Goodbye, 2004

2004 came and went in a blink of an eye. Despite the ups and downs, it has been a great year. More than anything, it has been a learning experience, and I'm still learning. I have learned more about myself, of who I am. I've learned that it's not all about me in the relationship. The world doesn't revolve around me; I have to think about and consider my better half. I've discovered new interests, and I'm even trying to persue a career path that I've never considered before. I've traveled back to the place that I grew up in, and I've traveled to faraway places that I only dreamed of as a kid. I'm thankful to be healthy, and I'm happy with what I have, surrounded by my family and friends.

And finally, I'm thankful that I found my better half. With him, 2004 has been a year of newfound disoveries and realizations. Thank you, Baby. I love you.

I pray that everyone have a safe and wonderful new year. May 2005 bring lots of love, happiness, and prosperity to you all.

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Christmas 2004

Last Minute Wrapping,
originally uploaded by Rho.

Christmas started on the 23rd when Sinta took me to watch The Nutcracker at the War Memorial Opera House in the City. This is my first time seeing "The Nutcracker"; as a kid, Sinta's parents would take him every year. This year's "Nutcracker" is different because of the new choreography, costumes, and settings. I heard $3M was spent on the settings and costumes! I can't compare the new "Nutcracker" to the previous one, as this is my first time seeing it. The children from the SF Ballet School were simple adorable dancing in their costumes, and the orchestra was magnificent. Simply put, it was a beautiful and magical way to start Christmas.

Baking Biscotti,
originally uploaded by Rho.

Christmas Eve greeted us with a list of last-minute things to do, as in last minute shopping. We also had to buy additional ingredients for the biscotti we were baking for our families. We started out around noon--ran to the craft store to buy baskets and tissue paper for the biscotti. Afterwards, we headed to another store for some last minute Christmas shopping at a store that's conveniently nearby. We did good, as we were back at the house in about an hour.

Sinta and I were pretty effecient in the four hours that we had before we had to go to one of my cousin's house in Santa Clara to celebrate Christmas Eve with my family. We baked two batches of biscotti, did a few loads of laundry, and wrapped all of the presents.

The Troublemakers,
originally uploaded by Rho.

By seven, we were out the door with a box of presents in Sinta's arms, and bags of gifts in mine. My nieces and nephews (my cousins' children) were already running around by the time we got to my cousin's place. After a yummy dinner, we sat around and talked stories. Sinta and I played with the kids--five kids from ages 3 to 11 don't seem like a lot, but when they take turns running from across the room to jump on you, then five kids wear you out. Meanwhile, my 15-year-old nephew showed us his wallet that he made out of blue masking tape. They're cute, though, asking us what we got them for Christmas. Traditionally, we open our gifts at the stroke of midnight, but the kids were growing restless, and they were allowed to open their presents at ten. To see their faces all lit up upon opening a present is beyong priceless.

Sinta and I then headed home, and we watched "A Nightmare Before Christmas". My bro came home shortly after the movie ended, and the three of us exchanged and opened our presents. Santa was good this year.

The following morning, we loaded up my car with a laundry basket full of presents to take to the City to spend Christmas Day with Sinta's family. When we got there, we had breakfast, and then we opened presents. Again, priceless. Round two of gift giving came when Sinta's uncle, auntie, and cousins came over. Santa was good to all of us! Afterwards, we went to visit Sinta's family's family friends. There's nothing like visiting your friends and loved ones, especially on Christmas.

Later in the afternoon, we all helped prepare a big dinner of crab salad, mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, beans, and a roast courtesy of Sinta's brother. The wonderful dinner was followed by watching the boys play "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" (hey, it was better than watching a movie), and sharing our pictures from Paris and Berlin. The night slowly winded down with everyone tired, but happy.

I hope everyone had a wonderful, wonderful Christmas, as we had here.

Cuts and Such...

Sinta and I start dinner around 7pm. I take out the frozen chicken breast and place it in the baking pan and preheat the oven, while Sinta's washing the dishes. A short while thereafter, I scoop out a cup of bigas (rice grains) and pour it into the rice cooker. While I wait for Sinta to finish washing the dishes, I take out the lemons that we zested a couple of days before to make our biscotti. I've been wanting to make lemonade with the leftover fruits. Our backs are turned to each other, when all of a sudden, I hear Sinta mutter under his breath, "Dammit!"

"What happened?", I ask without turning, as I continue to squeeze lemons into the pitcher. My brother was undisturbed at the computer.

"Dammit, I cut my finger." I turn around and walk to the sink where Sinta was standing, and I see a tall glass with a large shard of glass in the sink. I look up at Sinta's finger, and it's bleeding profusely. Sinta says calmly, "We're going to the ER. I may need stitches."

At first, I didn't panic, as I usually do at the sight of blood...just kidding. I tear off a piece of paper towel for Sinta, turn off the oven, and wrap up the chicken breast and stick it in the fridge. I leave the lemons on the counter. We walk into the bedroom to gather some essentials. This is when I start to rush because I know Sinta's in pain, and we have to go to the ER. I didn't want to waste any time. In movies, when the woman is in labor, the husband usually panics and runs around the house gathering their things. Well, that was me tonight. I jump on the bed to reach for the book that's on the nightstand that I'm currently reading. And then, I fumble for my yarn and crochet hook so that I can work on my friend's belated Christmas present. Who knows how long we'd be at the ER.

We probably spent no more than one hour at the ER, thank goodness. Sinta's finger was glued and bandaged up in no time. By the time we left, we were starved, so we headed to In & Out for burgers and fries. I don't know what was going on there, but it seemed like we spent more time at the drive-thru line than we did at the ER room.

I gotta give credit to Sinta for being calm and collected about the whole thing. If that happened to me, I'd be screaming like a b****, and I'd make sure that the whole apartment complex knew about what just happened. And on our way to the ER, I'd be whining like a baby...lol!

***I'm sorry about your pinky, Baby. If you need someone to hold the chords while you play the ukulele, let me know...***

christmastree

christmastree, originally uploaded by Rho.

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a very Blessed Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!

You Gotta Love It!

Flippin Sweet!, originally uploaded by Rho

While Sinta and I were perusing the baker's aisle at the grocery store, I stumbled upon this black and yellow package that looked like one of those "...For Dummies" books. I pick it up, and lo and behold, it's "Homemade Cookies For Dummies"! Who would've thought? Just and water and eggs. What's next?..."Boiling Water For Dummies"?

New Discoveries

At this hour, Sinta is still on the Xbox. Just when we thought he was bored with NBA Street Vol. 2, he discovers something new...

Mother Nature and Pachyderms

It's cold. It's warm. It's cold. It's warm. Mother nature's been fickle minded lately. She fooled some of the trees to blossom in the middle of winter by bringing in warm weather. And we're not talking warm days at a time here. I woke up to a 42-degree morning today. By noon, it was warm enough to remove my jacket. There's nothing like blossoming trees and allergies.

* * * * * * *

A conversation with Sinta last night:

Rho: Why do they call big pills "horse pills"? Why not "elephant pills"?

Sinta: Because people keep horses as pets, and they give them pills.

Rho: Do you know the difference between an Asian elephant and an African elephant?

Sinta: One's a pachyderm.

Rho: No, "pachyderm" is a characteristic of elephants. The Asian elephant has bigger ears than the African one. So, Dumbo's Asian.

Well, I did my research this morning. I was wrong. The African elephant has larger ears than its Asian counterpart. I stand corrected.

Monday, Monday...

My five day break last week seemed like a blur to me, but that doesn't mean nothing was done. Sinta and I did most of our shopping during that time, and I'm happy to say that the experience wasn't as stressful as I thought it would be. Times are tough these days. I guess, as a result, people aren't much into the Christmas spirit.

Since I didn't have to wake up early during those five days, I slept late and woke up late. Waking up at noon meant breakfast was at 2pm, dinner at 9pm. And because we were either out shopping or too tired to cook, we'd eat fast food or mall food. I don't remember when was the last time we had a home-cooked meal until last night, courtesy of Sinta's dad. We were at his parents house to help out in Santa's workshop, or rather, we wrapped gifts...lots of gifts. Sinta even wanted to race me in wrapping the DVDs.

So here I am at work, with a sinus headache and tired. Not only that, I have little Louis Vuittons under my eyes. Yay...

Huh?!

Sinta and I are flipping through the channels on TV, and we came across one of those foreign stations. A Vietnamese commercial came on--complete with a Vietnamese cast. The scenario: There's a young man and a young woman at their college graduation. The man calls the girl over, but she motions for him to wait because she's taking a photo with her mom. In the next scene, he's in front of his computer, and IM's to her "I miss you...," She's at work meeting with her colleagues when the message comes up on her monitor, and she shuts in off. The next scene goes back to the man sitting in front of his computer. The camera pans down from the monitor to his desk where there are two lotto tickets. In the following scene, the woman is in a hot air balloon, and down below is a message written in rose petals that says "Marry me?". She looks excited as the man lovingly looks up at her from the ground.

