2010 - The Year of the Cats

When I look back to 2010 - I have only 3 words that would sum up my year:

1. Surgery
2. Emma
3. Buster

I will expound on those 3 items soon, but allow me to say this out first. I had no major expectations for 2010, because 2009 was THE YEAR for me. It was the dream year, the year when almost all my dreams became a realty and more, much more. After such a monster year, no matter how great 2010 would be, it would pale in comparison to my 2009. Hence I had no expectations whatsoever.

Still I was a little perplexed that the year would start with uncertainty and seem to be ending with another kind of uncertainty. But I sucked it up the entire year. I knew whatever life would bring I could handle it - I was still enjoying the afterglow of a marvelous 2009.

And so my 2010 began with a doctor's visit that ended with him saying: Surgery would be your best bet. Please, surgery here is not THE ONLY option. I had other options. I was never in danger at any point. My choice of surgery is like choosing to have an aching, pestering, nagging tooth be removed/extracted, other than taking in pain medications. So the surgery my CHOICE.

And yet it's monumental for me being my first time to have a surgery - let alone be confined in a hospital. I've lived all these years and thank heavens I've never stayed in a hospital overnight as a patient. Many times I did when my father was sick. He was sick the whole time I knew him, from my birth to the time he expired. Poor guy.

Anyway, what was unforgettable about that was it went by pfft - so quickly, so painless. I thank God for pulling me through that test.

EMMA came out of nowhere. Sure we were visiting animal shelters because we heard that with the down economy comes a spike in the numbers of pets in the shelters, but we weren't in the market for a cat.  We were hoping we could get a dog for husband who's aching to have a four-footed best friend. 

Emma was a sweet one. She meowed her way into my heart that first meeting. When she continued to extend her paw from inside her cage to touch me combined with her purring and mewing, I knew that she had to come home with me. We took the weekend to decide, just to be sure, although we knew the two days would change nothing. We still wanted her home.

And she came home in the middle of my recovery. I was still housebound and recuperating marvelously. But I thought having Emma around the house keeping me company and sharing my lazy days [who would have thought that cats loved doing nothing with their owners, not I?] made me heal faster. I couldn't think of life before her.

I named her after Emma Watson. On the second HP movie, Hermione turned into a cat, remember that scene? I thought Hermione there looked a lot like my cat, so we named her Emma. The cat did not look like a Hermione, but Emma fits her to a tee.

And BUSTER completes the year.

The San Francisco Giants had an amazing year, memorable, awesome year. They won the World Series trophy after 50+ years. That's a long time to wait for a championship. That's why the entire region was almost hysterical in their euphoria.

In the midst of their hunt for the trophy, the region was awashed with the team's colors of orange and black. Anything orange and black seem to be selling. The shelters - I thought all of them - were having a "sale" of only $9 adoption fee for orange cats.

So off we went to the shelter closest to our house, the same one where we got Emma a few months ago. This orange tiger was on the front and he wowed my husband. I wasn't paying attention to him because I was too enamored by the trio of 2-week old kitties in the back. Sooooo cute!

Before I knew it, my husband was signing the adoption papers. Unfortunately, this shelter was not having a "sale" and so we didn't get Buster for that price. It didn't matter. We love the cat.

Buster wasn't fixed when we adopted him, so we couldn't take him home right there and then. Instead, we picked him up four days later at another facility and he was a darling, although he was roaming all over the car when we were driving home.

We named him Buster for BUSTER POSEY, the SF Giants rookie phenom catcher. So we call our cat, Buster, the Posey cat.

I cannot imagine life without the cats now. Emma sleeps in between my legs, and only in that spot, and only when I go under the sheets. Lately I have been waking up with Emma in between my legs and Buster next to me with his toys. Buster is funny that way. He carries around his toy with him whenever he goes from upstairs to downstairs and even to the bed.

My co-worker has warned me that cats are indeed addictive, that I better watch out not to get any more. Else she'll see me on the ten o'clock news with all my cats being taken away by authorities. Funny. I fear that may be true. I am so in love with cats right now.

That's what I remember about 2010. It is the year I became a cat owner and a cat lover.

After Christmas Post

12 days had passed since my last post. You know why, right? You know why a lot of bloggers had not had a new post in a few days, me included. Well the preparations for the Holidays had gotten in the way of some blogging.

Well, what have I got to report during this 12-day absence from blogging? For one we have had a lot of rainy days - continuously raining for a week, stopped for a day then wet all day Christmas. What can I say but thank heavens it seems like no drought situation next summer. We will have enough water to get us through a dry California summer.

I have enjoyed shopping this year. Must be the fact that I started last year during the after-Christmas sales so I was already ahead by the time the season of shopping came around. Plus, there weren't as much shoppers as in the past so I really didn't have to wait in line to pay for my purchases. You know those long lines really zap the energy out of me - and the cheery spirit too.

Again, I hit the stores this year on the day after Christmas and was able to snag great deals at Sears for next year's holiday gift giving. I buy stuff that I like a lot so that when these items don't go to the intended receiver, I would enjoy the items myself, a bit selfish don't you think? But honestly, I think anyone would love what I already had boxed up in the garage for my loved ones' 2011 Christmas gifts.

Have I mentioned that it was my turn to host the family's Christmas lunch this year? A number of family members were absent but there was a big turnout so it the food wasn't wasted. To-go boxes for everyone too - hubs and I don't have to eat all the left-overs, yay!

Our lunches are always pot luck, but as the host house we had to fix more dishes to be served. My mother shouldered the lechon - wouldn't be a celebration unless there's a lechon, that's what she believed. But since she was paying, I let her get her way :)

We made pancit bihon, Laotian salad, pesto pasta, basmati rice with green peas, italian style sauteed brussel sprouts, spiral ham, beef curry, lasagna. We put out veggie platter with dip, and cheese and crackers. For desserts we made Crema de Catalunya - a custard like dessert, and ambrosia.

Our family brought roast beef, lengua, dinuguan, green salad with chili dressing (really good combination), baked trout, and a cakey dessert that I would have to show you later on.

All in all the lunch was fun. Two dogs were in attendance, I was expecting four. But the presence of the bigger dog, Max, my brother's little darling mutt had spooked my dear Buster that he and his big sister Emma stayed the entire day inside our room upstairs. At night when almost every one left, especially the dogs, we were able to coax them to come downstairs and say hi to the ones left behind playing cards.

There was sniffing - a lot of sniffing. They sniffed the entire downstairs living area and garage too. Then and only then they calmed down and joined us on the couch in the family room where we were rewatching 2012, the movie, not a very Christmassy movie.

Well, how's that for a report. I hoped you all had a safe and happy celebrations.

The Rebel

[makuha ka sa tingin]

I reached work, swiped my badge and the lever went up allowing me passage to the permit parking at work. I have been parking here on this particular parking lot (we have three different lots) for nearly 10 years now.

Only today did I realize something.

Only today did I notice it.

The rebel buried inside of me is still there. The rebel that dominated my teenage years - albeit operating under the radar - still exists. That it comes out and controls me sometimes.

I am a grown woman. Old is what I think of me on days when my body hurts like hell as I get up in the cold winter mornings. And this grown woman has made peace with the sensible, responsible one that now controls this shell that people see as me.

This sensible responsible side of me has always managed to go 60 mph when the limit asks for 65. The same one that wouldn't cut the line even when others do in my face. It's the same one that let all this slide by.

Today, however, I was totally caught unaware while it was happening. Instinct. Gut. Muscle memory. I attributed it to all those things.

But you know what? It was the rebel inside of me that did it. That made it happen.

It was the rebel in me that blatantly disobeyed the rule. The rebel without remorse ignored the sign.

As I entered the parking lot, there was a huge arrow sign that directs the cars where to go. The arrow sign wanted me to drive up and park closer to the building. I don't like parking there. I always park closer to the exit. The rebel disregarded the sign and went against the conventional and sensible thinking.

I parked where I usually park, by the wall nearest to the exit.

And then I realized that I was bad. The parking attendant was there eyeing me as I hang a right to get to my spot. He was there looking at me as I got out of the car and walked towards the building. I yelled greetings and he replied. He did not say anything about the arrow sign at all.

As I walked past him and towards the building, I smiled.

I smiled because I felt the presence of the little rebel. She's still there inside me somewhere.

I hope she continues to pop up sometimes. Otherwise, life would be so boring.

[written on 10/22/10]

Moral Support

I was out sick last week for two days. Nothing serious, just seasonal stuff I guess. I was feeling run-down, must be due to the chaotic tone of the Holidays where people spread themselves too thin around this time taking on more than they can handle. I was one of those I suppose.


On my first day in bed, Emma was my companion. Both cats stayed in bed with me, but Emma was the one beside me the whole time as I rested in bed and watched Twilight and New Moon - again!


