9:50a
A new Cal Bear Cub!!
I can't believe I forgot to mention this in my entry yesterday, but
after the 2 lives that had gone to rest this week, a new one came into
this world on Thursday....yes, thanksgiving!...Nov 28th:
DONOVAN JOSEPH DEL ROSARIO
he was 5lbs....small one, huh?
we'll go visit as soon as I get over this damn head cold.
lots of progress
oh, and I forgot to mention that I finally finished my bathroom project!!!
I finished it a couple of weeks ago actually.
i will post up pics soon.
then yesterday my boyfriend and i accomplished a lot as well.
finally reorganized our crap in the master bedroom, and
put up our new artificial tree. it's really cute. it is 6 ft. or so
tall, but it isn't as wide/humongous as most trees are.
we really didn't want one that took up too much space because
we don't really have a lot of that.
still wish that I bought a white tree, though.
it would have matched better with the ornaments I bought at Ikea.
I was also able to use some of the ornaments I made last year out of
silver pipe cleaners.
after we finished our "projects", we watched another
good episode of "Band of Brothers". Then I went to bed to
read some more of my Harry Potter book 3 and my boyfriend
played Madden Football on-line on his PS2 against his ex-roomate (who now lives a mile away).
It was just like our college days all over again, except they would trash talk
over the phone. technology, huh?!
open day
wow, it's sunny again today.
'don't have any definitive plans, so I gotta make something up for today.
will probably go shopping for Vegas party clothes or something.
and then complete my x-mas shopping for my family.
then, gotta do some planning for our x-mas party.
wow, 'can't believe that's only 3 weeks away!
december, here we come!
Friday, November 29, 2002
queen for a day
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY COUSIN, FATIMA!!!!!
If anyone out there can hook her up with a free round-trip airline ticket to the PI's,
that would be the best gift. 'hasn't seen her family in quite some time.
gained 10 lbs.<
everyday this week has been a beautiful one.
although the temperature is a little more chilly than summer,
the sky has been clear blue and the sun seems to be shining brighter
everyday.
that's how it was yesterday for Thanksgiving.
my boyfriend and I headed out to my parent's place around noon,
with my brother following behind us.
he was coming from further south where his apartment is.
despite a little traffic on the way, we made it to the house.
since my parents have just recently had our carpet replaced with wood flooring,
certain things weren't in their right places yet.
But, they set up a lovely temporary eating area in the dining room...
when we walked in, the table was already set and
my mom used on of her little carts to hold all the wine glasses, desserts, and drinks.
it wasn't too foo-foo fancy, but it definitely looked like my parents put a lot of
thought into it. it was really nice.
before lunch started, we of course said a quick prayer of thanks and then....
everyone literally rolled up their sleeves,
I tied my hair back,
and we ATTACKED!!!!
My parents prepared a mouth-watering meal which consisted of....
- lasagna (my mom always makes this for my brother)
- baked game-hen with tomatoes (my mom joked that they were really baby turkeys)
- kare kare (this was to die for!)
and last but most definitely not the least.....
- my dad's famous crab and the sauteed crab fat!!!!!!
I swear, you could get a heart attack after eating all of this!
I don't think my boyfriend ate anything except the crab.
actually, i don't think I even remember him saying much throughout the meal.
he was so engrossed in devouring the crab fat, rice and crab meat!!! hehehe!
It was really a nice time.
I just thought to myself how generous my parents are.
and even though I have a very challenging relationship with my mom sometimes,
she too is always generous with me, no matter what. :)
After inhaling our food, we also had all the lovely desserts that
my mom prepared for us:
- apple pie (they actually bought this from Albertsons)
- cochinta w/ coconut (also bought...from MaryLou's)
- leche flan (my mom's best yet!)
- fried yams and sweet potatoes with caramel (you know, done pilipino style!...you should of seen the STICK of butter my mom fried it in!)
Of course, after all of this, what does my dad do as usual?
Fall asleep on the couch!
I was like, "wake up dad!!!! people can die doing that after a big meal!!!"
Eh, he didn't care.
Afterwards, we all sat down to watch one episode of
"Band of Brothers"...it's a really cool mini-series on HBO created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.
Very well done.
It's kinda like a more detailed version of Saving Private Ryan, but it focused on
one of the companies in the Airborne division.
My boyfriend bought the DVD set for all 10 episodes.
It's a really amazing series. I highly recommend it.
Anyhow, of course, my dad falls asleep during it...
and for some reason, my brother got all engrossed in fixing the
reclining function to the sofa, so he was under the couch...
and my mom was still cooking the kamote,
so it was really just me and my boyfriend who watched it. :) go figure!
After my dad finally woke up, he asked, "oh, what are we going to watch next?" hahaha!
I wish we could've stayed to watch another one, but we had to drive to my boyfriend's aunt's house
to spend Thanksgiving dinner and do a prayer for Tita Mila.
So, we packed up our baon (I think I will eat some of it for breakfast!) and were on our way.
It was a little sad to leave, because when my brother and I still lived at home,
we would spend the whole Thanksgiving day together
watching at least 3 or 4 videos until early in the morning.
We wouldn't even change out of our pajamas for the whole day!!!
And, plus, we don't really see eachother too often now.
But, i think we've kinda accepted this routine for now.
thanksgiving part II
so, off we went to my boyfriend's aunt's house.
like my parent's house, it is a hub of family gatherings
and tita c and tito t are one of the most gracious hosts.
when we arrived, the house was filled with the sounds of mahjong tiles
being shoved around....
as usual they had two mahjong tables going in the back room.
cousins, titos, and titas were hangin' out
eating and joking around.
we got a nice welcome from tito t, who was sitting on the couch as
we entered the front door.
then, we said hello to the rest of the family...wow, there were lots again, so
at one point we just did the "general hello" wave.
the kitchen counter was FULL of food!
wow...turkey, ham, palabok, homemade pad thai (this was yummy!), adobo,
beef caldereta, macaroni salad...
and THAT was just the kitchen counter.
on the dining table was the desserts...
a mocha and chocolate roll from Goldilocks, cheesecake and (my favorite) homemade tiramisu!
oh, my god, I think I had like almost 3 servings of the tiramisu! it was soooo delicious.
totally hit the spot!
after spending some time talking with some of the titos and titas,
my boyfriend's cousins and a couple of titos started a game of poker.
I really wanted to play, but being that money is tight for me these days,
I didn't even want to spare $5!!! I know, I'm kurips, but what can I do?! ;)
anyhow, poker was soooo much fun to watch.
my boyfriend's dad went out for a smoke a couple of times, so
he let me play in his place.
hehe...I won him a bunch of chips the second time! that was fun!
there were a couple of poker games that just brought out the craziness
and laughter from everyone, too. THAT is what I LOVE about playing poker with friends and family.
I was dying of laughter sitting there observing everyone! wow...my cheeks hurt!
oh, ya, before the poker game, we all gathered to do the rosary for tita mila.
once again she brought us together.
my boyfriend told me later on that night that
for a second, he turned to look at me
as I prayed the rosary with everyone
and realized how I am a part of his family now.
hm...how sweet, huh? ;)
and the funny thing is....I really do feel like a part of the family.
part of it is because of that "familiarity" I feel of knowing who everyone is.
but for the most part, I think it's because I've been lucky enough to forge
some relationships and conversations with folks.
it's still an evolving process, but It's something I am very open to.
and it's not so much that I want to be accepted in the family, but more
so because I want to get to know everyone as individuals.
anyhow, I'm starving for some of my mom's kare kare, so I'm gonna head out for my fridge.
gonna stay home ALL DAY today if I can help it, too! I need a little down time after this crazy
week.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY COUSIN, FATIMA!!!!!
If anyone out there can hook her up with a free round-trip airline ticket to the PI's,
that would be the best gift. 'hasn't seen her family in quite some time.
gained 10 lbs.<
everyday this week has been a beautiful one.
although the temperature is a little more chilly than summer,
the sky has been clear blue and the sun seems to be shining brighter
everyday.
that's how it was yesterday for Thanksgiving.
my boyfriend and I headed out to my parent's place around noon,
with my brother following behind us.
he was coming from further south where his apartment is.
despite a little traffic on the way, we made it to the house.
since my parents have just recently had our carpet replaced with wood flooring,
certain things weren't in their right places yet.
But, they set up a lovely temporary eating area in the dining room...
when we walked in, the table was already set and
my mom used on of her little carts to hold all the wine glasses, desserts, and drinks.
it wasn't too foo-foo fancy, but it definitely looked like my parents put a lot of
thought into it. it was really nice.
before lunch started, we of course said a quick prayer of thanks and then....
everyone literally rolled up their sleeves,
I tied my hair back,
and we ATTACKED!!!!
My parents prepared a mouth-watering meal which consisted of....
- lasagna (my mom always makes this for my brother)
- baked game-hen with tomatoes (my mom joked that they were really baby turkeys)
- kare kare (this was to die for!)
and last but most definitely not the least.....
- my dad's famous crab and the sauteed crab fat!!!!!!
I swear, you could get a heart attack after eating all of this!
I don't think my boyfriend ate anything except the crab.
actually, i don't think I even remember him saying much throughout the meal.
he was so engrossed in devouring the crab fat, rice and crab meat!!! hehehe!
It was really a nice time.
I just thought to myself how generous my parents are.
and even though I have a very challenging relationship with my mom sometimes,
she too is always generous with me, no matter what. :)
After inhaling our food, we also had all the lovely desserts that
my mom prepared for us:
- apple pie (they actually bought this from Albertsons)
- cochinta w/ coconut (also bought...from MaryLou's)
- leche flan (my mom's best yet!)
- fried yams and sweet potatoes with caramel (you know, done pilipino style!...you should of seen the STICK of butter my mom fried it in!)
Of course, after all of this, what does my dad do as usual?
Fall asleep on the couch!
I was like, "wake up dad!!!! people can die doing that after a big meal!!!"
Eh, he didn't care.
Afterwards, we all sat down to watch one episode of
"Band of Brothers"...it's a really cool mini-series on HBO created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.
Very well done.
It's kinda like a more detailed version of Saving Private Ryan, but it focused on
one of the companies in the Airborne division.
My boyfriend bought the DVD set for all 10 episodes.
It's a really amazing series. I highly recommend it.
Anyhow, of course, my dad falls asleep during it...
and for some reason, my brother got all engrossed in fixing the
reclining function to the sofa, so he was under the couch...
and my mom was still cooking the kamote,
so it was really just me and my boyfriend who watched it. :) go figure!
After my dad finally woke up, he asked, "oh, what are we going to watch next?" hahaha!
I wish we could've stayed to watch another one, but we had to drive to my boyfriend's aunt's house
to spend Thanksgiving dinner and do a prayer for Tita Mila.
So, we packed up our baon (I think I will eat some of it for breakfast!) and were on our way.
It was a little sad to leave, because when my brother and I still lived at home,
we would spend the whole Thanksgiving day together
watching at least 3 or 4 videos until early in the morning.
We wouldn't even change out of our pajamas for the whole day!!!
And, plus, we don't really see eachother too often now.
But, i think we've kinda accepted this routine for now.
thanksgiving part II
so, off we went to my boyfriend's aunt's house.
like my parent's house, it is a hub of family gatherings
and tita c and tito t are one of the most gracious hosts.
when we arrived, the house was filled with the sounds of mahjong tiles
being shoved around....
as usual they had two mahjong tables going in the back room.
cousins, titos, and titas were hangin' out
eating and joking around.
we got a nice welcome from tito t, who was sitting on the couch as
we entered the front door.
then, we said hello to the rest of the family...wow, there were lots again, so
at one point we just did the "general hello" wave.
the kitchen counter was FULL of food!
wow...turkey, ham, palabok, homemade pad thai (this was yummy!), adobo,
beef caldereta, macaroni salad...
and THAT was just the kitchen counter.
on the dining table was the desserts...
a mocha and chocolate roll from Goldilocks, cheesecake and (my favorite) homemade tiramisu!
oh, my god, I think I had like almost 3 servings of the tiramisu! it was soooo delicious.
totally hit the spot!
after spending some time talking with some of the titos and titas,
my boyfriend's cousins and a couple of titos started a game of poker.
I really wanted to play, but being that money is tight for me these days,
I didn't even want to spare $5!!! I know, I'm kurips, but what can I do?! ;)
anyhow, poker was soooo much fun to watch.
my boyfriend's dad went out for a smoke a couple of times, so
he let me play in his place.
hehe...I won him a bunch of chips the second time! that was fun!
there were a couple of poker games that just brought out the craziness
and laughter from everyone, too. THAT is what I LOVE about playing poker with friends and family.
I was dying of laughter sitting there observing everyone! wow...my cheeks hurt!
oh, ya, before the poker game, we all gathered to do the rosary for tita mila.
once again she brought us together.
my boyfriend told me later on that night that
for a second, he turned to look at me
as I prayed the rosary with everyone
and realized how I am a part of his family now.
hm...how sweet, huh? ;)
and the funny thing is....I really do feel like a part of the family.
part of it is because of that "familiarity" I feel of knowing who everyone is.
but for the most part, I think it's because I've been lucky enough to forge
some relationships and conversations with folks.
it's still an evolving process, but It's something I am very open to.
and it's not so much that I want to be accepted in the family, but more
so because I want to get to know everyone as individuals.
anyhow, I'm starving for some of my mom's kare kare, so I'm gonna head out for my fridge.
gonna stay home ALL DAY today if I can help it, too! I need a little down time after this crazy
week.
Wednesday, November 27, 2002
6:09p
more family time
'spent the day with my boyfriend's family at Tita Mila's funeral.
It's so ironic how this event was able to bring almost all of the 10
brothers and sisters (plus their children) together.
there were even cousins that came for the funeral who the rest of the
cousins hadn't seen since they were little.
we were laughing, my boyfriend and I...
there were literally so many different family connections present
that we joked about the chances of us being related.
yuck! how traumatic would that be?! :p
this friday, one of the other cousins on another side of the family tree
will be having a party at a club in the city.
all of us will be going to that, so we'll all hang out together once again this week!
i swear, when it rains, it pours! ;)
quiet time
so after starting off our day pretty early again, my boyfriend and i are home now.
I'm still feeling a little bit under the weather, but definitely better than yesterday.
'took a little nap that i just woke up from...
my boyfriend just finished putting together one of the cabinets he bought from IKEA
and later we will FINALLY put up the x-mas tree that I bought a few days ago.
I wish I felt a little better, though.
this head cold is a little annoying at the moment. grrrr...
crab feast tomorrow!!!!
'gonna go to my parents' house for lunch for thanksgiving.
'gonna eat my dad's famous crab with rice...kamayan style.
my hands are gonna stink and my cholesterol will probably go up from it, but
hell....its DAMN GOOD!
then, going to a car show in the city.
I dunno...I'm just keeping my boyfriend company along with our other 2 friends.
I'm not too much into cars, except in the context that i need one to get me around. :)
hopefully, we'll get to finally watch Harry Potter, too. 'been wanting to see that
movie forever already!
looking forward
in any case, it will be good to say goodbye to this week.
it was definitely a pretty tough one.
and, i swear, I've lost track of what day it is!
Everyday this week has felt like a Saturday for some reason.
so...lots of things to look forward to in December, namely:
my b-day in Vegas next weekend....Vegas, Baby!
the birth of 3 new little Cal Bear cubs
a friend's wedding
a friend's 30-something b-day gathering (Putt-n-Porn style....long story)
and last but not least...
our 11th annual x-mas party!!!!
I know December will go by quickly.
I can't believe I've made it financially for a whole year, even though I've been unemployed.
'gotta thank God for that one!
I am definitely looking forward to what the new year has to bring.
But to be honest, it's also a little scary. Being at this crossroad, I know
anything can happen from this point on. And this past year,
I've become more and more aware of my mortality...and the mortality of those around me.
It's been a wierd revelation. I guess in some ways I'm slowly making my way into adulthood.
Nevertheless, I'm not just gonna sit here and waste away on that thought.
'still got a lot of life to taste.
til next time....
more family time
'spent the day with my boyfriend's family at Tita Mila's funeral.
It's so ironic how this event was able to bring almost all of the 10
brothers and sisters (plus their children) together.
there were even cousins that came for the funeral who the rest of the
cousins hadn't seen since they were little.
we were laughing, my boyfriend and I...
there were literally so many different family connections present
that we joked about the chances of us being related.
yuck! how traumatic would that be?! :p
this friday, one of the other cousins on another side of the family tree
will be having a party at a club in the city.
all of us will be going to that, so we'll all hang out together once again this week!
i swear, when it rains, it pours! ;)
quiet time
so after starting off our day pretty early again, my boyfriend and i are home now.
I'm still feeling a little bit under the weather, but definitely better than yesterday.
'took a little nap that i just woke up from...
my boyfriend just finished putting together one of the cabinets he bought from IKEA
and later we will FINALLY put up the x-mas tree that I bought a few days ago.
I wish I felt a little better, though.
this head cold is a little annoying at the moment. grrrr...
crab feast tomorrow!!!!
'gonna go to my parents' house for lunch for thanksgiving.
'gonna eat my dad's famous crab with rice...kamayan style.
my hands are gonna stink and my cholesterol will probably go up from it, but
hell....its DAMN GOOD!
then, going to a car show in the city.
I dunno...I'm just keeping my boyfriend company along with our other 2 friends.
I'm not too much into cars, except in the context that i need one to get me around. :)
hopefully, we'll get to finally watch Harry Potter, too. 'been wanting to see that
movie forever already!
looking forward
in any case, it will be good to say goodbye to this week.
it was definitely a pretty tough one.
and, i swear, I've lost track of what day it is!
Everyday this week has felt like a Saturday for some reason.
so...lots of things to look forward to in December, namely:
my b-day in Vegas next weekend....Vegas, Baby!
the birth of 3 new little Cal Bear cubs
a friend's wedding
a friend's 30-something b-day gathering (Putt-n-Porn style....long story)
and last but not least...
our 11th annual x-mas party!!!!
I know December will go by quickly.
I can't believe I've made it financially for a whole year, even though I've been unemployed.