The commercial was in Vietnamese, so Sinta and I could only speculate what the message of the ad was. What is it suppose to mean?--that the girl only loved him for his money? ...that she can quit her job so that they can spend more time together? What does that mean about Asian men and women? I don't know...The commercial just seemed a bit odd.

We're Getting There

Last night, after making rounds at several malls over a course of a few days, we finally, and officially, started our Christmas shopping. I am glad to say that we did a considerable amount of shopping last night, sent out our Christmas cards this afternoon, and did more shopping tonight. Hopefully, we'll get it all done by this weekend.

We're Getting Old

We were at the Great Mall tonight, and I started to get a headache--not from the Christmas shoppers, but from the the teenagers. Sinta bought a drink at McDonald's. It should've been an uneventful experience, but with the little wannabe thugs there, well...Sinta reached over to get a straw, and the kid next to him full on pushed his hand away to grab one for himself. How rude! Don't kids have manners anymore, or did they leave them at home? And what's with the girls wearing tanks and such? Aren't they cold? They look silly crossing their arms and shivering. And how about the Asian kid who got a tight perm so that he can have an 'fro? Like I told Sinta tonight, I could write a thousand-word essay about this topic, but you all lucked out. I won't do it.

The Europe Trip

Check out Sinta's blog for updates on our Europe trip. He has been doing a wonderful job in keeping everyone updated. I'll be posting more stories later. Thanks, Baby.

Wala Lang...

Sinta and I are at the Apple Store in Stonestown. We're supposed to be Christmas shopping, but we decided to take a pit stop at the Powerbooks to check our blogs. Just kidding...

Not Ready for Christmas

There are 12 more days till Christmas, and the only thing we've done so far is decorate the Christmas tree. We're not going to stress about it because everything can be done before then, right? Grrr. I have yet to make a Christmas card list, and a gift list. I am afraid that I have influenced Sinta with my holiday procrastination.

I'm only working for one and a half days this week, and it sucks because it means less hours. Great timing before the holidays, yeah? Double grrr.

Yesterday, Sinta and I went Stanford Shopping Center for an attempt to do some Christmas shopping. We ended up walking around aimlessly because 1) we didn't have our lists, much less make one, and 2) it was cold! It's an outdoor mall. We saw a girl wearing a micro-mini. Hello?! Aren't you cold? I seriously think some girls have this notion that they can only look cute in less clothes. You can bundle up and still look cute. It did help that the mall wasn't bustling with holiday shoppers. Our tummies got the best of us, and we had lunch at "Gourmet Franks" for kielbasa. Not exactly bratwurst, but it did hit the spot.

We then decide to go to Hillsdale Mall. Maybe we could get more shopping ideas there. We reminded ourselves that we were shopping for our friends and family, and not for us. Ironically, we brought home two bottles of beaujolais.

Okay, it is seriiously time to making a Christmas gift list.

Paris--Day Three

Sacre Coeur
Originally uploaded by Rho.

My feet's sore. My lower back aches. My eye lids are heavy. My body's tired. Part of it is due ot jet lag. Another part is due to the walking and sightseeing we've done so far.

This morning, after our breakfast of croissants, hard-boiled eggs, mixed fruit, juice, and coffee, Sinta, his dad, and I headed out. It was a beautiful, clear day. We took the Metro to Montmartre to see Sacre Coeur. The basilica is on top of hill--the highest point in Paris, if I'm not mistaken. You can either walk a long flight of stairs, or you can opt to take the tram up. We opted for the latter, since our one-week Metro passes worked there. Just the ride up was breathtaking. There are more steps that lead to the basilica. Besides Notre Dame, it's been more than a year since I last stepped inside a church. It was comforting. It was also eerie at the same time. I couldn't help but think of notable persons who passed through this church, and the significant events that occured over a course of more than a century. We were able to catch part of the mass. The Cardinal was about to give the Communion. Along the perimeter of the church are small chapels for different saints. On the undersurface of the rotunda, above the altar, is a mosaic of Jesus and the Apostles. The detail of the images and the use of the different shades of colors were truly extraordinary.

At the Top
Originally uploaded by Rho.

Sinta and I exited the church to walk around it, and on the left side there is an entrance to the crypts. Now, when I think of crypts, I think of tombs and the like. I was reluctant to go because it seemed that the stairs led to a basement. Scary. Sinta persuaded me to go. Actually, crypts are the arches and domes of an architectural structure, namely churches. To get to the highest dome, we had to climb up this tight spriral staircase. And climb, we did! It seemed to go on forever--everytime I looked above me, there were more steps. I thought I was going to pass out from dizziness, but we finally made it to the top, and boy, was it worth the climb! The view of Paris below was beautiful. Simply breathtaking. No words can really describe what I saw up there--I was in awe at the beauty, and the sheer size, of this city. There were great photo ops for Sinta to take, and he wasted no time at all in taking photos. We could've spent a whole day up there.

Us in Montmartre
Originally uploaded by Rho.

After visiting the church, we walked around one of the artsy neighborhoods in Montmartre. Later that afternoon, the three of us met up with Sinta's mom at Galeries Lafayette on the Right Bank. For some reason, Sinta and I thought that this place was a mall. Between us and our taxi driver who drove us from the airport into Paris, something was lost in translation. This place is not a mall. It's a huge, high end 8-story department store. Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus have nothing on it. On top of that, there's a fancy little food court, as well as a complete deli and grocery store. It was crowded with holiday shoppers. It was time to call it an afternoon, and we all went to the food court for an early dinner.

Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Paris--Day One

Before Sinta and I left for our trip, I really didn't know what to expect once we got there. Little did we know what was in store for us on the first day. As you may have read in Sinta's blog, we weren't able to meet up with his parents on the first day. It was stressful! We were both tired, hungry, and worried. After being at the airport for six hours, we took the chance and took a cab into the city--a foreign city that we both have never been to, and on top of that, we don't speak the language. I clutched the little piece of paper that had the name and address of the hotel we were headed to, and handed it to our taxi driver. Sinta and I could only hope that his parents were at the same hotel. We arrived at the hotel with our fingers crossed, only to learn that Sinta's parents weren't there. He walked down the block to the nearest phone booth to make the necessary phone calls while I sat in the hotel lobby with our luggage. I took out my journal to keep my self occupied.

...I don't know what time it is, but it's already dark. Sinta and I are in a perplexing situation. I'm sitting in the lobby of the Le Jardin Hotel, hoping that Sinta's parents will walk through. Sinta's about a block down from here making a phone call back home...Our flight was delayed. We circled around the airport for hours. Tired, hungry, and sleepy, we decided to take a chance and go to the hotel we thought we had reservations at. Little did we know that there are more than one Le Jardin hotel in Paris...November 28, 2004

Yes, more than one. Le Jardin is just a "prefix" for the complet hotel name. For example, we were at Le Jardin de Cluny. We found the Yellow Pages and looked up the hotel listings for any Le Jardin hotel. Unlike here where the names are listed in alphabetical order, the names are listed by districts, and Paris has twenty! We called all of the Le Jardins in the Latin Quarter (the 5th district) before we started calling down the list of the hotels in our district. Mind you, we didn't get past about five phone calls before we gave up and succumbed to jetlag.

New Look

I thought I'd change my skin again. I was growing tired of the previous one, and honestly, I wasn't inspired to blog anymore. This new one needs more work, but I hope you guys like it.

We're Back...

I guess I have to make my appearance now. Sinta and I came back from Europe late Sunday night. Being at airports and in transit for 24 hours is no fun at all. I was supposed to be due back at work yesterday, but I called in sick. I ended up sleeping for 16 hours--from 3 pm yesterday to 7 am today. Now I'm back at work, and feeling fine.

I have so much to write about, but I don't know where to start. I guess you guys can start with Sinta's blog. In the meantime, I'll try to get my body back to California time, and straighten out my appetite. And stay tuned for what happens next after "Day One".

The Night Before...

Well, I'm done packing for our trip. I was good this time--I didn't have to unpack anything. Sinta's packing right now. Now we're stressed about what to bring on the plane to keep ourselves preoccupied. I think the whole plane ride will be about 12 hours. I shouldn't be online right now--we have some last minute errands to run.

"It's On, Girl!"

