Rizzle My Nizzle

Roman's Letter

2010-01-13T12:59:00.001-08:00

Hello Family,

I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a healthy and happy holiday season. Our family Christmas party is soon approaching and can’t wait to eat and spend time with you all. I like how we were able to celebrate a week earlier than usual. It was hard trying to split time between two families, so by doing it this way…we can spend the whole evening with you without having to worry about leaving for the next party. This will be Lila’s first Christmas and I hope we can keep the tradition going for the years to come.

Lila actually is the reason why I am emailing you all. Since birth, we came to find that Lila has a hearing problem. Hospitals today perform newborn hearing screenings on babies as one of there tests prior to releasing them to go home. Lila failed this test and failed it again before we were discharged. The doctor said that it was common for babies to fail this test because sometimes fluid may still be in the ear, which would eventually clear up, but that was not the case for Lila. To look into this further, Lila was referred to see an audiologist to check up and see if anything was wrong with her hearing.

Since birth, we have taken Lila to the audiologist to test her hearing several times. With months and months of testing, the results came back with Lila having a Mild-Moderate Sensinueral Hearing Loss. What this means is that (according to these tests) Lila has trouble hearing certain pitches in sound. For example….in her case, in a typical conversation between 2 people, she probably wouldn’t be able to pick up on S sounds of certain words. Because of that, her pronunciation of certain words will not be right because she’s not hearing those words right. She may have trouble hearing other sounds, but that’s the severity of her loss. The audiologist suggested that Lila be fitted to wear hearing aids on both ears to resolve this issue, both of which will be worn for the rest of her life.

Her loss is permanent (no, not permanent as in deaf, but permanent in that this loss cannot be cured and will be with her for her entire life). Although Lila’s loss is permanent, her loss is very mild. As we watched and raised her for the past 8 months, you wouldn’t be able to tell that anything is wrong. Lila turns when her name is called, gets startled at the sound of something falling on the floor, loves music and the sounds of guitar strings, etc. Everything seems to be normal, but the audiologist says otherwise. To further test Lila’s hearing problem, her audiologist referred us to see a Ear/Nose/Throat specialist at Stanford’s Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital (in which she saw 2 months ago). There, 2 tests were performed: 1) a blood test to check for any genetic causes and 2) a CT scan to check is there are any abnormalities in the structure of her ears. After 6 long weeks of waiting, we finally got the results which both came back negative. The results of her genetic test said that her hearing loss will NOT get worse over time. I asked if there was a possibility of this happening again if we were to have another child and was said that the chance would not be any greater than 25% if it were to happen again. As far as her CT scan, her ears came out perfectly fine. No abnormalities were found. However, no cause was found, which is common. Since everything came out negative, we were clear to go and not required to do anymore testing with Lucile Packard anymore.

A few weeks ago, Lila had two more tests again…the first was another hearing test just to see how it was again and an eye test to see if her hearing loss had any effect with her eyes (just a precautionary test). Her hearing remained the same as before, while her eyes tested perfectly…so there was no need to see an eye doctor any further.

For the past 8 months, this is what Lila has been through. As for Rizzi and I, it has been hard, stressful, frustrating, and scary. Dealing with this has really taken its toll on us, but as the months gone by and the results came in…we’ve become stronger and more accepting to what we are faced to deal with. I mean, I hate to compare, but comparing Lila’s mild hearing loss to the other sad and unfortunate conditions that some other kids have….it’s really not that bad. Lila can at least hear and is not deaf…she’s happy and healthy…and with the use of hearing aids, she’ll be able to live the normal life we want for her…that’s all we could ask for.

Lila will start wearing her hearing aids today (12/15/09). It’ll most likely be a tough day for us, but we just have to remember that those things will help Lila live the normal life we want for her…they will make her hear the beautiful sounds in this world. It’ll take some adjusting and getting used to seeing, but we’ll survive. The way I see this and the way I hope people look at this is that someone with hearing aid is just like someone who wears glasses. Although hearing aids aren’t as common as those who wear eyeglasses…the concept is the same in that they both assist with their respective senses. I just hope people see it that way and not think that she is ‘different’. As her parents, we need to be strong for Lila and not show her that we’re sad about this. If we let her see that, imagine what that would do to her self-esteem. So please, don’t feel sorry for her…she got a little loss, but she’s just as normal as all of us and I pray that she grows up with nothing but success in life.

So this is the reason why I decided to email you all. Rather than get bombarded with the same questions over and over at the Christmas party, I figured that this email would answer all your questions. Plus it’ll keep me from having to re-tell this story over and over and over. We’ve been slowly telling people about this, which has been a big step in our acceptance. I know with all your support that we’ll be fine.

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this. We’ll see you all on the 19th and if we miss you, have a safe and Happy Holiday.

Thanks,
Ro and Rizzi

New Moon

2009-11-18T15:08:00.000-08:00

YUP! I got my shirt ready for Friday!!!!!!!!!!!

Gonna hit up Une Landing with Joy, Jase, Arch, Mook, Ge and Ro. CAN NOT WAIT, people.

Jacob, you're hot as hell - but I'm still down for my boy Edward.

TEAM EDWARD BABYYYYY!

Crown and Crumpet & The English Rose

2009-10-05T11:23:00.000-07:00

A while back, Joy told us girls of this new tea place she found in the city called Crown and Crumpet.. We've always planned on going but all 4 of us have been having conflicting schedules!

Last August, Cherra wanted me to take her to a tea room other than Tyme for Tea for her birthday, so I did research on other tea places and they (Cherra AND Mara) found 2 they liked: 1. The English Rose in Pleasanton and 2. Crown and Crumpet.

Crown and Crumpet

Since I had planned on taking the girls on a Tuesday, I decided to take them to The English Rose since it's closer to home and didn't want to have to deal with working commuters and we all agreed to save C&C for Mara's birthday.

Oct 10 is Mara's birthday so we went to the city last Saturday for her bday celebration since her actual birthday is the same day as our annual Lilaville Fiesta.

This time I decided to take Ats and my Mom with us since it was a Saturday and they didn't have work. WE HAD A BLAST! It was my mom's first time doing tea, and now she wants to go on her birthday and take her sisters.. It was such a beautiful day in San Francisco and it was great spending QT girl time with them although we did miss Lils who was with Daddy and Daddy Raul at home.

The English Rose

I definately recommend the 2, but if you want an even girlier experience, go to C&C.

Happy Birthday to my nieces (my other daughters), Cherra and Mara! And thanks to Joy for telling us about C&C!

Winner of Bohol

2009-10-02T09:07:00.000-07:00

When Cliffy, Isis, Jason and I have free time (which is rare ;P), we have MS Paint competitions. The rules are, someone emails all of us a picture we have to draw on MS Paint, no cheating (i.e. looking at the real picture), and time we have to finish by.

As we were waiting for 4:30pm to hit (it was 4:25pm) yesterday, Jason requested for a Bohol drawing competition.

My picture (of course with Lila represented):

Here is Jason's (looks like an amoeba):

And here is a real picture of the island of Bohol:

It is totally CLEAR who the winner is. Come on, how can you challenge someone to draw an island where you're from!

WINNER! Yay! Sorry, Jase. Next time, we'll do Lucban.

Getting Bigger!

2009-09-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

Not me, people.. LILA!! LOL

From this:

To THIS:

At 5 and a half months, she can hold her head up now and prop herself up with her arms.. YAY, BABY! Still waiting for her to sit independantly, but that'll come in due time.

(She kinda looks scared in this picture - FYI my mother in law took it, hahaha! jk)

Hair Appointment

2009-09-24T13:23:00.001-07:00

I set up my hair appointment with Nicole today. I wanted it sooner but it'll be in about 2.5 weeks - that'll do. The last time I saw her was probably the first Saturday of August -not too long ago, but I wanted to set up an appointment A-SAP cause when I saw a picture of this, I majorly got grossed out!

This is a picture of a split-end of human hair. Regular trimmings and good conditioner should prevent this from happening - hence, my appointment with Nicole every other month!!!!!

Life Summarized in 4 Bottles

2009-09-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

Damn, I'm already on the 3rd one!!

BURN

2009-09-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we went to Alex's Birthday Party at Pump It Up in Pleasanton. For those of you who have never been to a Pump It Up, it's basically a building with different rooms that have different types of jumpers or slides where kids (and adults) can jump and play.