On the second day, it was Buster who kept me company as I felt a whole lot better and vegitated instead on the couch instead of the bedroom. There Buster kept me company as I watched via Netflix watch instantly the first season of PRISON BREAK. It was nice reliving those episodes again. I also realized that I did not see the first 4 or 5 episodes of Prison Break, how could that be?

Anyway, I returned back to work after getting my lab test results and all I needed is to pop some vitamins, good.

And how could it be that with the more you check off names of your Christmas list the longer it gets? I was out and about again this weekend picking up more and more for more and more people. I am getting bankrupt :)

Regardless, I am going to enjoy this Holiday Season.

Being Anonymous

I like being anonymous on cyberspace. I don't think any of my friends know I blog. Once upon a time I did tell a few to take a peek at my blogs - I don't think they did -  and encouraged one or two who are terrific writers to write/put out a blog of their own. I thought they were wasting their talent by not sharing their written thoughts. I was very lucky in the past when they would write me kilometric letters. And when the letters stopped coming I thought it would be to my best interest if they would write. Unfortunately, they didn't blog or maybe I just didn't get an invite to read their thoughts, if they did put out a blog.

Anyway, this isn't where this post is supposed to go when I first typed the first sentence of this post.  But it definitely took a life of its own. 

So aside from being an closet blogger to my real friends, I am also a ghost or lurker to some fabulous blogs around cyberspace.  A few of them I added to my links and still others I continue to read without them knowing.  Some day I will tell you which blogs I frequent. 

In the mean time, I'd be happy to report that my tree is finally up.  I haven't taken a picture of it yet.  I don't know how long it will remain up as my kitties are so fascinated by the rounded ball of shimmer and glitter hanging on the tree that I spent the rest of the weekend shooing them away from and under the tree. 

We also have been getting some rain.  On Sunday, there was a downpour and I got wet going to the cinema to finally watch Harry Potter.  I know, I know.  But I love to watch movies when there is no crowd to spoil my fun.  Thankfully after 3 weeks of running, the crowd has finally thinned out at Harry Potter.

Wasn't that just a marvelous 2 hours  of Harry Potter?  I'm almost sad that it's ending.  Would it be too much to hope that JK Rowlings find the inspiration to continue the story with the next generation of Potters and Weasleys?  Fingers crossed.

Also I would like to share with you a fine fine deal of a sale I got on Thanksgiving weekend.  We went to Borders bookstore to collect the free latte (coupon via newspaper) and browse at the books.  But lo and behold I saw a display of some older dvds on sale for $7.  Included on the $7 display case were Twilight and New Moon, both of which are the 2-dvd package.  Can you believe my luck.  So last night after enjoying some Potter, I came home and put on Twilight and giggle like a teenager.  Nothing like being silly on a rainy night.

Thirteen More Reasons To Be Grateful For

I did it again! I started something and did not finish it on time. What you ask? I started to jot down my daily thanks and I stopped at November 17. My excuse had to be the many demands on my time during this Holiday Season.

Allow me to complete the list:

I am thankful for:

1. The deep fryer that went on sale 2 weeks before Thanksgiving.

2. The turkey that we deep fried on that deep fryer.

3. The gorgeous cold Thanksgiving day.

4. Spending the day with friend and family, eating and drinking.

5. Attending my first Charles Dickens Christmas Fair at Cow Palace - a real treat for an anglophile like me.

6. Long scenic drive to the central coast.

7. The picturesque town of Cambria.

8. Spectacular sunset at Cambria.

9. Superb dinner at Robin's in Cambria and lovely dinner at Manta Ray in San Simeon.

10. Wonderful service at Robin's in Cambria and Manta Ray in San Simeon.

11. Patricia/Prativa at Quality Inn in San Simeon.

12. Chance to revisit Hearst Castle.

13. Nature sighting in San Simeon.

14. Walking on the almost empty beach in San Simeon.

There I even have one bonus item to be thankful for. Needless to say there have been many many small things to be thankful for and I hope that I would be mindful of all my blessings from now on.

SHOPPING

Did you go shopping for Christmas yet?

I stayed home on Black Friday. I was too afraid to leave the house and face the mob aka hardcore shoppers.

Hit the mall and stores on Saturday. Was shocked to see the mall nearly empty. Not really a sight I expected given the fact that most of the items were on sale, and I was told that the same deals that could be had on Black Friday was available to shoppers on Saturday. So I completed *fingers crossed* my shopping list.

Last night, we visited our garage. Since we dumped a lot of boxes there when we moved 1.5 years ago, I was too scared to go there (kidding). I have most of my belongings still boxed. I may never get to see my DVD collection ever again - they are in one of the unmarked boxes in the garage.

But last night we went there. Husband knew which boxes contained our Holiday gifts - the ones we bought last year. I find shopping after Christmas more productive. We buy gifts/items that do not expire - like massager, or small appliances, and store them away for the next Christmas.

And boy was I suprised at what the boxes contained. We may have completed our list by the contents of the boxes. So glad we shopped one year early for this Christmas!

The tree however has to be put up today or tomorrow. I can't wait to have the tree up. BUT, I don't know how our little cats would react to the glittery shiny balls and ornaments or the flickering lights around it. I'm afraid that one day I'd come from work and see a big mess where our tree used to be :)

How about you, have you put up your tree and other decorations yet?

Are you excited by the upcoming parties and get togethers and all the eating?

It's Thanksgiving Week

It's Thanksgiving this Thursday here in the states. And that means turkey (or ham), potato dish (mashed), cranberry sauce, etc etc.

We will be cooking the turkey deep fried this year. First time ever. We found a turkey deep fryer on sale two weeks ago and it was too good to pass up so we decided to do a deep fried turkey this year. Will let you know how it turns out.

During the Thanksgiving meal preparations, we always make mashed potato, because I love mashed potato. One time we made green mashed potato by incorporating pea puree to color my dish. Not only did I like the visuals, it was great too.  Not sure if we are making our mashed potatoes green this year. 

Since we are expecting only one guest this year, I think we can be less stressed about the cooking.

Happy Thanksgiving every one.

Grateful November 3

November 13 = I am grateful for a quiet Saturday with no errands to run and ABC Family running a marathon of Harry Potter movies all weekend.

November 14 = I am thankful for the Jazz Vespers at church that Jeanne had conceptualized and presented to the congregation.

November 15 = I an very thankful for a couple of aspirin tablets that kicked my head in the butt and enabled me to sleep soundly and awoke refreshed.

November 16 = I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as a secretary to the church meeting and participate in the monthly meeting with church members.

November 17 = I am grateful for the homemade quesadillas that we whipped up for dinner last night.

I Enjoyed Them.

Amidst all the hullaballoo surrounding the historic and successful quest of the San Francisco Giants to win the World Series trophy, I managed to watch two movies via Netflix.  I know my movie watching production has gone down this year, due to many factors - blogging is one of them :)

Thankfully, we have managed to set up our tv to show Netflix movies straight from the tv.  It is a pain to watch Netflix on our pc and we don't have Wii. 

I love foreign films.  I love chick flick.  This movie combined two in one movie.   In a nutshell this movie is: "A romantic comedy centered on the daily lives of five Lebanese women living in Beirut. "

A mystery thriller that is not filled with action, but is not boring.  In a nutshell:  "A ghostwriter hired to complete the memoirs of a former British prime minister uncovers secrets that put his own life in jeopardy. "

Grateful November 2

November 9 = I am grateful for the smooth sailing start of this work week.

November 10 = I am grateful for the chance to feed the hungry cat. [I have a neighbor cat that comes visit me every night. It would come close to the back door and almost presses its face on the glass door. I started feeding it and in return it looks at me like it's thankful.]

November 11 = I am thankful for veterans all over the world. I am proud that my father was a veteran, my uncle was a veteran and my nephew is considered a veteran.

November 12 = I am thankful for the tank of gas that enabled me to visit a nice little town on Veteran's Day.

Happy Friday everyone!

Grateful November

November is the month of Thanksgiving here in the United States. It's the time when we acknowledge our blessings and give thanks to the Almighty.

On Facebook, people are posting on a daily basis what they are grateful/thankful for. I wanted to do this too, but not on Facebook as I don't post on my wall all the time. I thought this would be a good blog post, though.

And while I am doing this on the 9th day of the month, I have been keeping note of what I was grateful for since the first day. I thought having whined in the last two postings, which was so pathetic of me to do so, I thought that I had to focus on the blessings, big and small.

So here's my first batch of blessings:

November 1 = I am grateful for my family room. I love it's coziness and homey-ness. It has that lived in feel. I recognized this blessing the night of November 1 while I was watching Game 5 of the Giants vs Rangers World Series Game.

November 2 = I am grateful for the Giants victory. It not only meant a big deal to me personally but was a blessing for the whole region.

November 3 = I am thankful for having a medical insurance that allows me to visit a specialist without waiting.