Sinta and I just got back from Dave and Buster's for dessert and for some fun and games. After enjoying a slice of New York cheesecake, we headed to the midway to play some basketball to work off some calories. At first it was just Sinta and I at the baskets, then a couple of guys came over, and then another girl. We usually don't link our games with other players, but we were linked with the other girl. Sinta and I play for fun; we don't get too competitive. I usually don't get competitive with other players, but that girl...she kept beating me. I thought, "Oh, man. It's on!" I don't know what it was about her, but I just had to beat her. It was me against her, but no matter what I did, she would beat me by a few points. There were times when we were tied by the time the shot clock was up, but at the final score, she made the 3-pointer. No! Sinta obligingly swiped the card so that we can play again, and again...and again. It was hot, my arm was getting sore, but I couldn't quit! I cursed my long fingernails that ruined my shots. I wondered if she played ball at school, but she made some granny throws at the basket. All this crap was running through my head until I realized that I should be focusing on my shots and the basket. I could've gone on until I beat her ass at that game, but the only thing that stopped me was when we ran out of credit on our card. Sinta and I ran to the kiosk to load the card, but by the time we got back to the baskets, the girl was gone. Dammit!

We saw her on our way out. I should've pulled her aside, and said, "Me and you. Next week. Same time. Same place."

My To-Do List Before Thanksgiving

1. Do laundry.
2. But travel-size toiletry items.
3. Pack for the trip.
4. Unpack what I don't need.
5. Bills.
6. Update my address book.
7. Get through Thanksgiving.

Remember Tinkerbell Makeup?

...I think it's Tinkerbell...but what I do remember is that on this children's makeup, there's a picture of a fairy. I had a set when I was about 3 or 4 years old. I'm not sure how I remembered it, but I tried to Google the name the other day, and nothing came up except for a girl who made references to it. If I'm not mistaken, Bath & Body Works carried it for a short while.

Anyway, I'm just wondering if anyone knows what I'm talking about, or if I'm just imagining things.

I Know You're Stressed Out, But...

It has been a crazy here at the office today. All day long, the people who have been coming in the office are in some kind of a rush. They ask me questions about their situation, and I'll explain. And then they don't listen to me that I end up getting yelled at, and a senseless "discussion" ensues. They expect me to help them all at the same time, and I get the stink eye when they think I'm just sitting pretty on my ass. Hey, I'm not Superwoman. I have a ton of paperwork to do before my vacation (which I was supposed to finish last week, but couldn't because my in-box seems to be bottomless). On top of that, I haven't even packed yet--that's because I have loads of laundry to do. The closest thing I've done to preparing for this trip is taking out my passport.

Maybe I'm the one that's stressed out, not the people around me. Wait, I take that back. In light of all this mad rush, I had lunch with Sinta during my break. I swear, people are going to get hurt out there. At Quizno's, a guy was pulling the door to come inside, and this guy leaving just full on pushed the door, shoved the guy backwards, and walked out. And then, this elderly couple was walking in an empty parking space when this lady just pulls into the space, nearly missing the couple.

And so, I've come to learn that I should just take things one step at a time. Make a list. Rho + rushing = a very crabby girl. Just ask Sinta. He knows. The holidays shouldn't be about stress. It's about enjoying the moment, enjoying your time with your family and your loved ones.

One Year and a Day Later...

After a night on the town on the Saturday of our anniversary, Sinta and I went to a 49ers game on Sunday. It was our first time to see a live football game, and my first time to go to Candlestick Park. I don't know how to begin to describe the experience. First of all, the weather was beautiful. It was actually kind of warm. I was warm in my red sweatshirt. Yes, red...I had to represent even if the team sucks this year. Our seats were actually pretty good, and we were able to see everyting. We were more entertained by the spectators in the stadium rather than the actual game itself. The two guys sitting directly behind us were obnoxious. They made fun of everyone they saw, like the young couple who were wearing the wrong team jerseys. I guess that was to be expected, but they kept kicking our seats and they even spit into our popcorn bucket. And then there were the three girls who were barely fifteen years old, walking around exposing their mid-drifts, wearing their homemade "Go Niners!" caps worn to the side. At one point, they passed in front of our seats, and one of them pointed at a woman's face and laughed hysterically at her. What was that about? According to one of the girls sitting behind us, those three girls from the suburbs shared one cup of beer, and they were already buzzin'. Or so they thought they were. Kids, I tell ya!

We left at the third quarter with the 49ers leading. We assumed the game was over, and the sun was making me sleepy anyway. Maybe I was tired, too, from the day before. At any rate, we missed a good game as the Panthers took the lead to win the game.

I'm sure it's no big surprise to you that your
romance is The Princess Bride. A heartwarming
tale of "Twue Wuve" that has giants,
Spainards and swashbuckling. You really do
think that love can overcome anything. You may
be a touch naive but your heart is certainly in
the right place. You've probably got one of
those relationships where proper nouns have
been replaced with "Snookums" and
"Pookie Pie". Eww. Beware a cuteness
overload.


What Romance Movie Best Represents Your Love Life?
brought to you by Quizilla

Check This Out!

Wackiness: 60/100
Rationality: 72/100
Constructiveness: 48/100
Leadership: 70/100


You are a WRDL--Wacky Rational Destructive Leader. This makes you a Enemy of the State.

You are charismatic and winning and a very dangerous enemy. You favor justice over compassion, and would almost rather see your opponent fail than you succeed.

You impact the lives of those around you more than any other personality. People remember your name and respect you. You are a tremendous amount of fun to be around and astonishing to watch. You are generally abstinent in your habits, and you like things tidy and ordered.

When picking teams, it is smartest for others to pick yours.

Of the 59514 people who have taken this quiz since tracking began (8/17/2004), 1.5 % are this type.

Whatever...

Have you ever had the urge to blog, and then when you're actually in front of the computer screen, your mind goes blank? And even when you do type something, it doesn't come out the way you want it to. Well, that's what happened to me just now. Oh, well...I have an unworthy draft post tucked away in blogger that needs to be cleaned up before I post it.

Anyway, have a great weekend!!

How To Select a Cheesecake

Having a long list of sinfully delectable cheesecake flavors can be a cheesecake lover's dream. Selecting just one flavor can be a nightmare. Decisions, decisions...When Sinta and I were at The Cheesecake Factory on Saturday, we had a difficult time choosing one out of the 35 flavors. So how do you select a flavor with your significant other? Here's how Sinta and I broke down the selection process:

1. Pick a Number From 1 to 35. I asked Sinta to select a number between 1 and 35 (for the 35 flavors of cheesecake). We mutually picked a number, counted out loud down the list, and stopped at the cheesecake flavor that corresponded to our number. Well, flavor didn't sound appealing, so...

2. I Pick Five and You Pick Five. Sinta suggested we each pick out five flavors from the menu, and if we pick the same one, then that's the one we'll order. The five I chose were rich in chocolate, while Sinta's choices were classic and simple. So...

3. Increase the Probability. Sinta then suggested that we each pick a flavor from the other's list, and then select two from our own. If we select the same one, that's the one we'll order. Finally, the common flavors we picked were tiramisu and fresh strawberry.

4. Row Sham Bow. We decided to junk and apo for the final flavor--Sinta's fresh strawberry cheesecake versus my tiramisu cheesecake. And Sinta won.

I think it took us longer to decide which cheesecake to order than actually eating the cheesecake itself. That's okay. It was worth the wait.

One Year Later...

I called Sinta earlier on the phone, and I asked him, "What are you doing?".

"Blogging," he said. "What are you doing?"

"Blogging," I answered. We both learned that we were blogging about last Saturday, our anniversary. We agreed to blog about it on our own blogs anyway, seeing that Sinta would give a quick summary, and I would provide the details. Well, I just took a quick peak at his blog to see if he finished his post. And well, I couldn't have descibed the day better!

We had such a wonderful day together. Despite the fact that Sinta told me about the surprise earlier than he had planned, it was still a surprise. I've never been to the Curran Theatre before, and I've never seen Irving Berlin's "White Christmas". I have to mention that San Francisco was chosen to be the show's premiere site. "White Christmas" is about two military friends who put on a show at a Vermont inn, while, at the same time, finding their loves of their lives. The show was entertaining with lots of laughter and music and dancing. It made for a wonderful, wonderful theatrical experience. Oh, and you have to watch out for Raquel Castro, the little girl who plays Susie in the show (she also played the girl in "Jersey Girl", according to the playbill). Such an animated little thing with a strong singing voice. I say she has a bright future ahead of her. And I will agree with Sinta--"White Christmas" is now a new favorite.

The night didn't stop there. We were hungry, so we decided to grab a bite at Lori's Diner. It's conveniently located across the street from the side of the theatre and literally right next door from the hotel. There's nothing like greasy food at 10:30 at night. With my order of tuna melt on sourdough and Sinta's chilli cheese fries, we were satisfied.

What a day!

But it doesn't stop there...

More to come...

Can I Go Home Yet?

