I am switchin' things up this series by video blogging with all the happenings live from Las Vegas this summer so check back often! Best of luck!

Tons of stuff has happened since my last blog that it would be pretty difficult to fit it all in and on top of that, who wants to hear about stuff in the past anyhow? Let’s talk about what I’ve got going on now!

 

Well, it’s that time of year again, with the World Series of Poker right around the corner and I am once again on my annual, self-imposed poker hiatus. Sorta. In years past I have taken the month off before the World Series to do anything and everything as long as it has nothing to do with poker. That time away from poker really helped me clear my head and prepared me for the long days of pokering that was ahead. I have a tendency to get burnt out pretty easily with the packed tournament schedule I take on during the series so it’s nice to just get away from it all before I get chin-deep for the six-week stretch. But this time around it’s been a little bit different. Since I have been playing online a lot more this past year than I used to, I have come to realize how important and lucrative it is to be playing in the tournament series online leading up to the WSOP such as the SCOOPS on PokerStars and FTOPs on Full Tilt. I’ve also missed playing live cash games and am hoping to take this month to do more of that as well. And on top of all that, I am scheduled to play in World Team Poker being held at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas May 19^th as a member of Team China with Johnny Chan, David Chiu, and Chau Giang, just to name a few.

 

So I guess my hiatus will just have to wait ‘til after the series this year. I just hope that I will have something to show for my time and energy when it’s all said and done! I did manage to take a nice, relaxing family vacation, which I just got back from a week ago. I went home to my native Taiwan with my parents, to see my grandma and aunt, who still live there. It is really nice to go back from time to time not only to see family but to be reminded of where I come from and to see how much Taiwan has progressed economically since the last time I was there. We also went to China after to see the World Expo which was being held in Shanghai. Shanghai was such an amazingly modern city, and I had such a great time seeing the sights and taking in the amazing skyline the seaport had to offer. The only bad thing about the trip is that I returned with the worst case of jet lag EVER! I have had the most difficult time readjusting my sleep schedule since I’ve been back and have had many sleepless nights. Anyone have any good remedies for jet lag? I’m thinking a bottle of NyQuil and a glass of wine tonight!

 Hope all is well on the felt! 

 My first blog of 2010 is coming a little later than intended but still a Happy New Year to everyone! I spent my first week of the New Year in the Bahamas for the Poker Stars Caribbean Adventure and I hate to complain about being in the Bahamas, but anyone who was there will tell you that the weather was pretty terrible during that time so I left earlier than I had planned and without the tan that I had so hoped to get out there!

Shortly after I got back the L.A. Poker Classic series kicked off here at home so I rolled up my sleeves and went to work with a couple of preliminaries. So far, nothing of note but I am sure that I will have good news to report by my next blog! I really got to give it up to Matt Savage who is an amazing tournament director that really listens to the players' input, as well as having a very keen insight into what it takes to make and run a successful tournament series.

 Last weekend I made the short trip out to Vegas for a little reunion of sorts with some of my closest friends and fellow competitors from "The Amazing Race". It just so happened that the Miss America pageant was being held and televised live from Vegas last Saturday and for all of you who caught an episode or two of "The Amazing Race" one of the competitors was Miss America 2004, Ericka Dunlap. We thought this would be a good opportunity to get together, and check out Ericka's world, so Cheyne and Meghan, the winners of our season of "The Amazing Race", Sam and Dan, Ericka and her husband and I all met out there to mix a little business with pleasure. I was not exactly excited at the thought of watching the pageant live but of course I was open to the idea and really wanted to experience a really big part of Ericka's life first-hand. But I can honestly say that it turned out to be really fun and interesting to watch! Ericka and her husband hooked us up with seats in the second row and after a couple of bets that involved consuming alcohol on who would win the whole shebang, I decided that this was not so bad after all! We also caught the Blue Man Group show over the weekend where we got to meet the blue men and talk to them afterward. I think the best one word description of the show is -confusing. If that description piques your interest than you should check it out and let me know how you would describe the show. Aside from all the fun and debauchery the Amazing Race fam took some time out to help build homes in Las Vegas for Habitat for Humanity. A huge group from the Miss America Organization piled into a bus and really put in some good work for a great cause. I really had such a great time with everyone and I am so glad that so many of us from the show have stayed close since because they are really amazing people and I am so fortunate to have them in my life.