November 4 = I was thankful for the opportunity to witness the Giants victory parade yesterday and despite arriving late I was able to take photographs.

November 5 = I am grateful for the gorgeous sunset I have witnessed from the parking lot as I was leaving work.

November 6 = I am grateful for my loving cats who have started to like each other.

November 7 = I am thankful for the free museum day at Oakland Museum of California. We had a lovely time.

November 8 = I am thankful for the surprise breakfast and lunch spread at work. I forgot that we were having free food all week. I had no money, no lunch. God provides.

Want to join me and share with the cyberworld what you are grateful for?

Sigh

While waiting for my mocha frap at the coffee cart inside the cafeteria, a male nurse came bouncing in and chatted with the lady who owns the cart as she was fixing my order.

He was enthusiastically telling the lady about his 2-year-old son. You can see all the joy and love from his face. I joined in their conversations and he willingly shared more of his son's antics.

As I was walking away from the coffee cart, I felt a bucketful of melancholy wash over me. I cannot share how my little cat Buster would pause biting me whenever I say, NO BITING, or how my little 2-year-old cat Emma knows exactly when she needed to be fed in the morning, that she wouldn't wake me up before 7 am even though she's up hours before 7 am.

It wasn't appropriate to share my love to my cats when he or someone else is sharing about their kids.

Times like this I feel bummed that I cannot conceive - yet.

Untitled

I have a secret to tell. I love alleys and narrow streets. They make me happy. They are some of my favorite photo subjects.

But a day or so ago as I was inspecting what's on my flickr account that I could use for blogging in the future, I came upon this one that was taken almost a year ago today from my visit to Rabat in Malta.

It's a narrow street, the one we took to go to St. Paul's Church.

It isn't the first time I've seen this or reviewed this. Part of my unwinding at the end of the day is to go over my shots/albums and see what inspiration I can get for my blogs - I have three going at the same time so I need a lot of inspiration.

Always the photos make me happy.

But this time around, this particular image pinched my heart.

You see I have been experiencing some torpor in my life. I can't figure out why and what is the cause.

It can't be the season. Heck, it's autumn, and while my neighborhood isn't awash in vivid yellows, reds, and browns, it has the fall atmosphere. For those who wants to know, we have greens everywhere still with a hint of the season that is here. We always get our leaves changing colors later than the North or even the East. Last year we had lovely fall colors on Christmas day - yap that's how late we sometimes get our colors.

It can't be the season when the Giants, our hometown baseball team, is in the World Series. There is too much excitement and happy energy going around town and people are just happy around here.

Still I felt a little melancholic at seeing this image.

Then today I realized what I needed, what was missing. The root of my lethargy dawned upon me as I was taking my walk around the corridors - an activity I do to stretch my legs and keep me away from my computer screen.

The image conveyed some sense of sadness because my body was craving for an adventure. A little vacation. My camera needed some clicking action.

I need to breathe a different kind of air - hopefully something brisky cold - and my eyes needed to see a little color other than blue (sky) and green (pines and firs).

I need a vacation. A short one, for now.

Hawaii was in the cards in the summer time, but Cancun came in at the last minute and because value wise the latter trumped the former, Cancun we went.

Six days five nights - it got us through the rest of the third quarter.

I need another one.

We have initially penciled in a Hawaii (again) vacay in December just before all the cooking and gift-wrapping and tree-trimming, but my sensible self didn't think that our pocket book can suffer that much damage so close to the Holidays and with all the travel plans we already have for the next year.

So we scrapped the Hawaii island visit. It was difficult but it was the right move.

Now I am scouring the net for deals somewhere close to go to for an overnight stay, just to get away.

I need my mojo back!

Starting Monday The Right Way

.........and in a surprising way. I awoke before my alarm today to someone mussing my hair, licking my forehead and eyelids. And of course I thought it would be Emma since Emma usually wakes me up with a tap on my nose. One tap then two taps that's how Emma wakes me.

But this one is purring and biting my hair the whole time I was being woken up and I love it. Here's who the culprit is:



He is my newly adopted 5-month old orange tiger domestic cat I named Buster. Up until this morning, he couldn't jump high enough to reach the bed. Our bed is a little high, my short legs have to jump to get up to the bed too :) so I didn't think it would be Buster who'd be waking me up.

He is such a sweetie. Very energetic and still doesn't have coordination. He slides through the wooden floor a lot and bangs his body and every part of his body every where.

He is not a favorite of Emma, the resident queen cat. She still hisses and growls at him. But young as he is, he continues to play with her. So far no one has gotten hurt despite all the hissing and growling.

Little Buster copies all of ate Emma's actions.  Emma only drinks in a styrofoam cup on our sink.  Buster has taken to doing that - after a few days of realizing he can jump that high too.

It's a little nerve wracking when I think of how Emma is pissed at having company in the  house.  We're hoping that she will get used to the idea of having a little brother.  We keep telling her it's her little brother and as little brothers/sisters go - they all can be annoying.

Love Story

I love love stories. I love movies that feature love stories. Boy meets girl. Boy/girl hates girl/boy. Then at the end of the story, boy/girl realizes that girl/boy would be the only one who could complete his/her life.

Hollywood cannot make them fast enough for me. I love them. Even those sappy, very predictable movies that most people find boring and a total waste of time, I relished them.

Just think how magical it is to find that someone from all the people who are walking the earth right now, or all the people that have walked or will walk this world before you're long gone.

I remember when I was a mere teenager I marvelled at how lucky I was to be in the same world as these people I hang out with . Or how magical it is to find who I thought was the "one" walking not only the same planet Earth that I was walking in, but also the same streets. Of course not all fairytales end in happy ending. 

And all these emotions are coming back to the forefront because I watched a ho-hum movie last night, LETTERS TO JULIET.  Aside from the spectacular Italian countryside that was the locale for this movie, there is nothing that jumps out at the viewer or the critic to say "watch me". I have not read the reviews, but let me guess this movie would have the-little-man-is-asleep-on-the-chair rating. 

What truly amazes me is how people find each other.  How they find each other.  How the universe conspire to get them together in the same gps location at the same time.  It's fascinating to me and I never tire of hearing how couples meet.  And when you ask couples who have been together or married for quite some time, they recall their first meeting with that glint in their eyes.  And I am hooked.  I would sit in the couch or that pain in butt chair in the outdoor seating area of a cafe and listen.  Ask questions.  People in love is a fascinating subject.

Feeling October 20

It's Wednesday, October 20, and I'm feeling a mixture of happiness and anxiety.

Nothing big to you folks. Big for me though.

Oh before I go on. October 20 will always be significant. For two reasons. One it's my niece Cherrie's birthday and two, it's my hs bff's birthday. Cherrie has been raised by my mother, not as a granddaughter, but as the second daughter. We have a 10-year age gap. I considered her my little sister more than my niece to be honest with you.

Now to the explanation why I am feeling both sides of the emotional coin today:

One - the Giants are playing the 4th game of the 7-game NLCS. For those not in the know, the Giants are the hometown's baseball team. Happy that the Giants are ahead 2 games to 1 against the highly touted and defending NLCS champs Philadelphia Phillies. Anxious at the same time because this town has been burned before - personally I can remember the deep hurt and disappointment of 1997, 2000, 2002.

Two - happy that later in the day I'll be able to bring home my little kitten that I adopted last Saturday. I could not bring him home then because he needed to get fixed and have whatever medical check ups and shots he needed. Anxious at the same time because I don't know how my beloved Emma ( the resident queen cat) would react to this new addition to the family and to her household/queendom.

We were assured that if the cats don't get along, the shelter is happy to have the kitten back. I don't want to do that. I don't even want to think that eventuality will happen. I hope things will go well.

And six days from now, it would be my dad's birthday. I always feel a tug in my heartstrings when his birthday and death anniversary come along. Well, that's a week from now still. Let me just stew with my mixed emotions while I sip my hazelnut coffee.

Hope you all are having a wonderful Fall day.

Bloggers Swap For Christmas

A fellow blogger, Prinsesa, is conducting what could only be termed as super fun blogger swap for Christmas.  Please head on to her site and I'm pretty sure you still can join. 

This is my list of WHAT I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS.

Something small: table top Phil flag
Something big:

Something cute: keychain (Sanrio - it has been years)

Something soft: pastillas

Something techie: memory stick

Something fancy: gourmet pastillas or gourmet hopia

Something (my favorite color): pink anything from sanrio

Something wearable: bandana or bracelet

Something you need: pastillas

Something you can use for work: pastillas

Something sweet: chocnut (haven't had this in ages)

All I Want For Christmas: Filipino delights and delicacies - basta may amoy Pinas okay.

Don't Stop Believing

No reason, I'm just saying - don't stop believing.

