maybe it was the french toast
my friend, cyn, has always been one of thee most
genuine, down-to-earth, positive, extraordinary people
i am blessed to know.
She is one of those friends (and there are very few out there)
that everyone should have in this world.
Cyn is one of those friends who not only inspires you
but also creates community between all the people in her life.

sunday brunch at rick & ann's was no different.
for the first time, i met 3 of the women who have played a significant role
in Cyn's life.
i guess i shouldn't have been surprised that i would feel so comfortable with
all of them...Cyn talks about each of them all the time.
but the best part was that all of them were such
amazing, down-to-earth, genuine people...just like Cyn.
i've always believed in the phenomenon that "you attract
people who are just like you".
this time around, though, the magnitude of it all was telling
of just how unique and amazing ms. cyn truly is.

of course, there are more details yet to share with one another
to complete our information banks of eachother's lives.
but the vibe and energy...man...it's there. 'kinda overpowering even.
I should have looked around for a blue bird, just in case.
Cyn tells me that whenever "miraculous-type" stuff happens,
it's usually a sign from her dad and a blue bird will appear.
It was his favorite kind of bird.

my "pinsan-ster"
the last time i remember talking to my cousin Warren was
when i visited them back in 1997.
what a nice surprise it was to get an e-mail request from him
to add me as his "prend"-ster.


"90" years old
it was my cousin-in-law's idea to do it,
so while lighting my mom's b-day candles
at her mini b-day dinner on saturday,
i inverted the 6 candle so that it read "90".
hehehe...the look on her face was priceless!

after blowing out her candles, mom
was in disbelief that she was actually 60 already.
truly, I was too.
but my parents will never look old until they are really old.
they still have that same spirit as they did
when I was a kid.
they still say the same dumb jokes,
do the same silly things,
it's like they have never changed.

I'm glad my brother and i decided to cook dinner
at my house instead of taking mom out to a fancy
restaurant.
of course, we invited Uncle and family, as well as Tita b and Uncle G (the nicest people).
the ladies were not able to come, but their significant
others (my cousin-in-laws) were there to
chow down with us and introduce me to
the hilarity of the Dave Chapell Show.
Have you seen the VD episode? GAWD, that was the best!

brother and i were knee deep in carmelized onions
that looked more like sauer kraut
and fried shrimp batter that coated our fingers.
I swear, if we cut off our fingers and fried them,
they would look just like the fried shrimp we were preparing.

for dinner, me and brother tried a new chicken recipe
from my Bon Apetit magazine. We also bought some
Frutti di Mare pasta, spicy arrabiata pizza and garlic mashed
potatoes from Buca Di Beppo to round out our
very rustic meal.

The family gathering would not be complete without
someone pestering me...Uncle, not accustomed to
watching someone (me and brother) still cooking 1 hour before
the guests are to arrive, was getting "stressed" out.
hehehe...
thank goodness he went with mom and dad for an hour
to the local Pilipino bakery to buy some pan de sal, biko and
leche flan. he was more stressed out than we were! ;)
I just fed him peanuts and coke when he came back and dinner wasn't ready yet.

funny, it's those small fleeting moments that adds dimension to life.

transported
i would say that 80% of my bf's day is spent working on photography
related stuff.
it's an everyday part of his life now as well as mine.
his images on the wall are an integral part of our environment,
even the ones that seem to clutter up various areas of our house!

it wasn't until friday night at his school's spring exhibit
that i realized how common his photography had become in my life -
so much so that i think i take it for granted sometimes.
while playing "spy" near his photos to listen and experience people's
reactions to his images, i found myself getting lost in them.

One image in particular, "Ocean View", transported me back to our day at
Pfeifer Beach off the coast of Big Sur. It's a picture of two blue birds
sitting on top of a fence with the light blue of the sky and the royal blue
of the ocean in the background. It's now become one of my favorites.

There is something about that picture
that makes me linger when i look at it. I guess it's the blue
in the ocean...brings me a sense of calm.
It's the way the light blue and royal blue meet, 'kinda like a Mark
Rothko painting - they are some of my favorite.
It's also the blue birds....they remind me of Cyn's dad and the fact
that he loved blue birds and visiting Monterey/Carmel with Cyn's mom.

More than anything, the image transports me back
to me and the bf's 5 days together exploring the many
recesses of Monterey Bay back in July.
That was our time to regain our sense of "ground" together.
Things had been so hectic, pulling each of us in different directions.
Thank goodness we found what we needed...new perspective, life, peace.
It's probably one of the most significant times I've shared with him
...it was yet another one of those fleeting moments that adds dimension to my existence.

and it makes me appreciate my bf even more.
not only is he able to capture such beautiful images,
he is also able to capture the depth and emotion of that moment in time.
priceless.

if only i could blink my eyes and twitch my nose so i could transport myself
back to that bench overlooking the "Ocean View".


[it's such a breath of fresh air to be able to write about nice things....]