I'm usually terrified of heights, but yesterday Mookie and I decided to go down the slide together while holding hands and look what happened:
The frikken slide was hella slippery. We went down hella fast and I burned my left elbow. I wanted to do it again, but was scared that my other elbow might get burned as well. I didn't want to sport 4 bandaids total on my arms - embarassing!! Hella FUN though :)

Anyways, happy birthday to my nephew Alexander!

Do they have a Pump It Up for adults?

New Moon

2009-09-18T09:13:00.001-07:00

For all you Twilight Saga fans, here is a 6 minute trailer to New Moon coming out Friday, November 20, 2009.

http://team-twilight.com/20090916/longer-moon-trailer-mashup-6-glorious-minutes/

I must have watched this trailer a billion times already - can NOT wait... and the crazy thing is, I know a couple of folks who have already bought their tickets! Hmm, I may be one of them.

All of a sudden I'm TEAM JACOB..

I'm BACK!!!

2009-09-17T08:49:00.001-07:00

Finally!

I haven't blogged in FOREVER..

So, much to tell you guys, but the BIGGEST NEWS of all is that I finally had my BEAUTIFUL BABY!

Introducing:
Lila "Bella" Rose Romero Palisoc
Born on April 9, 2009 (On her Ninang Joy's Birthday) at 9pm
4lbs 15 ounces
19 inches long

It wasn't an easy transition from being pregnant to Mommy. I mean, I was ECSTATIC having my new bundle of joy in our lives, but it was TOUGH! You don't sleep in the hospital when you get admitted (or at least I didn't), so you're already up like 24 or however many hours it is, then you're discharged and you go home and you still don't get to have any sleep cause you have a new baby to care for. Tough, but here we are 5 and a half months later and we've made it so far..

I was fortunate enough to be with Lila Bella 24-7 for the first 3 months of her life then I had to go back to work (boo).. It was difficult leaving her that first week! I cried driving to work and during work; and when the clock hit 4:29:59, I practically booked to my car so I can hurry and see my baby! It's easier now, knowing that I'm leaving her safely with Grandma at home.

It's great being a mom especially now. We get to see all the things she's able to do. Like right now, she's almost about to roll over to her tummy!! It's all these little daily thing we get to see and do with her. It's wonderful!

So, now that she's a little older (and I don't need to feed her every 2 hours) I think I have time to blog again :)

Yay! Welcome back to me!

How Sweet It Is.....

2009-03-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

Being on bedrest isn't fun at all.. I'm not allowed to do jack..

My blood pressure was still high last week and Dr. Burrs asked what I was doing over the weekend and I said that I was washing Lila's clothes so that she has something to wear when we come home from the hospital -we won't have time later on.. She looks at me sideways and says "how the hell are you doing that on your bed? are you wheeling your bed around?" MUN..

So, Ro's been taking care of me - he won't let me lift a finger for nothing and I feel hella bad that he has to do everything..

They also told me I shouldn't be driving myself anywhere so when Joy had a day off last week, she drove me to my doctor's appt.. She stayed with me ALL day - we had lunch and watched 2 movies together.. It was nice company considering I'm at home all day with nothing to do.

Friday, Netty and Mook came over to visit and made me a get well basket with lots of goodies to keep me sane during my bedrest.. The DVD's are only for me to borrow (per Nette - haha) and they included magazines, soup, sudoku games, etc...

So sweet to have great best friends to be bored with you and a hubby who spoils you to death..

Work Baby Shower

2009-03-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

that i missed......

99 THINGS

2009-02-19T08:04:00.000-08:00

So I saw this on Joy's blog and I thought I'd give it a go as she suggested!

Here are the rules: Bold the things you've done and post on your blog!

1. Started your own blog - yes thanks to Joy's convincing ways
2. Slept under the stars - does camping count?
3. Played in a band - school band (flute)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain - does climbing STEPS up Chocolate hills count?
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo - only karaoke style
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea - this one is iffy... there was some lightening and rain when we went on a disney cruise but it wasn't "perfect storm" movie status!
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight - I think the last one I remember was when me, Joy, Nette and Mare went to Napa for Joy's birthday and we were hella drunk off wine. THAT'S how it started. It didn't get as far as feather flying though.
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb - now that I think about it, I sure did at Kennedy Park when I was little!
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon - I walked a marathon??
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run - in 8th grade and when I hit it I said "touch down" moded.
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie - in 8th grade we filmed Cinderella and I danced with the prince, does that count?
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - crab
88. Had chickenpox - got it from Snaj's ass when we were 7.
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - Aga Mulach and Cesar Montano?
92. Joined a book club - still need to buy and read the book for this by March 7th!
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee - in 1st grade, me and my little friends would play a game where we would step on bees and kill them, then pile them all up.. as I was trying to put a pile together, I got stung.

Slowly Coming Together

2009-02-17T10:28:00.000-08:00

Here's Lila's crib together with the bedding I found at Ross... I never usually see crib sets at our stores, so I grabbed this one hella fast. I love the color too! Trying to veer away from the pink as much as possible. I still need to get the crib skirt, rearrange the crib and get the other furniture, but other than that it's getting there!

V-Day

2009-02-16T13:59:00.001-08:00

Valentine's day started off with me wanting to go grocery shopping. I wanted to do that first thing in the morning to get it out of the way, but Ro wanted to get something to eat to prevent me from fainting at the grocery store (I almost fainted at Safeway 2 weeks ago - Ro and the cashier had to walk me to a table and they got the manager out and everything)... So, before we went and did that we headed off to IHOP in Newark. I was surprised by how many people were there already. I thought we would have beat the crowed cause by the time we got there it was about 8:45am, but there were hella folks eating already! After the yummy meal, we went to Safeway and Ranch 99 and I didn't feel faint not one time! lol

We headed for Massage Envy at 1:15. Ro got a Deep Tissue Massage (he's still hurtin' til this day) and I got a Prenatal Massage. Mine was OK. I just wish I was able to lay on my stomach and the masseuse didnt want to go as firm as I wanted her to cause she said she "didn't know my body"... MUN. lol Plus she avoided massaging my feet and hands because there are pressure points on those parts of the body that can cause early labor and she just didn't wanna go there.. The only thing that I wished was that 1) the massage was longer 2) my masseuse didn't talk as much (she talked about her daughter wanting to be a nurse and she's currently doing ROP in Hayward) and 3) it was more dim in the room... When I get massages at Burke Williams, the rooms are pretty dim and I get relaxed hella fast! Other than that, it was definitely a nice treat..

6:45pm was the time for our dinner reservations at E & O Trading Company in San Jose. We were on time until we went to park in the garage and as we entered we found out it was a prepay parking for $3 cash only.. I had only $2 in coins and Ro didn't have cash at all.. So, we had to U-Turn out of there and find other parking areas. It was already like 6:48pm so I called E & O's to tell them that we were just parking and that we'd walk over soon, so they bumped our reservations to 7pm. After driving around for a couple minutes we pass a BofA, Ro parks next to a hydrant and runs to get some cash. He hops back in, we drive back to that same garage cause now we have cash and what do you frikken know, they pull out the sign in front of us that says Garage (frikken) Full. So, we had to U-Turn out of that piece a second time! We drive down a little bit and notice another garage close by so we entered in there... What sucks is that THIS garage wasn't a prepaid/cash only garage.. So this whole time, we could have parked there! Oh well, next time we know which garage takes what.. It was a little further down, but we still made it to the restaurant on time. Plus it was nice to walk outside in the fresh crisp air and people watch. The restaurant had good food and great ambiance. The ladies were also given a tulip for Vday - so that was nice too.. Besides the parking drama, dinner was fun and we were hellla full!

I also got a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Joy for Valentine's Day! Thanks hoo! You can kinda see the tulip I got from E&O - it's in the front leaning to the left. I know, I could have done a better arrangement by cutting it a bit shorter - but isn't it so cute!!

Hope yalls had a wonderful VDay!

Baby Shower #1

2009-02-13T09:17:00.000-08:00

Joy & Ate threw a baby shower for Ro and me last Saturday for my cousins and close friends... We totally had a blast! The games were off the hook; some of them I've never even played before and I've been to hellllllla baby showers...

Wen did the Guess How Many Diapers in the diaper cake, Mookie did Guess How Many Candies are in the bottles, Nette did Pin the Baby and Joy did this game where she printed out pictures of me and Ro and had people cut out pieces of our face to create what Lila would look like.. It was HELLA funny cause some of the pictures had mustaches on them and one of them looked like Manny Pacquiao (no joke dude)..

Anyways, thanks to our friends and cousins for coming out to help welcome our baby into this world and also for the wonderful (and very helpful) gifts!