'gotta thank God for that one!
I am definitely looking forward to what the new year has to bring.
But to be honest, it's also a little scary. Being at this crossroad, I know
anything can happen from this point on. And this past year,
I've become more and more aware of my mortality...and the mortality of those around me.
It's been a wierd revelation. I guess in some ways I'm slowly making my way into adulthood.
Nevertheless, I'm not just gonna sit here and waste away on that thought.
'still got a lot of life to taste.
til next time....
Tuesday, November 26, 2002
11:14p
we are family
i think I might be coming down with something...my throat felt a little scratchy earlier and i was sort of getting the chills.
'went to tita's Wake service. wow, sooo many people showed up.
I really didn't expect it.
All of my boyfriend's family came out of the woodworks for sure!
I swear, it was like sensory overload..."oh look, there's tita___, and over there is tito__"
SO MANY FAMILY MEMBERS THERE!!
It was great.
I thought a lot about that....about the connections we've made with people
throughout our lives.
We've been pretty lucky to have so many different groups of "family".
Growing up, my "family" became my mom's co-workers at City Hall in SFO.
All of us kids referred to eachother as "cousins".
Most of my blood-relatives are in the PI's, so the only family I really had here in the states
was my extended family from City Hall.
We call ourselves CHP (City Hall Posse). hehehe...
I feel lucky to have experienced that.
Having an unorthodox family make-up really drove home the
true definition of "family".
And honestly, being able to forge so many different connections with people
has made this world, at least for me, so much smaller.
Perhaps my friend was right. Part of creating a revolution does have to do with building relationships.
x-mas already!
before typing up this blog, I tried to shop on-line for my family's x-mas gifts.
since i'm pretty good at bargain shopping, i dunno if this on-line thing will work for me.
I think I do much better when I actually go to the store to purchase stuff.
since my boyfriend and I are spending a lot of money for our Vegas trip and
we may take a trip to Whistler Canada for his 30th b-day, we both agreed
that we wouldn't buy eachother anything.
We're just going to cook a nice meal together.
so that leaves me with my bother, mom and dad.
still....they aren't the easiest to shop for.
especially my mom and dad.
I think I already have an idea for my dad and brother, though.
Actually, I think i have an idea for gifts for all of them.
My goal is to complete all of my x-mas shopping before Thursday, Thanksgiving.
There's really no need to create any more stress than necessary.
anyhow, better get to bed so I can get as much rest as possible.
we are family
i think I might be coming down with something...my throat felt a little scratchy earlier and i was sort of getting the chills.
'went to tita's Wake service. wow, sooo many people showed up.
I really didn't expect it.
All of my boyfriend's family came out of the woodworks for sure!
I swear, it was like sensory overload..."oh look, there's tita___, and over there is tito__"
SO MANY FAMILY MEMBERS THERE!!
It was great.
I thought a lot about that....about the connections we've made with people
throughout our lives.
We've been pretty lucky to have so many different groups of "family".
Growing up, my "family" became my mom's co-workers at City Hall in SFO.
All of us kids referred to eachother as "cousins".
Most of my blood-relatives are in the PI's, so the only family I really had here in the states
was my extended family from City Hall.
We call ourselves CHP (City Hall Posse). hehehe...
I feel lucky to have experienced that.
Having an unorthodox family make-up really drove home the
true definition of "family".
And honestly, being able to forge so many different connections with people
has made this world, at least for me, so much smaller.
Perhaps my friend was right. Part of creating a revolution does have to do with building relationships.
x-mas already!
before typing up this blog, I tried to shop on-line for my family's x-mas gifts.
since i'm pretty good at bargain shopping, i dunno if this on-line thing will work for me.
I think I do much better when I actually go to the store to purchase stuff.
since my boyfriend and I are spending a lot of money for our Vegas trip and
we may take a trip to Whistler Canada for his 30th b-day, we both agreed
that we wouldn't buy eachother anything.
We're just going to cook a nice meal together.
so that leaves me with my bother, mom and dad.
still....they aren't the easiest to shop for.
especially my mom and dad.
I think I already have an idea for my dad and brother, though.
Actually, I think i have an idea for gifts for all of them.
My goal is to complete all of my x-mas shopping before Thursday, Thanksgiving.
There's really no need to create any more stress than necessary.
anyhow, better get to bed so I can get as much rest as possible.
Monday, November 25, 2002
6:02p
tita lita
'been up since 7:30a and I went to bed at 2am. That's why I've got a splitting headache right now.
my boyfriend and I got up early to attend Tita Lita's funeral mass.
I felt much better today. In fact, throughout the mass, I kinda felt as if
Tita Lita was right there with us, happy and content.
I didn't really feel any sadness.
I think the music helped, too.
My friend played the piano and sang throughout the ceremony.
She has a beautiful voice...like an angel...so I was really comforted by that.
Then, when it came to the end of the mass,
a sudden feeling of sadness came over me.
It was as if Tita Lita was finally saying goodbye.
My poor tissues were soaked.
And then we walked outside of the church to
watch her casket be returned into the limo and driven back to the
funeral home.
At her request, she will be cremated so there was no funeral procession.
Then in an instant, the wind picked up and started blowing leaves all over the place.
We joked around saying maybe that was Tita Lita saying thank you
to all of us for being there.
Tita Lita was apparently a pretty amazing woman.
She's like everyone's favorite aunt...so kind, so giving...and wow, the life of any party.
At the wake, they talked about how she loved to sing and entertain friends...and she enjoyed
being the center of attention while still remaining humble and ever so classy.
There was even a whole bus load of ex-co-workers there who rented a charter bus
and traveled from L.A. that very morning to be with her.
It was such a testament to me of how beautiful a person she truly was.
It was great to also be able to hang out with the rest of our friends who
came out to support the family. As usual, life took over and we were
joking around like we always do.
side trip
afterwards, we also headed over to Ikea to purchase some stuff.
by this time, me and my boyfriend's feet were giving out
and sleep was taking over me. luckily, my boyfriend drove
so I reclined my passenger seat, and
assumed the sleeping position.
I was out until we got back home.
and now here i am.
revelations
so tomorrow will be Tita Mila's time.
We'll be attending her Wake in the evening
and her funeral will be on Wednesday.
In the last 2 weeks, Bim and I will have attended
one wedding and 2 funerals.
I guess life happens that way sometimes.
In attending Tita Lita's services, though, I've come to realize
that as much as I question (and no longer practice) Catholicism and all of the
religious practices that go with it,
I still believe in prayer and the power in it.
I still don't believe, however, that prayer is only legitimate when it is done in church.
And I don't believe that there is only one way to pray.
Everyone has their way of connecting with God (whoever he/she/it may be) through different styles of prayer, and I still
believe that those ways need to be respected.
tita lita
'been up since 7:30a and I went to bed at 2am. That's why I've got a splitting headache right now.
my boyfriend and I got up early to attend Tita Lita's funeral mass.
I felt much better today. In fact, throughout the mass, I kinda felt as if
Tita Lita was right there with us, happy and content.
I didn't really feel any sadness.
I think the music helped, too.
My friend played the piano and sang throughout the ceremony.
She has a beautiful voice...like an angel...so I was really comforted by that.
Then, when it came to the end of the mass,
a sudden feeling of sadness came over me.
It was as if Tita Lita was finally saying goodbye.
My poor tissues were soaked.
And then we walked outside of the church to
watch her casket be returned into the limo and driven back to the
funeral home.
At her request, she will be cremated so there was no funeral procession.
Then in an instant, the wind picked up and started blowing leaves all over the place.
We joked around saying maybe that was Tita Lita saying thank you
to all of us for being there.
Tita Lita was apparently a pretty amazing woman.
She's like everyone's favorite aunt...so kind, so giving...and wow, the life of any party.
At the wake, they talked about how she loved to sing and entertain friends...and she enjoyed
being the center of attention while still remaining humble and ever so classy.
There was even a whole bus load of ex-co-workers there who rented a charter bus
and traveled from L.A. that very morning to be with her.
It was such a testament to me of how beautiful a person she truly was.
It was great to also be able to hang out with the rest of our friends who
came out to support the family. As usual, life took over and we were
joking around like we always do.
side trip
afterwards, we also headed over to Ikea to purchase some stuff.
by this time, me and my boyfriend's feet were giving out
and sleep was taking over me. luckily, my boyfriend drove
so I reclined my passenger seat, and
assumed the sleeping position.
I was out until we got back home.
and now here i am.
revelations
so tomorrow will be Tita Mila's time.
We'll be attending her Wake in the evening
and her funeral will be on Wednesday.
In the last 2 weeks, Bim and I will have attended
one wedding and 2 funerals.
I guess life happens that way sometimes.
In attending Tita Lita's services, though, I've come to realize
that as much as I question (and no longer practice) Catholicism and all of the
religious practices that go with it,
I still believe in prayer and the power in it.
I still don't believe, however, that prayer is only legitimate when it is done in church.
And I don't believe that there is only one way to pray.
Everyone has their way of connecting with God (whoever he/she/it may be) through different styles of prayer, and I still
believe that those ways need to be respected.
Sunday, November 24, 2002
12:08a
bittersweet
saturday was quite a long and bittersweet day.
'started off by waking up at 7am (I never wake up this early) so that we could get
decent parking at the BIG GAME, which we did. thank good ness we got there early...
some people had to pay as much as $35 for parking! since we found a spot on the street,
we paid $0.00.
we parked on the north side so my boyfriend and i reminisced about the times I
would cut class to join him for lunch on that side.
Most of his classes were there since he majored in civil engineering (which he never became, oddly enough)
'had some bagels for breakfast at Brewed Awakenings and hung out around the Campanile area before the game.
It was pretty happenin' there...(actually there were all kinds of things going on on campus) the Black Alumni Association had food and a DJ playing some cool hip hop/r&b/soul.
I sat on the grass, bopped my head to the beat, and people-watched while my boyfriend went around taking pictures...he takes his camera with him ALL THE TIME.
I just sat there thinking how great it was to be on campus again...without having to study or take tests!
Then, we met up with friends who bought our tickets and headed off to Memorial Stadium.
What can I say? The game was great! We FINALLY won
after an 7-year losing streak!
Actually, the last time they won was the last time my boyfriend and I watched them play at Memorial Stadium.
Hmm...maybe we're their good luck charm? ;)
So, this time around, we got to sit in the "alumni section".
Although we paid way too much money for our nosebleeder seats, the view from where
we were sitting was absolutely beautiful. definitely beats anything StanfUrd has.
In the background was the landscape of the Berkeley hills, full of trees that
kept climbing to the heavens. It was very magestic.
And the air seemed so much more cleaner up there.
Well, except for when the dude behind us started smoking his cigar.
Afterwards, we drove for about 1.5 hrs through traffic to get to our friend's b-day dinner in SanJose.
Lots of kids there again...and of course I played with them all.
'had a great time catching up with friends.
Then, my boyfriend got a call from his cousin that tita mila had passed away around 8:30p...
It was a shock. We had just visited her Friday night and
my boyfriend brought the 3 pictures of the cross at Mission San Jose upon tita's request.
We posted them up on her bulletin board at the wall opposite her bed.
Perhaps she was able to find enough comfort in them to let go.
Upon my boyfriend's request, those pictures will be buried with her.
how beautiful is that...
til tomorrow....
bittersweet
saturday was quite a long and bittersweet day.
'started off by waking up at 7am (I never wake up this early) so that we could get
decent parking at the BIG GAME, which we did. thank good ness we got there early...
some people had to pay as much as $35 for parking! since we found a spot on the street,
we paid $0.00.
we parked on the north side so my boyfriend and i reminisced about the times I
would cut class to join him for lunch on that side.
Most of his classes were there since he majored in civil engineering (which he never became, oddly enough)
'had some bagels for breakfast at Brewed Awakenings and hung out around the Campanile area before the game.
It was pretty happenin' there...(actually there were all kinds of things going on on campus) the Black Alumni Association had food and a DJ playing some cool hip hop/r&b/soul.
I sat on the grass, bopped my head to the beat, and people-watched while my boyfriend went around taking pictures...he takes his camera with him ALL THE TIME.
I just sat there thinking how great it was to be on campus again...without having to study or take tests!
Then, we met up with friends who bought our tickets and headed off to Memorial Stadium.
What can I say? The game was great! We FINALLY won
after an 7-year losing streak!
Actually, the last time they won was the last time my boyfriend and I watched them play at Memorial Stadium.
Hmm...maybe we're their good luck charm? ;)
So, this time around, we got to sit in the "alumni section".
Although we paid way too much money for our nosebleeder seats, the view from where
we were sitting was absolutely beautiful. definitely beats anything StanfUrd has.
In the background was the landscape of the Berkeley hills, full of trees that
kept climbing to the heavens. It was very magestic.
And the air seemed so much more cleaner up there.
Well, except for when the dude behind us started smoking his cigar.
Afterwards, we drove for about 1.5 hrs through traffic to get to our friend's b-day dinner in SanJose.
Lots of kids there again...and of course I played with them all.
'had a great time catching up with friends.
Then, my boyfriend got a call from his cousin that tita mila had passed away around 8:30p...
It was a shock. We had just visited her Friday night and
my boyfriend brought the 3 pictures of the cross at Mission San Jose upon tita's request.
We posted them up on her bulletin board at the wall opposite her bed.
Perhaps she was able to find enough comfort in them to let go.
Upon my boyfriend's request, those pictures will be buried with her.
how beautiful is that...
til tomorrow....
Saturday, November 23, 2002
Friday, November 22, 2002
12:53p
full
just got back from having lunch at the Mexican restaurant by my house.
before that i decided to speed-walk around the neighborhood.
my legs have been itching for some exercise.
I was the only customer in the restaurant as I had expected.
because of the economy, business has been like a rollercoaster, according to the owner.
In fact, he was the only one working at the time I came in.
He was the one who actually prepared my food for me.
I ordered a combo plate with a chicken enchilada, beef taco, rice and beans.
all of it was GOOD!!!! wow, especially the taco.
'think we might order some of that to serve at our x-mas party.
as i was sitting there enjoying my meal, two families came in for lunch.
one family was made up of a father and son
and the other was mother and son...
it was a comfort to watch them interact with one another.
both sons talked to their parents openly.
parent-child relationships like that are so rare these days....
full
just got back from having lunch at the Mexican restaurant by my house.
before that i decided to speed-walk around the neighborhood.
my legs have been itching for some exercise.
I was the only customer in the restaurant as I had expected.
because of the economy, business has been like a rollercoaster, according to the owner.
In fact, he was the only one working at the time I came in.
He was the one who actually prepared my food for me.
I ordered a combo plate with a chicken enchilada, beef taco, rice and beans.
all of it was GOOD!!!! wow, especially the taco.
'think we might order some of that to serve at our x-mas party.
as i was sitting there enjoying my meal, two families came in for lunch.
one family was made up of a father and son
and the other was mother and son...
it was a comfort to watch them interact with one another.
both sons talked to their parents openly.
parent-child relationships like that are so rare these days....
8:38a
awake
'had to wake up earlier than usual today so that i could drop off my boyfriend at the BART.
on the way there, he and I passed by a couple of super cute dogs,
a dead skunk on the road
and a turkey walking around on this little farm.
Like, Olivia, I am attracted to the beauty of autumn leaves.
I saw a row of trees on the way back from BART that really captured my eye.
There's actually a whole bunch of them that I LOVE to look at along the short freeway that leads to
the toll gate (heading west) of the Dumbarton Bridge.
It's one of the loveliest sights, especially since there are so many different colors to look at.
Sad to say, but today is super cloudy outside...it looks more like late afternoon instead of morning.
I think this may be the last week that we experience sunshine like we have.
and the world stood still
so yesterday was quite a sad day...
my friend's mother, Tita Lita, finally passed on after suffering from cancer. She was only 51.
I never got a chance to get to know her really..
but from what I saw of her, she was one of the most caring, accommodating, compassionate people...
the great thing is, she was such an influence to my friend who has the same characteristics.
Both of them had such a close relationship.
Actually, the entire family is close.
You would smile if you saw them together.
then, I found out later on in the day that
another friend's mother was in harm's way.
she was stuck in the office right next to where the Berkeley Bomber was holding people hostage.
Luckily no one was harmed in that fiasco.
The bomber committed suicide.
When my boyfriend came home from work, we kinda just sat there in bed
reflecting and talking about everything.
He told me that he said a private prayer for tita lita at his desk,
while I sat on our couch and did the same - just minutes before she passed.
Afterwards, we ate breakfast for dinner (eggs, rice, sardinas, orange juice) and talked some more.
It's so good to be able to do that with him.
brudder!
that afternoon was a little better.
my brother came over to hang out for a bit before he went to class later that afternoon.
In spite of his really bad neck-ache and headache, he was joking around as usual.
He's been busy all week working on his Senior Project with his group...I know cause
I see him on-line all the time...that's how he and his group communicate about their project sometimes.
That boy studies like crazy, too. Puts me and my college studying to shame! ;)
But he studies cause he loves it. He's motivated by his will to learn.
Shoot, this kid even buys supplemental books to help him understand stufff!
I would've NEVER done that back in college! :)
Still, he really inspires me. :)
by my side
'also got a chance to chat with my cousin Chi for a while.
I was so glad she was on-line, cause that was about the time I heard about tita lita's passing
and i didn't want to be alone.
thanks again for the company, chi! :)
news from work
while my brother was visiting, I got a phone call from my future workplace.
It doesn't look like we will be opening until probably January 2003.
We're supposed to have some meeting in early December.
I dunno, but things are lagging big time.
i should be ok financially until then, but it's really cutting it close.
today
tonight we're going back to the care home to see my boyfriend's aunt.
she's currently under hospice care and may be passing on within the next couple of weeks.
we're meeting up with my boyfriend's cousin who flew in from Chicago tonight and we'll all go together.
during our wedndesday visit, bim showed her some of his photographs.
when he asked her which ones she liked the best, she pointed to the cross that he took a picture of at Mission San Jose.
Sadly, we both had a feeling that was the one she would point at.