It must be the overcast sky and the rain that make me feel lazy. Lasagna and a slice of chocolate cake will chase the blahs away.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

It's cold outside, and the clouds looming overhead are a menacing gray--rain is expected for the Bay Area tonight. Oh, how I miss the warm and sunny summer days. That's okay, because I can look forward to:

1. Hot chocolate in the morning
2. Sinta's lasagna dinners
3. Blockbuster nights
4. Egg nog
5. Snowboarding
6. Thanksgiving
7. Christmas
8. Curling up with a good book on a rainy afternoon

Sinta and I are going to Europe in a couple of weeks. Traditionally, before a big trip, I'd be packed by now. I'm not even close. On my to-do list before we go:

1. Visit my optometrist and get a new contact lens Rx. I was thinking about getting new glasses instead, but I want my peripheral vision when I see the Eiffel Tower.
2. Find my passport. Sinta, don't worry. I know where it is.
3. Pack and then unpack the things I don't need. Sinta has limited me to a small suitcase.

Upper Deck of the Bay Bridge

Weekend Update

Upper Deck of the Bay Bridge
Originally uploaded by Rho.

It's not even seven o'clock yet, and I've already eaten dinner and washed the dishes. Ever since we turned the clocks back, we've been eating dinner a little earlier than usual because it's already dark out and it feels late in the night. It's a good thing--I have more time to do things before bedtime...it really is fall.

Yesterday afternoon, I visited Sinta at work. I had to cross the Bay Bridge via the lower deck. I was hoping that my claustrophobia wouldn't kick in, but sure enough, it did. It has no mercy when I drive along the lower deck. Driving on the upper deck is no problem. At least I can see the sky.

I finished crocheting a beanie earlier today. It took several hours to do--not in one sitting, of course. It's a tad too big for my head; otherwise, it doesn't look too bad for my first beanie. I may use it as a size gauge for future beanies until I find a better pattern. Next project: Sinta's beanie.

Orange Tree
originally uploaded by Rho.

I forgot how crowded Wal-Mart gets during the weekends. I was there this afternoon to buy cleaning supplies, and boy, was it crazy! People blocking aisles with their carts, kids screaming for candy, employees making chismis, people playing bumper carts with the brand new carts...I almost left my cart to go to Target. I've spent much of my time there already that I decided not to. Once I found all of the things I needed, I went in line. As I was about to place my stuff on the belt, I remembered that I forgot the vacuum bags. Great. So, I stepped out of the line, ran to the vacuum aisle, grabbed the bags, and ran back to the line and waited for another ten minutes. The whole experience tested my patience. So did the short traffic lights along my route from the house to the store and vice versa. It didn't help that people were driving 15 mph down a 35 mph street. Just my luck, huh? So while I was waiting at a long light, I took a picture of a tree changing colors.

Stich & Stich
originally uploaded by Rho.

I had to post this picture...Sinta and I are starting a Stitch collection. Aren't they cute?

Weekend Plans

This is going to be a Sinta-less weekend. I'm not used to it. I don't even remember the last full weekend I've spent without him. I'm waiting for my arroz caldo to heat up, and "Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion" is on TV. In Sinta's words, "Oh, boy..." Regardless of the situation, I've geared myself up for the weekend. After work, I went straight to Borders to buy a GRE reviewer, and then I went to Michaels to buy more yarn for my crochet projects.

The other night, Sinta and I attended an orientation at UCSF regarding a certain Masters program. Long story short, it has enlightened us more about the field and program itself . I'm psyched about it, and when certain relatives hear about what Masters program I'm planning to take, well...they're never going to believe it because I've argued against it in the past. Oh well. Hwag kang magsalita ng tapos. What I can say is that my experience at my current job isn't all for nothing. First things first, though. I'm going to review for the GRE as exams are coming up in March. Synonyns, antonyms, algebra, oh my. I also need to have my transcripts evaluated because I earned my Bachelors in the Philippines. In addition, Sinta and I plan to do some volunteer work. These are just some of the requirements for the program. It feels good that I'm actually doing something, like reviewing for the GRE, for instance. I'm actually doing something.

I spent at least an hour at Michaels looking for things related to crocheting. I spent a greater part of that time looking at how-to books (I can't read crochet instrunction for the life of me). After looking at several books, I chose a very useful one that has clear crochet stich directions and directions on how to read crochet instructions! Picking the color and texture of yarn is more difficult than I thought. Currently, I'm finishing up a scarf, and now I'm planning to make Sinta's beanie, and another scarf. Selecting a color of the beanie was hard because I had to picture the color on Sinta's head. I thought it was kinda embarassing walking up and down the aisle, placing yarn bundles in the basket only to put them back because I couldn't decide on what I want. Apparently, I wasn't the only one. There were two other girls doing the same thing. They must be beginners as well. I also got a simple canvass bag to hold the yarn and stuff. Sinta gets to decorate it.

Halloween Part 3

Sinta and I went to his parents house first. We had dinner then gave out candy to the kiddies. Nerds was a hit among them. Afterwards, we headed to Cole Valley where there's a street blocked from traffic. Talk about festive! All of the houses were decked with Halloween decor. Black and orange streamers, ghosts and spiders hung from trees. There was even a white screen hanging from a tree showing a "Frankenstein" movie being projected from one of those old school reel-to-reel projectors. There were a lot of trick-or-treaters, as well as other people like us just enjoying the sights and sounds, From observation, SpiderMan was the costume.

If you want to experience a less-than-innoncent Halloween, go to the Castro. It was my first time there, and it was interesting, to say the least. Aside from the smell of cigarettes and weed in the air (parents, don't bring your babies!), I enjoyed looking at the costumes. Some wore costumes that spoke of their political views--we saw the Twin Towers with anti-Bush statements written on them. A couple was dressed as "paradise"--they each wore a die costume. My favorite one was the girl who was dressed as Uma Thurman's character in "Pulp Fiction". She had on the white blouse and black pants with a syringe sticking out of her chest. That was a good one. One costume that was overdone was The Bride's yellow jumpsuit in "Kill Bill". Another played out costume was Britney Spears' school girl outfit. I think it's just an excuse for young girls to dress all skanky. Sorry.

I was looking forward to posting pictures from the Castro, but unfortunately, our camera was acting goofy. Sorry...

These Dreams

Miss A and I are at Wal-Mart. She asks me to wait for her outside as she runs in. Once she's done running her errand, we were to go the mall for some birthday shopping. I get bored waiting for her. I happen to have her car keys, and I decide to teach myself how to drive stick. I jump into Miss A's car and start the engine. I try to remember what Sinta taught me when we were practicing in Mililani. It shouldn't be hard. I proceed to drive around the huge parking lot, shifting from first gear to second, not going faster than 10 mph. All of a sudden, I get confused, and I mistaken the brake pedal for the clutch and vice versa. All I hear is screeching. I slowly make my way around the lot, and finally roll the car--stripped gears, jacked up transmission and all--into a parking space I see Miss A waiting for me. She's giving me a dirty look as I'm sweating bullets. I know I'm in trouble.

**********

I've been on Sinta's laptop all day. He's at work, and I've been trying to keep myself preoccupied. I see the battery icon flashing on the upper right hand side. It says, "4%", so I run to the room to charge the laptop. I struggle with the cords. I don't know what port to plug them in. The icon continues to flash to the countdown of the laptop's demise: "...3%...2%..." I panic...It's too late. I've lost all of Sinta's information stored on that laptop. Palms sweating, I pick up my cell and call him up to admit my mistake. He scolds me for it, but that's when I realize that he backs up his data daily on the external hard drive (no, he doesn't do that in real life)...

I told Sinta and Miss A about the dreams I had about them. Both said the same thing: It seems that, subconsciously, I'm worried that I disappoint people with the things I do, or with the things I don't do. I guess; I don't know. These kinds of dreams are recurring, though. I don't know what to make of them. Maybe I am subconsciously worried about what other's expectations are of me. Maybe these dreams are just a collection of what I see and hear during my waking hours. Well, whatever it is, they're just dreams.

Halloween Weekend Part 2

Saturday...
By noon, we were in the City. Sinta took me to Tennessee Grill on Taraval for some family-style breakfast. We sat at the bar, and this time, no one drove us away. Sinta ordered ham and eggs. I ordered a mushroom omellette. Our orders were accompanied with hash brown and toast. I was so hungry by the time our plates arrived that my eyes were already satisfied with the size of our portions. They were mother cow huge!

Afterwards, we headed to the Haight for some shoe shopping. I ended up not buying anything, although there were a couple of cute shoes that caught my eye. The highlight of the Haight visit was when Sinta and I got to use our art skills to paint on this huge canvass that was put up by this guy. According to him, he and his roommate were bored, so they decided to put up a blank piece of canvass for passerbyers to paint on. Talk about an idea! The canvass was filled with all sorts of colorful pictures and sayings. Each one was very unique--it represented the artist's culture and background. The guy will forward a picture of the painting for those that left their email addresses, which we did. It should be interesting to see.