OH, and thanks Joy and Ats for throwing this baby shower for us (also to Wen, Mook and Nette for doing games)! We REALLY appreciate all the time and effort you put into this..

BTW, I tried making a slideshow on Picasa but for some reason it wouldn't allow it... I'm guessing IT here is catching on to us bloggers... LOL

Early Valentines..

2009-02-12T12:46:00.000-08:00

These were delivered to my work today... Thanks for the flowers, boo!

Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.......

EMILY BRONTE

Valentine's Day

2009-02-03T09:20:00.000-08:00

Since Valentine's Day is fast approaching, I thought I'd share some poetry that was entered in the Washington Post asking for a 2 line rhyme with the MOST ROMANTIC first line, and the LEAST romantic second line...

1. My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife:
Marrying you has screwed up my life.

2. I see your face when I am dreaming.
That's why I always wake up screaming.

3. Kind, intelligent, loving and hot;
This describes everything you are not.

4. Love may be beautiful, love may be bliss,
But I only slept with you 'cause I was pissed.

5. I thought that I could love no other,
that is until I met your brother.

6. Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you.
But the roses are wilting, the violets are dead, the sugar bowl'sempty and so is your head.

7. I want to feel your sweet embrace;
But don't take that paper bag off your face.

8. I love your smile, your face, and your eyes
Damn, I'm good at telling lies!

9. My love, you take my breath away.
What have you stepped in to smell this way?

10. My feelings for you no words can tell,
Except for maybe 'Go to hell.'

11. What inspired this amorous rhyme?
Two parts vodka, one part lime.

FELLAS, please do not write any of these in your valentine's cards for your ladies!

Imagine...

2009-01-16T13:11:00.000-08:00

You are on the bus when you suddenly realize ... you need to fart. The music is really loud, so you time your farts with the beat.
After a couple of songs, you start to feel better as you approach your stop.
As you are leaving the bus, people are really staring you down, and that's when you realize, you have been listening to your ipod.

YIKES!

Klean Kanteen

2008-12-30T11:02:00.000-08:00

For Xmas, one of the gifts Joy got the girls is the Klean Kanteen. She said she got it for us cause she "wants us to be more green, plus this'll be away for [us] to stop using plastic water bottles"...

So at Ross, there have been incidences where people have stolen lunches and drinks from the fridge. There was a time when I brought in a gallon of milk and left it in the fridge for my cereal in the morning - it wasn't stolen, but people drank it! Hella no shame dude.. Ghetto! So after that, I got the idea from a coworker to empty a plastic bottle of water and put milk in it... I did that for a while, until I got Joy's "green" message and started using the Klean Kanteen! It not only helps the environment but it helped keep my milk cold - not like the water bottle!

Thanks Z!!

BTW - she also got us cute reusable bags - talk about Green Queen! I need to really be more like her :)

Happy Holidays Everybody!

2008-12-29T12:56:00.001-08:00

Geez, the last time I blogged was Dec 2nd - that is close to a month! Dang, have I been that scatter brained that I couldn't blog? Umm yeah - with something going on at least every day in December, I'd have to say this month was pretty craaaazy!

First off - I want to give a shout out to Mark B. (who is somewhere in Peru). We got your Thanksgiving postcard!!!!! I wanted to write you back, but to what address?!?! Hope your travels is going wonderfully!

On a second note - Besides going to gatherings EVERY week in December, Ro and I had the rare opportunity to watch a movie together last night (thanks to Nette and B for the movie tickets).. We watched Gran Torino - the one with Clint Eastwood. It was pretty cool, there were some slow parts at times so I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.. There are a lot of racial remarks so you kinda have to go in not taking that stuff to heart. Go watch it! Next on the list to watch: Marley and Me (I think I'm going to borrow the book from Ge first)..

Anyways, HAPPY HOLIDAYS to ALL!!!!!!

Article about the Philippines

2008-12-02T13:24:00.000-08:00

THIS HAD ME ROLLIN'! LOVE IT!!!

The following is from a British journalist stationed in the Philippines. This was written in 1999.

Matter of Taste
By: Matthew Sutherland

I have now been in this country for over six years, and consider myself in most respects well assimilated. However, there is one key step on the road to full assimilation, which I have yet to take, and that's to eat BALUT.

The day any of you sees me eating balut, please call immigration and ask them to issue me a Filipino passport. Because at that point there will be no turning back. BALUT, for those still blissfully ignorant non-Pinoys out there, is a fertilized duck egg. It is commonly sold with salt in a piece of newspaper, much like English fish and chips, by street vendors usually after dark, presumably so you can't see how gross it is.

It's meant to be an aphrodisiac, although I can't imagine anything more likely to dispel sexual desire than crunching on a partially formed baby duck swimming in noxious fluid. The embryo in the egg comes in varying stages of development, but basically it is not considered macho to eat one without fully discernable feathers, beak, and claws. Some say these crunchy bits are the best. Others prefer just to drink the so-called 'soup', the vile, pungent liquid that surrounds the aforementioned feathery fetus...excuse me; I have to go and throw up now. I'll be back in a minute.

Food dominates the life of the Filipino. People here just love to eat. They eat at least eight times a day. These eight official meals are called, in order: breakfast, snacks, lunch, merienda, merienda ceyna, dinner, bedtime snacks and no-one-saw-me- take-that- cookie-from- the-fridge-so- it- doesn't-count.

The short gaps in between these mealtimes are spent eating Sky Flakes from the open packet that sits on every desktop. You're never far from food in the Philippines. If you doubt this, next time you're driving home from work, try this game. See how long you can drive without seeing food and I don't mean a distant restaurant, or a picture of food. I mean a man on the sidewalk frying fish balls, or a man walking through the traffic selling nuts or candy. I bet it's less than one minute.

Here are some other things I've noticed about food in the Philippines:

Firstly, a meal is not a meal without rice - even breakfast. In the UK, I could go a whole year without eating rice. Second, it's impossible to drink without eating. A bottle of San Miguel just isn't the same without gambas or beef tapa. Third, no one ventures more than two paces from their house without baon (food in small container) and a container of something cold to drink. You might as well ask a Filipino to leave home without his pants on. And lastly, where I come from, you eat with a knife and fork. Here, you eat with a spoon and fork. You try eating rice swimming in fish sauce with a knife.

One really nice thing about Filipino food culture is that people always ask you to SHARE their food. In my office, if you catch anyone attacking their baon, they will always go, "Sir! KAIN TAYO!" ("Let's eat!"). This confused me, until I realized that they didn't actually expect me to sit down and start munching on their boneless bangus. In fact, the polite response is something like, "No thanks, I just ate." But the principle is sound - if you have food on your plate, you are expected to share it, however hungry you are, with those who may be even hungrier. I think that's great!

In fact, this is frequently even taken one step further. Many Filipinos use "Have you eaten yet?" ("KUMAIN KA NA?") as a general greeting, irrespective of time of day or location.

Some foreigners think Filipino food is fairly dull compared to other Asian cuisines. Actually lots of it is very good: Spicy dishes like Bicol Express (strange, a dish named after a train); anything cooked with coconut milk; anything KINILAW; and anything ADOBO. And it's hard to beat the sheer wanton, cholesterolic frenzy of a good old-fashioned LECHON de leche (roast pig) feast. Dig a pit, light a fire, add 50 pounds of animal fat on a stick, and cook until crisp. Mmm, mmm...you can actually feel your arteries constricting with each successive mouthful.

I also share one key Pinoy trait ---a sweet tooth. I am thus the only foreigner I know who does not complain about sweet bread, sweet burgers, sweet spaghetti, sweet banana ketchup, and so on. I am a man who likes to put jam on his pizza. Try it! It's the weird food you want to avoid. In addition to duck fetus in the half-shell, items to avoid in the Philippines include pig's blood soup (DINUGUAN); bull's testicle soup, the strangely-named "SOUP NUMBER FIVE" (I dread to think what numbers one through four are); and the ubiquitous, stinky shrimp paste, BAGOONG, and it's equally stinky sister, PATIS.Filipinos are so addicted to these latter items that they will even risk arrest or deportation trying to smuggle them into countries like Australia and the USA, which wisely ban the importation of items you can smell from more than 100 paces.

Then there's the small matter of the purple ice cream. I have never been able to get my brain around eating purple food; the ubiquitous UBE leaves me cold.

And lastly on the subject of weird food, beware: that KALDERETANG KAMBING (goat) could well be KALDERETANG ASO (dog)...

