii! This will be my first time there. Stay tuned for next month to see pictures of my tropical adventure!

This month, I got to do a photoshoot with the very talented Joe Aimonetti of 503creative. We were going for a 90s grunge look.

Also, I did runway for the Portland Women’s Show. I got to wear a lot of awesome designers. It was really fun to be on the runway and dress up! Here are a few shots from the show. You can check out some of the designers I wore:

http://www.li-ningusa.com/
http://www.leannanyc.com/
http://www.bettyjeancouture.com/

Finally, here in the United States, we celebrate Halloween! I decided to throw my own Halloween party. I dressed up as Marie Antoinette. Here are some shots from the party

Well, friends, I’ve bombarded you quite enough with photos from life. Keep on melting in those new English phrases and stay safe, have fun wherever in the world you are!!!

Parasailing and the Pacific

Ella — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 16:53:14 GMT

Parasailing and the Pacific

Hi friends! How are things on your side of the world? Here in the US, summer is coming to an end. It was so short, but I definitely tried to make the best of it!

I had an amazing birthday: I made another road trip down to Lake Tahoe, California. I got surprised by parasailing for my present! It was an amazing experience. We went up 1200 feet and got breathtaking views of Lake Tahoe. I’m not sure you guys know, but I am a total adrenaline junkie. Parasailing was actually kind of calm, but I can cross it off the list of things to do in my life. For my past birthdays, I have gone bungee jumping, skydiving and paragliding. Good times! While we were there, we also hung out on a boat for a day in the lake and went camping. It was a very adventurous weekend.

After coming back from Lake Tahoe, me and some friends headed back to Pacific City, Oregon, for our annual get together. We climbed up onto super high cliffs to get an amazing view of Haystack Rock and got to watch the seals below. It was a very relaxing weekend and good times catching up with my best girlfriends.

Now I am back home, getting back in the grind, but trying to stay busy balancing work and fun… as usual.

Well, Ebaby! friends, I hope all is well in your part of the world, stay safe and have fun!

Taking Over Summer

Ella — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 03:22:06 GMT

Taking Over Summer

Hi friends! How is everyone doing? I can't believe summer is almost over. In July I headed down to California and spent July 4th weekend at Lake Tahoe. It was such as amazing place. We rode bikes, went to the clubs on the Nevada and California state line and laid on the beach. It was amazing. I can’t wait to go back, it was a perfect balance of relaxation, nature and partying.

I also went camping in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington where I got to see the Kings of Leon perform. I didn’t know many of the songs, but they were amazing live! The experience was great and the Gorge was beautiful. I’ve never been camping with so many people. It was out of this world.

Also, this month is my birthday! I can’t believe a year has already gone by! I feel so old! And I have no clue what to do to celebrate. What have you done for your birthday?

Well friends, I hope all is well. Stay safe and have fun wherever in the world you are!

Bilingual, Trilingual and Adventures in the Sun!

Ella — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 05:56:53 GMT

Bilingual, Trilingual and Adventures in the Sun!

Hi friends! Hope everyone is well and learning lots of new English words and sayings! After being apart of English, Baby, it made me really wonder about all the languages around the world. Here, in the U.S.A, it feels like the education system doesn’t emphasize on learning a second language as much as other countries. In high school, I took Spanish for two years and then I took one year of Latin in college, but that was pretty much it. I was no where near fluent.

As some of you know, I am from Thailand. I was born there, but raised in America, so my English is pretty strong, although technically it wasn’t my first language. I feel like I speak a hybrid language, “Tinglish” a blend of Thai and English. I can understand Thai pretty well, its just difficult to convey my thoughts sometimes because I think in English and have to translate to Thai, so I feel I’m a little delayed in my responses. What languages can you speak fluently? How did you learn your second or third language?

On another note, for those of you who followed my complaints in my last blog, its FINALLY beginning to feel a little bit like summer around here! July 4th is coming up, my favorite holiday, and I will be heading to South Lake Tahoe, California for celebrations! This is going to be my first time in Lake Tahoe during the summer, I’ve only been during the winter for snowboarding so I’m thrilled to see how different its going to be! I will be driving down with a friend so I’m excited for our road trip adventures down!