Just Babbling

I don't want to begin this by saying how lousy I've been feeling lately.  But I just did.  I feel crappy - for days now.  But I'm seeing the doctor at Allergy Clinic sometime next week and feeling hopeful that finally whatever it is that's keeping me congested and headachy and eyes dry and throat itchy all the time would be identified.  Oh I have seen my PCP over and over about this - year in year out - but never really gotten the courage to find out what's bothering me.  In the past, after consultation/visit with PCP and taking in meds, my symptoms would disappear only to return a few weeks later.  Still it would be gone for a time and I'd be fine for that short time.  But this year though, the symptoms lingered long after I had taken all the meds, sprayed my nasal passages over and over, so it's time to go and get it checked.

I am worried that they would find pet dander as the source of my problems and I don't want to give up my Emma for anything.  Let's wait and see.

On the opposite side, I have been feeling really terrific lately as well.  And the cause of this euphoric vibe is the Giants, our very own San Francisco Giants baseball team who have won the National League Western Division Championship and are now playing NLDS with the Atlanta Braves.  I don't wanna say any more because I don't want this feeling to end and I'm afraid that by sharing all these happy thoughts and feelings with the cyberspace community, I'd be jinxing them.  Oh gods of Baseball Heavens, please let the Giants be victorious!
~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m~m



October already! 

It's hard to transition from summer's heat to autumn's crispness when we never had a summer to speak of around these parts.  For the most part, at least 95% of the entire summer, we had really cool temperatures.  If I didn't go to Cancun in late June, I wouldn't have experienced hot weather this year.

But I thought that lighting holiday scented candles would help me get into the mood of holidays, and so I have been lighting this jar of candle that I have.  It's halfway through and I hope to be able to completely light it out this year as this was the jar I had for the holidays last year.  The hubby gets congested when there are "foreign" scents around and so he snuffs it immediately - that's why I don't have to get another jar soon.

I'm thinking of going all out with holiday decors this year.  But I'm lazy to open boxes and see what's there in the garage in terms of decorations.  I know for a fact that we snatched some after holiday sale items last year.  So maybe I will cut down on my computer time and start digging into the boxes for decorations.

I know I'm babbling but that's the title of this post.  I feel so much better now than when I first started this post. 

Lemme see what else I wanna share?

Oh the fall tv season has been running for 2-3 weeks now and so my must-see tv shows have had 2-3 shows already. And what do I think?

NO ORDINARY FAMILY:  Cool concept.  I really like it and the actors are likeable too.

BROTHERS AND SISTERS:  They haven't veered from the gameplan - they've been running the same pattern every show:  problem, a lot of shouting always while eating and drinking and then by the end of the show all's well. 

I will give you my opinion on the other shows I'm following next post.  Right now I feel my stomach grumble louder and harder than when I started to compose this post.  So let me grab something to eat and hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Street Photography #5:

Small historic preserved towns are my favorite destinations, like this one in Nevada called Virginia City, a once boomtown during the silver strike days.

Synchronized Dreaming

Okay I made up that word, synchronized dreaming.  But its the only word I can find to describe the phenomenon. 

Have you dreamed the same dream on the same night/same time with someone else?

I have.  TWICE.  The first one was last year.  Both me and my husband dreamed on the same night that we were on a cruise.  Well, in his dream he was on a cruise.  I was on a cruise in my dream too.  Neither of us appeared in each other's dream, however.

And towards the end of last year, we took one major once-in-a-lifetime cruise to the Mediterranean.  Three long weeks of vacation in Europe!!!!!

Last Sunday when we woke up late - because it's our lazy weekend, read post below - I told him I had a dream.  Quickly he added he also had a dream.  He doesn't dream often.  Or at least he doesn't remember having a dream often.  Or else he doesn't tell me about his dreams often.  Make your pick.

Still this one he told me.  He said he was in Germany, Berlin I believe.  My dream that night also I was floating (I hope recreationally) somewhere in Germany, Berlin I believe as well.  Now, I am not particularly knowledgeable about Germany and its landscape/topography.  I wouldn't know if there is a river big enough for cruise ships in Berlin.

So if I apply the same principles that happen in our first synchronized dreaming, I'd assume we'd soon be touring Germany right?

Keeping my fingers crossed :)

Weekly Posting?

It definitely was beach weather around here. Saturday was 94 and Sunday was more of the same, a few degrees off. It was hot.

That explains why I have taken to ignoring this blog. There is just too many things to do outside. And not all play stuff. We did some work stuff too - chores.

We have been busy with installing drip system - irrigation - in our garden to limit the wasteful use of water. We're almost done.

On Saturday we have volunteered to clean up the coast in the annual Coastal Cleanup. Among the weird trash we collected were pillow cases. I don't know who brings white pillow cases to the beach/coastal area.

My husband surprised me with a little stop at a Japanese/sushi restaurant that we've been eyeing for about a month now. We were very curious as to the quality of their sushi, because the restaurant has been in that location for as long as I can remember - 17 years according to the lady who works there - so the food must be good. And I'm happy to report that I found my future regular stop for sushi that's so close to home. And I'm telling people to go and check them out. That was fun.

Sunday was my lazy day. Hubs and I planned it to be lazy day. Woke up at 12 noon and had "heavy" breakfast - eggs and hash brown - and plastered our faces onto the tv screen. The Giants were playing so I was enjoying this September game.

It was about 3 pm when we both decided to get out of the house. The house was so comfortable even without air conditioning. But once we got out the door, holy cow, twas hot. However, the need to be out outweighed our inconvenience. We have elderly friends, the husband had some medical emergency a week ago and now attached to his 02 tank. We volunteered to get their groceries and deliver it to them. Visiting them and doing their chore at the same time.

That's about how we spent our weekend. Next weekend my little nephew is turning one and I offered to make a dish. The boys loved my chicken wings so I am making that. Who doesn't love chicken wings anyway.

I'll try to come up with something to say here. In the mean time, let me finish my lunch.

Fall TV Schedule

Here it is, I'm rolling out my 2010 Fall TV schedule. This only covers network tv - haven't checked the cable schedule yet.

Monday:

8:00 House.
I saw it's premier episode last night and it didn't hold my attention as it did in previous years. On it's 7th season, I don't think I would be hellbent on watching this every single time. A DVR must I would think for now. I don't think the show has just enough legs to last this season, unless of course something major comes up with the plot.

10:00 Castle.
My favorite new show last season. Conflicts big time with my daily devotion schedule. Last night's premier is on the DVR, might see it tonight if there isn't anything lovely to see.

Tuesday:

8:00 No Ordinary Family.
A new show that intrigues me. The plot is: the Powells a typical American family who gained powers/abilities after their plane crash. Sci-fi on ABC? Yes, why not, after Lost there isn't one on tv about plane crash. Hope I like it. Will check it out tonight.

10:00 The Good Wife.
Another favorite from last year. I'm sure the writing will be good again. I plead no new characters. The bane of these promising tv shows is that they keep adding characters that muddle the plot.

Wednesday:

Nada

Thursday:
9:00 Grey's Anatomy.
I feel a sense of loyalty to this little show I discovered 6 years ago. And while I was dismayed at all these characters being added to the core cast, I held my ground and continued to earmark my Thursday nights to see the characters swap kissing partners, etc. But with the explosive finale last season that saw a few of the characters being killed, I think the creator/writer has sensed that the show only needed core characters.

10:00 Mentalist.
This is on the list, but I may not be able to tune in. I like this show, about another cop procedural show, however, this one's based in Sacramento. And Simon Baker is such an eye candy.

Friday:

Nada

Saturday:

Nada

Sunday:
9:00 Desperate Housewives.
I have no strong desire to follow this show faithfully, but what else is there to do on Sunday but relax and get ready for work the next day.

10:00 Brothers and Sisters.
I am hoping good writing this year. I still feel loyal to this show.

Looks like I have plenty of time to blog this fall. And tonight I may have to watch Glee as well since Filipino sensation Charice is set to guest star.

Street Photography 4

I can feel and see the changing of the seasons, may be not this explosive or overt yet, but yeah, I can feel it. I love autumn.

Listen To Bill

Thought I'd share something I received via email from a friend who looooves to forward these things:

BILL GATES SPEECH: 11 RULES YOUR KIDS DID NOT AND WILL NOT LEARN IN SCHOOL.

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

Rule 2: The world doesn'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 rainforest from the parasites of your parents' geneeration, 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.

And in that note, happy weekend everybody.

Street Photography 3

Cobblestone street in Izmir, Turkey. November 2009.

Six Pack

It's Six Pack time again. I failed to do a six pack last week. But here I am now.

Six Firsts:

1. FIRST ADVICE GOTTEN HERE IN US - To keep an overnight bag in the trunk of my car just in case I had to spend the night elsewhere. Now this advice while well meaning and was given by a blood relative was totally off. Spontaneously spending the night elsewhere just isn't my style.