The Filipino, of course, has a well-developed sense of food. Here's a typical Pinoy food joke: "I'm on a seafood diet. "What's a seafood diet?" "When I see food, I eat it!"

Filipinos also eat strange bits of animals --- the feet, the head, the guts, etc., usually barbecued on a stick. These have been given witty names, like DIDAS" (chicken's feet); "KURBATA" (either just chicken's neck, or "neck and thigh" as in "neck-tie"); "WALKMAN" (pigs ears); "PAL" (chicken wings); HELMET" (chicken head); "IUD" (chicken intestines), and BETAMAX" (video-cassette- like blocks of animal blood). Yum, yum. Bon appetit."

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches" (Proverbs 22:1)

WHEN I arrived in the Philippines from the UK six years ago, one of the first cultural differences to strike me was names. The subject has provided a continuing source of amazement and amusement ever since. The first unusual thing, from an English perspective, is that everyone here has a nickname. In the staid and boring United Kingdom, we have nicknames in kindergarten, but when we move into adulthood we tend, I am glad to say, to lose them.

The second thing that struck me is that Philippine names for both girls and boys tend to be what we in the UK would regard as overbearingly cutesy for anyone over about five. Fifty-five-year- olds colleague put it. Where I come from, a boy with a nickname like Boy Blue or Honey Boy would be beaten to death at school by pre-adolescent bullies, and never make it to adulthood. So, probably, would girls with names like Babes, Lovely, Precious, Peachy or Apples. Yuk, ech ech.Here, however, no one bats an eyelid.

Then I noticed how many people have what I have come to call "door-bell names". These are nicknames that sound like -well, doorbells. There are millions of them. Bing, Bong, Ding, and Dong are some of the more common. They can be, and frequently are, used in even more door-bell-like combinations such as Bing-Bong, Ding-Dong, Ting-Ting, and so on. Even our newly appointed chief of police has a doorbell name Ping. None of these doorbell names exist where I come from, and hence sound unusually amusing to my untutored foreign ear.

Someone once told me that one of the Bings, when asked why he was called Bing, replied, "because my brother is called Bong". Faultless logic. Dong, of course, is a particularly funny one for me, as where I come from "dong"is a slang word for well; perhaps "talong" is the best Tagalog equivalent.

Repeating names was another novelty to me, having never before encountered people with names like Len-Len, Let-Let, Mai-Mai, or Ning-Ning. The secretary I inherited on my arrival had an unusual one: Leck-Leck. Such names are then frequently further refined by using the "squared" symbol, as in Len2 or Mai2. This had me very confused for a while.

Then there is the trend for parents to stick to a theme when naming their children. This can be as simple as making them all begin with the same letter, as in Jun, Jimmy, Janice, and Joy.

More imaginative parents shoot for more sophisticated forms of assonance or rhyme, as in Biboy, Boboy, Buboy, Baboy (notice the names get worse the more kids there are-best to be born early or you could end up being a Baboy).

Even better, parents can create whole families of, say, desserts (Apple Pie, Cherry Pie, Honey Pie) or flowers (Rose, Daffodil, Tulip). The main advantage of such combinations is that they look great painted across your trunk if you're a cab driver.

That's another thing I'd never seen before coming to Manila -- taxis with the driver's kids' names on the trunk.

Another whole eye-opening field for the foreign visitor is the phenomenon of the "composite" name. This includes names like Jejomar (for Jesus, Joseph and Mary), and the remarkable Luzviminda (for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, believe it or not). That's a bit like me being called something like Engscowani" (for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). Between you and me, I'm glad I'm not.

And how could I forget to mention the fabulous concept of the randomly inserted letter 'h'. Quite what this device is supposed to achieve, I have not yet figured out, but I think it is designed to give a touch of class to an otherwise only averagely weird name. It results in creations like Jhun, Lhenn, Ghemma, and Jhimmy. Or how about Jhun-Jhun (Jhun2)?

How boring to come from a country like the UK full of people with names like John Smith. How wonderful to come from a country where imagination and exoticism rule the world of names.

Even the towns here have weird names; my favorite is the unbelievably named town of Sexmoan (ironically close to Olongapo and Angeles). Where else in the world could that really be true?

Where else in the world could the head of the Church really be called Cardinal Sin?

Where else but the Philippines!

Note: Philippines has a senator named Joker, and it is his legal name.

ADDICTED

2008-11-19T15:38:00.000-08:00

So, Joy's been telling me to do the Google Reader thing for months now, and because I just didn't understand it, I never set mines up... until last week..

O M G - now I understand why she's so sprung over this google gadget. It's like you're reading all these blogs in ONE sitting! No more having to type down people's blog addresses one by one.. You see it all right then and there! It makes life so much more easy.. haha.. I was so into it, that I got Ro into it.. One day last week all Ro, Joy and I did was email each other about Reader - how to do this, what to do about that, how to share... it was insane!

I've subscribed to so many blogs (especially home and kitchen blogs) that now I have over 500 items in my reader! MUN.. The only thing I'm not crazy about is that you're not able to comment on people's blogs - unless you can and I dont know how to do it yet...

Thanks Zoy for introducing this to me - you know I'm not crazy about change, but this change was totally for the better hahaha!

Circuit City

2008-11-05T08:30:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of the Bay Area stores that are closing - not sure if the closing sales start today or sometime this week -

Circuit City Stores, Inc.
List of Closing Stores

CONCORD - 2030 DIAMOND BLVD CONCORD CA 94520
DUBLIN - 7153 AMADOR PLAZA ROAD DUBLIN CA 94568
FAIRFIELD - 1560 GATEWAY BLVD FAIRFIELD CA 94533
FREMONT - 43706 CHRISTY ST FREMONT CA 94538
MORGAN HILL - 1007 COCHRANE RD MORGAN HILL CA 95037
EAST PALO ALTO - 1731 E BAYSHORE RD PALO ALTO CA 94303
PITTSBURG - 4300 DELTA GATEWAY BLVD PITTSBURG CA 94565
HILLTOP - 4100 KLOSE WAY RICHMOND CA 94806
SAN RAFAEL - 330 BELLAM BLVD SAN RAFAEL CA 94901

Youniversity

2008-10-31T10:08:00.000-07:00

I recently took a personality test online:

http://youniverse.com/statement/module/PersonalityModule/New_Personality_module

Basically, there are a bunch of pictures in a page and it has you pick out what is most you...

Here are my results:

MOODS: Easy Rider - You're romantic in your outlook and love the simiplicity of nature. You can be a little nostalgic and love revisiting familiar places and memories. When it comes to art, you're definitely unconventional; you are drawn to the beauty of the human body - and the opportunity to express your identity through it. Your music collection is your treasure. You're a focused listener and you're always on the look out for something new.

FUN: Escape Artist - You like simple pleasures - sometimes there's nothing more relaxing. You really value your 'quiet time' - time to recharge, to reconnect with yourself. For kicks, you like to switch off and immerse yourself in another world. You are thoughtful and imaginative, cultured and creative. You like to look at life from a different perspective. When it comes to holidays, you reckon they should always be indulgent - a very special treat and a chance to recharge your batteries in luxurious surroundings. After all, you work hard enough the rest of the time.

HABITS: High-Time Roller - You love the luxury of taking time for yourself. There's nothing quite as enjoyable as relaxing, unwinding and living a pampered life. And why not? You deserve it. Your choice of drink reflects extravagant but classic taste. You probably like to get dressed up, go out, and be seen in all the glamorous haunts. As for the home you have very cool and contemporary taste. You like your surroundings to be simple and functional.

SOCIAL: Thoughtful - For you friendship is all about being there for one another. You can't imagine life without your best friends. And they're the first place you go when you need advice, or a shoulder to cry on. When you think of freedom - you think of love. The comfort of being loved in the warmth of your family lets you to be free to be yourself.

I think they hit pretty right on based on just picking pictures.

Take your personality test too and see if they hit the mark as well.

Playing Dead

2008-10-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

This morning after I took a shower, I decided to fix the bed. I was spreading the comforter on Ro's side and noticed something brown.. I thought it was just a bunch of my hair rolled up but it was a freakin' spider.... I jumped back a little, but noticed it wasn't moving so I thought Ro must have killed it while he was sleeping last night, rolling over and crushing it. Just to be sure, I slapped the bed to see if it would move, it didn't so I just left the bed half made and went on getting ready for work.

5 minutes later, I looked at the spider again, deciding whether or not to pick it up and drop it in the toilet and flush it away.. It looked brown and nasty, so I just left it there..