We ended the night with a lychee ice cream sundae courtesy of Swenson's, and then for some hot chocolate at Caffe Greco. The last time I was there was when Sinta and I were on our second date. We were young then...just kidding. Anyway, we were able to get a prime table next to the window where we could see people walking up and down the street in their costumes. One costume that was played out was Britney Spears' schoolgirl get-up.

The costumes were just a teaser for what's to come at the Castro...

It's Not That Difficult If You Read and Listen

I called the Registrar of Voters office this morning to check my registration status. After being on hold for about ten minutes, someone comes on the line and asks for my name. I spell out my last name, and then my first name. She misspells it. I spell it for her again. I think she's dyslexic because she kept switching letters around. I spell it again for the third time.

Office: Sorry, you're not registered. I don't see your name here.
Me: I sent out my registration on the 18th.
O: Well, we didn't receive it. I'll check again.

She spells my name out loud, incorrectly. I correct her. She insists that I'm not registered, and then proceeds to tell me that I can still vote if I go to their office, obtain a certain document, get a judge's signature, go back to them, and then vote. I don't think so.

I called them back, and this time, I spoke to someone who was more friendly, and didn't misspell my name, and actually pronounced it. She found it and told me where my polling place is. See? It's not that hard.

Is my name really that difficult? From grades 2 to 4, my teacher and school principal insisted that my last name ends with an "o". My mom had to go to the school to personally change the "o" to an "a". If I got a dollar for every teacher over the years who mispronounced or misspelled my name, I'd be a rich girl. At Safeway, a lot of the cashiers either mispronounce my last name, or not attempt to pronounce it at all. "Thank you, Miss uhhh..... Have a nice day." I'll give you credit if you at least try.

Come on now...

***Don't Forget To Vote Today!!***

Halloween Weekend Part I

Friday...
Lost Appetites. After work, Sinta and I headed out to the Great Mall for dinner and a movie. We planned to watch "The Grudge", but instead, we opted for "Ray". Our choices of restaurants were fairly limited, but we settled for burgers at Johnny Rockets. The place was packed. We seat ourselves at the end of the bar. A couple of minutes later, the manager approaches us and condescendingly says, "It will be ten minutes before I get to you. It may be faster if you sit at a table." Okay...the tables are dirty, but we seat ourselves anyway. Right then, a couple of women come in, and seat themselves at the bar where we were previously at, and before our table was even cleared, the manager serves them their drinks. WTF? Talk about messed up. We couldn't figure out if he was being racist, or if he mistakened us for being rowdy kids. Throughout our meal, we tried to get him to look our way, but he never did. He never passed by our table. Oh, we were peeved the whole time. Sinta contemplated whether or not we should write a letter to his higher ups, or just approach him. After we paid for our meal, Sinta had a little talk with him. To make a long story short, the manager wasn't aware of his actions, and seemed sincere with his apology. Apparently, he was training a new crew, and I guess he was just stressed out on a busy night. He didn't know to rectify what he did to us--tried to offer free shakes and such, but we just wanted to bring the mistake to his attention. I guess, approaching him was a good idea. It gave him a chance to tell us his side. It would've been unfair to write a letter to his manager without hearing his side. In the letter, we could've mentioned that his unkempt hair was without a hair net in the kitchen, or that he had a hickey strategically placed on his neck (all were true). Who knows what may happen to him if we did...

"Ray". Ray has got to be the best movie I've seen this year. Up until its opening night, movie critics have been giving this movie props, vocally indicating the Jamie Foxx should get the Oscar nod. I was pretty skeptical about the reviews, but after seeing the movie, I couldn't agree with them more. Foxx's performance is so convincing, from the way he talks to the way he walks, that you forget he is Jamie Foxx. Ray Charles' colorful life is brilliantly told; scenes from his childhood are juxtaposed throughout this biopic without confusing the viewer. "Ray" is worth the nine dollars, and is definitely a must for the DVD collection.

Where's the Moon?

I missed the lunar eclipse last night. I thank Mother Nature and timing for that one. I was watching the six o'clock news, and the meteorologist said that the Bay Area should get a clear view of it...except maybe for the South Bay where it's cloudy. Sinta called me, and asked if I saw it, since he caught a glimpse of it on his way to work. Like a little kid, I grabbed my jacket, the phone still to my ear, and ran out the door. Of course, I didn't see anything because the trees were in the way.

A little later, I head out the door to La Bamba, a taqueria about two blocks away, to get myself a chicken burrito for dinner. If I drive out, I may get to see the moon. With the burrito safely on the passenger seat, I back out of the parking lot and take a different route home. I was able to see the light of the moon behind a thin veil of clouds, but not the eclipse.

Oh, well. At least I got to see my grilled chicken burrito made with grace and flair, as if it was some kind of art form. And I watched the Red Sox win the World Series. That was good enough.

Did You Leave Your Manners At Home?

At work, I usually take the stairs to the office, but today, I took the elevator. As the door was about to open to my floor, I stepped forward. The elevator door opened. "Excuse us," the man said, helping his wife who was using a cane. I looked up, and the elderly couple barged in before I could get out. My goodness! At first, I excused their actions since they're seniors. But then again, there is such a thing as elevator ettiquette, as with train/cable car/subway ettiquette. I see it on Muni and BART. Shouldn't it be that you wait for the people to get off the elevator/train/cable car/subway before you get on? What's the rush, people?

How Did That Get There?

The other morning, as I was making the bed, I noticed these reddish-brown smudges on the sheet. I started thinking, Oh, crap. Did I cut myself?, and I checked myself to see if I did cut myself. Nope. Upon further inspection of the sheet, I discovered that an M&M Mini found its way into the bed. I guess, while I was moving around in my sleep, I smudged it all over the sheet. How the M&M got there, I don't know. What I do remember is that I was putting together Sinta's M&M Mini's dispenser, and I accidently dispensed some M&Ms onto the floor. Don't ask me how it got to the bed...

How To Spend a Rainy Day

Yesterday was a good day. I didn't sleep in this time since Sinta suggested we start the day early. It has been a while since we ate out for breakfast, and when we do, we usually head out for one of our favorite places, the Millbrae Pancake House. Miraculously, we left the house before 10am (and on a Saturday, mind you!). It was gray and wet out, and there was nothing better than pancakes and french toast to cure the fall weather blah. The restaurant is usually packed, but when we got there we were seated right away. Almost always do we get the same server. I like her. She's like the Filipino auntie who calls you "hon", and takes care of you. Sinta ordered french toast and an over easy egg on the side, and I had my blueberry pancakes and coffee. Mmm, talk about fluffy, piping hot pancakes! That breakfast hit the spot. When we left the restaurant, a crowd was already forming. We just missed it.

Afterwards, we drove to Serramonte Mall for a little shopping. I'm on a mission to find a pair of pants that will actually fit me. I go through this all the time: I'll find a few pairs that are cute, and they either a) don't fit at the waist, b) don't fit at the hips, or c) are too long. It will literally take me a whole day to find a pair that will fit. Needless to say, after trying out several pairs, I walked away without one. Go figure. We didn't leave empty handed, though. I bought a blouse and a scarf, and Sinta bought Trivial Pursuit: Star Wars Edition.

Later in the day, Sinta and I went to a craft store nearby to buy yarn for my crochet project. That store is usually dead, but it was crowded; there was a sale going on. There wasn't a big selection of yarn to choose from. I picked the cheapest and plainest yarn there, since I figured that I'd be practicing anyway. Sinta chose an even prettier kind of yarn--the soft kind that you would use to make a baby blanket. He selected the colors pink and white. If I'm going to make something, I might as well make it pretty, right?

Yum Yum Good!
originally uploaded by Rho.

For dinner, we stayed in and cooked chicken curry. Sinta didn't follow any particular recipe, and instead, played it all by ear. Aside from the chicken breast, bell pepper, and bamboo shoots, this dish included butternut squash, and garnished with green onions. The flavorful blend of the curry paste and coconut milk made for a wonderful, creamy dish, which was served over rice. I slowly savored every spoonful...it was that good!

To burn off the calories, Sinta and I played several rounds of basketball...as in NBA Street on Xbox. We made up our own players and teams, and we're trying to develop them. It's always fun to play because we don't know who's going to win the game. We played until my thumbs got sore.


Now That It's Not Raining...

The sun is finally peaking out. I kind of wish it was still raining...don't ask me why. Sinta's at work today. Earlier this morning, I cleaned the apartment, vacuumed and all that good stuff. I can't believe I spent the greater part of the morning blogging.

This afternoon will be devoted to crocheting and watching reruns of "Surreal Life".

FALL PROJECT

During some down time at work this afternoon, I was flipping through this month's Martha Stewart's "Kids". I came across a "how-to" article for all sorts of activities that kids can do. The section about crocheting caught my eye.