She can talk, but all of her motor skills are very weak, so she can only say a few words at a time.
anyhow, bim promised to print out a larger version of the picture so she can hang it up on her wall.
we'll bring it in for her tonight.
hmmm...I'm feeling hungry.
after paying all of my bills and balancing my checkbook, Ive found that I don't have
anymore money budgeted for food this month.
just in
I just got an e-mail about the wake and funeral services for tita lita.
By the way, Tita Lita is the mother of Kathy Aguila Dimalanta.
If you know Kathy, I'm sure she would appreciate your support.
awake
'had to wake up earlier than usual today so that i could drop off my boyfriend at the BART.
on the way there, he and I passed by a couple of super cute dogs,
a dead skunk on the road
and a turkey walking around on this little farm.
Like, Olivia, I am attracted to the beauty of autumn leaves.
I saw a row of trees on the way back from BART that really captured my eye.
There's actually a whole bunch of them that I LOVE to look at along the short freeway that leads to
the toll gate (heading west) of the Dumbarton Bridge.
It's one of the loveliest sights, especially since there are so many different colors to look at.
Sad to say, but today is super cloudy outside...it looks more like late afternoon instead of morning.
I think this may be the last week that we experience sunshine like we have.
and the world stood still
so yesterday was quite a sad day...
my friend's mother, Tita Lita, finally passed on after suffering from cancer. She was only 51.
I never got a chance to get to know her really..
but from what I saw of her, she was one of the most caring, accommodating, compassionate people...
the great thing is, she was such an influence to my friend who has the same characteristics.
Both of them had such a close relationship.
Actually, the entire family is close.
You would smile if you saw them together.
then, I found out later on in the day that
another friend's mother was in harm's way.
she was stuck in the office right next to where the Berkeley Bomber was holding people hostage.
Luckily no one was harmed in that fiasco.
The bomber committed suicide.
When my boyfriend came home from work, we kinda just sat there in bed
reflecting and talking about everything.
He told me that he said a private prayer for tita lita at his desk,
while I sat on our couch and did the same - just minutes before she passed.
Afterwards, we ate breakfast for dinner (eggs, rice, sardinas, orange juice) and talked some more.
It's so good to be able to do that with him.
brudder!
that afternoon was a little better.
my brother came over to hang out for a bit before he went to class later that afternoon.
In spite of his really bad neck-ache and headache, he was joking around as usual.
He's been busy all week working on his Senior Project with his group...I know cause
I see him on-line all the time...that's how he and his group communicate about their project sometimes.
That boy studies like crazy, too. Puts me and my college studying to shame! ;)
But he studies cause he loves it. He's motivated by his will to learn.
Shoot, this kid even buys supplemental books to help him understand stufff!
I would've NEVER done that back in college! :)
Still, he really inspires me. :)
by my side
'also got a chance to chat with my cousin Chi for a while.
I was so glad she was on-line, cause that was about the time I heard about tita lita's passing
and i didn't want to be alone.
thanks again for the company, chi! :)
news from work
while my brother was visiting, I got a phone call from my future workplace.
It doesn't look like we will be opening until probably January 2003.
We're supposed to have some meeting in early December.
I dunno, but things are lagging big time.
i should be ok financially until then, but it's really cutting it close.
today
tonight we're going back to the care home to see my boyfriend's aunt.
she's currently under hospice care and may be passing on within the next couple of weeks.
we're meeting up with my boyfriend's cousin who flew in from Chicago tonight and we'll all go together.
during our wedndesday visit, bim showed her some of his photographs.
when he asked her which ones she liked the best, she pointed to the cross that he took a picture of at Mission San Jose.
Sadly, we both had a feeling that was the one she would point at.
She can talk, but all of her motor skills are very weak, so she can only say a few words at a time.
anyhow, bim promised to print out a larger version of the picture so she can hang it up on her wall.
we'll bring it in for her tonight.
hmmm...I'm feeling hungry.
after paying all of my bills and balancing my checkbook, Ive found that I don't have
anymore money budgeted for food this month.
just in
I just got an e-mail about the wake and funeral services for tita lita.
By the way, Tita Lita is the mother of Kathy Aguila Dimalanta.
If you know Kathy, I'm sure she would appreciate your support.
Thursday, November 21, 2002
12:42p
an angel
for those of you out there who pray, kindly include
LITA AGUILA
in your prayers today for her journey "home".
this morning, I believe she got her wings....
may you rest in peace, tita lita, and continue to live on
in the souls of the family and friends you have blessed with your love and friendship.
and may your love continue to bring strength to your family.
an angel
for those of you out there who pray, kindly include
LITA AGUILA
in your prayers today for her journey "home".
this morning, I believe she got her wings....
may you rest in peace, tita lita, and continue to live on
in the souls of the family and friends you have blessed with your love and friendship.
and may your love continue to bring strength to your family.
Wednesday, November 20, 2002
11:53p
treat!
after visiting Bim's aunt in the hospital, I decided to head on over to Target
to purchase a x-mas tree.
I saw it last week.
It wasn't a white tree like I wanted, but
the size and price were perfect! It was only $20!
Once again, I had a nice surpise run-in with one of my bestest friends
in the world, cyn.
We met in Jr. high and have been like soul sisters ever since.
I feel lucky to have that kind of connection with her.
No matter where life has taken us, it always seems like we just saw eachother yesterday
whenever we meet up again.
through the looking glass
so..'been thinking a lot about my future during my goal-setting
time today..began thinking about what I would like to accomplish
within the next 10 years of my life.
I had some basic goals in mind. You know, the usual...kids, wedding, career.
But something inside of me wasn't completely satisfied that that is all there is to look forward to
...that having those things is the only way to experience life.
I know there is more out there...I can feel it in my gut.
That's why it has always been kinda difficult to do long-term planning like that for me.
I guess I'm one of those people that lives on "going with the flow".
It's not that I am not goal-oriented or anything...
It's always just felt a little pre-mature for me to put too much stock in a life plan.
I dunno...
call me crazy, call me lazy...
Life has just always turned out that way for me.
My life's path thus far has been a result of my "going with the flow"...
and honestly, i do not regret any decisions I have made with it.
My life has been so full...
I've learned so much/been challenged about myself, people, the world...
'have met some of the most amazing, inspiring, sincere, down-to-earth, caring people in the world.
And I've truly appreciated the different perspectives I have seen and experienced.
I want more of that...perspective, that is.
It's been wierd this entire year...
'been realizing that in some way I have come to a crossroad.
I guess i'm sort of at a place where I have to think of "adult things", like a mortgage, retirement, etc...
but part of me doesn't really feel that it is necessary to subscribe to all of that.
Part of me wants to just rent a cheap apt. with my boyfriend, so
that more of our money can go into savings and traveling and other hobbies.
but then part of me really LOVES this house
and the space we have to entertain friends...and just the overall flexibility we have with it.
but more importantly, this is my HOME...where I grew up. So much of my history lies here.
I know there is more out there, though, and I really want to experience a piece of it.
I'm hoping that when the time is right, my boyfriend and i can perhaps live some place outside
of California for a little while...maybe a year or two.
I'd love to live in New York and he would like to try Seattle. I hope that there's room for us to experience living in both.
In my current confusion, at least I can take comfort in that fact that
I can still see that there is so much left of the world/life
for me to take a bite out of. :)
I hope this will lead me someplace good.
til next time...
treat!
after visiting Bim's aunt in the hospital, I decided to head on over to Target
to purchase a x-mas tree.
I saw it last week.
It wasn't a white tree like I wanted, but
the size and price were perfect! It was only $20!
Once again, I had a nice surpise run-in with one of my bestest friends
in the world, cyn.
We met in Jr. high and have been like soul sisters ever since.
I feel lucky to have that kind of connection with her.
No matter where life has taken us, it always seems like we just saw eachother yesterday
whenever we meet up again.
through the looking glass
so..'been thinking a lot about my future during my goal-setting
time today..began thinking about what I would like to accomplish
within the next 10 years of my life.
I had some basic goals in mind. You know, the usual...kids, wedding, career.
But something inside of me wasn't completely satisfied that that is all there is to look forward to
...that having those things is the only way to experience life.
I know there is more out there...I can feel it in my gut.
That's why it has always been kinda difficult to do long-term planning like that for me.
I guess I'm one of those people that lives on "going with the flow".
It's not that I am not goal-oriented or anything...
It's always just felt a little pre-mature for me to put too much stock in a life plan.
I dunno...
call me crazy, call me lazy...
Life has just always turned out that way for me.
My life's path thus far has been a result of my "going with the flow"...
and honestly, i do not regret any decisions I have made with it.
My life has been so full...
I've learned so much/been challenged about myself, people, the world...
'have met some of the most amazing, inspiring, sincere, down-to-earth, caring people in the world.
And I've truly appreciated the different perspectives I have seen and experienced.
I want more of that...perspective, that is.
It's been wierd this entire year...
'been realizing that in some way I have come to a crossroad.
I guess i'm sort of at a place where I have to think of "adult things", like a mortgage, retirement, etc...
but part of me doesn't really feel that it is necessary to subscribe to all of that.
Part of me wants to just rent a cheap apt. with my boyfriend, so
that more of our money can go into savings and traveling and other hobbies.
but then part of me really LOVES this house
and the space we have to entertain friends...and just the overall flexibility we have with it.
but more importantly, this is my HOME...where I grew up. So much of my history lies here.
I know there is more out there, though, and I really want to experience a piece of it.
I'm hoping that when the time is right, my boyfriend and i can perhaps live some place outside
of California for a little while...maybe a year or two.
I'd love to live in New York and he would like to try Seattle. I hope that there's room for us to experience living in both.
In my current confusion, at least I can take comfort in that fact that
I can still see that there is so much left of the world/life
for me to take a bite out of. :)
I hope this will lead me someplace good.
til next time...
10:55p
organize
'been feeling a little unproductive again, so I'm gonna try to get organized with
my goals and create a to do list.
I've realized that my brain is resisting thinking! ;)
oh, but I'm almost done with my bathroom project.
my boyfriend doesn't like the design, though, but I do.
It's crazy like me. :)
bye bye big red
'just finished preparing the paperwork for our car donation.
after 13 years of driving it, i must say goodbye to my 1989 honda civic. :(
man, that car took me on soooo many adventures during high school and college.
It was in 4 accidents and still managed to make it through 241,000 plus miles.
AND, it was the absolute PERFECT car for me and my short stature.
I didn't even need to use a pillow under my ass to see! ;)
I LOVE THAT CAR!!!! (snif, snif)
GO BEARS!
again today is another gorgeous day!
I hope it stays this way for this weekend's BIG GAME.
'paid $53 for my ticket - kinda much for someone who is unemployed, so they'd better win.
The last time Cal won a Big Game was the last time my boyfriend and I attended
the game on campus...that was back when we were still in college
and it was the last time the team played on astro-turf at Memorial Stadium.
Hahaha!!! At the end of the game, we all rushed the field and people everywhere
were trying to get a piece of the turf!
My boyfriend actually got a pretty big chunk...it was almost the size of a doormat!
Again, I hope we win on Saturday.
It's so hard to be a Cal fan...really! (sigh)
Go Bears!
organize
'been feeling a little unproductive again, so I'm gonna try to get organized with
my goals and create a to do list.
I've realized that my brain is resisting thinking! ;)
oh, but I'm almost done with my bathroom project.
my boyfriend doesn't like the design, though, but I do.
It's crazy like me. :)
bye bye big red
'just finished preparing the paperwork for our car donation.
after 13 years of driving it, i must say goodbye to my 1989 honda civic. :(
man, that car took me on soooo many adventures during high school and college.
It was in 4 accidents and still managed to make it through 241,000 plus miles.
AND, it was the absolute PERFECT car for me and my short stature.
I didn't even need to use a pillow under my ass to see! ;)
I LOVE THAT CAR!!!! (snif, snif)
GO BEARS!
again today is another gorgeous day!
I hope it stays this way for this weekend's BIG GAME.
'paid $53 for my ticket - kinda much for someone who is unemployed, so they'd better win.
The last time Cal won a Big Game was the last time my boyfriend and I attended
the game on campus...that was back when we were still in college
and it was the last time the team played on astro-turf at Memorial Stadium.
Hahaha!!! At the end of the game, we all rushed the field and people everywhere
were trying to get a piece of the turf!
My boyfriend actually got a pretty big chunk...it was almost the size of a doormat!
Again, I hope we win on Saturday.
It's so hard to be a Cal fan...really! (sigh)
Go Bears!
Tuesday, November 19, 2002
4:16p
happiness is
...seeing my cousin happy. YEAH for CHI...10 more days til you're 23!!! :)
...visiting my friend in Berkeley today and sharing our similar crazy family stories and breaking down social/political issues.
...a gorgeous day - like TODAY! There wasn't a cloud in the sky - it was clear blue through and through.
...walking around Berkeley on a gorgeous day like today. I LOVE BERKELEY!
...seeing the humanity and goodness in people during trying times - like what I saw in my boyfriend last night at the hospital as he patiently and graciously
spent time talking with and listening to a relative in her last days.
i am reminded that life is good and there are still good people in it. :)
happiness is
...seeing my cousin happy. YEAH for CHI...10 more days til you're 23!!! :)
...visiting my friend in Berkeley today and sharing our similar crazy family stories and breaking down social/political issues.
...a gorgeous day - like TODAY! There wasn't a cloud in the sky - it was clear blue through and through.
...walking around Berkeley on a gorgeous day like today. I LOVE BERKELEY!
...seeing the humanity and goodness in people during trying times - like what I saw in my boyfriend last night at the hospital as he patiently and graciously
spent time talking with and listening to a relative in her last days.
i am reminded that life is good and there are still good people in it. :)
Monday, November 18, 2002
11:43a
nice day
yipee!!! it's sunny today. In fact, it's gonna be like this all week! :)
woke up around 10a and 'been returning e-mails since.
I think I returned about 10 altogether.
'got a massage session tonight with some friends at their place,
so my day will probably revolve around that.
otherwise, I'm gonna go out and enjoy the sun.
'gonna take a nice run around the neighborhood again.
more later...
nice day
yipee!!! it's sunny today. In fact, it's gonna be like this all week! :)
woke up around 10a and 'been returning e-mails since.
I think I returned about 10 altogether.
'got a massage session tonight with some friends at their place,
so my day will probably revolve around that.
otherwise, I'm gonna go out and enjoy the sun.
'gonna take a nice run around the neighborhood again.
more later...
Sunday, November 17, 2002
new couch
woke up around 10a this morning.
didn't really do much except eat and watch my tape of Thursday night's
"Friends", "ER", "Good morning Miami", "Will & Grace" and "Scrubs".
When I finished the tape, my dad arrived with our new couch.
Actually, my parents gave it to us since they no longer needed it.
so now, we've got 5 couches...all of them cost us $0.00...except for 1 that only cost $89 (and it's leather).
What can i say, I'm all about bargains!
"chit chat"
afterwards, my dad hung out for a little while.
It was really nice...
'showed him some of my boyfriend's photography and also
'got a chance to show him what colors I've painted the bathroom...hehehe!
the first thing out of his mouth was, "what da hell is dis?"
he wasn't mad...he still joked around.
it's already understood that our tastes are completely different.
my dad just got a good laugh out of it.
then, i taught my dad how to do on-line chatting via aol AIM and MSN Messenger...
it was quite funny. hehehe :)
my brother just happened to be on-line, so my dad chatted with him for a little bit.
he's not yet familiar with all the chatting etiquette so he did not know any better when
he began typing in capital letters.
I told him to be careful because someone might think he is yelling at them if he types in
all capital letters.
He just said, "oh, but I like the way it looks on the screen".
hehehehe!!! my dad...gotta love him! :)
Oh, and his term for on-line chatting is "chit chat".
my dad....again - you gotta love him! :)
'Feeling kinda bummy right now.
I'd really love to go out and watch the new Harry Potter movie, but
my boyfriend has to finish his photography homework.
'think i'll just bum around until "Alias" and "The Practice" comes on.
woke up around 10a this morning.
didn't really do much except eat and watch my tape of Thursday night's
"Friends", "ER", "Good morning Miami", "Will & Grace" and "Scrubs".
When I finished the tape, my dad arrived with our new couch.
Actually, my parents gave it to us since they no longer needed it.
so now, we've got 5 couches...all of them cost us $0.00...except for 1 that only cost $89 (and it's leather).
What can i say, I'm all about bargains!
"chit chat"
afterwards, my dad hung out for a little while.
It was really nice...
'showed him some of my boyfriend's photography and also
'got a chance to show him what colors I've painted the bathroom...hehehe!
the first thing out of his mouth was, "what da hell is dis?"
he wasn't mad...he still joked around.
it's already understood that our tastes are completely different.
my dad just got a good laugh out of it.
then, i taught my dad how to do on-line chatting via aol AIM and MSN Messenger...
it was quite funny. hehehe :)
my brother just happened to be on-line, so my dad chatted with him for a little bit.
he's not yet familiar with all the chatting etiquette so he did not know any better when
he began typing in capital letters.
I told him to be careful because someone might think he is yelling at them if he types in
all capital letters.
He just said, "oh, but I like the way it looks on the screen".
hehehehe!!! my dad...gotta love him! :)
Oh, and his term for on-line chatting is "chit chat".
my dad....again - you gotta love him! :)
'Feeling kinda bummy right now.
I'd really love to go out and watch the new Harry Potter movie, but
my boyfriend has to finish his photography homework.
'think i'll just bum around until "Alias" and "The Practice" comes on.
12:56a
friends
once again we had another one of those weekends where we saw everyone and their momma! ;)
friday night was cool.
We went to Sno-Drift for my friend's b-day party.
Cool club.
'Got to bounce for a while to some pretty dope beats.
The DJ played a really good old school mix, too!
my body automatically reacts when I hear Hip hop/r&b/soul playing.
it's like I get possessed or something! ;)
I LOVE DANCING!
'sported my new cream hat for the first time and
got lots of compliments on it.
I LOVE THAT HAT!
The party was full of folks!
It was another one of those SUPER-SARDINAS-PACKED parties.