 I really need to wrap this up because after being home for only a few days, it is back to Vegas for me for a week this time around for some more of mixing business with pleasure! First on the agenda is my good friend and fellow poker player Vanessa Rousso's birthday bash so I can only imagine that it will be a very long night. Then on Saturday I will be playing in a celebrity charity tournament at The Hard Rock Casino that is benefiting the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer program. And of course, Sunday is the Super Bowl and although I have no real rooting interests in either team, I have to pick one because it is obviously more fun to watch that way. So I will have to give it to the Saints, because after spending time in New Orleans for the first time a few months ago, I really fell in love with that city and the spirit of the people there. So WHO DAT? WHO DAT? WHO DAT SAY DEY GONNA BEAT THEM SAINTS? Haha.

Wait, I saved the best for last. I can't leave out the fact that this Wednesday, February 10^th, live from Las Vegas and the Orleans Arena will be the Harlem Globetrotters, with special guests Maria and Tiffany! Yep, that's right, Tiff and I will be suiting up and joining the Globetrotters in some basketball shenanigans! For those of you who don't know, two members of the Harlem Globetrotters were on the Amazing Race with Tiffany and I this past season and we have been invited to join in their show! I am really excited and looking forward to this really cool opportunity and if nothing else, I am going to have fun with it. Get your front-row seats now cuz I am sure you guys won't want to miss this! But really, cross your fingers that I won't be completely embarrassed out there on the court! www.harlemglobetrotters.com/news/index.html

Check out my "Poker Mind" interview with Amanda Leatherman. www.pokerroad.com/inside_the_poker_mind/maria_ho/

Building for Habitat for Humanity in Las Vegas

Meeting the Blue Man backstage (L-R Meghan, Cheyne, Blue Man, Brian, Ericka, Sam, Dan, and me)

My fellow racer ladies at Eve Nightclub in City Center.

 

 

Hey peeps! Sorry for the long hiatus, but with The Amazing Race officially off the air now, things have been settling down somewhat and I am back on the blog!

 

So...Wow!!! First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone for the incredible support they have shown throughout this experience. I am truly touched and overwhelmed by every single message I have received and it has made this experience that much more wonderful, knowing that I shared a little piece of it with all of you.

My journey on The Amazing Race, was, well, nothing short of AMAZING! It was everything that I had expected and so much more! What I took away from this once-in-a-lifetime experience will be something I will take with me for the rest of my life. Rarely in life do you ever get the opportunity to find out what you are made of, to find situation after situation where you are forced to push yourself to the limits, and test your sheer will and determination. The Amazing Race did exactly that for me, and now I can honestly say that I have found myself to be a stronger person in so many ways than I had ever known.

I think that what the viewers missed at home are some of the things that make this race a million times harder than what even Tiffany and I were expecting going in. When you watch The Race on TV, you cannot see all the variables that are in play, such as the elements. You cannot feel what competing in 120-degree Dubai weather feels like; you cannot feel what 30 mile-an-hour winds blowing in your face while you are soaking wet in long johns in Holland feels like. You also couldn't see how heavy things were, like that 30 pound carnival mallet for the high striker, or how far places really were, like the 3 miles Tiffany and I had to travel with our tourist group in Japan, or the 5 mile bike ride in our Dutch clogs.

Regardless, nothing that we had to do on the show or how things were portrayed will take away from just how incredibly life-changing this opportunity was, and I feel a thousand times more fulfilled as a person for going through it. My friendship with Tiffany and the bond we share have also become infinitely stronger because of this shared experience, and I have taken away so much from this that no million dollar first place prize could ever buy, and for that, I am truly grateful.

Since I have returned home from The Amazing Race, things have been rather hectic but also very exciting at the same time. I have a lot of cool new things in the works and I can't wait until I can share it with you all. I am also very much looking forward to being back at the tables, especially after everything I had to do on the race, sitting down and playing a poker tournament actually sounds more relaxing and stress-free than it ever has been.

For now, I am really looking forward to spending a nice and relaxing holiday season with my family. I have had such an awesome year, and I have so many things to be thankful for and the best part about it all is having wonderful family and close friends to share it with.

Best wishes to you all during this holiday season, and it feels good to be back.

Teammates and BFF!

With some of my favorite people from the show- Team Sam & Dan, Ericka & Brian and winners Meghan and Cheyne!

 Tiffany and I in our car at the Hollywood Christmas Parade. Watch it nationwide on MyNetworkTV, December 24th!