2. FIRST CAR: HONDA CIVIC. I loved that car. It was a base model, did not have AC, had manual windows. I took it everywhere. I wasn't ready to replace it, despite consistent queries from brothers asking when I was going to retire my then 10-year-old car. I wasn't really going to buy another one or swap it, but I figured in a fender bender that wreck the car. I had to get a new car because my insurance company said it would be cheaper to give me the blue book value of the car than to have it fixed :(

3. FIRST MOVIE I'VE SEEN ON THE THEATER (USA): Sleepless in Seattle. Not only do I love that movie but it being my first movie seen here, it has a sentimental value as well.

4. FIRST COUNTRY I VISITED/SEEN OUTSIDE OF PI AND USA: Canada. Loved it instantly. Second was Singapore, loved it even more.

5. FIRST PIECE OF MEMORY I CAN REMEMBER: Looking out the window seeing a funeral procession. My folks told me that I was little when my g'ma died. This must have been that memory. I didn't go to the funeral.

6. FIRST BLOG: I first blogged on Friendster. I can't remember what I called my blog. I backed up the contents of my blog. It's somewhere in my pc. I should see what I was writing back in the day.

Out here in the US, we will have a long weekend in connection with Labor Day, which is Monday, Sept. 6. I still feel weird about Labor Day being celebrated in Sept when the rest of the world celebrates it May first. Anyway, have a lovely weekend everyone.

Of funerals, food festivals, and markdowns

Or how my weekend went.



Funeral:

On Saturday, I was dragged to a funeral of someone I don't know, one I never met. Sorry to use the word drag but that's precisely what it was. My husband's ex-coworker had expired and Saturday was the funeral. I have nothing against going to my husband's company functions. In fact I have done so many times. But this was a funeral of someone I have never met in any of these functions before. And there is something about funeral that I dread when I go. To make me more peeved I found out that I was the only spouse present. Why can my husband go to these things by himself????

And so it was a wonderful ceremony, although a tad long I'd say. It was a Buddhist rite and except for the chanting which was Sanskrit, the language used was Lao. The atmosphere was somber and me and my soft heart (pusong mamom) I shed a tear. I HATED THAT. I dislike the fact that I was shedding tear when I don't know the dead.

Anyway, it was a solemn ceremony, a first for me. I do pray that he will be with his creator at peace.

FOOD FESTIVAL:

Oakland's Jack London Square was the site of the REAL FOOD festival featuring - food trucks. Food trucks all over Jack London Square. Food trucks by the fountain, food trucks next to the waterfront, food trucks every where. How delectable is that?

I heard this was the second year in a row that this festival is being held. On Friday, they had the breweries out. Not on Sat when we went. Nevertheless we alloted $40 dollars for the event. Most of the food were either $3 or $5 each. We saw SPENCER ON THE GO at the entrance of the festival - tis a free festival, but their truck was the first one to get to coming from the parking lot. And because of that, we didn't get anything they had to offer as we wanted to round the entire place and scout which one we wanted to eat.

I saw 2-3 trucks of Filipino cuisine. There was nachos with sisig on top (did not taste), sisig taco (not technically sisig but they're calling it sisig, however it was yummy), and the usual lumpiang shanghai. There is one booth - not truck - that sells adobo over rice. The $5 adobo serving was not worth the price, I thought. Of course I didn't taste that.

Many different cuisines were there: Mexican, Indian, Mediterranean, El Salvadoran, Cajun, Chinese, Korean (they are selling the original korean taco *grin*), etc.

Our $40 dollars filled us to the gills. We had a whole lot of food. We even took home a jerk fish sandwich from the truck GET JERKED and a Cuban sandwich which we ate for dinner the next day.

Next year, I'd organize a group to go and stay longer and take more photos. I will post photos in another blog.

MARKDOWNS:

Have you ever encountered superior customer service? I have. From Fry's Electronics last week. The tv that we have been lusting after and waiting for months to go on sale, finally went on sale to a price we could stomach. So we hurried off after work to purchase said tv. We were helped by a wonderful tv guy named Pat who patiently answered every question we had and helped us with the purchase and made sure we could get the best deal possible. He was very friendly and we felt like we were treated like family. It certainly was the best we've been treated in a store before.

But his assistance did not end there. Two days after our purchase, the store brought the price down another $200. We saw the newspaper ads. And we also got a call from Pat asking us to return to store to get our adjustments. And again, when we returned he was there by our side the entire time until the transaction was completed. We really felt like we have been right all these years in patronizing this store.

Street Photography 2

Tiled Sidewalk. Alexandria, Egypt. November 2009

Summer Has Finally Arrived

Yap no kidding.

This week we're seeing three days in a row of 80+ temps. Finally some summer around this area.

Not that I'm crazy about hot weather. Not that. But a lot of people living around these parts are groaning about our exceptionally cool summer. It's about time they had their hot weather, doncha think. After all, I had my way with cool weather for most of the summer.

And while we're on the subject of wonderful summer days ahead, this past weekeend was a glorious sun drenched upper 70s in Sonoma Valley where I found myself tagging along hubby and his cohorts, er co-workers on a day of wine tasting.

The day was glorious, never mind that we were late in meeting up with the group because of the horrible traffic jam. We were guessing it's the race in Sonoma that caused the logjam, but this is the Bay Area where there's a traffic jam anytime, rain, shine, fog, mist, or smog. So, who knew really why the crowded streets.

Anyway, we met up with the group in Chateau La Jean and tasted a few varieties, none of which made an impression to my discerning palate (yikes!). Or my frame of mind was more on the photo taking rather than wine tasting.

Our second stop was Blackstone, a little smaller than the first one and the tasting room did not provide samples of dips and gourmet olive oil and gourmet vinegar, etc. But there was one red that I completely enjoyed - except for the price. At $17 a bottle, it was more than what I really am prepared to pay for my wine. But a good experience.

It's funny how when the lady giving the tasting ask our group where we were from and we almost in unison said, across the bridge, she didn't seem to understand that a group of over 10 people - relatively young and Asian looking - would be spending a lovely day wine tasting. We all said we just love to drink :)

It was around 2 pm when we left Blackstone and headed out to a deli a few blocks away - a deli I've been before and was not wowed by the food. We begged off and told the group we'd be on our way as we intended to attend Sebastopol's Apple Harvest Festival. We drove some 20 minutes and found out that we missed the festival by one week :) so we drove back home and ended up hungry in this hole in the wall combination of grocery and Mexican restaurant called Pepito's Mexicatessens. Clever naming isn't it?

The food was superb and well seasoned. I simply found another favorite spot.

Sunday was church and lazing around the house watching some tv and doing a lot of surfing - while Emma did a lot of sleeping. That cat can sleep for 24 hours if you'd let her.

All in all, twas a lovely weekend.

Street Photography

No reason for this post other than I thought I'd begin a photographic series here - once a week or something.

Street Shot. NYC. April 2009

Would You?

I got a msg on FB from a dear gal pal asking me if it's okay to be facebook friends with a guy she was crazy about back in the old days - some 20 years ago. Honestly, I was surprised that she would ask me, because I don't see anything wrong with it. Of course in those days it was obvious to everyone that she was heads over heels in crush with this guy. Or maybe not obvious to everyone but me.

Anyway, I told her there's nothing wrong with befriending someone who we already consider as "real life" friends from the old 'hood. Besides whatever feelings she had for him were based on juvenile emotions. Plus, both of them have moved on, married and have kids, and are happily enjoying the next stage in their lives. So what's wrong.

Then I asked what her husband's reaction was to this development. According to her she's still waiting for the right timing to tell him. She fears endless teasing from her very understanding husband :)

Now I have to blog about this because in relation to this I was in the same position when a boy I really liked in high school turned up on FB and sent in a request to be my friend. Without hesitation, I accepted.

While I had major crush on this guy back in the day when I weighed less than 100 lbs, I certainly did not carry whatever emotional baggage I had for him around me to this day. So it was just fine for me.

I have doubts about him though. I am fond of making comments on my friends photos and wall posts and when I noted that one of the "very innocent" comments I made on his photo was missing I had doubts and was a bit miffed. However, he replied to this missing comment. What's up with that?

So would you fb friend an old flame, crush, etc?

Guess Who

Guess who will be on the panel of judges when American Idol opens a new season next year. Do you think it best to go with all new set of judges, or keep Randy Jackson and add new faces?

I am writing this without really knowing what's going on. I am too busy too google or bing this information, which I am sure is not available yet.

While I love Ellen, I thought she wasn't effective in AI last year. Plus, whatever happens next season, whoever sits in judgement, it would never be the same without the caustic Mr. Cowell.

Let's wait and see.

And nope I don't want to see J. Lo there or Mariah Carey.

Six Pack

Once upon a time in another blog I posted a weekly post I called Six Pack. It's a list of 6 of whatever I wanted to post. That ended when that blog became a meme blog. I toyed with the idea of picking up where I left off with regards to jotting down six of something every week. And after months of considerations, I finally found myself reviving this post.