5 minutes pass again and as I was watching the traffic report, I decided to look at the bed and what do you know, that beeyatch spider was running for his life under the damn bed!!!

It hella TRICKED ME!!!!!!!!!

Caution: if you think a spider is dead, kill it anyways, cause it might just be playing dead.

JELL-O

2008-10-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

So I was at lunch today with Jason, Cliff and Isis and for dessert Jason got some Jello... We started talking about jello ingredients and Jay said something like "its made out of cow hooves".. I totally did not believe him when he said that...

How is jello made out of a cow's hoof?

I mean, we've all made or have seen someone make jello at least once in our lives. All you do is get the powdery stuff and mix it with water, put it in the fridge and BAM there's your jello! Who would have thought that powdery stuff is made with cow hooves! Did you ever think an animal's foot would turn into a dessert?

I still didn't believe him, so he went on the internet to look it up:

The production of gelatin starts with the boiling of bones, skins, and hides of cows and pigs, a process that releases the protein-rich collagen from animal tissues. The collagen is boiled and filtered numerous times, dried, and ground to a powder.

OMG gross, I will never look at jello the same again!

Color Me Mine

2008-10-19T16:59:00.001-07:00

For Mara's 7th birthday, she wanted to go to Color Me Mine and bring Em and Irina along so that's what we did on Saturday..

Here is a picture of the girls in the van, excited to paint some ceramics!
Cherra, Em and Irina all painted plates, Mara painted Tinkerbell and Ate painted a soap dispenser for her upstairs bathroom..

Here's the mug that I painted:

After we painted for what felt like hours (cause Cherra kept starting over), we headed off to the Alagon's to have dinner.. Raul bought dinner from Barrio Fiesta and Ong Pin and he made his infamous Molten Lava Cake and Panacotta w/ berries.. I swear, my brother-in-law needs to open up his own bakery cause those bad boys were off the chain!

Happy 7th Birthday, Meezie!

SATC movie..

2008-10-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

LOVED IT! I think the parts that really got me were when............ hahaha jk, I'm not going to spoil it for those who still haven't seen it...

I need to watch it again though.. I was distracted while watching it the other night. I'll probably watch it with Noi. I know she's been bugging to have me watch the movie with her too..

And it is true - you dont have to really know what happened in the series to understand the movie. ANYONE can watch it and know what's going on..

Cursing at Work MEMO

2008-10-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

We all have "one of those days" at work... So here's something that'll help you NOT get fired, when you're fired up... hahaha i love this!

Dear Employees:

It has been brought to management's attention that some individuals throughout the company have been using foul language during the course of normal conversation with their coworkers. Due to complaints received from some employees who may be easily offended, this type of language will no longer be tolerated.We do, however, realize the critical importance of being able to accurately express your feelings when communicating with coworkers.

Therefore, a list of 18 New and Innovative 'TRY SAYING' phrases have been provided so that proper exchange of ideas and information can continue in an effect ive manner.

Number 1 TRY SAYING: I think you could use more training.
INSTEAD OF: You don't know what the f___ you're doing.

Number 2 TRY SAYING: She's an aggressive go-getter.
INSTEAD OF: She's a f___ing bit__.

Number 3 TRY SAYING: Perhaps I can work late.
INSTEAD OF: And when the f___ do you expect me to do this?

Number 4 TRY SAYING: I'm certain that isn't feasible.
INSTEAD OF: No f___ing way.

Number 5 TRY SAYING: Really?
INSTEAD OF: You've got to be sh___ing me!

Number 6 TRY SAYING: Perhaps you should check with...
INSTEAD OF: Tell someone who gives a sh__..

Number 7 TRY SAYING: I wasn't involved in the project.
INSTEAD OF: It's not my f___ing problem.

Number 8 TRY SAYING: That's interesting.
INSTEAD OF: What the f___?

Number 9 TRY SAYING: I'm not sure this can be implemented.
INSTEAD OF: This sh__ won't work.

Number 10 TRY SAYING : I'll try to schedule that.
INSTEAD OF: Why the f___ didn't you tell me sooner?

Number 11 TRY SAYING: He's not familiar with the issues.
INSTEAD OF: He's got his head up his a__.

Number 12 TRY SAYING: Excuse me, sir?
INSTEAD OF: Eat sh__ and die.

Number 13 TRY SAYING: So you weren't happy with it?
INSTEAD OF: Kiss my a__.

Number 14 TRY SAYING: I'm a bit overloaded at the moment.
INSTEAD OF: F__ it, I'm on salary.

Number 15 TRY SAYING: I don't think you understand.
INSTEAD OF: Shove it up your a__.

Number 16 TRY SAYING: I love a challenge.
INSTEAD OF: This f___ing job sucks.

Number 17 TRY SAYING: You want me to take care of that?
INSTEAD OF: Who the f___ died and made you boss?

Number 18 TRY SAYING: He's somewhat insensitive.
INSTEAD OF: He's a pr_ck.

Thank You,
Human Resources

Sex and the City.... DONE!

2008-10-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

I finally finished watching the SATC series and like every girl out there - totally LOVED it... I watched all the seasons, every single episode, every single DVD (thanks to Nonoi) - and managed to finish that bad boy within a few months only cause I didn't watch it daily....

Watching the series made me think a lot about friendships, relationships and all the drama that comes with it... Even though it's all fiction, I've come to really appreciate what Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte have gone through in their lives... Even though they're all so busy with work and everything else, they still make time for one another and meet up (I'm guessing once a week) and eat at their cafe (or whatever bar) and update each other on everything.

My favorite character? Miranda..

I'm totally ready to watch THE MOVIE.. Let's see what all the hype is about.. I can't wait! I told Nette we can dress up and drink martinis! Mine will just be juice in a martini glass... BOO! lol

Ro's addition...

2008-10-14T12:54:00.001-07:00

www.poppapali.blogspot.com

Halloween is going to SUCK this year!

2008-10-06T15:33:00.001-07:00

Reading rut....

2008-10-06T09:57:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I cannot pick up a book for the life of me... I have a couple of books that I'm currently reading (Eclipse and Baby Laughs) and about a handful more sitting around my house just waiting for me to open them....

I don't know why I can't stand reading right now! Is it the weather? You'd think the cloudy weather would want me to cozy up next to the fire with a nice book - but nooooo? What's wrong with me?!?!?!?

Can you explain this?

2008-09-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

White Rabbit Candy

2008-09-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

We all have probably eaten dozens of these growing up, but eat this no more cause there are chemicals found in them that can kill you! I just wanna eat hella of these now just to get it out of my system! SUCKS!

Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) says its latest laboratory findings show that the "White Rabbit Creamy Candy" from China is also contaminated with melamine. It advises consumers who have bought the affected product not to consume them. The latest test results bring the total number of milk and related products from China imported into Singapore that are found to be contaminated with melamine to three. The other two affected products are "Yili Brand" Choice Dairy Fruit Bar Yogurt Flavoured Ice Confection" and "Dutch Lady" brand of strawberry flavoured milk. All the affected products have been recalled earlier. Since September 19, AVA has suspended the import and sale of all milk and milk products from China. These products include milk, ice-cream, yoghurt, confectionery such as chocolates, biscuits and sweets as well as any other products containing milk from China as an ingredient. Retailers and importers have been instructed to recall these products and withhold them from sale. As a precaution, consumers are also advised not to consume any milk or milk products from China. AVA says it will not hesitate to prosecute any retailer or importer who fails to remove these products from their shelves. Under the Sale of Food Act, anyone found selling unwholesome food can be fined up to $10,000 and/or sentenced to three months' jail, or both.

Twilight Moms

2008-09-23T13:16:00.001-07:00

I read this article about Twilight Moms.... These books are targeting young adults (I think ages 14-17) but it's funny that not only are teenagers enjoying this book but everyone, no matter what age you are!

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE whose life turned upside down when you read Twilight? Is your house a disaster with piles of piles of laundry in every corner and stacks of dirty dishes at record breaking heights? Have you imagined your husband is a vampire (or werewolf) and suddenly have the libido of newlywed again? Do you convince yourself that "cold cereal" makes a perfectly wholesome dinner? Is the pizza delivery boy now on your Christmas card list? Are your children free to run a muck as long as no one comes too you bleeding . . .(too badly)? Oh, you feel guilty, but that's not enough! You still can't tear yourself away from the book and damned be the consequences! The good new is- YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Fans of the Twilight Series in OUR STAGE of life (whether you're a mom or not) now have a place where we can gather unashamed of our irrational obsession with vampires and werewolves. We have a place where "our kind" can relate without having to wade through all the teenage Internet code mumbo jumbo like "OMG!!! IMHO Edward is sooo Hawt!!!" (usually a dead giveaway that you should be doing your social studies homework for 3rd period instead of playing on the computer.) FYI, it was a group of 14/15 year olds that "changed" me. However, OUR world of balancing family, work, home, marriage AND...our Twilight obsession is unique, fun, and oh, so very humorous. The personal stories and experiences I've heard and read from women all over the world are a blast. YOU LADIES ROCK!!! ...and "Twilight Moms" is dedicated to YOU!!! Enjoy this little corner of the Internet that is just for us. Explore the web site, keep up with breaking news and join the forum.