Now, I grew up with crocheted doilies and what not around our house. When I was very young, my mom spent her spare time crocheting doilies, pillow cases, and throws. Some of her pieces were so elaborate that she would soak them in a starch bath to "stiffen" the ruffles and various layers so that they would stand up perfectly, bringing out the intricacy of her work.

I was in the third grade when she taught me how to crochet my first chain. From there, I learned how to make a simple pot holder, and patches for a throw. I even crocheted a bootie for my teddy bear. It ended up being too big, so I made a chain for a strap, and it became a little bag instead.

That was the last time I crocheted...

Then last year, I made a trip to Wal-Mart and bought some yarn and a crochet hook. I was brave enough to attempt to crochet a scarf. How hard could it be? Mom taught me, and I still remember how to do it. Or so I thought. After stitching several rows of the scarf, it began to buckle, as if I were crocheting the stitiches too tight. I wasn't, though. I unraveled the yarn and started all over again. Still, the result was the same. Frustrated, I gave up. Maybe it was my pride, but I didn't even bother to check if my stiches were correct.

So, this afternoon, I studied the how-to diagrams, and I found my mistake--my single crochet stitch was all wrong. Okay, so I did forget how to do it. I xeroxed the diagrams and instructions on how to make a scarf and a beanie. A trip to the craft store tomorrow, it is. I have myself a new project.

Rain, Rain, and Rain

Welcome Back, Fall...
Originally uploaded by Rho.

The first storm of the season arrived Monday night. It seemed like it was all everyone talked about. This'll be a strong one. It will be stronger than the strongest storms in January. It wasn't that bad. For some reason, it was comforting for me to know that rain was coming. I slipped into the comfort mode of wanting to stay in, all curled up on the couch reading a good book, and sipping creamy hot chocolate while the rain drummed softly against the roof. That would be nice...

South Bay Rain,
originally uploaded by Rho.

Tuesday morning, I was greeted with torrential rain and gusty winds. Did I mention that it was cold? I figured I could leave the house without a rain jacket, thinking that I could run the short distance to my car without totally getting wet. Who was I kidding? I had to dig my jacket out from deep inside my closet. Driving to work, I thought to myself, Well, it's officially 'blah season'. I may be enjoying it now, but I'll be craving for the summer weather very soon. It sounds depressing and cold, but it got me thinking about rain in other places besides the ucky Bay Area rain.

Provincial Rain,
originally uploaded by Rho.

I remember when I was still in the Philippines, the rain in the province came without warning. It would be hot and humid out, and I could see the storm clouds out in the distance. It was hard to predict when it would rain because the rain clouds swept in so swiftly before you could blink an eye. That's why the farmers would sweep up their piles of palay, or rice grains, that they were drying, or the leaves of tobacco drying when they saw rain clouds off in the horizon. When that rain came, that rain fell hard. No drizzle or anything like that. Imagine raindrops as big as marbles pelting down on your skin. After about a minute or so, the initial downpour would transform into a gentle rainfall. I remember how the rain used to be so inviting. I wanted to take refuge in its coolness from the heat of the afternoon. I just felt old to be playing in the rain. One time, though, my bestest friends from college stayed at our house in Pangasinan for the weekend. It was raining one afternoon, and Febe, Noren and I decided to play in the rain. It was exhilerating! It was so out of the ordinary, but fun! You are never too old to play in the rain.

Hawaiian Showers,
originally uploaded by Rho.

Now, when I think of rain showers in Hawaii, I think of the deep, blue, Hawaiian sky, and the cotton clouds drifting softly beyond the distance. I remember feeling the cool sprinkle against my skin. When I'd look up, there would be no clouds above me. Other times, when it would rain, the sun would still be shining. And when there'd be a downpour, I knew it wouldn't last very long because, soon enough, the sun would peak out again to reveal a beautiful rainbow.


I have to pinch myself. I'm not in the province nor in Hawaii. Oh, well. I'm here in the South Bay, and I don't mind staying in from the cold rain.

THAT'S FLIPPIN' SWEET!!

The Red Sox did it! Ha! Ha!

RAIN AND BASEBALL

Last week must have been summer's final farewell. A storm came Monday night, dumping rain and bringing in gusty winds throughout the Bay Area. It rained all day yesterday and through the night. Despite the gray weather, it's pretty outside with the golden maple leaves strewn randomly on the sidewalks. The air is nippy and cold. It feels like Christmas. It's hard to wake up in the morning now, and when I'm at work, I just want to go home and sleep. I blame it on the weather.

It's almost five...I'm going home to eat pizza and watch Game 7 of the Red Sox-Yankees series with Sinta. I can't believe the Red Sox made it to Game 7. In the words of Napoleon Dynamite, it's flippin' sweet!

MIDWEEK MUSINGS

**Just when I thought the fall weather is officially here, Mother Nature does a 180. It will be in the 90s today. Fortunately for me, for the first time since we went to Arizona, my hair isn't frizzed out. Unfortunately for the fire crews up in Napa and Yolo counties, they're fighting wildfires. I can see the haze from here. The dry heat is making the environment conducive for grass fires. I guess this is summer's final farewell.

**Gas prices are still climbing. China and India are burning feul at an unprecedented rate. Nigeria is going through a strike, and they're fearful that rebels will attack the oil refineries; thus, increasing the price of crude oil. It doesn't help that California's increasing population is using more feul than the oil refineries can supply. Ouch. Will gas prices reach $3.00/gallon? I may have to buy an inexpensive bike at Wal-Mart. You'll see me going to work sporting helmet hair.

**Monday night, we were watched "Growing up Marsupial" on Animal Planet, and they featured young tasmanian devils and a wombat raised by surrogate human parents. I've grown a liking to the wombat. Isn't it cute? I'd like to adopt one.

**I still think that women have a higher threshold for pain than men do.

THE BETTER BAGEL

I managed to start the day early, so since I had some extra time on my hands before work started, I went to my favorite hole-in-the-wall bagel place called "The Better Bagel". I ordered my usual toasted onion bagel and a large coffee. What I like about this place is that the staff is very friendly. They take the time to ask how you are, and they remember "the usual" for the regular customers. This morning, one of the employees, after refilling the coffee pots, sat down with an old couple who were obviously regulars. He talked and joked with them for about a minute, and they were laughing. It was just nice to see that. Not only are they customer-oriented, but they're efficient with the orders as well.

I just thought this establishment is worth mentioning because there aren't that many neigborhood places that go out of their way to please their customers.

OUR FIELD TRIP TO THE CITY

Saturday was such a beautiful day that Sinta and I spent the day in the city. We had to get away from the drab, brown leaves of the shedding trees here in the South Bay. From green, the leaves turn yellow, then brown. Ain't nuthin' pretty about that. But on that day, the air was crisp, and the sky was clear. First on our list was Ocean Beach where we did a little roller blading up and down the beach. Afterwards, we drove down Clement for some dim sum, char siu bao, and sesame balls. Yummm! After chowing down on that sinful, little feast, we went to the Legion of Honor. I can't even remember the last time I went to a museum, and Sinta and I have been talking about going to a museum for some time now. Anyway, we were able to catch the Mayan exhibit. We viewed the other collections as well, but I can only take so much of the renaissance paintings. It's so dark. And speaking of dark, check out Gottfried Helnwein's work. Outside the room, there's a sign that warns viewers that the exhibits may be disturbing. And boy, was it! Check it out for yourself. To end a fulfilling day, we had dinner at Ling Nam for some comfort food. Talk about a good day!

MAKING THE SWITCH

...Finally! I've been having DSL billing and connection problems with SBC. For the second time in three months, they've disconnected the DSL for no reason. Apparently, the residential and DSL departments aren't coordinating with each other--the DSL side didn't see the payments I've already made; thus, disconnecting the service. Calling them is a nightmare! This morning, I tried to call them to follow up on my two previous phone calls, only to be transferred back and forth between departments. After some thinking with Sinta, we decided to switch over to Comcast. I inquired with them, and they're so much more helpful than SBC. Sinta placed an order with Comcast, and I called back SBC. You know how other companies try to keep you as customers by offering good deals? Well, SBC didn't even try. Oh, well. Their customer service sucks anyway. And cable's better, too.

EARTHQUAKES, ALLERGIES, AND GAS

A 6.2 earthquake hit Luzon in the Philippines early this morning, or around 10:30pm Philippine time. When I found out about it this morning, I texted my folks to make sure they were okay. "Earthquake?" my dad said, "What earthquake?". Obviously, they're fine. The epicenter is about 100 miles southwest of Tagaytay City (south of Manila). In relation to the province where my family is from (Pangasinan), it's about a good 5 hour drive north of Tagaytay. There are no casualities or major damages as of yet. That's good. The Philippines does not need another calamity.

Here at home, fall is definitely in the air. I've been waking up to cold mornings and cloudy skies, and my allergies have been acting up these past few days...it's killing me.