So here's my Six Pack for this week:

Six movies that got my attention:

1. The Sixth Sense - the quintessential curve ball at the end of the movie when it was revealed that the Bruce Willis character was a ghost. Come on now tell me if any one ever thought, ever guessed, ever imagined he was a ghost! I don't think so.
2. LOTR Trilogy - just the mere scale of how Peter Jackson told this Tolkien saga was jaw-droppingly amazing. Add the perfect casting that made the characters come alive on the big screen - perfection.
3. Little Miss Sunshine - a delightful storytelling of an ordinary family. I can't stop laughing while watching this. Great cast, fabulous acting.
4. My Big Fat Greek Wedding - laughfest. Funny to the max. It's one of my favorites and I don't tire of watching it over and over.
5. Harry Potter - what can I say? I love the characters, the way the story is told, the CGI is fantastic and the humanity of the main characters. The first one is still my favorite
6. Inception - what a well made movie this one is. I find that when you watch it intently from the beginning, there is no confusion at all. I love how the director told the story, how masterful was Leo's acting [can't believe he turned out to be such a good actor] and how the supporting characters were all magnificent in their portrayal. And oh, I also love the subject matter.

Post B/day Ramblings

Two posts down I mentioned my birthday wishes. Wishes that I knew wouldn't happen, materialize or be fulfilled. It's still nice to jot them down, in case I'll find myself with enough extra cash to splurge on myself.

What you should know is that my husband and I made a pact when we got married that we will refrain from giving each other gifts on our b/days, Christmas, anniversary, and Valentines.

Instead, we will plan a get-away or a vacation, or go out on a day out with meal and movie included.

That way we both can enjoy the day. We both thought that anything material will be another clutter to add to the ones already gathering dust in the house. Don't you agree.

Although, a month before my b/day, we went to a one-week getaway in Cancun, which we both agreed is my birthday treat this year.

However, we also picked up another point and shoot (still no budget for Canon) that would be good for photographing food. You see we have been frustrated with our cameras. They take lousy food pics and the subdued lighting in restaurants don't help any. I wonder how the photobloggers take those lovely food pics.

I had a three-day b/day weekend! On Friday, which was the b/day, we went out for a day long drive to the Sonoma Coast and visited Fort Ross and Salt Point State Park, enjoyed the waves at Grestle Cove where the tide pools were a joy to watch and photograph. Also went to hike Anderson Redwoods State Park - imagine hitting three state parks in one day. That was lovely and a stop at Cafe Bazaar for a quick caffeine jolt.

We didn't need any other sustenance because earlier that day we had a heavy filling breakfast at Sukie's a local dive next town that's been there forever.

And on Sunday, we took in a movie "Inception", which was a fantastic movie. I will try to create a review of sorts on this movie.

Additionally, my sushi craving was satisfied with a meal at Happy Sashimi, another local fave, although their prices are a bit on the high side, but the quality of sushi, sashimi and especially the Hennessey chocolate mocha mousse for dessert were the best.

Thank you, I had the best time. I am tired though. I could use another three-day weekend just to recuperate.

Very Frustrated

EGPT_0022, originally uploaded by M'roy.

I store my photos at Flickr. They revamped their page. And with this "new" layout comes new bugs or frustrations. My case is that I cannot use the link to my photos so I can blog them. Oh my, oh my. This just ruined my day. Hope the day will change gear later today after I read all the new FAQ on the new page of Flickr.

You've Been Told

My birthday is this week. And if there is a Birthday Santa, Birthday Fairy, or Birthday Genie here is my list of things I really really need ...er want:

• DSLR - preferrably Canon
• Boxed set of LOST
• Boxed set of PRISON BREAK
• Gift card
• Ipad (yeah me too)
• Dinner at French Laundry
• Meal at Morimoto
• A day at the spa
• A day at the California Academy of Sciences
• A little road trip to my fave spot, Mendocino

That's all. Thank you!

Blond Moment or Senior Moment

Yesterday after a very very long day which was punctuated by my car breaking down just when I was in my street at the foot of the hill, about 7 small blocks from my driveway, I had some sort of a breakdown - or a senior or blond moment, you be the judge.

So when the tow truck came (I rang hubby first who happened to be home from work early) and told me and hubby that he believed that the reason why the car stopped running was that the battery was dead, which was what I suspected all along since we haven't replaced the battery since we bought it 6 years ago.

We told the young (was he even legit to drive yet?) tow truck driver to just bring the car home. When that was done, it was nearing 8 pm. Hubs and I sped to Costco to get the warehouse brand battery. Costco closes at 9 pm daily and they close the gate before that. We got to Costco about 8:30 and I was running, hubs went to park the car. When he got in and saw me admiring the tv selection, he questioned why I didn't have a cart with me. I ran outside to fetch a cart and the door is starting to be shut. I asked them to let me grab a cart first.

And so we managed to locate the aisle where the car batteries are located. Honestly I didn't see these before now. Selective memory? Husband suggested we do a little bit of shopping, but I was really exhausted and stressed both from hard day at work and the car's breakdown that I threw my brand of tantrum (nothing scandalous) and I reasoned out that I really need to see TOP CHEF and it starts at 9 pm. I am recording it, he said. But I didn't budge and so we hurriedly paid our purchase and was greeted at the door by the same employee who grinned at our purchase and smiled saying she understood now why the urgency in my step.

Anyway, we got home and I immediately turn the tv on Bravo and lo and behold some other show is going on. I went to fix dinner and still no TOP CHEF coming on. I checked SyFy and WAREHOUSE 13 is on. Since that is one of hubs fave shows, we watched that while changing back to Bravo during commercial breaks. NO Top Chef.

I was still fuming and suddenly I realized that Warehouse 13 is on the wrong day of the week. I ask my husband why Warehouse 13 is on a Wednesday. My moment came when hubby said it was Tuesday that's why Warehouse 13 was on and why Top Chef wasn't because the latter goes on Wednesdays. Boink! Senior Moment or Blond Moment? You be the judge.

My Car Remains Unwashed

Another weekend passed by and the car remains dirty, filthy. Good thing it's not smelly :) I have been meaning to wash in months. But as each weekend arrives I find my list of to do filled with errands and gardening and laundry and church activities that carwash always end up in the "if there is time i'll do it" category. Many weeks passed and I still didn't have time.

Here's why I didn't have time to wash the car:

1. Daily weekend date with mom. Lunch at her favorite Chinese restaurant. I've been at this restaurant many times and I can't remember it's name :) She had the seafood claypot and I had a lunch combo (garlic prawns), which ended up tasting like their other prawn dishes.
2. After lunch with mom, we ran a ton of errands, ending in a stop at a local Pinoy restaurant, CABALEN, who's moving to a closer location this weekend. Hah! less driving for moi. As was the case every weekend, we came out of the restaurant with boxes of to-gos and some cassava cake and halo-halo. My connoisseur of a husband commented that CHOWKING's halo halo is far superior :)
3. Got my FRY'S fix. We love this computer/electronics store/warehouse, even if we're just browsing. We were able to get a landscaping software that would be free after the mail in rebate is submitted. I used to like coming here because of their massage chairs. This week the chairs were nowhere in sight so I just lovingly touched and handled the Nikons and the Canons in display and I didn't care if the salesperson was looking at me funny!
4. Gardening - weeding, sweeping, snipping dead rose blooms, etc etc until it was dark.
5. The whole morning of Sunday is for church.
6. A friend of ours who treats my husband their "good son" and I their good son's wife, had a hip replacement, her second, but she had some complication with the medication they gave her that affected her heart. Poor thing! So we visited her and although she was staying in a nonprivate room (sharing with two other people) she has the window view and what a view it was. She can see the Berkeley from her bed. It was a great view. I hope she gets better soon.
7. We delivered pizza to #5's husband, who is also not in the pink of health. We visited with him and his only son who was staying with him while the mom is in the hospital.
8. Almost missed the screening of THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE. I love that movie. Well, I like it a lot. For one it's very entertaining. Another, it's always nice to see Nick Cage in a movie. I wonder when did I become a Nick Cage fan?
9. Had dinner at a friend's house and after dinner she put on a Netflix WII movie which is very interesting. It's a Bollywood movie made in Miami. She and I share a love for Bollywood. I can't remember the title. But it's a funny movie. Unfortunately, it was 9 pm by the time we finished our chai and the movie is just getting into the good parts. I will watch this again in full.

So there wasn't really time to wash the car. How was your weekend?

I Like It

Let me begin by saying, I am an actor-centric movie goer, which means I choose what movies I watch according to who's in it and not what's it about. So it isn't any surprise that one of Netflix movies was REMEMBER ME which stars Robert (team Edward) Pattinson and Emilie de Ravin ( pregnant Claire on LOST).