Book 2

2008-09-22T09:27:00.001-07:00

I'm finally done with book 2! This one took me longer than Twilight only cause it felt like it was a little dragging towards the middle of the book, it totally gets better towards the end - but overall I liked it! They should do a movie on this one too! Can't wait to read the third....

Nanay Ping

2008-09-17T14:12:00.001-07:00

These pictures were taken back in 2005 when Ro and I went to the Philippines and stopped by Bohol to visit Nanay.... That was the last time we hugged and kissed her..

I miss you, Nay.

RIP

March 23, 1917 - September 11, 2008

Hawaii

2008-09-16T11:25:00.000-07:00

Hawaii was GREAT! The weather was perfect andthe beaches were beautiful...

Thanks to all of you who texted, called, emailed us and wished us a happy one year anniversary! It made our day much more special...

Happy 1 Year Wedding Anniversary, Bubby..

Marriage is wonderful........................................

And yet another wedding..........

2008-09-14T00:24:00.000-07:00

Magno-Romero Wedding

I can't believe their wedding is already over! Wen made a really beautiful, beautiful bride! My brother is very lucky - he found a beautiful AND smart one at that! They're still in Hawaii for their honeymoon, so it'll just be another week until they settle into their new roles in society as husband and wife as well as settle into their new home! Can't wait til they get back so we can all get together for their gift opening and watch the video/view the pictures of their big day...

My mom's speech really made me sad - she had the whole place in tears... She mentioned how her house isn't a mansion, but now that all of us kids are out of the house and have settled down, the house is just so massive to her and my dad now.. It just made me ball thinking that it was just her and my dad in the house and it made me very sad.. Us siblings do a good job of having family time with my parents on the weekends, but I think with my brother out of the house now, these gatherings just won't be the same for my parents - when we get together on the weekends, Ma usually has my brother BBQ, or mop the floor and vacuum before we all come...

I mean, I talk to my mom everyday through email (like dude, 100 emails a day), phone, etc. so I dont feel thaaaaaat sad.. It just makes me think now that I'm married and planning a family, that I wouldn't mind having a bigger family than I planned. I loved growing up in a very loud home, full of screaming and laughter all at the same time. I mean, I ain't trying to have like 5 kids, but thinking of our family xmas' together at my sisters house, ALL of us being together being all loud, playing retarded board games really warms my heart...

Anyway, I totally went off topic (I've been emo since the wedding) - just wanted to wish Benny and Wenny many wonderful years of marriage... Love yalls :)

sigh

2008-09-04T11:28:00.000-07:00

Call me crazy... but I think I'm in love with Edward Cullen.

Twilight

2008-09-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

Yes that's right.. I'm also addicted to this book! My girlfriends and I have created a "book club" just for this... We have until November to read it so we have time to discuss and watch the movie together (coming to a theater near you November 21st)!!

I found this movie poster online of the characters.. It's kinda nice to put a face to a name (even though this is fictional), but this Edward isn't cute at all - well at least in THIS picture he isn't (Edelee knows what I'm talking about). I was picturing someone totally different in my head! Oh well, still can't wait to see the movie! Get ready girls..............................................

Cabanas-Abrera Wedding

2008-09-01T22:04:00.000-07:00

Congratulations

Cheryl and Stephen Abrera

August 31, 2008

Travis Air Force Base

Tea With the Girls...

2008-09-01T21:56:00.001-07:00

For one of Cherra's birthday events, we had tea at Tyme for Tea in Fremont. The girls picked hats for us to wear, which we all surprisingly wore the WHOLE time. This was the first time for Ate and the girls to experience high tea, and they had a blast!! So much so that they want to go again (this time bringing my mom).. Suggestions on other nice tea places around the area?

Always Neighbors....

2008-08-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Joy, Jase, Ro and I decided to join Lilaville on their annual camping trip to Del Valle in Livermore. It's been a couple of years since I last camped with my family (not really the outdoorsy type) so I thought well, why not - this should be fun. Plus we were only going to stay over one night cause we had planned on taking Mookie to the city all day Saturday, so that meant we didn't have to pack as much - sweet!!

A few days before we were to leave for camping the weather in the Bay was straight up killer. The weather off the coast was probably in the 80's so imagine what the weather was like in Livermore! I thought I was going to have a heat stroke!

Anyway, the weather that afternoon was probably over 100 degrees, but we left for the camp site after work so we didn't feel it as bad as the others who got there at 1pm.. The warmth actually felt pretty good by the time we go to the campsite; it was probably 90 degrees with a warning of high fire danger!! But wasn't killer like I thought it would be.

So, we finally find our camp sites and unpack the cars and walk to our tents (which were already assembled by Uncle C) and found that we were HELLA CLOSE neighbors with Joy and Jase! It was so cute cause we have the same exact tents (color and everything) and they even tied our tents together! I don't know why they did this, probably cause if there was to be strong winds in the middle of the night, we'd get blown away together - hahaha. Anyways, Joy and I kept saying "awww, always neighbors!!!!"and it reminded me of the times when we were both single and stuck to the hip - we were always together no matter what!!

Now that we're married (to the best husbands), it just made me realize we'll always be close (as sisters) and hopefully as neighbors...

August 18

2008-08-19T10:43:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to Cherra who turned 11 yesterday! I know right.... 11 already? SHEESH! We had a small dinner last night at Olive Garden with the family, but we're continuing the celebration this Saturday doing high tea with Ma, Mara and Ate and a movie (probably Wal-E) with the guys right after....

It was Mookie's birthday yesterday too! Happy 27th Birthday MJ! We celebrated her fabulous birthday on Saturday doing an ALL day (tea at the Ritz, shopping, dinner, movie) and night thing (slumber party watching Jay-R til the break of dawn)!!!

It's always difficult for me this time of year cause I have to balance out my niece and my best friend's birthdays, but every year I somehow always make it work....

I LOVE YOU GIRLS - Happy Birthday!!!!

Throx

2008-08-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

I was perusing the internet last night and found something interesting called Throx.

There is a company that sells socks, but in 3's.. Not 3 PAIRS, but 3 individual socks. They do this so that if you lose one, you're still safe cause you still have an extra!

Pretty interesting product, huh!? Sounds retarded, but I think it's a pretty good idea!

What will they think of next???

RossBerry

2008-08-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

I am a huge Pink Berry fan or any yogurt place for that matter. So, for the American Heart Association, our department held a fundraiser called "RossBerry". The concept was the same really: non-fat yogurt (vanilla/chocolate) and any 2 toppings of your choice! It was just like Pink Berry but sold at Ross, so that's how we came up with the name "RossBerry". We sold them for $3 a cup which gave you a scoop of yogurt and 2 toppings. Toppings to choose from were: strawberries, mango, lychee, kiwi, banana, nuts, oreos, cereal, etc.. Any additional topping after that was 50 cents each..

It was a great turn out! We made $400 that day and we're planning on having another RossBerry sale in 2 weeks..

Thanks to who supported us!!

Here are some pictures of the event:

A WOMAN SHOULD....

2008-08-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own,
even if she never wants to or needs to...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
something perfect to wear if the employer,
or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a youth she's content to leave behind....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to
retelling it in her old age....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems,
and a recipe for a meal,
that will make her guests feel honored...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a feeling of control over her destiny...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to fall in love without losing herself...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to quit a job,
break up with a lover,
and confront a friend without ruining the friendship...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
when to try harder... and when to walk away...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that she can't change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that her childhood may not have been perfect...but it's over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
whom she can trust,
whom she can't,
and why she shouldn't take it personally...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
where to go...
be it to her best friend's kitchen table..
or a charming Inn in the woods...
when her soul needs soothing...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she can and can't accomplish in a day...
a month...and a year...

Pinoy Prisoners do the Souljaboy dance!

2008-08-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

Dude, this is a trip!!