And of course, we saw almost every single pinoy we knew in the Bay Area.
Talk about 6 degrees of seperation!...It was actually more like 2 degrees in this case.
Even my boyfriend's 8th grade classmate was there (and he hadn't seen her since 8th grade)!
While I was dancing with my friend, I realized that I knew the guy dancing next to me and said hello.
Then, after a few minutes, that friend asks me if I was friends with the guy I was dancing with. I said yes.
Then, both of them begin to tell me how they knew eachother from grade school!
GOOD GOD! All I could do was shake my head in disbelief...
It was confirmation to me that ALL of us Pilipinos in the world are connected in some way.
That 6 degrees game should be named after US!!! hehehe! ;)
more friends
tonight (saturday) we went to a wedding.
I went to high school with both the bride and groom, and the groom and I went to college together.
That's where he met my boyfriend who became his first roommate in college.
We ended up sitting in the "nose bleeder" (way in the back w/ a pillar blocking our view of the bride and groom)
seats at the reception and met 6 new friends.
We already knew one of the couples from college.
It was great...we all clicked.
In fact, before the party started we had already taken our first shot of Remy Martin together! ;)
'love that.
pondering
oh, and it was my boyfriend's and my first Vietnamese wedding.
The ceremony was Catholic, but spoken in both Vietnamese and English.
Everything was pretty much the same as a traditional Pilipino wedding, except they don't do the whole
cord/veil/arrhae thing...remnants of Spanish colonization.
What i really loved about the ceremony was when the priest invited the
non-catholic folk in the house to come up during communion along with the Catholic folks.
They were invited to receive a "blessing" even though they could not receive
communion.
I was so impressed with that gesture!
It was so inclusive of everyone there,
...'something that I had never seen done in a Catholic Wedding Ceremony.
That really made me feel good, because oftentimes religion can be so exclusive, you know?
especially with all the religious practices and stuff.
Also, something that the priest said made me think:
" Wars and conflict are not caused by religion...they are caused by people"
(still thinking about this one)
friends
once again we had another one of those weekends where we saw everyone and their momma! ;)
friday night was cool.
We went to Sno-Drift for my friend's b-day party.
Cool club.
'Got to bounce for a while to some pretty dope beats.
The DJ played a really good old school mix, too!
my body automatically reacts when I hear Hip hop/r&b/soul playing.
it's like I get possessed or something! ;)
I LOVE DANCING!
'sported my new cream hat for the first time and
got lots of compliments on it.
I LOVE THAT HAT!
The party was full of folks!
It was another one of those SUPER-SARDINAS-PACKED parties.
And of course, we saw almost every single pinoy we knew in the Bay Area.
Talk about 6 degrees of seperation!...It was actually more like 2 degrees in this case.
Even my boyfriend's 8th grade classmate was there (and he hadn't seen her since 8th grade)!
While I was dancing with my friend, I realized that I knew the guy dancing next to me and said hello.
Then, after a few minutes, that friend asks me if I was friends with the guy I was dancing with. I said yes.
Then, both of them begin to tell me how they knew eachother from grade school!
GOOD GOD! All I could do was shake my head in disbelief...
It was confirmation to me that ALL of us Pilipinos in the world are connected in some way.
That 6 degrees game should be named after US!!! hehehe! ;)
more friends
tonight (saturday) we went to a wedding.
I went to high school with both the bride and groom, and the groom and I went to college together.
That's where he met my boyfriend who became his first roommate in college.
We ended up sitting in the "nose bleeder" (way in the back w/ a pillar blocking our view of the bride and groom)
seats at the reception and met 6 new friends.
We already knew one of the couples from college.
It was great...we all clicked.
In fact, before the party started we had already taken our first shot of Remy Martin together! ;)
'love that.
pondering
oh, and it was my boyfriend's and my first Vietnamese wedding.
The ceremony was Catholic, but spoken in both Vietnamese and English.
Everything was pretty much the same as a traditional Pilipino wedding, except they don't do the whole
cord/veil/arrhae thing...remnants of Spanish colonization.
What i really loved about the ceremony was when the priest invited the
non-catholic folk in the house to come up during communion along with the Catholic folks.
They were invited to receive a "blessing" even though they could not receive
communion.
I was so impressed with that gesture!
It was so inclusive of everyone there,
...'something that I had never seen done in a Catholic Wedding Ceremony.
That really made me feel good, because oftentimes religion can be so exclusive, you know?
especially with all the religious practices and stuff.
Also, something that the priest said made me think:
" Wars and conflict are not caused by religion...they are caused by people"
(still thinking about this one)
Friday, November 15, 2002
4:16p
Bigots in My Backyard
I could not believe what I saw today as i was driving home.
I was just a few blocks away from my house when I saw the following signs held
up by these protesters:
"GOD HATES FAGS"
"(picture of Matthew Shephard) = 4 YEARS IN HELL"
"WE HATE YOU"
I had no idea what was going on, so I decided to call the police department and local paper, and here's what I found.
Of course, i reacted...
'felt so much anger and bewilderment that people could believe in this with all of their being.
I had to drive around for a few minutes and call a couple of people before I could come to my senses.
Oh, and I also drove past the protesters one last time to introduce them to my middle finger. hehe! :p
Then, I came to realize that
what's best in this case
is to just
IGNORE them...just like they ignore common sense.
There's no need to add fuel to their fire.
No need to affirm their beliefs or expectations.
The best thing is to just look away and not pay any attention.
It's the best way to invalidate someone.
(sigh)
but I'm still sad and still a little shaken up. I'm ok, though, 'just...disappointed. :(
p.s. don't believe the hype...
the word, "fag", is not cool to use in any way, shape, or form (unless you're referring to a cigarette while in London).
it only continues to perpetuate (and normalize) the kind of ignorance (and the ignorant ideas already imbedded in our psyche)
as demonstrated by what I saw today.
besides, we don't need to raise another generation of kids with the same type of ignorance...
let it stop with you!
Bigots in My Backyard
I could not believe what I saw today as i was driving home.
I was just a few blocks away from my house when I saw the following signs held
up by these protesters:
"GOD HATES FAGS"
"(picture of Matthew Shephard) = 4 YEARS IN HELL"
"WE HATE YOU"
I had no idea what was going on, so I decided to call the police department and local paper, and here's what I found.
Of course, i reacted...
'felt so much anger and bewilderment that people could believe in this with all of their being.
I had to drive around for a few minutes and call a couple of people before I could come to my senses.
Oh, and I also drove past the protesters one last time to introduce them to my middle finger. hehe! :p
Then, I came to realize that
what's best in this case
is to just
IGNORE them...just like they ignore common sense.
There's no need to add fuel to their fire.
No need to affirm their beliefs or expectations.
The best thing is to just look away and not pay any attention.
It's the best way to invalidate someone.
(sigh)
but I'm still sad and still a little shaken up. I'm ok, though, 'just...disappointed. :(
p.s. don't believe the hype...
the word, "fag", is not cool to use in any way, shape, or form (unless you're referring to a cigarette while in London).
it only continues to perpetuate (and normalize) the kind of ignorance (and the ignorant ideas already imbedded in our psyche)
as demonstrated by what I saw today.
besides, we don't need to raise another generation of kids with the same type of ignorance...
let it stop with you!
11:41a
Great Surprise
so I'm at my parents' house now. bored.
but before this I went to get some ensemada from Marylou's...it's homemade and wrapped all cute..
it's way better than Goldilock's ensemada!
so anyway, while I was in my car, I noticed a guy walking towards his car wearing scrubs.
and sure enough, it was my friend, Khiet!!!
I was so happy to see him....we haven't seen eachother since 1995 or something.
It was great catching up, too...
I love when that happens! Priceless...
Good eats in Herc-Town
Anyhow, Marylou's was closed, so I settled on getting an egg mcmuffin (no cheese).
As usual, all the Pilipino old-timers were hangin' out in front of McDonald's.
That place has become a little community center for them.
'reminds me of the Philippines...my dad's province...where folks would hang around
the sari-sari store for hours.
I guess it' sort of a cultural phenomenon.
It's just great to see people getting out of seclusion and sharing their day with
others like that.
You don't always get that in the 'burbs.
After getting out of the McDonald's drive-thru, I was still craving ensemada.
I decided to go to the Pilipino store a block away to see if they had some.
I forgot that Sunshine Bakery was next door to that, so I went in there instead.
I found a jackpot...
- homemade ensemada
- homemade mamon
- their popular mango cakes
- and even palabok!
...I was in heaven. :)
I decided on getting one ensemada and one mamon to go.
then, I saw the homemade empanada...they were HUGE!
I got one of those, too. :)
The greasiness of it made me feel a little nauscious after taking a few bites,
but it was one of the yummiest empanadas ever...lots of dough. I like it like that.
The mamon and ensemada were good, too, but the ensemada at Marylou's still takes the cake!
ugh! I need to go run a mile from all that grease!
Great Surprise
so I'm at my parents' house now. bored.
but before this I went to get some ensemada from Marylou's...it's homemade and wrapped all cute..
it's way better than Goldilock's ensemada!
so anyway, while I was in my car, I noticed a guy walking towards his car wearing scrubs.
and sure enough, it was my friend, Khiet!!!
I was so happy to see him....we haven't seen eachother since 1995 or something.
It was great catching up, too...
I love when that happens! Priceless...
Good eats in Herc-Town
Anyhow, Marylou's was closed, so I settled on getting an egg mcmuffin (no cheese).
As usual, all the Pilipino old-timers were hangin' out in front of McDonald's.
That place has become a little community center for them.
'reminds me of the Philippines...my dad's province...where folks would hang around
the sari-sari store for hours.
I guess it' sort of a cultural phenomenon.
It's just great to see people getting out of seclusion and sharing their day with
others like that.
You don't always get that in the 'burbs.
After getting out of the McDonald's drive-thru, I was still craving ensemada.
I decided to go to the Pilipino store a block away to see if they had some.
I forgot that Sunshine Bakery was next door to that, so I went in there instead.
I found a jackpot...
- homemade ensemada
- homemade mamon
- their popular mango cakes
- and even palabok!
...I was in heaven. :)
I decided on getting one ensemada and one mamon to go.
then, I saw the homemade empanada...they were HUGE!
I got one of those, too. :)
The greasiness of it made me feel a little nauscious after taking a few bites,
but it was one of the yummiest empanadas ever...lots of dough. I like it like that.
The mamon and ensemada were good, too, but the ensemada at Marylou's still takes the cake!
ugh! I need to go run a mile from all that grease!
Thursday, November 14, 2002
11:37p
today
did loads of stuff again today...mainly, shopped around for a white artificial x-mas tree.
'couldn't seem to find the right one, and a couple of the stores I went to didn't even have them.
'might just settle on a green one I saw for $19.99 at Target. it was the perfect size and price....'just wished it was white.
i don't have anything against the green ones...I just wanted to try something different with the decor of
the tree this year.
it worked!
so, I tried those two recipes in my Bon Appetite magazine and they turned out great!
what luck! thank god I stuck to the recipe..sometimes I try to improvise here and there and
it just turns out crappy.
My guinea pigs were quite happy with the turnout, too. :)
we've got quite a lot of leftovers, though.
by the way, the recipes that I tried tonight were:
1. cheese tortellini soup with cannellini, kielbasa and kale
2. mahogany beef stew with red wine and hoisin sauce
...different, but familiar and most importantly: YUMMMMY!!!! :)
boring
so 'gotta wake up early tomorrow morning to get to my parent's house by 9am.
they're replacing the carpet with laminate flooring, so I gotta be there
to babysit the very nice workmen from 9-2p.
I kinda didn't want to do it. In fact, I probably should've just lied to my parents and said that I was busy, but....
THE GUILT was just too much to ignore. ;) hehehe
well, at least i don't have to be bored the entire day.
my dad originally asked me to be there until 5p.
good god, I think I would have to pull my hair out from the boredom!
hmmm...maybe this will give me a chance to finish reading book 3 of harry potter.
on the floor!
so tomorrow night....i'm going OUT!!!
good god! are the planets aligned?!!!! ;)
'going to a friends b-day party at this club in the city...so I get to dance on the floor!
and before that, we'll be getting together with a few friends for some Senegalese (African)
food in the mission. (CHI CHI: the mission is where I took your mama for some Mexican food when she was here)
If you've never been to this restaurant, you gotta go! the food is superb and the
drinks....let me just say that I never thought they could make such a yummy alcoholic drink w/ hibiscus!
it's actually their specialty.
anyhow, the place is called Bissap Baobab. Check it out!
THere's definitely a more down-to-earth/cultural feel to this place. Very much suits the culture of the mission.
You really can't go wrong with any of the dishes.
And of course, top it off with Bananas flambee w/ ice cream for dessert - YUMMM!
la corazon del mission
(translation: the heart of the mission)
man, I miss working in the mission district!
I would get off at the 24th Street/Mission BART station every morning and walk down 24th street (the heart of the mission)
to get to work.
On my way, I would pass
- La Boheme Cafe (the served the best hot Mexican Chocolate)
- Venice Cafe (owned and run by a father/son team for 15+ years...so friendly!)
- Casa Bonampak (a latino folk art store...Nancy, the owner, was one of the most down-to-earth people...she's also a big community organizer in the mission and often used the store for that purpose)
- El Trebol (a Salvadorean restaurant..yummy pupusas and lunch for hella cheap! try $4 for a whole meal!)
- Muddy's (nasty coffee, but cool place to sit and read the paper...or have staff check-ins! our staff was so small that we would often go there to do that)
- Synergy School (an alternative school kiddy-corner from our office. that's where my co-worker met her boyfriend...and now they have a little girl. :) )
- Clooney's (a bar...one of the last remnants of the Irish community that once dominated that area of the mission. I finally walked in there for a drink...during the last year I worked for USP...and Clooney's is right across the street from our office! ;))
- the health food store (i'd go there to buy rice snacks, cashews, a banana, and a chocolate odwalla smoothie....for my breakfast and snacks)
Oh, and of course, the FOOOD:
- King's bakery (cheap bread and pastries! my favorite was their french bread (only 25 cents))
- El Farolito (a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant...the food is sooo good and soo cheap. The line for lunch and afternoon goes out the door everyday!)
- El Papalote (a more hip-looking and healthy Mexican restaurant. The owner, Miguel, knows everyone who walks in..but he could never remember my name! He actually also DJ'ed at Storyville for a while, too.)
..I could really go on and on about where I ate in the mission when I worked there, but that would take forever!
I love that neighborhood! It's a mixture of old San Francisco homes with "mom & pop" stores and lots of non-profit agencies.
It's a neighborhood with so much culture, character, and heart. It's definitely a HUGE difference from the 'burbs!
Unfortunately, gentrification has taken over the neighborhood and continues to do so.
With the rise of dot coms and lofts on the east end of 24th...to the rise in property values of the Noe Valley area on the west end,
so many families (who have lived there for years) are being displaced because they can no longer pay the higher rent.
To add to this, the parking situation on the east end has gotten worse because of the dot commers who work in that area.
They are now taking up residential parking areas.
It's sad really, because all the yuppy folks who come into the neighborhood to enjoy this "culture" really have no
idea where they are or how people have been affected here. To most, it is simply this "cool place" with "cool bars" and "cool cafes", etc.
But there is more.
SO MUCH MORE!
So next time you're eating at Gordon's Eats
or drinking up at the brewery across the street from Gordon's
or sipping a latte at the Starfucks on Bryant and Mariposa
or dancing the night away at The Monkey Bar on Harrison,
(all these places are at the east end of 24th)
....just take a second to think and be critical of where you are.
...just for one second.
today
did loads of stuff again today...mainly, shopped around for a white artificial x-mas tree.
'couldn't seem to find the right one, and a couple of the stores I went to didn't even have them.
'might just settle on a green one I saw for $19.99 at Target. it was the perfect size and price....'just wished it was white.
i don't have anything against the green ones...I just wanted to try something different with the decor of
the tree this year.
it worked!
so, I tried those two recipes in my Bon Appetite magazine and they turned out great!
what luck! thank god I stuck to the recipe..sometimes I try to improvise here and there and
it just turns out crappy.
My guinea pigs were quite happy with the turnout, too. :)
we've got quite a lot of leftovers, though.
by the way, the recipes that I tried tonight were:
1. cheese tortellini soup with cannellini, kielbasa and kale
2. mahogany beef stew with red wine and hoisin sauce
...different, but familiar and most importantly: YUMMMMY!!!! :)
boring
so 'gotta wake up early tomorrow morning to get to my parent's house by 9am.
they're replacing the carpet with laminate flooring, so I gotta be there
to babysit the very nice workmen from 9-2p.
I kinda didn't want to do it. In fact, I probably should've just lied to my parents and said that I was busy, but....
THE GUILT was just too much to ignore. ;) hehehe
well, at least i don't have to be bored the entire day.
my dad originally asked me to be there until 5p.
good god, I think I would have to pull my hair out from the boredom!
hmmm...maybe this will give me a chance to finish reading book 3 of harry potter.
on the floor!
so tomorrow night....i'm going OUT!!!
good god! are the planets aligned?!!!! ;)
'going to a friends b-day party at this club in the city...so I get to dance on the floor!
and before that, we'll be getting together with a few friends for some Senegalese (African)
food in the mission. (CHI CHI: the mission is where I took your mama for some Mexican food when she was here)
If you've never been to this restaurant, you gotta go! the food is superb and the
drinks....let me just say that I never thought they could make such a yummy alcoholic drink w/ hibiscus!
it's actually their specialty.
anyhow, the place is called Bissap Baobab. Check it out!
THere's definitely a more down-to-earth/cultural feel to this place. Very much suits the culture of the mission.
You really can't go wrong with any of the dishes.
And of course, top it off with Bananas flambee w/ ice cream for dessert - YUMMM!
la corazon del mission
(translation: the heart of the mission)
man, I miss working in the mission district!
I would get off at the 24th Street/Mission BART station every morning and walk down 24th street (the heart of the mission)
to get to work.
On my way, I would pass
- La Boheme Cafe (the served the best hot Mexican Chocolate)
- Venice Cafe (owned and run by a father/son team for 15+ years...so friendly!)