I want to see Robert Pattinson in a movie where he's not a vampire and brooding. He's not a vampire in this movie, but he is brooding. Will he be typecast as a brooder?

Emilie is cute in this movie. There isn't much to say about it. It's a dramatic love story with some tragic elements, when Emilie's character's mother's was killed in a subway mugging where her character witnessed and at the end where it was implied that Robert's Tyler character died in the Twin Towers incident on 9/11.

The two of them together works for me. Their chemistry looks easy and believable as lovers.

This movie has a ROTTEN rating, I don't disagree with that. However, the movie spoke to me in a way that I liked the way the director told me the story.

I don't recommend this to anyone, but if you're curious about Robert Pattinson the way I was, go ahead and check him out in this film. Although you've been warned that there's very little differentiation between his characteristics here and as a vampire.

Whatever Comes To Mind

Lately these are what's on my mind:

• Sick and tired of this headache - go away, shoooo!
• I need to occupy myself with something else to do other than blogging.
• I really want to eat some sushi.
• My cat Emma makes my life so wonderful. Didn't think a cat can do that.
• More old friends coming out of the Facebook woodwork. Fun.
• Wonder where my husband would take me for my birthday.
• I'm bored.

There you are the things on my mind while I maneuver thru this 8-hour day. Have a wonderful Wednesday. It's almost weekend.

Nothing Interesting, But Thought I'd Write Just The Same

We finally get some summer heat going. It's been in the 80s here for the past couple of days and we're told the heating continues until this weekend, then we'll resume to have our natural air conditioner in place. That is the fog around the bay for those who don't know.

Last year on our first summer on this house, we ate dinner outside, in the backyard because daylight was longer and it's refreshing to eat outside. This year, must be due to the cooler summer weather so far, we haven't had a single dinner outside. Hubs noticed that and blamed my tv viewing habit as the culprit. But I don't think so. Our outdoor furnitures are the hand-me-downs and they came with the house. They need scrubbing and maybe a fresh coat of paint. I've been thinking of getting a new set . Home Depot and OSH have been having good sets out for display, but they are still above my price range.

Anyway, our Cancun get-away was two weeks ago, can you believe that? It seemed much longer than the two weeks.

Cancun was fun in a way. It was the choice destination for us because all we needed was lounging on the beach or by the pool. And we did that and then some.

What I like about Cancun:

• the beach and lagoon are so pretty
• beachcombing is fantastic
• the shopping is good
• the people are very nice
• no bum on the streets
• the relaxed lifestyle

What I dislike about Cancun:

• the suffocating combo of heat and humidity
• shopping is expensive
• didn't get a good "authentic Mexican" food
• didn't rent a car - should next time around

Needless to say, we had fun in that short stay of 6 days 5 nights. I would love to go back someday too.

First Half Recap

If there is one word that would describe the first half of 2010 in my personal world it would be STRESS(FUL).

I encountered stress at work when the changes in management and budget woes have put my job on the line - at least for a while. Well, no one is safe as far as we're concerned, even now.

Stress was present when I heard from my doctor that surgery was required. More stress when I had to undergo surgery and stay at home for a month recuperating. Thankfully, through prayers, all went well and with the least amount of pain and discomfort I could ever imagine.

Stress when I realized that the first half of the year was over and I still hadn't had a vacation when I so badly needed one. While we took a major holiday towards the end of last year, thereby dissipating our savings; I was hard pressed to find a bargain vacation deal that would require very little money. And so towards the end of the first half, I went on a holiday in tropical Cancun. I arrived there with a tropical depression. I was just glad it wasn't a hurricane that greeted me as I landed.

And our wedding anniversary get-away in May was an overnight trip to Monterey, well rainy Monterey. Funny how both my vacation get-aways were punctuated with rain.

That's how the first half rolled. Hoping that the second half is less stressful.

For My Friend

My friend just lost her mother last week. And I just got reunited with her through facebook. We (our other friends) just got reunited with her. I hope that through prayers she will be comforted in these tough times. I pray for her and her family.

Instructions

Hello!

My name is Emma. I am 2 years old. I am happy that you are here to be with Grandma and me while Mama and Papa are away.

I love to eat. My food is in the plastic tub. Give me food once a day. Daily, please change the water on my feeder and dry food too. I prefer my water warm. I don’t care for cold water at all. Do not put too much food at one time. I would not be able to eat all of it. Just pour enough for a day. Dry food sack is in the garage.

I have treats too. I can bully you to give me treats, but my mama and papa are not happy when I do that to Grandma. However, it’s okay if you give me a few treats daily, just don’t overdo it or I will be fat and not healthy.


I go potty in the downstairs bathroom. That’s where my litter box is. Please do not close the door to that bathroom because I cannot reach the door knob and can’t open the door when I need to use it. If my litter box needs fresh litter, refill is in the garage.

I have a box of my toys and my comb. I like to be combed at least twice a day. I can play by myself too, but mama and papa play with me. It helps my well being when they do that.

I love to sunbathe in the bed. I often use the pillow too. I hope that’s okay with you. After all I am very clean and I smell good. Papa gave me a shower, yes a shower can you believe that, a couple of weeks ago.

And most of all, I DO NOT GO OUTSIDE. My mama and papa are very careful to keep me inside. If I get out of the house, I would run away and would not know how to come back. Please make sure that all doors leading to the outside are closed all the time.

Thank you very much for taking care of me.

This is the letter of instructions we left for my niece and nephew who helped stay with my mother while my husband and I were away on our vacation last week.

Arrived to find Emma wasn't too pissed that we left her alone, but she did not leave my side the rest of the long weekend. I think that she got her way when we were away that she expected me to feed her tuna every time she wants to eat.

We had a wonderful time in Cancun. Will blog about that later.

Beach

Beach , originally uploaded by M'roy.

When I was growing up, I only saw the beach once a year. In May when my family or some family members would go to the annual pilgrimmage to Our Lady of Manaoag. After hearing mass visiting with the Virgin Mary's image, we would picnic on the beach and spend the rest of the day there. Those were the days of excursions to the beach.

I was raised in a town where the nearest body of water, a river, is a few kilometers away and raised by parents who were afraid of the water. Therefore, no chance to learn to swim or do any activities connected to water.

Now that I live here in the bay area, we are surrounded by water. But unlike the beaches in SoCal, our beaches here have COLD water. Unless the weather heats up to 80F+, it is just way too cold to be on the beach, much less in the water.

So on occasions that the temps around here heats up, then we go and walk on the beach.

But next week, I will be going on vacation to a tropical setting where the water is warm. I hope to enjoy the beach as much as I could without learning how to swim.

I simply can't wait for my excursion to the beach this summer. Happy summer every one.

Another Weekend Recap

Tell me please that time is not marching on this rapidly. Okay, it's almost July - ALREADY!

I know. I better start writing up a recap of the first half of the year pretty soon. So later on in the second half of the year I can look back on the recap post and see what's accomplished and what is not.

In the mean time, let me recap my too-brief-a-weekend.

Saturday was a lazy day. My church had the annual yard sale. I was pretty lazy that I did not sign up to help out with the sales or the clean up. Last year I was there with the troops, this time I was curled up in bed until about 1 pm, lounging with hubby and the cat and watching SHUTTER ISLAND, which was our Netflix movie.

Okay let me first tell you how much I loved Shutter Island. How much I loved Leo in this movie. I think I may have fallen a little bit in love with him here. Not as much as I went head over heels ga-ga when he did that movie with Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg. I can't remember the name of the movie and too lazy to google it. Anyway, I admire the storytelling of Scorcese. Well, that's all I have to say about this movie. I'm sure you all have seen it by now, so I don't need to tell you how I feel anymore than that I love the movie and Leo.

To continue with my recap of Saturday - I skipped breakfast/lunch at home and after taking a quick shower, my mom and I went to have late lunch - twas about 2 pm - at her favorite local Chinese restaurant. You know how big portions they give you at these places. An order of $7.95 string beans with beef is a platter, large enough for four regular mouths. So we ordered the string beans, a platter (order) of fried rice, an order of wonton soup (twas a breezy cool day for late June), and fried chicken wings.

I was very good. I tasted, but did not pig out. Surprisingly I wasn't hungry when we went out to eat, considering it was 2 pm and I did not have anything to eat yet.

After running a couple of errands after lunch, we went home. Husband decided to cook - he does the cooking at home coz he is such a good cook - which means I would be doing all the chopping, dicing, slicing, and all other prep work.

When that was done, surprisingly we had a little bit of time left. We have tickets to the movies and realized that we haven't seen PRINCE OF PERSIA yet. So off to the net I went to check for showtime. Luckily our neighborhood multiplex or metroplex still shows the movie and the next one was 7:25 pm.