Disney Cruise

2008-08-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

We came back from our Disney cruise probably a week and a half ago... This was my second cruise and on my first one, I had motion sickness 97% of the time! I didn't want to put myself through that again, so I visited my doctor and she prescribed me the Transderm Scop patch and it worked wonders! Not once did I feel like yacking!! I know Ro was happy about that cause we did much more this time around.. especially Bingo which he was 1 number from winning $14,000!!

We went to the same 3 spots we went to on our honeymoon...

Our first stop was at Cabo, where we went to a resort called Pueblo Bonito. They tried to sell us their time share but we said NOPE!

The second was at Mazatlan. Ro, Mom and I did the Salsa y Salsa excursion where we learned how to make 4 or 5 different salsas and then learn how to dance the salsa.. That was fun... they made us drink the whole time!!

Last but not least was Puerto Vallarta.. Ro and I went to a beach resort and I boogie boarded for the first time! I got wiped out a few times but it was fun..

Here are some pictures from our trip.. I know hella late!

Beijing 2008 - Fake fireworks!!

2008-08-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

If you watched the Opening Ceremony on Friday night, chances are you said something like, "no way that's possible" at least once. It turns out you were right.

London's Telegraph newspaper reports that some of the fireworks which appeared over Beijing during the television broadcast of the Olympic Opening Ceremony were actually computer generated. But -- hold on -- it's not necessarily as bad as you think.
The faked fireworks were actually set-off at the stadium, but because of potential dangers in filming the display live from a helicopter, viewers at home were shown a pre-recorded, computer-generated shot.

Mexican Dictionary...

2008-08-11T12:52:00.001-07:00

BODYWASH: I can't go to tha cantina tonite cuz no BODYWASH my kids.
SHOULDER : My tia wanted 2 become a citizen but she didn't know how to read so I SHOULDER.
COCKATOO: My friend was in the bathroom and I told him to hurry because I had to go COCKATOO!
SODAS: My vieja has beeg tatas and SODAS her sister.
JUICY: Hey vato, I will roll the joint, and ju tell me if JUICY the cops!!!
JUAREZ: My viejita slapped me and I said JUAREZ your damn problem!
TISSUE: Hey vato if you don't know how to do it, let me TISSUE how!
HEATER: My lil sister started to choke...Perro my mom told me to HEATER in the back!
BRIEF: Hey homes, my lady farted in the car and I couldn't BRIEF!
JULY: Ju tol me ju were going to tha store and JULY to me! Julyer!!!
MUSHROOM: When my familia gets in the car......There's not MUSHROOM left!
CHEESE: I went to dis bar and some vato try to hit up on my vieja. I said ay vato CHEESE with me!!
TEXAS: My pinche friend always TEXAS me with dumb jokes.
WATER: My vieja gets mad and I don't even know WATER problem is!
HERPES: Me & my ruca order some pizza, I got my piece & she got HERPES.
HORCHATA: You can keep talking your crap, HORCHATA hell up!

The Hills Season 4

2008-07-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

SEASON PREMIERE is on AUG 18!!!!

Here is the link to the trailer:
http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1591256&vid=259814

Lo gots to GO!

3 Minute Management Course

2008-07-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

They should have taught this 3 minute course in college and give us the full credits!!!

The 3 Minute Management Course

Lesson 1/5:
A man is getting into the shower as his wife is getting out, when the doorbell rings. She quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. She opens the door to Fred, the next door neighbor. Before she says a word, Fred says, "I'll give you $800 to drop that towel." After thinking for a moment, she drops it and stands naked in front of Fred. After a few seconds, Fred hands her $800 and leaves.Wrapping herself in the towel as she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks: "Who was that?" "It was Fred the next door neighbor" she replies. "Great!" the husband says, "did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?
Moral of the story: If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders (and Management team), in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

Lesson 2/5:
A priest offered a nun a lift. As she sat in the car, she could not help but reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg. The nun said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?" He removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again. The nun once again said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?" The priest apologized; "Sorry sister but the flesh is weak".Arriving at the convent, the nun went on her way. On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, "Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory."
Moral of the story: If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

Lesson 3/5:
A sales rep, an administration clerk and their manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie pops out. The Genie says, "I'll give each of you just one wish"."Me first! Me first!" says the admin clerk. "I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world". Puff! She's gone."Me next! Me next!" says the sales rep. "I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Piña Coladas and the love of my life". Puff! He's gone."OK, you're up", the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch".
Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say.

Lesson 4/5:
An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing?" The eagle answered: "Sure, why not." So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.
Moral of the story: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

Lesson 5/5:
A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree," sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the energy." Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull. "They're packed with nutrients."The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally, after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree. He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.
Moral of the story: Bull**** might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.

A Carrot, An Egg, and a Cup of Coffee...

2008-07-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

Pretty interesting analogy... Which one are you?

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, ' Tell me what you see.'

'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?'

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in theboiling water, they had changed the water.

'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity?

Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.
The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

May we all be COFFEE!!!!!!!

Ben & Wen's Wedding Shower

2008-07-21T13:36:00.000-07:00

Can't wait for the big day!!!

Addicted...

2008-07-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

So, ever since I tried Pinkberry's down south I thought "why doesn't the Bay have anything like this? i'm going to open up a Bay version of this place"......

Little did I know, they had one right around the corner of my work called Blush! I heard about it from some people and I was like "yeah right, it won't be AS good as PB"... but dude, it's helluv the same.. So, now when I need a PB fix, I won't have to go all the way to LA :)

They also have a similar one near my house called Yo-Swirl... Pretty much the same..

Miss Universe

2008-07-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

Even though she slipped and landed on her booty, she still scored an 8!! Better luck next time Miss USA...

July 14th

2008-07-14T08:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Sharon! We celebrated her birthday at Espetus on Saturday (yummm, thanks Ge!)....

AND

Happy One Year Wedding Anniversary to Joy & Jason Villaverde....

Bill Gates' 11 Rules in Life

2008-07-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality, and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

FYI - I was always nice to nerds :)

Pooping at Work...

2008-07-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

As much as we try to convince ourselves otherwise, the WORK POOP is inevitable. For those who hate pooping at work, follow this survival guide for taking a dump at the office.

* CROP DUSTING: When farting, you walk really fast around the office so the smell is not in your area and everyone else gets a whiff but doesn't know where it came from. Be careful when you do this. Do not stop until the full fart has been expelled. Walk an extra 30 feet to make sure the smell has left your pants.

* FLY BY: The act of scouting out a bathroom before pooping. Walk in and check for other poopers. If there are others in the bathroom, leave and come back again. Be careful not to become a FREQUENT FLYER. People may become suspicious if they catch you constantly going into the bathroom.

* ESCAPEE: A fart that slips out while taking a leak at the urinal or forcing a poop in a stall. This is usually accompanied by a sudden wave of embarrassment. If you release an escapee, do not acknowledge it. Pretend it did not happen. If you are standing next to the farter in the urinal, pretend you did not hear it. No one likes an escapee. It is uncomfortable for all involved. Making a joke or laughing makes both parties feel uneasy.

* JAILBREAK: When forcing a poop, several farts slip out at a machine gun pace. This is usually a side effect of diarrhea or a hangover. If this should happen, do not panic. Remain in the stall until everyone has left the bathroom to spare everyone the awkwardness of what just occurred.

* COURTESY FLUSH: The act of flushing the toilet the instant the poop hits the water. This reduces the amount of air time the poop has to stink up the bathroom. This can help you avoid being caught doing the WALK OF SHAME.

* WALK OF SHAME: Walking from the stall, to the sink, to the door after you have just stunk up the bathroom. This can be a very uncomfortable moment if someone walks in and busts you. As with farts, it is best to pretend that the smell does not exist. Can be minimized with the use of the COURTESY FLUSH.

* OUT OF THE CLOSET POOPER: A colleague who poops at work and is damn proud of it. You will often see an Out Of The Closet Pooper enter the bathroom with a newspaper or magazine under their arm. Always look around the office for the Out Of The Closet Pooper before entering the bathroom.

* SAFE HAVENS: A seldom used bathroom somewhere in the building where you can least expect visitors. Try floors that are predominantly of the opposite sex. This will reduce the odds of a same-sex pooper entering your bathroom.

* TURD BURGLAR: Someone who does not realize that you are in the stall and tries to force the door open. This is one of the most shocking and vulnerable moments that can occur when taking a poop at work. If this occurs, remain in the stall until the Turd Burglar leaves. This way you will avoid all uncomfortable eye contact.