Because of the nicer weather, my friends and I have been trying to kick off the summer here with outdoor hikes! A couple weeks ago, we hiked up to Punchbowl Falls! It was so beautiful, it was about a 5 mile hike, a great workout!! We felt quite accomplished afterwards. What kind of outdoor activities do you like to do in your country?

Well friends, I hope you have an amazing summer! I hope you learn tons of new words and stay safe wherever in the world you are!!

Rain rain go away

Ella — Fri, 28 May 2010 23:28:46 GMT

Rain rain go away

Hi friends! Hope you are doing well! I sure am, however the weather here in the Northwest has been almost unbearable. There has been constant rain for almost 2 weeks! I'm usually not one to complain about the rain, I actually don't mind it because it is refreshing, but its just been WAY TOO MUCH! One upside though is that the mountain is getting snow and by now, you all know I love to snowboard! I went up to Timberline resort a few times already and it has been great with tons of fresh powder!

This month, my travels took me back to San Francisco. It seems I've been making monthly trips there. Anyway, I decided to drive instead of fly this time and it was definitely a different experience. We took highway 101 which is historic for its views and enormous redwood trees. One of the stops we went to allowed us to drive through a tree! It was amazing as you can see below.

Other than staying busy with work, travels and fun, I've been doing well. Sometimes it makes me want to slow down and relax, but I'll do that when I'm old.

Well, stay safe and have fun wherever in the world you are!!!

Colossal times at Mammoth and Livin la vida Vegas

Ella — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 03:05:50 GMT

Colossal times at Mammoth and Livin la vida Vegas

Hi friends, hope all is well! The weather has been warming up here in the Northwest so I've been trying to get in as much snow as I can before its time to bring out the skirts for springtime!

This time, my travels took me to Mammoth Lakes, CA. It was absolutely amazing. It is my new favorite snowboarding location! The weather was perfect, snow conditions were amazing and the mountain was humongous! However, it was a very long drive, almost 17 hours from Portland due to all the detours and snow. The snow was packed almost 10 feet! I hope I go back sometime soon.

After the snow, I trekked to the desert and found myself in Las Vegas, Nevada. It wasn't as hot as I anticipated, but I got lots of sun. I went to see Ka, a Cirque de Solei show, which was amazing. This particular Cirque de Solei show was about a brother and sister who got separated and their journey in finding each other again and their true loves. The performers are so talented! The entire show was well executed, I love watching acrobats in their element. I hope to see another show in the future! We spent lots of time by the pool and danced the night away. It was a great time.

Well, friends, I hope you have been working hard and learning lots of new words! I can't wait to share my adventures from next month with you. Have fun and stay safe wherever in the world you are!!

From Utah to Frisco back home to Portland

Ella — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:54:56 GMT

From Utah to Frisco back home to Portland

Hi Ebaby! friends! Happy Chinese New Year! Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve updated my blog. I hope everyone has learned lots of new English phrases since last time! So much has been going on, have you been watching the Winter Olympics? I am so jealous Jason got to go to Vancouver and be part of the major event! What are your favorite events? I love watching the snowboarding and speed skating. They are definitely the sports I look forward to the most, being an avid snowboarder and skater.

It's the year of the Tiger. I am very excited about this year because I AM a tiger. It’s finally my year! I hope good fortune is in store for me as well as everyone else!

I’ve been staying busy. I got to go snowboarding in the location of the 2002 Winter Games, Park City, Utah, last month which was amazing! Some of the snowboarders currently competing in the Olympics were practicing there which was very exciting. The snow was slightly disappointing because it was 50% of the level it was last year, but nonetheless the snowboarding was great. Luckily, no injuries and overall it was a good time.

I also went to visit my best friend in California which was fun as usual. We experienced the night life in Mountain View which was very fun and then we went clubbing in San Francisco. I love to dance and I got to do a lot of it so it was amazing.