- Casa Bonampak (a latino folk art store...Nancy, the owner, was one of the most down-to-earth people...she's also a big community organizer in the mission and often used the store for that purpose)
- El Trebol (a Salvadorean restaurant..yummy pupusas and lunch for hella cheap! try $4 for a whole meal!)
- Muddy's (nasty coffee, but cool place to sit and read the paper...or have staff check-ins! our staff was so small that we would often go there to do that)
- Synergy School (an alternative school kiddy-corner from our office. that's where my co-worker met her boyfriend...and now they have a little girl. :) )
- Clooney's (a bar...one of the last remnants of the Irish community that once dominated that area of the mission. I finally walked in there for a drink...during the last year I worked for USP...and Clooney's is right across the street from our office! ;))
- the health food store (i'd go there to buy rice snacks, cashews, a banana, and a chocolate odwalla smoothie....for my breakfast and snacks)
Oh, and of course, the FOOOD:
- King's bakery (cheap bread and pastries! my favorite was their french bread (only 25 cents))
- El Farolito (a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant...the food is sooo good and soo cheap. The line for lunch and afternoon goes out the door everyday!)
- El Papalote (a more hip-looking and healthy Mexican restaurant. The owner, Miguel, knows everyone who walks in..but he could never remember my name! He actually also DJ'ed at Storyville for a while, too.)
..I could really go on and on about where I ate in the mission when I worked there, but that would take forever!
I love that neighborhood! It's a mixture of old San Francisco homes with "mom & pop" stores and lots of non-profit agencies.
It's a neighborhood with so much culture, character, and heart. It's definitely a HUGE difference from the 'burbs!
Unfortunately, gentrification has taken over the neighborhood and continues to do so.
With the rise of dot coms and lofts on the east end of 24th...to the rise in property values of the Noe Valley area on the west end,
so many families (who have lived there for years) are being displaced because they can no longer pay the higher rent.
To add to this, the parking situation on the east end has gotten worse because of the dot commers who work in that area.
They are now taking up residential parking areas.
It's sad really, because all the yuppy folks who come into the neighborhood to enjoy this "culture" really have no
idea where they are or how people have been affected here. To most, it is simply this "cool place" with "cool bars" and "cool cafes", etc.
But there is more.
SO MUCH MORE!
So next time you're eating at Gordon's Eats
or drinking up at the brewery across the street from Gordon's
or sipping a latte at the Starfucks on Bryant and Mariposa
or dancing the night away at The Monkey Bar on Harrison,
(all these places are at the east end of 24th)
....just take a second to think and be critical of where you are.
...just for one second.
1:21a
my first missed blog entry date
so today was definitely a productive one.
'did lots of stuff in the house, did a little shopping, and as I mentioned
worked out for a couple of hours.
(sigh)
finally!
that's why I couldn't blog until this evening....er, morning now.
trying to be Julia Childs
later today I think I'm going to attempt
a new recipe from the Bon Appetite magazine that my friend bought me a subscription for.
'gonna try an italian soup recipe and one for beef stew (cooked in red wine).
it looks really yummy in the pictures...hope it tastes just as yummy.
we've got some friends coming over tonight, so they can be my guinea pigs! bwahahahaha!!!!!
I'm not sleepy yet, but I can't think of anything else to blog about.
'gonna go curl up next to my boyfriend (who's probably out like a light right now w/ drool all over his face ;) )
and read another Bon Appetite magazine that i discovered I hadn't read yet.
'been listening to the John Mayer album while blogging....i really like it!
maybe this weekend I'll try to sing along with the songs (there's words on the cover) and annoy the hell
out of my boyfriend. hehehe!
but he probably won't care.
one of our friends who works for Sony Playstationjust hooked him up
with half a dozen games and 3 controllers (all FOR FREE) for the PS2 that he just bought, so...
he'll be pre-occupied (to say the least! ;)).
can dancing be any more fun?!
that reminds me...'gotta save some of my UI checks to buy DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) pads for
the free DDR game that our friend also hooked us up with.
hehehe...I LOVE DDR!
for New year's this year, we had a "Pajama Jammy Jam" at a friend's house
and we played DDR til 4am!!! That was the first time I had ever played it and
needless to say, I was HOOKED!
dude, I was sweatin' like a pig...my calves were sore...I could feel the lactic acid building up big time...
but I didn't care.
I kept playing for 4 hours straight!
ok, I better get to bed for real now. goodnight! :)
my first missed blog entry date
so today was definitely a productive one.
'did lots of stuff in the house, did a little shopping, and as I mentioned
worked out for a couple of hours.
(sigh)
finally!
that's why I couldn't blog until this evening....er, morning now.
trying to be Julia Childs
later today I think I'm going to attempt
a new recipe from the Bon Appetite magazine that my friend bought me a subscription for.
'gonna try an italian soup recipe and one for beef stew (cooked in red wine).
it looks really yummy in the pictures...hope it tastes just as yummy.
we've got some friends coming over tonight, so they can be my guinea pigs! bwahahahaha!!!!!
I'm not sleepy yet, but I can't think of anything else to blog about.
'gonna go curl up next to my boyfriend (who's probably out like a light right now w/ drool all over his face ;) )
and read another Bon Appetite magazine that i discovered I hadn't read yet.
'been listening to the John Mayer album while blogging....i really like it!
maybe this weekend I'll try to sing along with the songs (there's words on the cover) and annoy the hell
out of my boyfriend. hehehe!
but he probably won't care.
one of our friends who works for Sony Playstationjust hooked him up
with half a dozen games and 3 controllers (all FOR FREE) for the PS2 that he just bought, so...
he'll be pre-occupied (to say the least! ;)).
can dancing be any more fun?!
that reminds me...'gotta save some of my UI checks to buy DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) pads for
the free DDR game that our friend also hooked us up with.
hehehe...I LOVE DDR!
for New year's this year, we had a "Pajama Jammy Jam" at a friend's house
and we played DDR til 4am!!! That was the first time I had ever played it and
needless to say, I was HOOKED!
dude, I was sweatin' like a pig...my calves were sore...I could feel the lactic acid building up big time...
but I didn't care.
I kept playing for 4 hours straight!
ok, I better get to bed for real now. goodnight! :)
11:36p
doh!
i actually wrote a blog earlier...
but when I clicked on the "post & publish" button, I actually clicked on the SIGN OUT button.
what a loser. :(
oh well....
my ass hurts!
..and so do my knees.
I finally broke out of the "spell" again and drove my ass to the gym to work out.
and this time I really worked out.
oh my god...i'm just hurting right now.
nevertheless, i feel really good about it. i know that my body's been calling out to me for this
(even though my brain wants to just "kick it" all the time).
it was a relief to finally listen to my body this time.
I was inspired again after watching this story last night on ABC Primetime about Al Roker
and his battle with his weight.
today, I continued to see how achieving things is mostly a mental thing.
especially when I was on the bike on my last 15 min. of cardio.
I pushed myself to imagine that I was in some bike race just so that I could complete those last 15 min.
it's tough sometimes when you have to struggle with the fears and laziness in your head.
I just wonder
so tonight my boyfriend and I shopped around for a fake white x-mas tree.
'haven't found the right one yet, so I think I'll go looking again tomorrow.
for the last 3 years that we've lived in this house, we've bought a live tree every year.
as much as it is such a neat thing to do, we thought we'd get something that we
could recycle every year.
I often wonder how hard it can be on the environment when millions
of trees are getting cut down each year so we
can bring them into our homes for a few weeks and then discard them.
I know it's recyclable, but I just wonder...
of course, I don't have anything against people who do buy live trees.
and, perhaps investing in the fake ones may be just as (or more) detrimental to the environment
...hmmm, maybe I should look into that before I go out buying one.
ok, I think I'll call one of my friends that works for the environment. i'm curious now.
star gazing
so tonight I watched the interview of Jennifer Lopez on ABC Primetime by Diane Sawyer.
before that I watched the MTV special on Justin Timberlake re: a documentary on
launching his new solo album (I'm sure Bev would've loved this one) ;)
My boyfriend and I watched all this while eating our chinese take-out for dinner.
mmmm...I don't really have any big reflections on what I saw, except
it was interesting to watch Justin complain about all the interviews he had to go through one day....
...how every interviewer basically asked the same questions and how tiring and frustrating it can be.
I know that what he feels and experiences are all valid
and I definitely am not trying to invalidate him,
but I honestly could not help but to roll my eyes a little...
I mean, there are millions of people in America and around the world who struggle
everyday to make an honest living
in jobs that are life-threatening, tedious, time-consuming, low-paying, un-rewarding
while this dude gets to do interviews and gets paid big bucks to do what he loves.
Perhaps I'm quick to judge, but
at the end of his "work" days, I honestly hope that he remembers how good he's got it.
Other than that, Justin's choreographer is DOPE! :)
He's completely off the hook with his stuff.
If I could only sign up for private lessons! ;)
doh!
i actually wrote a blog earlier...
but when I clicked on the "post & publish" button, I actually clicked on the SIGN OUT button.
what a loser. :(
oh well....
my ass hurts!
..and so do my knees.
I finally broke out of the "spell" again and drove my ass to the gym to work out.
and this time I really worked out.
oh my god...i'm just hurting right now.
nevertheless, i feel really good about it. i know that my body's been calling out to me for this
(even though my brain wants to just "kick it" all the time).
it was a relief to finally listen to my body this time.
I was inspired again after watching this story last night on ABC Primetime about Al Roker
and his battle with his weight.
today, I continued to see how achieving things is mostly a mental thing.
especially when I was on the bike on my last 15 min. of cardio.
I pushed myself to imagine that I was in some bike race just so that I could complete those last 15 min.
it's tough sometimes when you have to struggle with the fears and laziness in your head.
I just wonder
so tonight my boyfriend and I shopped around for a fake white x-mas tree.
'haven't found the right one yet, so I think I'll go looking again tomorrow.
for the last 3 years that we've lived in this house, we've bought a live tree every year.
as much as it is such a neat thing to do, we thought we'd get something that we
could recycle every year.
I often wonder how hard it can be on the environment when millions
of trees are getting cut down each year so we
can bring them into our homes for a few weeks and then discard them.
I know it's recyclable, but I just wonder...
of course, I don't have anything against people who do buy live trees.
and, perhaps investing in the fake ones may be just as (or more) detrimental to the environment
...hmmm, maybe I should look into that before I go out buying one.
ok, I think I'll call one of my friends that works for the environment. i'm curious now.
star gazing
so tonight I watched the interview of Jennifer Lopez on ABC Primetime by Diane Sawyer.
before that I watched the MTV special on Justin Timberlake re: a documentary on
launching his new solo album (I'm sure Bev would've loved this one) ;)
My boyfriend and I watched all this while eating our chinese take-out for dinner.
mmmm...I don't really have any big reflections on what I saw, except
it was interesting to watch Justin complain about all the interviews he had to go through one day....
...how every interviewer basically asked the same questions and how tiring and frustrating it can be.
I know that what he feels and experiences are all valid
and I definitely am not trying to invalidate him,
but I honestly could not help but to roll my eyes a little...
I mean, there are millions of people in America and around the world who struggle
everyday to make an honest living
in jobs that are life-threatening, tedious, time-consuming, low-paying, un-rewarding
while this dude gets to do interviews and gets paid big bucks to do what he loves.
Perhaps I'm quick to judge, but
at the end of his "work" days, I honestly hope that he remembers how good he's got it.
Other than that, Justin's choreographer is DOPE! :)
He's completely off the hook with his stuff.
If I could only sign up for private lessons! ;)
Tuesday, November 12, 2002
2:01p
a strange evolution
so, bim and I finally came up with the details for our x-mas party.
just finished sending out the new evite.
still trying to figure out other details, like what to serve this year for food.
that's always important to us...to have enough of it and for it to be good. :)
looked through a few of my cookbooks and brainstormed for almost an hour on things.
i think I've settled on stuff, but still wanna hear bim's suggestions.
so we've been putting on this x-mas party thing for 10 years now.
this year will be the 11th.
it's really strange, but cool how things evolve on their own.
our "party" started out as this little get together among friends
when we were freshman in college.
There were probably only about 12 of us at the most.
After pulling a couple of all-nighters at my place for our Chem 1A exam,
and after hanging out together that semester, it just
made sense for us to celebrate the holidays in some way.
over the years, bim and i made other connections with folks
and the parties got a little bigger each year.
and of course, we'd make even more connections from the new people
we would meet at our parties, so...it grew even bigger
until one year...i forgot the year...it took 2+ hours to get through
the White Elephant Game because there were 56 people playing the game!
it was sooooo crazy but soooo fun at the same time. My mom was even there in
the room watching (and laughing at) us. ;)
that's when bim and i realized that this little "get together" of ours had turned into something completely different.
the funny thing is we never have any expectations from it, like how much bigger it should be next year, etc...
we just hope there will be friends who can join us to celebrate the holidays
...doesn't matter how many
...doesn't matter who
we just leave it to chance..
and are just sooo thankful and happy every year
that we have friends to celebrate the holidays with
...and we're even happier when those friends introduce us to new friends that they bring along. :)
i'm excited to see how this will continue to evolve...especially with all of the "little ones" on the way...
a strange evolution
so, bim and I finally came up with the details for our x-mas party.
just finished sending out the new evite.
still trying to figure out other details, like what to serve this year for food.
that's always important to us...to have enough of it and for it to be good. :)
looked through a few of my cookbooks and brainstormed for almost an hour on things.
i think I've settled on stuff, but still wanna hear bim's suggestions.
so we've been putting on this x-mas party thing for 10 years now.
this year will be the 11th.
it's really strange, but cool how things evolve on their own.
our "party" started out as this little get together among friends
when we were freshman in college.
There were probably only about 12 of us at the most.
After pulling a couple of all-nighters at my place for our Chem 1A exam,
and after hanging out together that semester, it just
made sense for us to celebrate the holidays in some way.
over the years, bim and i made other connections with folks
and the parties got a little bigger each year.
and of course, we'd make even more connections from the new people
we would meet at our parties, so...it grew even bigger
until one year...i forgot the year...it took 2+ hours to get through
the White Elephant Game because there were 56 people playing the game!
it was sooooo crazy but soooo fun at the same time. My mom was even there in
the room watching (and laughing at) us. ;)
that's when bim and i realized that this little "get together" of ours had turned into something completely different.
the funny thing is we never have any expectations from it, like how much bigger it should be next year, etc...
we just hope there will be friends who can join us to celebrate the holidays
...doesn't matter how many
...doesn't matter who
we just leave it to chance..
and are just sooo thankful and happy every year
that we have friends to celebrate the holidays with
...and we're even happier when those friends introduce us to new friends that they bring along. :)
i'm excited to see how this will continue to evolve...especially with all of the "little ones" on the way...
Monday, November 11, 2002
"Check your pulse it's proof
That you're not listening to
The call that your life's been issuing you
The rythm of a line of idle days"
John Mayer
"Great Indoors"
That you're not listening to
The call that your life's been issuing you
The rythm of a line of idle days"
John Mayer
"Great Indoors"
11:12p
reflecting
changes in me
there are lots.
i think twice before i speak now
i think 100 times before i make a judgement
i'm open to the world
in many different ways
but don't let it get the best of me.
that's important now.
me.
realizing now that there are some limits
that no one
not anyone
should ever surpass when it comes
to me.
it's about knowing
understanding
believing in me
and what i am worth.
my worth.
"know your worth.
know it well"...
i've heard this message loud and clear
from every direction
every stop in life i've taken....
"know your worth as
a woman, a human being, a soul".
could this message be any louder?
this time i've chosen to really listen.
reflecting
changes in me
there are lots.
i think twice before i speak now
i think 100 times before i make a judgement
i'm open to the world
in many different ways
but don't let it get the best of me.
that's important now.
me.
realizing now that there are some limits
that no one
not anyone
should ever surpass when it comes
to me.
it's about knowing
understanding
believing in me
and what i am worth.
my worth.
"know your worth.
know it well"...
i've heard this message loud and clear
from every direction
every stop in life i've taken....
"know your worth as
a woman, a human being, a soul".
could this message be any louder?
this time i've chosen to really listen.
10:53p
new ears
finally got the John mayer album...'been wanting to check it out for a while now.
(i'm listening to it now)
ever since I started listening to Vanessa Carlton, Michelle Branch and Avril Lavigne , i've started to appreciate this type of
music more....especially since all of these artists play their own instruments and write their own songs.
'am also appreciating hearing the guitar in these songs. makes me wanna learn how to play.
more than anything, i just appreciate hearing their souls come out in the words they write.
There's just so much power in poetry and spoken word...i've always loved it.
new ears
finally got the John mayer album...'been wanting to check it out for a while now.
(i'm listening to it now)
ever since I started listening to Vanessa Carlton, Michelle Branch and Avril Lavigne , i've started to appreciate this type of
music more....especially since all of these artists play their own instruments and write their own songs.
'am also appreciating hearing the guitar in these songs. makes me wanna learn how to play.
more than anything, i just appreciate hearing their souls come out in the words they write.
There's just so much power in poetry and spoken word...i've always loved it.
12:11p
here comes the sun...little darlin'
yippeee!!!! no more clouds! It is sunny once again.
the sky it sooo blue and clear.
definitely helps my mood.
just finished wedding gift shopping on-line for two sets of friends who will
be getting married.
also went on craigslist to check out what other
jobs are out there. 'found one here where I live...part time (perfect)...working at a domestic
violence shelter.
'found a few development assistant positions that interested me as well.
'still would like to continue working in the non-profits and doing development/
fundraising work is something I've been interested in getting into.
I'm more into assisting, though. I would love to write grants someday, but
not now. I feel like I would need to work on my writing skills.
almost there
last night, I got a lot of work done on the bathroom walls.
still gotta add another 4 layers of accent paint but I'm getting there.
the design I'm doing on the wall is simple looking, but is tedious work.