Gas prices are up again. Here in the South Bay, it goes as high as $2.40/gallon for regular. In San Francisco, it's $2.59/gallon. Ouch...

SPOKENING IN DOLLARS

The last post unlocked a lot of memories for me from when I lived in the Philippines. Most were good, others were bad. Finishing up my last year of high school and attending college there opened my eyes to the prejudices some people have towards those who are from the States. Their negative whispers, comments, and actions helped me choose my friends carefully. It also helped me realize that it didn't matter what other people thought of me, and that I don't have to conform to their standards; but, at the same time, respect my Filipino culture and traditions.

The word "liberated" is so loosely used there, and used in the wrong context. Their definition basically means someone who's agressive speaks his/her mind, talks back to parents, girls who make the first move. You get the idea. Do you know how many times I've been labeled as such? Blame the blue passport I hold.

"Ay, Stateside pala 'to. Siguro liberated 'yan." ("Oh, she's from the States. She's probably "liberated".)

A lot of people already made up their minds as to who I was. They would talk about me like they already knew me. Some of my classmates in high school were intimidated to approach me. Others kissed my ass because they knew where I'm from. Some of the guys thought they could date me because I was "liberated". Yeah right. A guy in my class called me "cheap" because I wrote to a guy friend back in Hawaii. The reason why he called me that was because I mentioned that I wrote to my friend first since he didn't have my address in the Philippines. Translated in my classmate's mind was: "She's trying to date this guy and she made the first move! That is so unconservative!". Two things went through my mind. One, I wasn't even dating my friend; and two, I almost pounded my classmate's face in. I'll show him "liberated"! On the other hand, there were the kind-hearted few who helped me any way they could to get me adjusted to the new environment.

By the time I started college, I had learned enough Tagalog to carry on a conversation. I didn't tell people where I was from. They pretty much figured it out from my accent. They usually asked questions when my Tagalog was spoken with an American accent. Early on in college in our department, I met two kinds of people: those who called me suplada or a snob, and those who tried to be my friend (I could always see right through them). I could care less about them. But because our major was relatively small to the rest of the school in terms of the number of students enrolled, those in our major began to get to know each other better. That's how I found who my true friends were (and they still are...you know who you guys are!). There were no prejudices in that group of ours, and everyone was accepted, regardless of their background and experiences. They were a big part of my whole college experience.

I also had a group of friends who are Navy brats like me, and every Friday night, without fail, we'd all meet for dinner. At the time, Baguio City was small, so we'd see the same faces walking up and down Session Road. There was a time when we ran into the same group of girls at certain restaurants and coffee shops for about three consecutive Fridays. Of course, my friends and I were talking in English, as it is our first language. When the girls happened to be at the restaurant we were dining at, they'd give us side glances, talking amongst each other about us in Tagalog, saying things like, "Who do they think they are talking in English? They're so maarte. They're drawing attention to themselves." Blah, blah, blah. It's happened more than once, but we just ignored them each time. I think they assumed we couldn't understand or speak Tagalog. And then one night, we were in Dunkin' Donuts when the group of girls came in and sat next to us, talking smack about us. The b**tches made a very big mistake. One of us in the group said in Tagalog, "These girls are stupid enough to assume that we don't understand Tagolog that they're talking sh*t about us." Ha! Oh, did that feel good when they found out we could speak Tagalog!

It all just boils down to one thing, no matter how cliche it sounds, which is "Don't judge a book by it's cover". It goes for every person, for every culture.

THE CITY OF PINES

It's been a while since I thought about Baguio. It holds a lot of college memories. I heard that the city has grown--new malls, new restaurants, new bars. I wonder if the gang's old haunts are still there:

1. Cafe San Luis. Remember when this was still on Magsaysay before it moved to Session Road?
2. Gimbals. There's nuthin' like listening to live bands play.
3. Alberto's. Again, live bands.
4. Shadows. Lokeliko, oh, do I have stories to share!
5. Sizzling Plate. This is where my friends and I met every Friday.
6. Spirits. This was the only dance club in the city for the longest time. The club was inside an old Victorian house.
7. Don Henrico's

Can anyone update me?

YOU CARRY THE RELATIONSHIP

Today, my co-worker, Miss A, and I were talking about job searching on the internet when she told me a story of when she was at school looking for jobs for her boyfriend on the internet. A Filipino lady saw her, asked her what she was doing, then proceeded to ask her why she was helping her boyfriend. Enforcing her Filipino old school ways on Miss A, the lady said to her, "You shouldn't be helping him. He should be doing that himself." In other words, a woman isn't supposed to help out her man. Miss A then explained to her that when you're in a relationship you help each other out.

If you ask Miss A and me about the lady's comment, we'll tell you that's bullsh*t.

A couple of weeks ago, I caught an episode of Kris Aquino's show (a Tagalog talk show that airs in the Philippines) on KTSF. She had a panel of young, male celebrities on one side, and she had the female stars on the other. The show is usually about relationships, and the episode's topic was "Sino ba dapat ang magdadala sa relasyon?" Literally translated, it means "Who should 'carry' the relationship?" To me, it sounds more like, "Who should take charge and dominate the relationship?" Most of the guests argued that it should be the guy. And what? The girls are supposed to bow down and sit pretty? I mean, I understand the whole chivalry bit; but, when a girl actually does something to help in the relationship, be it paying for dinner and a movie, she is looked upon as being "aggresive" and "liberated", whatever the hell that means. Helping your man doesn't make you "agressive" or "liberated". Of course, this is in a Philippine setting, and not all couples are like that. I just hated seeing meek and weak girls in relationships. It takes two to make a relationship work.

WHERE WILL IT POP UP NEXT?!

Sinta and I were at a Halloween costume store looking at rubber skulls and cauldrons full of gross goodies when we found a pot full of little rubber mice. I stuck my hand in it, and I yelped. I hate mice! But my bro hates mice more than I do. With that in mind, Sinta and I bought a couple of rubber mice to plant around the apartment for Lokeliko. We couldn't stop giggling, finding places to hide them. We placed one on top of his shampoo bottle. Talk about a birthday greeting for him! We heard him drop something in the shower. When he came out, he was laughing. "That's not cool, you guys!" We placed the other one inside the coffee filters, and that got him good! Imagine being half asleep early in the morning, and you're trudging to the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee. You reach for the coffee filters and you find a mouse in it! I'd be yelling like a b**ch if that happened to me.

It didn't stop there, because what comes around goes around. The other night, while I was washing my face, I looked over at Sinta who was smiling and biting his lower lip. I thought he was just being cute. I continued with my routine, and when I looked down...crap! The rubber thing was sitting on top of the faucet. Scared the crap outta me! Then then this afternoon, while I was cooking, I had my back to the stove. When I turned around, I saw that hideous pink tail coming out from behind the tea kettle. I almost dropped the collander of pasta! It sucks now because we're walking on egg shells. Who knows where we'll see the next one.


Here are the rubber rodents. Check out that pink tail!



Yuck!!!

HALLOWEEN AND STAR WARS

It's almost time for us to add another month to our Blogger archives. The months are flying by so fast that that it will be Christmas before we know it. Before that, though, is Halloween. So, in the spirit of ghosts and goblins, we bought a spooky house of tealights.


Too cute to be scary...

Since Star Wars is back again, I think I'll be Yoda for Halloween. Dress like Yoda, I will.


Somewhere in there is Skywalker Ranch...

What do you think we'd get if we went trick-or-treating there?

MARY JANES UPDATE

Okay, so Sinta and I go back to Valley Fair to get my shoes. The store is actually Journeys For Kids, and I figured that I could get my size since it wouldn't be the first time I would buy from the children's section. Well, I try on the shoe on display, and it's tight. I take it off and look at the sticker on the sole, and it's the biggest size they have. Great. I put it back on.

"So she tries it on again to see if it really fits," Sinta says.

Hey, you never know. Unfortunately, though, I wouldn't be able to pull it off without limping like a fool. It reminds me of a friend I had back in college who refused to buy shoes that weren't a size 7, regardless of whether or not the tight-fitting shoes gave her corns and blisters. Eeewwww! I'm not about to do that. Oh, well. Those shoes weren't meant to be. I'll just have to look around some more.

MONDAY BLAHS

I got a bad case of the Mondays. Work started out busy this morning. It's not exactly what I needed, but it was to be expected. It is, after all, the beginning of the work week. The weekend was definitely too short.

SOMETHING'S MISSING

Sinta is flying over the Pacific as I type this. I sure wish I was with him to enjoy some sun, and to get away from this cool weather here in the Bay.

**I miss you, Baby. Hurry home.**

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS...

...to my brother whose birthday was yesterday. He turned...um...how old are you now? Lol! You joke around about your age so much, I forget how old you really are! J/k! Happy, happy birthday, Bro!