I had a photoshoot this month with the amazing Rika Huang. The photoshoot was tea party themed. I think the shots came out very well!

This month my travels are taking me to Mammoth Lakes, California, where I will be snowboarding some more. Then Las Vegas, Nevada for a girls weekend with some close friends. I’m very excited! I’ll tell you about all my adventures next month! 'Til next time, have fun and be safe wherever in the world you are!

Hip Hop, D.C. and Halloween Havoc

Ella — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 23:39:26 GMT

Hip Hop, D.C. and Halloween Havoc

Hi Ebaby! friends,

It’s been a while since my last post! I hope everyone has learned a lot of new words that you’re using with friends and family! What do you think about Ella’s new superpower of telepathy? I wish I was really telekinetic in real life! What super power would you want to have?

As usual, I’ve been staying busy traveling and working! I ended up going to Washington DC for Halloween! It was quite a fabulous trip. It was great to see old friends and all the historical monuments of America. I went to visit the White House, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Washington Monument and the National History Museum.

For Halloween, my friends and I got dressed up and went out on the town. There were so many interesting costumes! It was a good time. I spent a lot of time shopping and I have to say that Georgetown is definitely in my top ten list of the best shopping places I’ve been!

I also went to Seattle, Washington, to see Jay-Z in concert! It was such a treat because NERD, Wale and Memphis Bleek also performed! I was quite pleased. I’m not a big fan of Seattle, but it was worth it to see Jay-Z in concert.

In other news, I did a runway show for Corazzo designs (http://www.corazzo.net/). You can actually watch the show here:

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2331406 See if you can find me!

I also did a photoshoot with a very talented photographer named Michael Sessions. Here’s what made the final cut and you can check out his other works at http://michaelsessionsphotography.com:

As I type this, I am vacationing in Florida for Thanksgiving break. This is where I grew up. I’m here for one week visiting family and childhood friends. I’m very excited about being here because my best friend Rosie is with me! I love showing her all the sights of where I grew up. Stay tuned for photos next time!

Have fun and stay safe wherever in the world you are!! Til next time...

Canadian Bacon Please

Ella — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:27:51 GMT

Canadian Bacon Please

Hi Ebaby! friends! I hope you have all been busy and learning lots of English! How are you liking the updates to the site? I know for some of you, it may be frustrating adjusting to the changes, but in the long term, it's for the best and only intended to enrich everyone's English learning experiences!

As for the soap series, what do you guys think about Devan's international match-making idea? It is quite interesting isn't it? It was so fun putting the episodes together for this plot line! Stay tuned!

I've been busy planning my next adventure and trying to decide where to go for Halloween. Right now, I am torn between Las Vegas, Nevada, and Washington, DC. Where will I go?!? You will find out in my next blog !

This month, I went to Pacific City, an amazing beach town along the Oregon coast. Me and my friends stayed right on the beach and had some beautiful views of the famous landmark in town, Haystack Rock. We took naps on the beach, had late night campfires and tried out the local brewery. It was a great time!

After my adventures at the Pacific City, I headed north to CANADA!

My friends and I decided to do a girl road trip to Vancouver, BC, about a 7 hour drive. It was a great trip! The weather could have been better, but otherwise, Canada was a super cool country! It took forever to get into Canada. We waited at the border for almost an hour.

However, after we made it past the border, it was all fun and games! We stayed at an International hostel. We got to meet a lot of people our age from all over the world. It was awesome, it was as if English, baby! had come to life! However, accommodations were a little tight.

There was lots of cool graffiti art to see, as well as street art. We went to the BC aquarium and later found a great viewpoint of the city. And for some strange reason, everywhere we turned, there were crepes and coffee stores on EVERY corner. I had to get a bite.

Canada was a great place. I got tons of amazing clothes and hats. It was good to be back home though. The drive was quite tiring and it was fabulous to come home and crawl into my comfy bed.