I was actually enjoying myself last night, though. I'm really really pacing myself
so that I don't get frustrated again.
anyhow, planning on doing lots today.
sunny days ALWAYS put me in a good mood, so
I gotta make use of that while it lasts!
more later...
here comes the sun...little darlin'
yippeee!!!! no more clouds! It is sunny once again.
the sky it sooo blue and clear.
definitely helps my mood.
just finished wedding gift shopping on-line for two sets of friends who will
be getting married.
also went on craigslist to check out what other
jobs are out there. 'found one here where I live...part time (perfect)...working at a domestic
violence shelter.
'found a few development assistant positions that interested me as well.
'still would like to continue working in the non-profits and doing development/
fundraising work is something I've been interested in getting into.
I'm more into assisting, though. I would love to write grants someday, but
not now. I feel like I would need to work on my writing skills.
almost there
last night, I got a lot of work done on the bathroom walls.
still gotta add another 4 layers of accent paint but I'm getting there.
the design I'm doing on the wall is simple looking, but is tedious work.
I was actually enjoying myself last night, though. I'm really really pacing myself
so that I don't get frustrated again.
anyhow, planning on doing lots today.
sunny days ALWAYS put me in a good mood, so
I gotta make use of that while it lasts!
more later...
Sunday, November 10, 2002
10:50a
lazy sunday...sort of
it's not raining, but it's clooudy and grey again outside. damn!
my boyfriend and I were supposed to go clothes shopping today
for our "weekend of debauchery" in Vegas, but
someone got the lazy sunday bug.
so, I guess I should continue work on my bathroom instead.
'gotta check my calendar for next week's schedule of appts.
'still haven't gotten a call from my new work about when we will be starting.
they should AT LEAST give us SOME kind of update via e-mail or something.
it's getting kind of annoying now....
I should probably start applying to Watercourse Way just in case.
It's so difficult to get in there since it is a great place to work, hence there's
a very low turn-over rate.
'Guess I'll turn in my resume for a 3rd time!
I should probably also start planning for our annual x-mas party.
There's always lots to prepare for that.
This year marks our 11th year doing it, so I'm interested to see
what new folks will walk through our doors.
so excited!
feeling hungry so 'gonna go scavenge for food in the fridge for my breakfast.
hmmm....it's a toss up between KFC and pizza leftovers OR our meatloaf and veggies....
or just plain cereal and milk.
the pizza's calling me, though.... :)
lazy sunday...sort of
it's not raining, but it's clooudy and grey again outside. damn!
my boyfriend and I were supposed to go clothes shopping today
for our "weekend of debauchery" in Vegas, but
someone got the lazy sunday bug.
so, I guess I should continue work on my bathroom instead.
'gotta check my calendar for next week's schedule of appts.
'still haven't gotten a call from my new work about when we will be starting.
they should AT LEAST give us SOME kind of update via e-mail or something.
it's getting kind of annoying now....
I should probably start applying to Watercourse Way just in case.
It's so difficult to get in there since it is a great place to work, hence there's
a very low turn-over rate.
'Guess I'll turn in my resume for a 3rd time!
I should probably also start planning for our annual x-mas party.
There's always lots to prepare for that.
This year marks our 11th year doing it, so I'm interested to see
what new folks will walk through our doors.
so excited!
feeling hungry so 'gonna go scavenge for food in the fridge for my breakfast.
hmmm....it's a toss up between KFC and pizza leftovers OR our meatloaf and veggies....
or just plain cereal and milk.
the pizza's calling me, though.... :)
Saturday, November 09, 2002
7:03p
a glimpse of my future
had a great time at the baby shower.
I spent most of my time playing with my "nephews" alex and max (the sons of my college friends).
there were actually 2 other children there in addition to alex and max...
boy, was today's party a small sample of what life will be like for me and my
friends in the near future: kids running around all over the place, the uncles and aunties
(us) talking really loud and cracking jokes, little kiddie b-day parties, etc.
it's still a little strange for me, but I just LOVE them kids!
I literally spent more time playing with them than talking to the rest of the "adults".
oh, and of course we played the usual baby shower games.
my boyfriend and i joined in this baby bottle drinking contest!
essentially, the boyfriends (or husbands), would sit on their girlfriend's (or wive's) lap
while they were fed with a baby bottle filled with 7-up.
the first person to finish the entire baby bottle would win the game.
all i can say is: MY POOR BOYFRIEND!
instead of winning a prize, he got so gas-sy and nauscious from trying to suck on that bottle...
mind you, the hole on the nipple was pretty small, so it wasn't an easy task...
and apparently there is an art to sucking on these bottles, too..
he kept burping throughout the contest and afterwards.
GOOD LORD!
Let's just say you really don't wanna be within in a 10-mile radius from my boyfriend when that happens! ;)
my boyfriend and I also got some more hints about where our friends want us to get married: Las Vegas.
he and I are one of the last couples left in our immediate circle of friends to tie the knot, so we
get that once in a while.
we've actually thought about it, though...and the idea doesn't sound half bad! :)
my last meal in the philippines
this morning while I waited for my boyfriend to get out of his dental appt., I ate breakfast at the
Goldilock's across the street.
I originally ordered some tocilog, but they ran out of fried eggs, so I settled on some
fried vegetable lumpia and rice. it was sooo good. but, i felt a little woozy after eating all of it.
I always get that way when I consume too much grease! ;)
nevertheless, eating or seeing fried vegetable lumpia always reminds me of my trip to the
PI's in 1997.
My last meal before I left to go back here to the states was the BEST fried vegetable lumpia and bistek (w/ rice of course)
that I have ever had! everything was PERFECT!
I remember it clearly...I was enjoying this lovely meal in the food court of the Shoe Mart in glorietta mall.
I swear, I felt like I had died and gone to heaven!
more food for thought
anyhow, this whole "food" thought process got me thinking about some of the best cooks
who have blessed my tummy with their talents. just thought I'd list a few of them:
1. my auntie teofy - she makes the bEST homemade pork tocino ever!
everytime she comes up to visit from Barstow (that's 300+ miles south of me and about 3 hrs drive from las vegas),
she would always bring some of it for us in little ziplock sandwich bags
which we would freeze until we were ready to cook them.
I tell you, there's nothing quite like them AND you actually get the MEATY parts, not the fatty
stuff that they always feed you in Pilipino restaurants.
2. my uncle larry - he's just a great cook...period!
this man can make soooo many great dishes, but my favorites are his: chicken adobo,
bistek, pork afritada, pork spare-rib adobo...(notice this is ALL meat)... pot roast
3. my boyfriend's dad - he's a great cook too!
really...most every food he touches turns to gold, but my favorites are his:
bistek and chicken adobo.
4. my boyfriend's mom - oh my god, if you haven't tasted her fried rice, you're life is not complete!
it's the best artery clogger AND comfort food ever!...especially when we were in college!
Her fried rice is filled with garlic, bits of spam, chopped bacon (the fatty, crunchy kind), eggs, shrimp and
topped off with some green onions. It is a meal in one!
5. my friend emerson - his lasagna is to die for!
all I can say is, it's all in the italian sausage and ricotta cheese that he lovingly
prepares it with! buon gusto!
6. my dad - he can cook most anything, but my favorite is when he prepares CRAB!
he usually only prepares it during Christmas or Thanksgiving, but boy oh boy is it such a treat!
First my dad steams the crabs and, when it's cooked, takes out the fat and cracks the legs.
Then, he marinates it in some lemon juice, soy sauce and garlic and FRIES the crab parts.
Finally....and this is the kicker...he sautees the fat in garlic, oil, lemon juice and soy sauce...
LORDY LORDY LORDY! If you run out of the crab parts, this little concoction can easily be
a meal in itself with LOTS of rice and of course eaten "kamayan" style.
7. my friend T.J. - his rib roast is the bomb!
the best part is the smell of it while it is cooking in his Showtime Rotisserie thingy.
The garlic and butter just ooze all over and the smell permeates the entire
house. It takes 2 hours to cook, but it is well worth the wait!
8. my cousin Rox - her chocolate chip cookies...and really anything she bakes!
man, there is probably like 5 sticks of butter in her recipe, but DAMN them cookies are good!
They're right up there with Mrs. Field's cookies, except my cousin's have that
warm homemade feel to them...the kind that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside
on a cold, rainy day.
and last (for now) but most definitely not least...
9. my mom - her cheese-bread will melt in your mouth and leave you dying for more!
BUT...she will never ever ever ever ever give you the recipe.
and neither will i, so don't ask. just eat. and enjoy.
I can definitely name more, but I've got writer's block. But, I will definitely continue later!
Shoot, I could go on forever about the topic of food! but, I think I will go curl up in bed
with the Harry Potter book i bought today. It is the 3rd book. 'can't wait to read it!
Actually, I can't wait to read the 4th book...it's HELLLAAA thick! Looks like 3 books in one paperback.
My friends say it is really good, though, so I can't wait to finish book 3 so that I can start on it.
Til tomorrow...
a glimpse of my future
had a great time at the baby shower.
I spent most of my time playing with my "nephews" alex and max (the sons of my college friends).
there were actually 2 other children there in addition to alex and max...
boy, was today's party a small sample of what life will be like for me and my
friends in the near future: kids running around all over the place, the uncles and aunties
(us) talking really loud and cracking jokes, little kiddie b-day parties, etc.
it's still a little strange for me, but I just LOVE them kids!
I literally spent more time playing with them than talking to the rest of the "adults".
oh, and of course we played the usual baby shower games.
my boyfriend and i joined in this baby bottle drinking contest!
essentially, the boyfriends (or husbands), would sit on their girlfriend's (or wive's) lap
while they were fed with a baby bottle filled with 7-up.
the first person to finish the entire baby bottle would win the game.
all i can say is: MY POOR BOYFRIEND!
instead of winning a prize, he got so gas-sy and nauscious from trying to suck on that bottle...
mind you, the hole on the nipple was pretty small, so it wasn't an easy task...
and apparently there is an art to sucking on these bottles, too..
he kept burping throughout the contest and afterwards.
GOOD LORD!
Let's just say you really don't wanna be within in a 10-mile radius from my boyfriend when that happens! ;)
my boyfriend and I also got some more hints about where our friends want us to get married: Las Vegas.
he and I are one of the last couples left in our immediate circle of friends to tie the knot, so we
get that once in a while.
we've actually thought about it, though...and the idea doesn't sound half bad! :)
my last meal in the philippines
this morning while I waited for my boyfriend to get out of his dental appt., I ate breakfast at the
Goldilock's across the street.
I originally ordered some tocilog, but they ran out of fried eggs, so I settled on some
fried vegetable lumpia and rice. it was sooo good. but, i felt a little woozy after eating all of it.
I always get that way when I consume too much grease! ;)
nevertheless, eating or seeing fried vegetable lumpia always reminds me of my trip to the
PI's in 1997.
My last meal before I left to go back here to the states was the BEST fried vegetable lumpia and bistek (w/ rice of course)
that I have ever had! everything was PERFECT!
I remember it clearly...I was enjoying this lovely meal in the food court of the Shoe Mart in glorietta mall.
I swear, I felt like I had died and gone to heaven!
more food for thought
anyhow, this whole "food" thought process got me thinking about some of the best cooks
who have blessed my tummy with their talents. just thought I'd list a few of them:
1. my auntie teofy - she makes the bEST homemade pork tocino ever!
everytime she comes up to visit from Barstow (that's 300+ miles south of me and about 3 hrs drive from las vegas),
she would always bring some of it for us in little ziplock sandwich bags
which we would freeze until we were ready to cook them.
I tell you, there's nothing quite like them AND you actually get the MEATY parts, not the fatty
stuff that they always feed you in Pilipino restaurants.
2. my uncle larry - he's just a great cook...period!
this man can make soooo many great dishes, but my favorites are his: chicken adobo,
bistek, pork afritada, pork spare-rib adobo...(notice this is ALL meat)... pot roast
3. my boyfriend's dad - he's a great cook too!
really...most every food he touches turns to gold, but my favorites are his:
bistek and chicken adobo.
4. my boyfriend's mom - oh my god, if you haven't tasted her fried rice, you're life is not complete!
it's the best artery clogger AND comfort food ever!...especially when we were in college!
Her fried rice is filled with garlic, bits of spam, chopped bacon (the fatty, crunchy kind), eggs, shrimp and
topped off with some green onions. It is a meal in one!
5. my friend emerson - his lasagna is to die for!
all I can say is, it's all in the italian sausage and ricotta cheese that he lovingly
prepares it with! buon gusto!
6. my dad - he can cook most anything, but my favorite is when he prepares CRAB!
he usually only prepares it during Christmas or Thanksgiving, but boy oh boy is it such a treat!
First my dad steams the crabs and, when it's cooked, takes out the fat and cracks the legs.
Then, he marinates it in some lemon juice, soy sauce and garlic and FRIES the crab parts.
Finally....and this is the kicker...he sautees the fat in garlic, oil, lemon juice and soy sauce...
LORDY LORDY LORDY! If you run out of the crab parts, this little concoction can easily be
a meal in itself with LOTS of rice and of course eaten "kamayan" style.
7. my friend T.J. - his rib roast is the bomb!
the best part is the smell of it while it is cooking in his Showtime Rotisserie thingy.
The garlic and butter just ooze all over and the smell permeates the entire
house. It takes 2 hours to cook, but it is well worth the wait!
8. my cousin Rox - her chocolate chip cookies...and really anything she bakes!
man, there is probably like 5 sticks of butter in her recipe, but DAMN them cookies are good!
They're right up there with Mrs. Field's cookies, except my cousin's have that
warm homemade feel to them...the kind that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside
on a cold, rainy day.
and last (for now) but most definitely not least...
9. my mom - her cheese-bread will melt in your mouth and leave you dying for more!
BUT...she will never ever ever ever ever give you the recipe.
and neither will i, so don't ask. just eat. and enjoy.
I can definitely name more, but I've got writer's block. But, I will definitely continue later!
Shoot, I could go on forever about the topic of food! but, I think I will go curl up in bed
with the Harry Potter book i bought today. It is the 3rd book. 'can't wait to read it!
Actually, I can't wait to read the 4th book...it's HELLLAAA thick! Looks like 3 books in one paperback.
My friends say it is really good, though, so I can't wait to finish book 3 so that I can start on it.
Til tomorrow...
12:49a
pizza, video games, and "nbc must see tv thursday" on tape
yeah! thank goodness the storm has not gotten any more worse.
as far as I know, it barely rained tonight.
i'm glad 'cause we had a few friends over tonight.
my boyfriend called a few of his guy friends over ...
they've been playing video games since 7p. yes, they are still at it. :)
they took a break to eat some pizza, though. but other than that, their eyes have been
glued to the tv screen and their fingers stuck to the PS2 controllers for almost 6 hours.
It was so cute, though, because all 5 of the guys brought a video game to share...
kinda like a little "video game potluck".
Luckily, I got a chance to play Bomber Man before all the guys got there.
One of my friends gave me a tutorial since it was my first time playing.
definitely fun.
I'm not surprised that this game kept these guys from going to class when we were in college.
There were times when I would go over to my boyfriend's apt. back then and find them ALL
sprawled out in that tiny living room with their eyes glued to the tv and fingers glued to the controllers...
just like tonight. hehehe!
My boyfriend lived only 4 blocks away from campus, so his apartment was the perfect
place to play a quick video game for these guys before studying or walking the rest of the way home.
as for the girls, tonight we hung out in the back room catching up on "Will and Grace", "Friends" and "ER".
it was cool. I passed out blankets and pillows to make our viewing more comfy.
I even brought in my massage table for one of the girls to lie down on...we only have
one twin bed in this back room, so I needed to add more seating/laying down space.
And the massage table was actually pretty darn comfortable! :)
Oh, and of course our viewing would not be complete without ice cream, hot cocoa, and....beer.
umm..not all mixed together, though. ;)
nothing exciting really happened, but it was great to just get together and hang out.
we don't always do it often.
I hope we can still get together to play video games when we have kids and stuff.
Actually, I plan on making that happen.
We're never too old for this stuff!
More Showers!
so later on today, we'll be going into Daly City for my boyfriend's dentist appointment
and then to our friends' baby shower. It is a co-ed one. I like those.
As much as it is the woman that is doing all the work when it comes to pregnancy,
it's good to celebrate both the husband and wife. After all, they are in it together.
Later on in the evening, we will (hopefully) be visited by my friend from elem/jr high/high school
and his fiance. We haven't seen eachother in almost a year, so it'll be great to catch
up in person. I'm so excited for his engagement. This guy truly deserves all the happiness in
the world.
Ok, better try to go to sleep now. 'Gotta wake up pretty early.
till next time...
pizza, video games, and "nbc must see tv thursday" on tape
yeah! thank goodness the storm has not gotten any more worse.
as far as I know, it barely rained tonight.
i'm glad 'cause we had a few friends over tonight.
my boyfriend called a few of his guy friends over ...
they've been playing video games since 7p. yes, they are still at it. :)
they took a break to eat some pizza, though. but other than that, their eyes have been
glued to the tv screen and their fingers stuck to the PS2 controllers for almost 6 hours.
It was so cute, though, because all 5 of the guys brought a video game to share...
kinda like a little "video game potluck".
Luckily, I got a chance to play Bomber Man before all the guys got there.
One of my friends gave me a tutorial since it was my first time playing.
definitely fun.
I'm not surprised that this game kept these guys from going to class when we were in college.
There were times when I would go over to my boyfriend's apt. back then and find them ALL
sprawled out in that tiny living room with their eyes glued to the tv and fingers glued to the controllers...
just like tonight. hehehe!
My boyfriend lived only 4 blocks away from campus, so his apartment was the perfect
place to play a quick video game for these guys before studying or walking the rest of the way home.
as for the girls, tonight we hung out in the back room catching up on "Will and Grace", "Friends" and "ER".
it was cool. I passed out blankets and pillows to make our viewing more comfy.
I even brought in my massage table for one of the girls to lie down on...we only have
one twin bed in this back room, so I needed to add more seating/laying down space.
And the massage table was actually pretty darn comfortable! :)
Oh, and of course our viewing would not be complete without ice cream, hot cocoa, and....beer.
umm..not all mixed together, though. ;)
nothing exciting really happened, but it was great to just get together and hang out.
we don't always do it often.