Superstitions and Mary Janes

Thank goodness the weekend is here. It was late when I got out of work early this evening. It was a long day, and I'm tired. It's okay, though. I few extra hours never hurt. When I got home, I prepared a quick dinner and did the laundry. I can hear our neighbors across the way, drinking and talking stories. It's their way of ending their work week.

I, on the other hand, cannot keep still. I've been cleaning here and there, but I haven't exactly accomplished anything. I want to vaccuum, but it's too late in the night. I'm not going to be like Mr. Awake-At-Odd-Hours-In-the-Night who lives above us, and vaccuum at 10 at night. I'd like to sweep the floors right now, but Filipino superstition dictates me: Don't sweep at night, or else you will sweep away the home's good luck. These things will have to wait until tomorrow.

But the REAL reason why I can't keep still is because I'm thinking of a pair of shoes. I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight. If the store was open, I'd go there right now and buy it. The other night, Sinta and I were at Valley Fair mall doing some shopping. We stopped by Journeys to get my shoe fix, and a pair of black, Mary Jane flats caught my eye. Had to try them on. I wasn't sure at the time if I was going to purchase them. But as the days passed, the more I wanted them. I have to have them!

I can't remember the last time I wanted to buy something so bad, I couldn't keep still.

Shoes and purses are dangerous. They are.

Remember When?

I don't know how this came about or where we saw it, but Sinta and I just had to buy Trivial Pursuit 90s Time Capsule Edition. Yesterday afternoon, we drove to Toys 'R' Us. We went crazy looking at all the toys before buying our game. We went home, barbecued flank steaks, and played a couple of rounds. If you grew up in the 90s, and you think you'll breeze through this game, well, think again. It's rather challenging, but fun nonetheless. I got a kick out of the tokens. You have the grunge guitarist, a PDA, a cup of coffee, and a stock certificate. Can you get any more 90s than that?

This is What Google Thinks of Me

I got this from my brother's blog. Check out Googlism to see what Google thinks of you.

These are some of the things I found:

rho is a part of our history
rho is especially designed for reproductive health program managers and decision
rho is going digital
rho is one of the youngest fraternity in the world
rho is to promote excellence
rho is supervised by a rho manager
rho is a measure of the linear relationship between two variables
rho is reactivity
rho is famous for our big jello
rho is the national honorary society for statistics
rho is in excellent shape
rho is the spin alignment of the quarks
rho is still having fun
rho is one of the most ancient
rho is ready to enter the big league of the advertising world

Congratulations, you make it until the end! You
are the strong, modestly good looking man or
woman who doesn't take it from anybody.


How fast would you die in a cheesy zombie flick?
brought to you by Quizilla

TV Land

It's been years since I had a regular TV show or sitcom that I religiously followed. Sure, I loved "Friends", "Will & Grace", and "Seinfeld" throughout the years, but I've never found myself rushing home to watch them. I just caught the shows whenever I was available. As I've gotten older, I had less time to watch TV or I just lost interest in them.

I remember back when I was still in junior high school, and even through my high school years, Sunday and Monday nights were reserved for my shows. I think I still remember the program line-up. I'm such a dork like that. On Sundays, I think it was "In Living Color" at 7pm, followed by "The Simpsons". Lol! "In Living Color"...that show cracked me up! I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I used to tape the episodes! I didn't think that the episodes would be compiled into something called a DVD. You can't forget Homie the Clown, Men on Film/Books/etc., and Firemarshall Bob. As for "The Simpsons", my brother and I taped a few episodes as well. Monday nights at 7pm was "The Fresh Prince of Bel Aire", and then "Blossom". Of course, being the dork that I was, I taped several episodes of each of those shows as well.

My fix for drama was feuled by "90210". It was further influenced by "Melrose Place" (blame Heather Locklear). Nowadays, I'll get my fix from reality shows. Mind you, I don't really follow reality shows...well, maybe except for the original "For Love or Money". I usually don't watch reality shows unless I've seen the first episode. If I have, you'll be sorry if you ever watch the show with me after that. I'll start talking to the TV, yelling at the people as if they can hear me. Even then, I usually won't watch the series in its entirety.

Sinta and I have discovered TV shows that we both like, shows that may even dictate our plans. Maybe. We've been following "Joey", and "Will & Grace". We've seen the first episode of "LAX", it's actually not that bad at all.

I can't wait till Thursday. Jack will be dancing with Janet Jackson (his dance scenes are always hilarious). I just might record it on DVD.

In the Spirit of Yoda and the Jedi Force

The early part of Sunday afternoon was spent watching A&E for a couple of hours. What was great about it was that the channel featured George Lucas and the Star Wars trilogy. I grew up on Star Wars. While my playmates were playing with Barbie and other dolls, I was playing with my Star Wars action figures, namely Princess Leia, Wickett, and Yoda. While they were playing with doll houses, I was playing with my brother's Yoda house and the Millenium Falcon. Anyway, the documentary talked about Skywalker Ranch, and how it's hidden in the hills of Northern California. Moved by the program, Sinta and I decided to go for a Sunday afternoon drive to the North Bay, which is north of San Francisco...obviously! Lol! We had no intentions. We just wanted to take a drive.

Our first stop was in the cozy, quiet town of Tiburon. We drove around, and up the hill to Old St. Hilary's church. It was a cute church reminiscent of one in a New England town. Atop the hill gave way to a spectacular view of the bay and Mt. Tam. After more sightseeing, we hopped back onto 101 north. The Lucas Valley exit caught my eye, and Sinta made a quick exit. We had absolutely no idea what was out there. For all we knew, nothing was out there, as in boonie-ass in the middle of nowhere. Nevertheless, the drive was beautiful. The winding road took us through rolling hills and shady trees.

"Look! I think that's it! There it is!" Sinta said.

What he saw was the Skywalker Ranch! George Lucas owns 2,000 acres of land out there! We had to make a u-turn so that we could get a better view of it, but we had to drive down a few miles further to look for space to turn around because the road was narrow. We finally turned around at the Ewok forest (the Redwoods). Out of the woods and onto the rolling hills, we stopped to take a look at the ranch house, or what we could see of it. It was serenely nestled behind the hills. I had to practically step on my tippy toes to see it. All I could think of was Wow! George Lucas' ranch. His land. His vineyard. His cows. Star Wars. The greatest filmmaker. Ever.

I Can Beat All Y'all With Ease

Earlier tonight, as I was sitting here at the computer, I had the TV on in the background. "Fear Factor" reruns were on FX. It just so happened that the balut episode was on--the one where the contestants had to eat at least two eggs.

For those that don't know what balut is, it is a Filipino delicacy--a duck egg with a partially developed embryo, eaten boiled.

Joe Rogan, the host, called the contestants who were able to eat the balut "freaks".

Excuse me, Joe, but you're calling me and millions of other Filipinos "freaks". Don't disrespect my culture, especially when you make a statement like that in front of millions of viewers. I can see why this made the show as a stunt. You'd have to be the adventurous, open-minded type to even try it. Sure, the contestants were feeling nauseous and gagging, but that was to be expected. But it's a foreign delicacy. Be more open-minded. Don't call people who enjoy it "freaks", you freak.



I happen to like balut. I've actually eaten two eggs in one sitting. If someone offered me $50,000 to eat a third one, I bet I could do it.

Goodness Gracious!

I'm at work right now, and I just got off the phone with a caller. She wanted me to take down a web address.

Caller: Here's the address. It's http. What's that after the http? I don't know what it is in English.
Me: Colon.
C: Ok, http, colon, two lines, www.dx...it's not underline, but a line halfway...
M: Hyphen.
C: http, dot, dot, two lines...What are the two lines?
M: Forward slashes.
C: Ok, http, dot, dot, forward 'ashes (slashes), www.dx-xxxxx.com, forward ash.
M: Ok, got it.
C: Can you repeat it to me?
M: www.dx-xxxxxxx.com.
C: No. It starts with "http"...

Goodness. I repeat it for her, letter for letter, punctuation mark for punctuation mark. Mind you, that was the condensed version of the conversation.

Another person called, telling me that she was having trouble faxing a document to our office.

Caller: Is your fax machine on? I've been trying to fax something, and it's not going through.
Me: Yes, it's on.
C: Are you sure?
M: Yes, we've been receiving faxes all day. In fact, I just received one right before you called.
C: Are you sure it's not your fax machine. Ours is a company machine, and there's never anything wrong with it. Maybe if you turn it on and off, it'll work.
M: Well, like I said, there's nothing wrong with fax.
C: I don't understand. Ours is in perfect condition.
M: Can I verify the fax number you are trying to reach?
C: 555-555-5555.
M: I'm sorry, that's not our fax number.
C: Oops! That's my fax number.

Yeah, big OOPS to you.