Modeling-wise, things have been slow. I've been busy with my regular nursing job and travels so my schedule has been tight. I was able to squeeze in a mini-shoot with one of my favorite photographers (www.sltvisuals.com). Final product:

Well, I hope you've enjoyed my photoblog! As usual, have fun and stay safe wherever in the world you are!! Til next time...

Amazing August

Ella — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 05:48:58 GMT

Amazing August

I have decided that August is my favorite month of the year. Not only is it my birthday month, but there are no national holidays in the United States to distract from it! At English, baby!, we've been working hard to produce some great lessons for you. Especially with the soaps, the plot is thickening. Since inheriting $200,000, Devan has been contemplating what to do with all that money. And I've been thinking the same thing!

1. Pay off debt

2. Put 1/3 in savings

3. Give $$ to friends and family

4. Travel

5. Charity

Speaking of travel, I kicked off the beginning of August in New York. New York has definitely become one of my favorite cities. I had a great time. I stayed in my own apartment so I really felt like a New Yorker. I went to visit my friend in Southampton which was an amazing place. So much fun!

After returning home, I had some birthday celebrations. I did a fancy dinner with some close friends and then had a bowling party, courtesy of Dale! Here are some pictures from those celebrations!

In other news, although I didn't have any photo shoots this month, I recently found a book cover I did from over a year ago. It is quite a funny story. My friend had been reading a book and had told me the main character on the cover looked EXACTLY like me. I had not seen the cover, so I had her send me the name of the book, and behold, it actually was me on the cover! I hear the book is really good too, so if you want to check it out, it is called The Fruit of My Lipstick by Shelley Adina!

Well Ebaby! friends, August has been great, full of parties, celebrations and surprises. I'm heading to the beach this weekend and then Canada next week so I will have tons of adventures to share. Like always, be safe and have fun wherever in the world you are!

Taking it easy

Ella — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:32:21 GMT

Taking it easy

In a recent episode, my character, Ella, decides to quit her job and do whatever she wants. Sometimes I wish soooo much I could do that! Life can get quite hectic sometimes with work and juggling my multiple activities, but I would never know what to do with all the free time! Thank goodness for vacation times!

I just got back from California. I went to visit my best friend for her birthday! We went shopping in San Francisco, sun bathing (after putting on sunscreen of course! ) in Santa Cruz and killing time in San Jose. It's always so much fun when I visit!

After coming back, I went to the Columbia River with my friends on a speedboat. I went inner-tubing for the first time! Basically, inner-tubing entails connecting an inner-tube to a boat and then holding on as the boat moves along. It was fun, but after losing my grip, I hit the water pretty hard and bruised my thigh pretty bad. Overall, good time and I'm glad I did it.

For the first time in a while, I didn't have a photoshoot this month, but I was in an independent movie about modeling. I'll keep everyone posted as things get more finalized.

I wish I had more interesting stories to report on! But alas, this month has been low-key and relaxing. Heading to New York this week, so hopefully I have some adventures to share soon!

Take care, be safe and have fun wherever in the world you are!!

Sizzling Summertimes

Ella — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:36:09 GMT

Sizzling Summertimes

Hi Ebaby! friends!

It's been a while since my last post and as usual, I've been keeping busy! Unfortunately, I didn't get to travel anywhere exciting this month, but I did have a couple photoshoots that turned out great!

I also got a haircut! Even though that sounds petty, it was quite traumatic! The anticipation was horrendous because I had no clue how it would turn out, but I ended up really liking the final product. It was the first major change for me in 3 years!

Also, some of you already know this, but I am a registered nurse. I work for a dermatology (skin), allergy and asthma practice so we see a lot of different things. This past month, my clinic diagnosed a lot of people with skin cancer. I feel it is my duty as a health care worker and teacher to advocate for prevention! Especially with summer here for us in the States, sun exposure is at a peak! (Please bear with me as I do this mini PSA- public service announcement.)

No matter where you are in the world, you get sun exposure, even on a cloudy day, ultraviolet rays still penetrate through. It is really important that you wear some type of sunscreen that has UVA protection. A lot of sunscreens have UVB protection, but it is UVA that is the most damaging to the skin. Any type of sunscreen with at least 20 SPF against UVA will suffice. Please go out and enjoy the sun as much as you can, but be sure to protect yourselves! You DO NOT want to end up with a basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma!