I hope we can still get together to play video games when we have kids and stuff.
Actually, I plan on making that happen.
We're never too old for this stuff!
More Showers!
so later on today, we'll be going into Daly City for my boyfriend's dentist appointment
and then to our friends' baby shower. It is a co-ed one. I like those.
As much as it is the woman that is doing all the work when it comes to pregnancy,
it's good to celebrate both the husband and wife. After all, they are in it together.
Later on in the evening, we will (hopefully) be visited by my friend from elem/jr high/high school
and his fiance. We haven't seen eachother in almost a year, so it'll be great to catch
up in person. I'm so excited for his engagement. This guy truly deserves all the happiness in
the world.
Ok, better try to go to sleep now. 'Gotta wake up pretty early.
till next time...
Friday, November 08, 2002
9:32a
It finally stopped raining, but I'm pretty sure there will be more since the clouds are thick
and grey above.
It's funny how the weather can be: on Wednesday, it was lovely and sunny...
then yesterday, it was a full-on storm complete with booming thunder and
lightning...I could even hear it sizzle!
My boyfriend said that when the storm went through the city yesterday morning,
the thunder rattled their office windows on the 16th (at least I think it's the 16th) floor...scary. : (
The storm even made its way into his dream last night.
He dreamt that we were in the PI's with our friends...
there was an earthquake AND a TSUNAMI. good lawd! a tsunami!
and what did I dream?
...as usual something random: I dreamt that Bim and I decided to live in a tent
with another friend ('couldn't see who it was). We would pack our food in tupperware...
hide from the military ('cause they were looking for us)...
take showers at 24 hour fitness (I even got facials there)...
anyway, like I said, RANDOM. that's what I get for eating right before I go to bed. ;)
better
today I'm feeling better. feeling motivated to be productive. after this,
I'm gonna work on my bathroom walls. 'been putting off for the last couple of days due to my
frustration with it.
'will also work on installing the hardware on the bathroom drawers as well. 'been putting that one
off for a couple of days, too.
I'll just focus on being realistic about my goals today.
I just have this bad habit of letting things overwhelm me...things I need to accomplish.
I often look at it as this HUGE thing vs. breaking it up into manageable parts.
my boyfriend always checks me on that.
it's funny, though, how bad habits like this are still hard to break.
I got a little perspective yesterday, though, with my visit with my friend, Ellen, and my chat with my cousin.
Once again I was reminded that everything takes time and process...and that everyone has their own
time to get to where they need to be/are meant to be.
I was also happy to see the title of Angie's blog: "Deconstruct Life".
Can I just say that I totally feel that!?!!!!
If there were only more people that thought the same way.
deconstructing life
On that note, I thought I'd include the words to Avril Lavigne's "anything but ordinary",
my favorite track on her album. 'pretty much sums up how I've been feeling for quite a while now.
Ever since I came to the realization that I am actually going to turn 30 soon, my perspectives have
really changed about stuff...life...the world.
It's funny, though, because this album kinda helped inspire some of those perspectives.
But the one person who truly inspired me was an ex-co-worker, Nancy (she's about 10 years older than me),...
When the rest of my co-workers and I were complaining one day about how we were getting so old,
she was like, "well, how much older are you gonna be?"
And when we told her that we were turning 30, she replied, "30? Are you kidding? Turning 30 is one of the best things....
when I turned 30, life started over again....I realized that there was still more to learn...and did just that - learn more about
the world...turning 30 was such an amazing time for me".
All I have to say is:
Thanks, Nancy...I get it. :)
-------------------------------------------
"Anything but Ordinary"
by Avril Lavigne
Sometimes I get so wierd
I even freak myself out
I laugh myself to sleep
it's my lullabye
Sometimes I drive so fast
just to feel the danger
I want to scream, it makes me feel alive
Chorus
Is it enough to love
is it enough to breathe
somebody rip my heart out
and leave me here to bleed.
Is it enough to die
somebody save my life
I'd rather be anything but ordinary please.
To walk within the lines
would make my life so boring
I want to know that I have been
to the extremes.
So knock me off my feet
come on now, give it to me
anything to make me feel alive
(chorus)
Let down your defenses
use no common sense
if you look you will see that the world is a
beautiful,
accident,
turbulent
succulent
opulent
no way
I wanna taste it
don't wanna waste it
away
It finally stopped raining, but I'm pretty sure there will be more since the clouds are thick
and grey above.
It's funny how the weather can be: on Wednesday, it was lovely and sunny...
then yesterday, it was a full-on storm complete with booming thunder and
lightning...I could even hear it sizzle!
My boyfriend said that when the storm went through the city yesterday morning,
the thunder rattled their office windows on the 16th (at least I think it's the 16th) floor...scary. : (
The storm even made its way into his dream last night.
He dreamt that we were in the PI's with our friends...
there was an earthquake AND a TSUNAMI. good lawd! a tsunami!
and what did I dream?
...as usual something random: I dreamt that Bim and I decided to live in a tent
with another friend ('couldn't see who it was). We would pack our food in tupperware...
hide from the military ('cause they were looking for us)...
take showers at 24 hour fitness (I even got facials there)...
anyway, like I said, RANDOM. that's what I get for eating right before I go to bed. ;)
better
today I'm feeling better. feeling motivated to be productive. after this,
I'm gonna work on my bathroom walls. 'been putting off for the last couple of days due to my
frustration with it.
'will also work on installing the hardware on the bathroom drawers as well. 'been putting that one
off for a couple of days, too.
I'll just focus on being realistic about my goals today.
I just have this bad habit of letting things overwhelm me...things I need to accomplish.
I often look at it as this HUGE thing vs. breaking it up into manageable parts.
my boyfriend always checks me on that.
it's funny, though, how bad habits like this are still hard to break.
I got a little perspective yesterday, though, with my visit with my friend, Ellen, and my chat with my cousin.
Once again I was reminded that everything takes time and process...and that everyone has their own
time to get to where they need to be/are meant to be.
I was also happy to see the title of Angie's blog: "Deconstruct Life".
Can I just say that I totally feel that!?!!!!
If there were only more people that thought the same way.
deconstructing life
On that note, I thought I'd include the words to Avril Lavigne's "anything but ordinary",
my favorite track on her album. 'pretty much sums up how I've been feeling for quite a while now.
Ever since I came to the realization that I am actually going to turn 30 soon, my perspectives have
really changed about stuff...life...the world.
It's funny, though, because this album kinda helped inspire some of those perspectives.
But the one person who truly inspired me was an ex-co-worker, Nancy (she's about 10 years older than me),...
When the rest of my co-workers and I were complaining one day about how we were getting so old,
she was like, "well, how much older are you gonna be?"
And when we told her that we were turning 30, she replied, "30? Are you kidding? Turning 30 is one of the best things....
when I turned 30, life started over again....I realized that there was still more to learn...and did just that - learn more about
the world...turning 30 was such an amazing time for me".
All I have to say is:
Thanks, Nancy...I get it. :)
-------------------------------------------
"Anything but Ordinary"
by Avril Lavigne
Sometimes I get so wierd
I even freak myself out
I laugh myself to sleep
it's my lullabye
Sometimes I drive so fast
just to feel the danger
I want to scream, it makes me feel alive
Chorus
Is it enough to love
is it enough to breathe
somebody rip my heart out
and leave me here to bleed.
Is it enough to die
somebody save my life
I'd rather be anything but ordinary please.
To walk within the lines
would make my life so boring
I want to know that I have been
to the extremes.
So knock me off my feet
come on now, give it to me
anything to make me feel alive
(chorus)
Let down your defenses
use no common sense
if you look you will see that the world is a
beautiful,
accident,
turbulent
succulent
opulent
no way
I wanna taste it
don't wanna waste it
away
Thursday, November 07, 2002
7:48p
peaceful calm
I think I'm alright now.
'kinda went through a little panic attack earlier...
still in shock from spending half my day on the internet instead of taking care of stuff
here at home. ;)
I worked out for half an hour and made a list of things I need to do...
hopefully on my way to true productivitiy.
i just need to breeeeaaath!
that felt good.
I also finished reading all the blogs in my cousin's archives.
My way of catching up with her. It was really good.
I learned a lot...about her....about me.
'feeling really full and satisfied with all of it.
good people
oh, and can I just say how lucky I am to be blessed with some of the people in my life?
my cousin, rox, just called me about an hour ago to cancel our massage appt for tomorrow...
because of this crazy storm we're having, she didn't want to risk having me drive through it.
how selfless is that!? It's such a simple gesture that carries so much weight! All I could think of
was, "how sweet."
truly good people are very rare to find these days...people who actually CONSIDER other's
feelings, situations, etc....people who truly LISTEN when you are talking to them about your
stuff...people who are patient...
I feel pretty lucky right now to have what I have.
peaceful calm
I think I'm alright now.
'kinda went through a little panic attack earlier...
still in shock from spending half my day on the internet instead of taking care of stuff
here at home. ;)
I worked out for half an hour and made a list of things I need to do...
hopefully on my way to true productivitiy.
i just need to breeeeaaath!
that felt good.
I also finished reading all the blogs in my cousin's archives.
My way of catching up with her. It was really good.
I learned a lot...about her....about me.
'feeling really full and satisfied with all of it.
good people
oh, and can I just say how lucky I am to be blessed with some of the people in my life?
my cousin, rox, just called me about an hour ago to cancel our massage appt for tomorrow...
because of this crazy storm we're having, she didn't want to risk having me drive through it.
how selfless is that!? It's such a simple gesture that carries so much weight! All I could think of
was, "how sweet."
truly good people are very rare to find these days...people who actually CONSIDER other's
feelings, situations, etc....people who truly LISTEN when you are talking to them about your
stuff...people who are patient...
I feel pretty lucky right now to have what I have.
2:51p
official internet junky
yes, I am that...an official internet junky.
check it:
- i'm still in my pj's
- haven't eaten anything except for a banana
- 'been on-line since I woke up at 10a
-last night, went to bed at 2am after reading half of the blogs in my cousin's archives
GOOD LORD!!!!!!!!
*But, I DID have the best chat session with my cousin in London...try a 2-hour chat!
(thanks again, Chi!!!!!)
*And i DID get news via e-mail that my old classmate, Jason, is ENGAGED!
(Congratulations, "greeny"!!!!)
*And I DID get an e-mail reply from my friend, Ellen, saying that she will be stopping by to hang out tonight.
So there...I guess it's not all THAT bad.
(snif)
but ewww...maybe i should go take a shower or something :P
(shut up, bim! I already know what you are about to say!) :P
I'll definitely write more later, but I think I should probably visit the real world for a little while.
hehehe!
official internet junky
yes, I am that...an official internet junky.
check it:
- i'm still in my pj's
- haven't eaten anything except for a banana
- 'been on-line since I woke up at 10a
-last night, went to bed at 2am after reading half of the blogs in my cousin's archives
GOOD LORD!!!!!!!!
*But, I DID have the best chat session with my cousin in London...try a 2-hour chat!
(thanks again, Chi!!!!!)
*And i DID get news via e-mail that my old classmate, Jason, is ENGAGED!
(Congratulations, "greeny"!!!!)
*And I DID get an e-mail reply from my friend, Ellen, saying that she will be stopping by to hang out tonight.
So there...I guess it's not all THAT bad.
(snif)
but ewww...maybe i should go take a shower or something :P
(shut up, bim! I already know what you are about to say!) :P
I'll definitely write more later, but I think I should probably visit the real world for a little while.
hehehe!
Wednesday, November 06, 2002
11:21p
about the picture above
the image on my page is a picture of this cool mural my boyfriend and I saw
on our trip to Seattle, Washington for our 8-yr anniversary.
It is a mural depicting Still Life Coffee House, which is to the left of this mural.
Taking the picture was kinda random. After walking out of the cafe, my boyfriend was like,
"stand right there. I wanna try something." and walah!
definitely a serendipitous moment.
Still Life is a really cool cafe, located in the Fremont District of Seattle...this area
is a lot like Berkeley - full of original/"mom & pop" (aka non-franchise) restaurants/cafes,
feels very community-oriented and down-to-earth.
In fact, Still Life Coffee House reminds me somewhat of Intermezzo Cafe in Berkeley.
If you're ever in Seattle, I would highly suggest having a smoked salmon and dill cream cheese bagel for breakfast
at this very cool spot. mmm...I can taste it now.
about the picture above
the image on my page is a picture of this cool mural my boyfriend and I saw
on our trip to Seattle, Washington for our 8-yr anniversary.
It is a mural depicting Still Life Coffee House, which is to the left of this mural.
Taking the picture was kinda random. After walking out of the cafe, my boyfriend was like,
"stand right there. I wanna try something." and walah!
definitely a serendipitous moment.
Still Life is a really cool cafe, located in the Fremont District of Seattle...this area
is a lot like Berkeley - full of original/"mom & pop" (aka non-franchise) restaurants/cafes,
feels very community-oriented and down-to-earth.
In fact, Still Life Coffee House reminds me somewhat of Intermezzo Cafe in Berkeley.
If you're ever in Seattle, I would highly suggest having a smoked salmon and dill cream cheese bagel for breakfast
at this very cool spot. mmm...I can taste it now.
6:17p
brrrpppp!
'thought I'd get out of the house for a couple of hours, so I went to
our nearby Pasta Pomodoro for some yummmy Chicken Parmigiana
w/ spaghetti and spinach. mmmm.....
'topped it off with a mint spiked hot cocoa from StarFUCKS,
(ahhh...the chain stores in the 'burbs)
and read a decorating book at Borders.
Geez, doesn't it sound like I could've hung out at any ONE of the millions of
strip malls in the suburbs of California? ;)
community
shouts out to the folks that just linked me to their site.
thanks Bern, Joey, and Bev.
good god, can i GET anymore hits from the people who click on
my link from your sites?!
ya'll are just tooo popular.
And of course to my cousin, Fatima, who inspired me to start this blog.
Check out her site....she just created a new version. Plus, she's just a pretty damn awesome person!
brrrpppp!
'thought I'd get out of the house for a couple of hours, so I went to
our nearby Pasta Pomodoro for some yummmy Chicken Parmigiana
w/ spaghetti and spinach. mmmm.....
'topped it off with a mint spiked hot cocoa from StarFUCKS,
(ahhh...the chain stores in the 'burbs)
and read a decorating book at Borders.
Geez, doesn't it sound like I could've hung out at any ONE of the millions of
strip malls in the suburbs of California? ;)
community
shouts out to the folks that just linked me to their site.
thanks Bern, Joey, and Bev.
good god, can i GET anymore hits from the people who click on
my link from your sites?!
ya'll are just tooo popular.
And of course to my cousin, Fatima, who inspired me to start this blog.
Check out her site....she just created a new version. Plus, she's just a pretty damn awesome person!
2:42p
better day today
just got back from hanging out with my parents.
I drove into the city to meet up with them at this Title company. I had to be
there to sign some paperwork for their house re-financing thingy. geez, LOTS
of paperwork!
Afterwards, my dad called his boss and basically lied to him so that
he could play hooky the rest of the day...it's cool when your parents do that.
'makes them look a little more human. ;)
So....we had breakfast at McDonald's and walked around Ikea...my dad
had never been to the one here in the Bay Area, so he wanted to take a trip there.
My dad's funny. Of all the loads of things sold at Ikea, what was my dad's first purchase at this location?:
SCENTED CANDLES - mulberry scent
(he bought 10 @ $0.95 each)!!!!!
He's grown quite a liking to scented candles because it helps to make the house smell better after he's
fried a boat-load of tuyo or da-ing (smoked fish and dried fish, respectively) for breakfast.
When he saw the bargain, he was like, "you know, at Alberrrrtsoons (aka "Albertsons" - grocery store)
these candels are $3...expensib! It's better here."
hehehehehe!
THAT's my dad! comedy...non-stop comedy. ;)
Thank goodness my mom was in a good mood today, too.
I haven't seen them in almost a month, so it's always great when I get them when
they are happy and chipper....yup, no ulcers for me today! ;)
Seriously, though, it was fun. 'definitely made my day.
another guinea pig
So tonight, I'll be practicing massage on one of my pregnant friends.
We had to cancel last week, so we've re-scheduled for tonight.
I'm also gonna take some time to give her and her husband some tips
on how to ease her labor pains when it is TIME. I learned quite a bit
in my pregnancy massage certification class, so I'm excited to share
it with the people who need it most.
it's getting cloudier as i type. looks like a storm will be coming in starting tomorrow.
damn. I guess that means summer really IS over. :(
oh well, at least I've got an excuse to go shopping for clothes again. :)
'til later...
better day today
just got back from hanging out with my parents.
I drove into the city to meet up with them at this Title company. I had to be
there to sign some paperwork for their house re-financing thingy. geez, LOTS
of paperwork!
Afterwards, my dad called his boss and basically lied to him so that
he could play hooky the rest of the day...it's cool when your parents do that.
'makes them look a little more human. ;)
So....we had breakfast at McDonald's and walked around Ikea...my dad
had never been to the one here in the Bay Area, so he wanted to take a trip there.
My dad's funny. Of all the loads of things sold at Ikea, what was my dad's first purchase at this location?:
SCENTED CANDLES - mulberry scent
(he bought 10 @ $0.95 each)!!!!!
He's grown quite a liking to scented candles because it helps to make the house smell better after he's
fried a boat-load of tuyo or da-ing (smoked fish and dried fish, respectively) for breakfast.
When he saw the bargain, he was like, "you know, at Alberrrrtsoons (aka "Albertsons" - grocery store)
these candels are $3...expensib! It's better here."
hehehehehe!
THAT's my dad! comedy...non-stop comedy. ;)
Thank goodness my mom was in a good mood today, too.
I haven't seen them in almost a month, so it's always great when I get them when
they are happy and chipper....yup, no ulcers for me today! ;)
Seriously, though, it was fun. 'definitely made my day.
another guinea pig
So tonight, I'll be practicing massage on one of my pregnant friends.
We had to cancel last week, so we've re-scheduled for tonight.