The movie exceeded my expectations. Have I mentioned before that my enjoyment of a movie is direct correlation to how much I enjoy the actors? Yes I am unashamedly actor-centric when it comes to movies. So not really a fan of Jake G (cant spell last name, lazy to google), I really had no expectations at all. Husband loved to see it so we went. But goodness, the casting was perfect, the story was fun (it was a video game????), and I simply love all the CGIs. Thank heavens for CGI, right? Anyway, two thumbs up!

On Sunday, we attended the mass and my husband got his pop for Pops at church. The church was giving away suckers for fathers and men in connection with Father's Day.

The best part of Sunday was getting a massage. A massage is an extra expense for both of us, one that we have to save up for because we really can't afford it. But we bit the bullet and after months of going without massage, we went and tried this new place near our house. We did because of the coupon we got. Anyhoo, I truly loved her massage, although I thought she was making up some of the techniques/moves she was employing on me. Still, she set the perfect ambience for a relaxing time while having the massage. I think I'll save up for another visit. My husband wasn't truly impressed and preferred the Chinese masseuse 10 miles away.

We ended Sunday watching Food TV's Next Foodnetwork Star and Dzindra (spelling?) got booted off, thank heavens.

Padma is Back

TOP CHEF started its 2010 season last night. Don't ask me the number of season this one is because I don't know. The reason why I don't know is I've only started watching it last season where the Voltaggio brothers, Bryan and Michael, ended up fighting, er cooking it out in the finals. That finale I saw coming.

This year though, I don't see anyone yet that would be outstanding, well except for Angelo something who won both the first Quickfire Challenge and the Elimination Challenge. Can't wait for this season to play out.

In related news, Food TV's THE NEXT FOODNETWORK STAR is also underway, only a week's episode ahead of Top Chef. This year's group of aspirants doesn't seem to be as brilliant as the past years, but we'll see.

So this summer, I am dieting, dieting, dieting - but watching only cooking shows. Go figure!

Guess Who Took A Shower Yesterday?

MVI_0540, originally uploaded by M'roy.

Meet my darling precious pet, Emma. She is a rescued cat and she arrived in our lives on March 30, 2010. She is the most affectionate, intelligent, and playful cat - not to mention manipulative - I've ever met. Of course, before her, my dealings with cats were short.

My husband grew up with cats. He kept telling me how he used to give his cats bath. I said I'd believe it when I see it. I've been told that cats are averse to water.

On Sunday, while the three of us were taking it easy, hubs was watching recorded World Cup games and I was blogging/Facebooking, Emma joined us in the bedroom and took her rightful place on my computer swivel chair - she loves this chair and would give me grief if I get caught using it.

She was mellow that day. Saturday and Sunday we experienced hot 90-degree weather. I don't know what got into the hubster, but he picked up Emma and took her to the bathroom and gave her a shower. I didn't follow them. I stayed facebooking. I never heard any peep from either one. The water was all I could hear. Then hubster was yelling for me to get her a towel. I got a towel and opened the shower door, and there they were my family and Emma seemed to be enjoying the new experience.

Of course after we dried her off, she scampered away and went under the bed and did not want to have anything to do with either of us. She did join us downstairs by dinner time. All's forgotten it seems. She smells cleaner (altho she always smelled good), and her hair feels softer.

This is her with her favorite sleeping position. She sleeps with us on the bed, but we put a throw on her side so all her hair just stays in this throw.

Isn't she precious?

Busy Monday

Workwise that is. And as I get the ahead of my work load, the system slows down to an almost halt, barring me from opening an application vital to the completion of my task. But our network allows me to open the net and here I am trying to wait for one application to load so I blog :)

The weekend was quiet. The weather did turn up the heat, and hooray, one of my old shorts fit still. You can just imagine my delight. There was one pair of shorts however that wouldn't fit at all, so it went to the bag for donation to my church's yard sale next weekend.

No beach this past weekend. We could have. Didn't have anything planned, but I was lazy to go anywhere. Our little town had its annual Cultural Fair. The park near us was filled with tents of food from different cultural heritage. There were Thai dishes, Filipino lumpia and pancit and adobo, Chinese food, hotdogs, bbqs, and of course a booth/tent offering funnel cake - the one with the longest line. I was in my diet mode, hence, nothing tempted me. I walked away from the festival with empty stomach, can you believe that.

On Sunday, our day started late. I haven't had this type of day where I left the bed at past 12 noon. Had cereals close to 1 pm. Did the laundry and blogged, until it was closer to 5 when hubs wanted to go out and check something in the store. Went to get some nachos and burritos from Taco Bell, just to get their free fruitista freeze and a limeade drink. The freeze was great tasting, but the limeade was like a lemonade syrup + sprite or 7-up, I didn't care for it.

We took a little walk at the wetlands area. Saw someone boating, never seen that before. The roses were all blooming, so nice to see. The sun was blazing, but the breeze was cold, so it was pleasant. It was high tide when we went for a walk, also first time I saw that.

And my facebook account registered 6 new friends. I know, I should stop.

Okay, let me check if the application has completed its loading.

Exhausted

This week is a short week. Monday was Memorial Day here, a federal holiday. On Wednesday, the second day of work, I was exhausted, couldn't wait for 6 pm Friday to come - when I officially begin my weekend.

No serious plans, but with the temps expected to heat to the 80s, a visit to the nearest beach is a probability.

Beach or no beach, I can't wait to sit on the couch and just veg out.

BTW, I also have a hankering for sushi. I wonder if I could satisfy my hunger this weekend.

Bulleted Updates

May 21st was the last post here. I don't intend to make this blog weekly; however the universe conspired to keep me away from posting. Yeah really!

So I thought updates are necessary to keep you all (all 2 of my readers) posted on what's been happening to the author of this site. Here goes:

@Attended a niece's baby shower. Her sister, my other niece, cooked too much and the spread was wonderful. Was surprised at how good she can cook.

@However, the shower was cut short since the mom-to-be's cousin, another niece of mine - her apartment was burning. She lost everything. I'm not going to dwell on this because they don't want anything about this over the net. I respect their privacy.

@LOST ended it's 6-year run with a 4.5-hour tv event. I loved the first two hours - a retrospection of what had transpired so far and about the characters in the island. Pretty fascinated.

@The main event or the finale episode was 2.5 hours long. Only to be revealed at the very end that they were all dead. DEAD. No.One.Survived. I still am trying to process my feelings about how the writers ended this well-loved and confusing series.

@Grey's Anatomy, another perennial favorite of mine, had its season finale. They killed a couple of characters - the newer ones - which I thought was a good move. The end will keep me waiting for this fall's new season.

@Celebrated my wedding anniversary. Took an overnight trip to Monterey and booked a hotel by the ocean. Walked on the beach - twas cold - , went sightseeing, windowshopping, and ate at a tapas place whose menu reminded us of the Barcelona trip we took last year. Vowed to return to the hotel and the tapas place this year - with God's grace.

@Tagged along hubby as he and a handful of his co-workers went to do the burrito challenge - eat a huge burrito worth $18 dollars, the size of three super burritos. No time limit, but none of them were able to finish the whole thing. One guy, Richard, almost finished his - not quite. All except him took boxes to go. Had burrito for dinner for two nights after that :D The burrito was really good too.

@Went to the CARNAVAL, an annual street fair in SF that celebrates Hispanic culture with parade, dancing, eating, etc. Went to get the El Salvadoran tamales that we once had in this festival but they didn't carry the said treat.

@Instead our friends took us to Vik's Chaat House, a local favorite and one of the best bargain eats around these parts. Good thing that we went with friends because we didn't know that they moved to a few blocks away to a better location and more ecofriendly building.

So that's what's been happening. Still waiting to hear if we could really have some summer fun this year courtesy of Hawaii. Keeping my fingers crossed.

TGIF

I can't wait for the weekend to come. No. I am not going on a trip somewhere. Not even a road trip. I'm basically giddy with delight because Friday is closer to Sunday, which is the LOST SERIES FINALE EVENT on tv. ABC 7 is airing Lost from 7 pm I believe up to 11 pm. Now that is a lot of tv. But since it's LOST and it's the series finale, I have made arrangements for this weekend to be my personal Lost weekend as well.

I know I'm being selfish but I already notified my husband that I would not do any housechores on Sunday evening. I will not even be washing dishes. It will be time for LOST. We'll have frozen pizza and some mojito or beer for dinner.

I must say my feelings about Lost ending its run is ambivalent. I am torn apart it seems. I, like the multitude of LOSTies, am excited to see the end, but at the same time not ready to see it end. Not ready to not have LOST on Tuesdays.

This is one show that I can say I have seen since the very first show. I stumbled upon it accidentally. What a serendipitous event I'd say. When the plane exploded, I made a committment that I'd see this show through its very end. And who would have thought that there is an end to this storytelling.

I will definitely miss the WTF moments that this show had served us through the years. All those improbabilities, no-way situtations. They're all what LOST is about. And I'm definitely going to miss it.