Okay, I'm done ranting!

As for English, baby! we worked on some really hilarious and fun soap episodes ! I can't wait to hear your feedback on them! We're trying some new things, so it's going to be an adventure for us as well! Stay tuned....

Photoshoots for May!

I went to Pacific City to shoot along the Oregon coast. We had actually climbed up a very high cliff to take one of the pictures! I was trembling in fear, which was particularly unusual for me because I've bungee jumped and skydive before. Nonetheless, the pictures turned out pretty great! Shout out to the photographer, Logan Lefler http://www.sltvisuals.com/

The next shoot I had this month was Japanese Rocker/Pop themed. I don't know very much about Japanese music... except for Utada Hikaru, but after thumbing through some magazines, I was very impressed by how creative and artistic the style of J-Rock and J-Pop was. The hairstylist, Jayla, wanted to give me a rocker look, hence my previously mentioned hair change. Two other girls were involved in the shoot too, so the pictures we did with Andy Pierson was very rocker magazine themed. Here are some of my favorite shots:

This was a really fun shoot and I made a lot of new friends! Well friends, I hope you've enjoyed my update! Have fun and stay safe wherever in the world you are!

Coast to Coast Trip!

Ella — Sun, 17 May 2009 22:13:03 GMT

Coast to Coast Trip!

Hi friends! I hope you’ve all been staying busy these past few weeks and are having fun doing it! We just finished up some new episodes for the soap series and as I always say, you won’t be disappointed! It is always so fun filming. One of the biggest challenges though with doing English Baby is trying to speak slower! In normal everyday life, I generally talk really fast. I actually speak a lot faster than my friends and it gets worse when I have a lot of caffeine or sugar in me, words begin to slur and I concoct up new words. But speaking slower definitely makes me think more about what I am trying to say and I think it’s a good habit to put into place, especially when trying to help people learn English.

This month, I’ve been staying pretty busy. I decided to throw a Metallic-colored theme party this month just for the heck of it. I did not realize how much effort and time went into party planning. It is a tedious task. Have you ever had to throw a party? How was the experience for you? I feel like there was a lot of unnecessary stress I put upon myself but in the end, the party turned out fantastic. Here are some photos from the party!

I also did some traveling this month! I went to California and New York!

In California, I went to San Francisco, San Jose, Palo Alto and Vallejo. It was a lot of fun. One of things I was really excited to visit was the Winchester Mystery House! I am a big history buff and the story that surrounds the Winchester house is very interesting. I had wanted to visit this place for many years so it was a thrill to finally go! You can probably google the Winchester house to find a more comprehensive history, but I will give you a quick low-down. Basically, the house was built by Sarah Winchester, of the Winchester rifle fortune. What makes this house so interesting is that Sarah was building this house under the direction of a psychic who told her there was a curse on her family due to all the lives lost as a result of people that died from Winchester weapons. In order to protect herself, she had to basically build a house that she could live in with the spirits. One of the conditions was that she could never stop building or she would die, so as long as Sarah was alive, the house was under nonstop construction, even through the night and on holidays!

The most fascinating thing about this house is all the trap-doors, tricks and oddities that comprise it. There are stairs that lead up to the ceiling, doors that open up to nowhere, closet doors that are really just walls and many other weird things. The house was beautiful and the plants surrounding the house were just as amazing. It was a wonderful experience!

In San Francisco, my friends and I visited Chinatown, which was very interesting. We bought a lot of neat little trinkets. We also went to a very cool Mediterranean restaurant where we smoked hookah and I danced with a belly dancer! We also drove on the most crooked street in the city and visited the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a very fun trip!

From San Francisco, I flew over to the east coast to New York City! I have been in NYC before, so I got a lot of the touristy things out of the way at that time, so this time I really wanted to experience the typical life of a New Yorker. My friends and I went out at night to a lot to different clubs and restaurants.