I'm also gonna take some time to give her and her husband some tips
on how to ease her labor pains when it is TIME. I learned quite a bit
in my pregnancy massage certification class, so I'm excited to share
it with the people who need it most.
it's getting cloudier as i type. looks like a storm will be coming in starting tomorrow.
damn. I guess that means summer really IS over. :(
oh well, at least I've got an excuse to go shopping for clothes again. :)
'til later...
Tuesday, November 05, 2002
10:54p
like a zombie
you know, this blogging thing can get a little addicting. i spent a lot of time today messing around with
my layout. again, i spent a lot of time on it, mostly because i'm still a beginner HTML-er.
It was fun, though...thumbing through my old HTML book, following directions, and just plain experimenting. (hence the very elementary look to my page)
I love books. I don't always read them,
but I love having books around me for those "just in case" moments.
and this was one of them.
anyway, I just kept coming back to my computer every so often today.
I literally felt like a zombie who had no control.
arrrgghhh!!!!
still no progress with my damn bathroom (how many days has it been ?).
too many details to discuss, but basically I'm just frustrated with stuff.
I'm realizing that I get very impatient and frustrated when i get stuck on home decor/
carpentry stuff. 'Just need to stretch out my mind more and think positively, I guess.
I just want everything to look good...no crappy stuff. It's not that I'm a perfectionist...
trust me, I'm not even close...i just want my projects to not look half-ass.
I'm feelin' a little crappy right now. partly because of the above, partly cause
I didn't get much done today, partly cause of some other stuff ('don't really want to talk about it here).
Basically, I feel very unproductive...
I "touched the future"
BUT, the one productive thing I did today was vote.
Yes, i actually emerged from the house to go to my assigned voting precinct.
The voting process was different this year. It is now electronic, so we no longer
have to deal with the "chad" dilemma. Now, we simply have to worry about hackers. ;)
I must admit it was pretty neat though. The whole system came in this portable voting booth
complete with a monitor and a little device that accepts your access card in order for you to
enter the system. And all you do is enter your votes via a touch-screen. Very "Jetsons".
I just hope folks voted, though. I must admit that I didn't do much research on
the different propositions or my city council candidates. I feel pretty guilty about that.
I actually got this e-mail from my friend in Washington D.C. about how Pilipinos are the
2nd highest in the U.S. minority population behind Latinos...but because we have such a low
voting rate, candidates for seats in office don't try to cater to us...hence, our needs as a Pilipino community
are never considered...hence, no candidate for office ever tries to kiss our ass. ;)
hmm...definitely makes sense. again, I hope folks voted today.
through his eyes
on a lighter note, my boyfriend finished his homework and went to photography class tonight .
His assignment was to come up with contact sheets of about 400 pictures that he has taken.
He didn't quite come up with all 400 (hehehe...it was actually half of that), but he took what he had to
class to share with the rest of his classmates.
He came home from class pretty happy. His classmates were impressed with his work, and one
classmate was impressed by his perspective.
I feel the same....
I'm no photographer, but I know what I like when I see it, and my boyfriend definitely has a unique
eye on/perspective of the world.
Sometimes when I am looking at some of his slides, I'm literally just awestruck at how he
is able to capture the depth and beauty of the simplest images.
His photography draws you in and begs you to look deeper, reflect, analyze, to find meaning for yourself.
I would say it is like poetry.
I've always known he was an artist in one way or another (mostly a con-artist..hehehe ;) )
...but looking at his pictures makes me realize that there is so much
more of him for me to discover,
which is kinda wierd considering that we've been together for over 10 years now.
but there is.
and I'm so excited to see how much more he will grow in this new journey of his.
like a zombie
you know, this blogging thing can get a little addicting. i spent a lot of time today messing around with
my layout. again, i spent a lot of time on it, mostly because i'm still a beginner HTML-er.
It was fun, though...thumbing through my old HTML book, following directions, and just plain experimenting. (hence the very elementary look to my page)
I love books. I don't always read them,
but I love having books around me for those "just in case" moments.
and this was one of them.
anyway, I just kept coming back to my computer every so often today.
I literally felt like a zombie who had no control.
arrrgghhh!!!!
still no progress with my damn bathroom (how many days has it been ?).
too many details to discuss, but basically I'm just frustrated with stuff.
I'm realizing that I get very impatient and frustrated when i get stuck on home decor/
carpentry stuff. 'Just need to stretch out my mind more and think positively, I guess.
I just want everything to look good...no crappy stuff. It's not that I'm a perfectionist...
trust me, I'm not even close...i just want my projects to not look half-ass.
I'm feelin' a little crappy right now. partly because of the above, partly cause
I didn't get much done today, partly cause of some other stuff ('don't really want to talk about it here).
Basically, I feel very unproductive...
I "touched the future"
BUT, the one productive thing I did today was vote.
Yes, i actually emerged from the house to go to my assigned voting precinct.
The voting process was different this year. It is now electronic, so we no longer
have to deal with the "chad" dilemma. Now, we simply have to worry about hackers. ;)
I must admit it was pretty neat though. The whole system came in this portable voting booth
complete with a monitor and a little device that accepts your access card in order for you to
enter the system. And all you do is enter your votes via a touch-screen. Very "Jetsons".
I just hope folks voted, though. I must admit that I didn't do much research on
the different propositions or my city council candidates. I feel pretty guilty about that.
I actually got this e-mail from my friend in Washington D.C. about how Pilipinos are the
2nd highest in the U.S. minority population behind Latinos...but because we have such a low
voting rate, candidates for seats in office don't try to cater to us...hence, our needs as a Pilipino community
are never considered...hence, no candidate for office ever tries to kiss our ass. ;)
hmm...definitely makes sense. again, I hope folks voted today.
through his eyes
on a lighter note, my boyfriend finished his homework and went to photography class tonight .
His assignment was to come up with contact sheets of about 400 pictures that he has taken.
He didn't quite come up with all 400 (hehehe...it was actually half of that), but he took what he had to
class to share with the rest of his classmates.
He came home from class pretty happy. His classmates were impressed with his work, and one
classmate was impressed by his perspective.
I feel the same....
I'm no photographer, but I know what I like when I see it, and my boyfriend definitely has a unique
eye on/perspective of the world.
Sometimes when I am looking at some of his slides, I'm literally just awestruck at how he
is able to capture the depth and beauty of the simplest images.
His photography draws you in and begs you to look deeper, reflect, analyze, to find meaning for yourself.
I would say it is like poetry.
I've always known he was an artist in one way or another (mostly a con-artist..hehehe ;) )
...but looking at his pictures makes me realize that there is so much
more of him for me to discover,
which is kinda wierd considering that we've been together for over 10 years now.
but there is.
and I'm so excited to see how much more he will grow in this new journey of his.
3:55p
just took this test and i am...
Which Avril Lavigne Song Are You?
funny...'thought i'd be a different song. :)
just took this test and i am...
Which Avril Lavigne Song Are You?
funny...'thought i'd be a different song. :)
11:01a
anything but ordinary please
so as I mentioned earlier, I decided to change the name of my blog.
'still evolving, you know.
This new title actually is a line from a song on Avril Lavigne's album.
It's from my favorite song, "anything but ordinary".
'love the words...in fact, the whole album has kinda grounded me a bit.
Avril's writing is so honest and free spirited...not always an easy way to write.
I really admire and appreciate that.
my boyfriend and i actually bought the album when we were on vacation in Toronto
and Montreal. And the funny thing was, while listening to her album on our
drive from Toronto to Montreal, we actually saw Avril's hometown (Napanee)
just a couple of minutes after she sings about where she's from on her song, "My World".
It was so wierd and neat at the same time. It's as if we came full circle with the album or something.
so anyway, everytime I listen to this album I think,
"isn't it funny how the words of a 17-yr. old can inspire this 29-year old".
that's why I love poetry and music.
there's are no limits.
it transcends everything.
anything but ordinary please
so as I mentioned earlier, I decided to change the name of my blog.
'still evolving, you know.
This new title actually is a line from a song on Avril Lavigne's album.
It's from my favorite song, "anything but ordinary".
'love the words...in fact, the whole album has kinda grounded me a bit.
Avril's writing is so honest and free spirited...not always an easy way to write.
I really admire and appreciate that.
my boyfriend and i actually bought the album when we were on vacation in Toronto
and Montreal. And the funny thing was, while listening to her album on our
drive from Toronto to Montreal, we actually saw Avril's hometown (Napanee)
just a couple of minutes after she sings about where she's from on her song, "My World".
It was so wierd and neat at the same time. It's as if we came full circle with the album or something.
so anyway, everytime I listen to this album I think,
"isn't it funny how the words of a 17-yr. old can inspire this 29-year old".
that's why I love poetry and music.
there's are no limits.
it transcends everything.
10:39a
experimenting
I woke up about 30 minutes ago to the phone ringing.
Thank goodness for that call or else I might have kept on sleeping til noon....again. :(
So, I spent a lot of time last night experimenting with my blog site.
'changed the color & the title and added a tag board...even though I wrote earlier that i did not want to have one.
I decided to give it a shot only because I wanted to make my blog spot a little more interesting
looking for me.
I actually really want to add some pictures or some kind of image. I'm trying to get my
boyfriend to let me use one of his pictures, but I think he's rather post it on his site.
hmmm....maybe i'll just have to go out there and take a picture.
we'll see....maybe this will have to inspire the creative side of me again. (heaven forbid! ;) )
reunions
So today I decided to e-mail an old friend who I haven't heard from in a long time.
We went to school together (elementary to high school) and finally saw eachother again
at our high school reunion last year. It had literally been 10 years since we last saw eachother.
Anyhow, so we re-connected and had kept in touch via e-mail pretty religiously for a few months.
We even hung out together along with my boyfriend when he was in town to visit his parents.
It was pretty cool catching up with him and learning about the kind of person he's turned into,
what his life experience has been like, his perspectives on things and of course reminiscing on the past.
I'm always fascinated by how people's lives turn out/have turned out.
I even went to a couple of those high school alumni website thingys to see
what my other high school classmates have been up to.
I guess there's just something valuable in those connections that I made with people
back then. It's become a part of me somehow and I'm hopeful that those people I made connections with
have had success & growth in their lives.
experimenting
I woke up about 30 minutes ago to the phone ringing.
Thank goodness for that call or else I might have kept on sleeping til noon....again. :(
So, I spent a lot of time last night experimenting with my blog site.
'changed the color & the title and added a tag board...even though I wrote earlier that i did not want to have one.
I decided to give it a shot only because I wanted to make my blog spot a little more interesting
looking for me.
I actually really want to add some pictures or some kind of image. I'm trying to get my
boyfriend to let me use one of his pictures, but I think he's rather post it on his site.
hmmm....maybe i'll just have to go out there and take a picture.
we'll see....maybe this will have to inspire the creative side of me again. (heaven forbid! ;) )
reunions
So today I decided to e-mail an old friend who I haven't heard from in a long time.
We went to school together (elementary to high school) and finally saw eachother again
at our high school reunion last year. It had literally been 10 years since we last saw eachother.
Anyhow, so we re-connected and had kept in touch via e-mail pretty religiously for a few months.
We even hung out together along with my boyfriend when he was in town to visit his parents.
It was pretty cool catching up with him and learning about the kind of person he's turned into,
what his life experience has been like, his perspectives on things and of course reminiscing on the past.
I'm always fascinated by how people's lives turn out/have turned out.
I even went to a couple of those high school alumni website thingys to see
what my other high school classmates have been up to.
I guess there's just something valuable in those connections that I made with people
back then. It's become a part of me somehow and I'm hopeful that those people I made connections with
have had success & growth in their lives.
Monday, November 04, 2002
tiffany blooo
yipee! 'just finished painting the walls. it makes the bathroom a little bit darker but....
I L O V E I T !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it looks a little like a "Tiffany" (the jewelry store) blue. It's a light blue, but more on the brighter side.
Not so much on the light pastel side.
I can't wait to add on the accents in silver, lime and white.
ooh! ooh! ooh!
so excited!
yipee! 'just finished painting the walls. it makes the bathroom a little bit darker but....
I L O V E I T !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it looks a little like a "Tiffany" (the jewelry store) blue. It's a light blue, but more on the brighter side.
Not so much on the light pastel side.
I can't wait to add on the accents in silver, lime and white.
ooh! ooh! ooh!
so excited!
10:11a
california dreamin'
good morning! just woke up a few minutes ago.
'had another one of those bad dreams I sometimes have about my boyfriend.
you know, those dreams that involve him cheating or something.
I used to be really insecure about that when we first started going out 10 years ago.
I blieve it is primarily due to a previous relationship experience that left me a little scarred.
I guess that it's still buried in my subconscious.
In this same dream, I was still in college and was in a situation where I never went to class
or did my homework. This is a recurring thing in my dreams, too, partly due to similar
real-life experiences in college. Sometimes I even dream that I never actually graduated...
and when I wake up, it feels so real that I literally have to take a second to come to my
senses.
then, there were a couple of times in my lifetime that I dreamt of something terrible...
'don't quite remember the details, but I literally woke up crying. This actually
happened in July when we were in Canada. I dreamt about my brother as an infant dying and
I woke up crying like a baby. My poor boyfriend was so confused, and my crazy self could not
stop crying even when I woke up from the dream.
Dreams are just funny like that sometimes.
california dreamin'
good morning! just woke up a few minutes ago.
'had another one of those bad dreams I sometimes have about my boyfriend.
you know, those dreams that involve him cheating or something.
I used to be really insecure about that when we first started going out 10 years ago.
I blieve it is primarily due to a previous relationship experience that left me a little scarred.
I guess that it's still buried in my subconscious.
In this same dream, I was still in college and was in a situation where I never went to class
or did my homework. This is a recurring thing in my dreams, too, partly due to similar
real-life experiences in college. Sometimes I even dream that I never actually graduated...
and when I wake up, it feels so real that I literally have to take a second to come to my
senses.
then, there were a couple of times in my lifetime that I dreamt of something terrible...
'don't quite remember the details, but I literally woke up crying. This actually
happened in July when we were in Canada. I dreamt about my brother as an infant dying and
I woke up crying like a baby. My poor boyfriend was so confused, and my crazy self could not
stop crying even when I woke up from the dream.
Dreams are just funny like that sometimes.
11:50p
Just Because
again I feel like blogging. not quite sure why, but 'just feel compelled.
'must be something bugging me. hmmm.....
as far as my progress with the bathroom, I haven't added the hardware on the cabinets
nor have I painted the walls yet. I got a little frustrated this afternoon when I
drilled a hole in the WRONG spot of the cabinet door. I pretty much threw in the towel after that.
But the walls are ready to be painted and I will for sure be ready to install ALL of the hardware for
the cabinets. I know I keep saying this, but I cannot wait for this project to be over.
I don't mean that in a negative way. I'm simply excited to see the end result.
Oh, and i told my dad tonight that I painted the cabinets BLUE. He didn't freak out, so I'm happy about that.
See, I rent this house from my parents, so they still have a say on what happens to it.
wait til they see what I do to the walls...hehehehe!!!!
I feel pumped to get this week started. I really want to accomplish a lot with the house
and the yard, too. i'm just gearing up for productivity with my humble abode because I
don't know when I will start work and I want to get my place in place while I still have the time.
I've got some challenges for this week, though...personal ones...nothing major.
there's just certain things I've been purposely avoiding in order to keep my sanity
which I've chosen to take care of this week.
I'm not giving in to these particular things. I've been standing on my ground with them lately
because...i just need to. for me. ya gotta just do that for yourself sometimes.
hopefully things will work out ok for me this time.
so like I said above, I talked to my dad tonight.
it was only for a short while because I was in the middle of watching Alias and The Practice.
didn't talk about much, but it's just always nice to talk to my dad.
I miss him sometimes since I don't go to my parents' house often.
We're pretty close and it's easy to talk with him. Most of the time we joke about stuff,
'cause my dad is the biggest dork! He's always talking crazy-kooky stuff...complete silliness!
But it's fun and its my way of connecting with my dad, 'cause I guess you could say this apple didn't fall
too far away from the tree (I'm a pretty big dork, too)! ;)
Well, I'd better get to bed soon. I got a full day tomorrow.
Just Because
again I feel like blogging. not quite sure why, but 'just feel compelled.
'must be something bugging me. hmmm.....
as far as my progress with the bathroom, I haven't added the hardware on the cabinets
nor have I painted the walls yet. I got a little frustrated this afternoon when I
drilled a hole in the WRONG spot of the cabinet door. I pretty much threw in the towel after that.
But the walls are ready to be painted and I will for sure be ready to install ALL of the hardware for
the cabinets. I know I keep saying this, but I cannot wait for this project to be over.
I don't mean that in a negative way. I'm simply excited to see the end result.
Oh, and i told my dad tonight that I painted the cabinets BLUE. He didn't freak out, so I'm happy about that.
See, I rent this house from my parents, so they still have a say on what happens to it.
wait til they see what I do to the walls...hehehehe!!!!
I feel pumped to get this week started. I really want to accomplish a lot with the house
and the yard, too. i'm just gearing up for productivity with my humble abode because I
don't know when I will start work and I want to get my place in place while I still have the time.
I've got some challenges for this week, though...personal ones...nothing major.
there's just certain things I've been purposely avoiding in order to keep my sanity
which I've chosen to take care of this week.
I'm not giving in to these particular things. I've been standing on my ground with them lately
because...i just need to. for me. ya gotta just do that for yourself sometimes.
hopefully things will work out ok for me this time.
so like I said above, I talked to my dad tonight.
it was only for a short while because I was in the middle of watching Alias and The Practice.
didn't talk about much, but it's just always nice to talk to my dad.
I miss him sometimes since I don't go to my parents' house often.
We're pretty close and it's easy to talk with him. Most of the time we joke about stuff,
'cause my dad is the biggest dork! He's always talking crazy-kooky stuff...complete silliness!
But it's fun and its my way of connecting with my dad, 'cause I guess you could say this apple didn't fall
too far away from the tree (I'm a pretty big dork, too)! ;)
Well, I'd better get to bed soon. I got a full day tomorrow.