* CAMO-COUGH: A phony cough that alerts all new entrants into the bathroom that you are in a stall. This can be used to cover-up a WATERMELON, or to alert potential Turd Burglars. Very effective when used in conjunction with an ASTAIRE.

* ASTAIRE: A subtle toe-tap that is used to alert potential Turd Burglars that you are occupying a stall. This will remove all doubt that the stall is occupied. If you hear an Astaire, leave the bathroom immediately so the pooper can poop in peace.

* WATERMELON: A poop that creates a loud splash when hitting the toilet water. This is also an embarrassing incident. If you feel a Watermelon coming on, create a diversion. See CAMO-COUGH.

* HAVANA OMELET: A case of diarrhea that creates a series of loud splashes in the toilet water. Often accompanied by an ESCAPEE. Try using a CAMO-COUGH with an ASTAIRE.

* UNCLE TED: A bathroom user who seems to linger around forever. Could spend extended lengths of time in front of the mirror or sitting on the pot. An Uncle Ted makes it difficult to relax while on the crapper, as you should always wait to poop when the bathroom is empty. This benefits you as well as the other bathroom attendees.

Which one are you?

Busy 4th of July weekend....

2008-07-07T14:26:00.001-07:00

It was such a crazy weekend... I thought I could get some R&R, but nope - constant events...

July 4th - Papa Tex's 100th Birthday (Which, by the way, was in Downtown Oakland where they also had fireworks going on in Jack London Square. We had to take like 50 detours to get back onto 880 south!)

July 5th - Santa Cruz (straight rollin' deep - dude, by the end of this day we were soooo exhausted, we slept probably at 9pm and that's considered early in our books):

Girl pic:
July 6th: Dinner at Patio Filipino:
Happy 4th of July to all....

PAC-MAN

2008-06-29T12:34:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao - Boston Celtics Picture and Video

Right after Pacquiao emerged the victor with his fight against Diaz, the entire Boston Celtics basketball team, current NBA Champions after humbling Kobe Bryant’s Lakers, went to celebrate with him in the locker room for some picture taking. The NBA champs including Kevin “the Big Ticket” Garnett, Finals MVP Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Sam Cassell, Rajon Rondo, and many more joined the celebration with Pacquiao. Apparently, Pacquiao’s favorite basketball player is Kevin Garnett, and the encounter was “a dream come true” for him. Kevin Garnett also expressed his admiration for the Pound-for-Pound King.
In this video you will see the entire Boston Celtics shouting “Manny, Manny, Manny…” A rare sight, considering they are athlete-millionaires cheering another sportsman millionaire, and certainly much deserved by the Fiipino hero.

NOW, ISN'T THAT JUST DOPE?!?!?!!!!

What a tease!!

2008-06-25T10:27:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Edelee and Sharon, I can now pump up my hair due to this tutorial!!! So, if you guys always see me with pumped up hair, it's because I've been practicing!!

Alameda County Sales Tax Increase to 9%???

2008-06-24T13:13:00.001-07:00

I know what you're thinking - "WTH?!?!?!", right?!

Yeah, that's what I was thinking when my Boss told me today that Alameda County's sales tax might increase to a whopping 9%..

Alameda County is a county in the U.S. state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2000 census it had a population of 1,443,741, making it the 7th largest county in the state. The county seat is Oakland.
Alameda County currently has the highest sales tax rate in California, 8.75%.

Yeah that's right, Alameda County has the highest sales tax, currently at 8.75%, and they're going to increase it even more.

Sheesh, first the market for houses is at a straight DE-cline (which is bad for sellers), gas prices are off the chain and now they're increasing our sales tax?! What they need to do is increase the sales tax ONLY on cigarettes and liquor! Okay, maybe not the latter.

Left Behind....

2008-06-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

Everyone (well it seems like everyone) except ME will be going out of town this weekend.. Miami, Vegas, LA - everyone will be partying outside of the Bay and I'll be stuck by my lonesome..

This could be a good thing and a bad thing. I've been trying to make some "ME" time for the longest, and now the time is presenting itself. Now that it's here though, I'm thinking, "do I really want to be by myself for 4 days while my hubby is grooving til the break of dawn in Miami"? OK, OA - I'm not really going to be ALL by myself - I'll be hanging out with other friends who are left behind also (HAHA) and I can get things done that I've been putting off - like doing the laundry, reorganizing my closet, dyeing my hair... Yipee!

So, all of you who are leaving me this weekend, please take a shot for me and pour one down for the homies (preferably from a 40oz)....

"L" for Lake Tahoe

2008-06-20T12:54:00.000-07:00

I thought I was going to break my back doing this pyramid.. Joy's knee digging in Wen's back + Wen's knee digging into my back = double the digging...

It was so beautiful on that day at Camp Richardson, until one of us heared a drunk lady say "What race are those brown people?"

New Fan!

2008-06-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

I know, I know... Hella late.. But I am the newest fan of Sex and the City!! OMG, this show is frikken addicting. Everyone's talking about the movie and how good it is, so I wanted to prep myself. Thanks to Noi, I can watch every episode because she let me borrow her thick DVD collection. Last night, Nette and I watched 6 episodes straight - finished the first season and starting the second, while the guys watched basketball (Go Celtics!). Dude, the second season has 18 episodes! All good, since we're averaging 4-6 episodes a night, I'll finish it in 3-4 days. This is kinda tricky cause Nette bought me the new book by Emily Giffin - "Love the One You're With" and it's hecka addicting too!

Wild and Crazy Weekend!

2008-06-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I threw my FIRST bachelorette party for my soon-to-be sister-in-law, Rowena. I was worried and nervous for weeks about this party because 1) I wasn't sure if there was going to be enough food, 2) I wasn't sure if there was going to be enough liquor, 3)If the stripper was going to be hot enough, 4) If all 25+ ladies were going to fit in my small living room... and the list goes on and on and on.... and on and on and on.... Boy did I worry for nothing! The party was a success and I received compliments on how fun the party was all night (also on how hot the stripper was ;P)!

Congratulations Wennie!

Birthday Month!

2008-06-17T09:05:00.001-07:00

I swear... Since the beginning days of June, I felt like I've gained 50 pounds cause people have been taking me out for my birthday! My birthday month celebration started off with a weekend in Tahoe, celebrating my birth with Nenet who's big day was on the 4th. All we did was cook and eat, and it repeated itself for 3 days straight. The week after that was worse. I felt like I ate out EVERY day of the week: Chevys, Applebees, PF Changs, Asia SF, Butterfly....

Yeah, 50 pounds all right....

Thanks to all of you who treated me out for my birthday.. I'll think of you while I'm on the treadmill.

Some of the yummy things I ate:

Pork Chops - Butterfly

Salmon w/ Forbidden Rice - Asia SF

Cooking in Tahoe:

Rizzle My Nizzle

Roman's Letter

New Moon

Crown and Crumpet & The English Rose

Winner of Bohol

Getting Bigger!

Hair Appointment

Life Summarized in 4 Bottles

BURN

New Moon

I'm BACK!!!

How Sweet It Is.....

Work Baby Shower

99 THINGS

Slowly Coming Together

V-Day

Baby Shower #1

Early Valentines..

Valentine's Day

Imagine...

Klean Kanteen

Happy Holidays Everybody!

Article about the Philippines

ADDICTED

Circuit City

Youniversity

Playing Dead

JELL-O

Color Me Mine

SATC movie..

Cursing at Work MEMO

Sex and the City.... DONE!

Ro's addition...

Halloween is going to SUCK this year!

Reading rut....

Can you explain this?

White Rabbit Candy

Twilight Moms

Book 2

Nanay Ping

Hawaii

And yet another wedding..........

*sigh*

Twilight

Cabanas-Abrera Wedding

Tea With the Girls...

Always Neighbors....

August 18

Throx

RossBerry

A WOMAN SHOULD....

Pinoy Prisoners do the Souljaboy dance!

Disney Cruise

Beijing 2008 - Fake fireworks!!

Mexican Dictionary...

The Hills Season 4

3 Minute Management Course

A Carrot, An Egg, and a Cup of Coffee...

Ben & Wen's Wedding Shower

Addicted...

Miss Universe

July 14th

Bill Gates' 11 Rules in Life

Pooping at Work...

Busy 4th of July weekend....

PAC-MAN

What a tease!!

Alameda County Sales Tax Increase to 9%???

Left Behind....

"L" for Lake Tahoe

New Fan!

Wild and Crazy Weekend!

Birthday Month!

sigh