I also had a photo shoot while I was there. Thomas Subtil, the photographer, did an amazing job! http://www.thomassubtil.com

The life and pace of New York City is so fast. The attitude is very, GO GO GO, so it was fun trying to adjust to that. I did a lot of shopping, one of my favorite past times and attended parties. It was sad to leave, but I was happy to be home!

Now that I am back, it’s back to the daily grind of everyday life! Work, sleep, and eat on constant rotation. It’s good to be back!

Well friends, I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the new lessons! We’ve been working hard to make sure the lessons are fun and jam packed full of new words you can incorporate into your everyday life!

Like always, stay safe and have fun wherever in the world you are!!

Model photos!

Ella — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 08:05:29 GMT

Model photos!

Wow! Isn't it amazing that English, baby! now has a million members?! This is so great and I am glad to be a part of it! The gang and I worked on some stuff for the site tonight that will have you followers utterly captivated! For those of you who watch the soaps religiously and those novices who have just come upon the site, you will not be disappointed as things get more riveting! Please stay tuned!

Time sure flies when you're always on the go! Since my last post, I have been staying very busy. I've been hanging out with my friends, going to the beach, parties and anxiously awaiting for the signs of spring weather to appear.

In other news, I have begun a new chapter in my life- I've started a new job! I'll be working as a registered nurse at a specialty clinic. It is pretty fun helping people and learning new things, but starting a new job can be quite stressful, don't you agree? It's like a juggling act trying to learn how to work with the doctor and other nurses, the procedures and right protocols and all the technicalities that goes into maintaining a properly functioning clinic! It's nice to be receiving a paycheck, but that will go directly towards paying off all my credit card bills! I'm trying to have a goal to save up for though! I would like to go to Thailand sometime this year, so I'm going to put aside some money for that. I think it was about time I return to the homeland :)

In addition to my nursing job, I also work as a model. I've been modeling for about four years now and it's quite fun! I love meeting new people and bringing something different to the industry. This recent month, I've had about three photoshoots. The photographers were great and we got some really amazing shots. Props to Liz Wade and Logan Lefler! Here are some of my favorites:

Well Ebaby! friends, I hope you learn lots of new English terms this month! Stay safe and have fun wherever in the world you are!!

Fishing Trip

Ella — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:50:50 GMT

Fishing Trip

So I just got back from the wildest weekend with my friends. We wanted to get out of town for a while and decided to go to a cabin out in Washington. Nearby was some fishing and crabbing so we decided to drop our crab pots in and throw out our fishing lines. We were there for almost two hours and got nothing! Nothing legal or edible anyway. The crabs were smaller than a dollar bill so we couldn’t have taken them home to eat. But we did catch several giant starfish.

This is what I had previously imagined starfish to look like:

Instead I got this:

and this

It was a good weekend though, surprisingly a lot of snow.

Nice to Meet You

Ella — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:48:29 GMT

Nice to Meet You

Hey guys! Tonight's the first night I get to meet everyone and they are all so nice! I feel like I'm just shying away and trying to get a grip on how things operate! I'm excited to be apart of this!

January is a big month! So much is going on! Not only is there a new president of the United States, it's also Chinese New Years! Happy new year to all! In addition to that, I feel like I'm so behind on catching up with all the movies that are coming out! On my list of movies to watch is Slumdog Millionaire , Taken, He's Not That Into You and My Bloody Valentine. I'm also trying to discover some different music and have recently began listening to Lily Allen. I'm a major fan of her new single, "The Fear." It's got a great message. However, my current favorites will continue to be Hangar 18, Nujubes, John Legend and Savage. My musical voyage continues!

It's almost a whole month in and I'd like to share my new year's resolutions with everyone. First, I am trying to floss every day, travel to nine places and be active/sporty at least once a week. So far, I'm doing okay! I've skimped on flossing a couple times, but the will is still going strong! I went to Manzanita beach over the weekend and I've gone snowboarding every week since January. Let's see how well this goes! Stay tuned!