Back from Vacation

Back from a 5d4n Mexico beach vacation, I am now here to report about it. Although what is there to report about? We stayed in a resort, all-inclusive, fronting the blue of Sea of Cortez. It's funny I know but each time I go on vacation, my period shows up. My last vacation I got my period when we landed in Venice. What is that about?

Anyway, I kinda dug the resort vacation this time. I have been to Cabo once, when the cruise stopped for a day there. This vacation is different from that. We didn't rent a car as we intended. We didn't go to explore other towns as planned. But we enjoyed our time. We went shopping, walked on the beach, soaked on the jacuzzi, joined other Warriors fan in the Sports Bar watching games 4 & 5 against the Rockets, went on a sunset cruise by The Arch, had a pamper me time at the spa, and parasailed.

However, on the last 2 days the temps was boiling hot. Unbearably hot. It was the kind of heat that would give you a headache. Mine hurt like crazy, not a good feeling when you're trying to have a fun time.

Well, hello there!

It’s awfully quiet around here lately, isn’t it? Sometimes it’s good to be quiet to balance all the noise in real world. Life has been monotonous and routinary, is that even a word? Okay, it’s not a word. Let’s just use ordinary. It’s been pretty ordinary around here. Five-day work period, 2-day weekends. Although it’s especially a cool and mostly overcast month of May it seems. No rain, though. Pity that’s what we need around here.

Here in the Bay Area it’s pretty crazy if you’re a sports fan. The GS Warriors are in the conference championship, up 2-0 over the Houston Rockets. Believe me I work my schedules around their play-off games. Nope, I do not watch them live. It’s too expensive. Cannot afford with my paycheck. But I get together with friends and we take turns having viewing party, sort of. And of course the San Francisco Giants just finished not only sweeping the hated archrival the Los Angeles Dodgers, but blanking them in all 3 games!!!

This is why my blogging is taking a back seat for the time being.

In a few days I’m off for several days in the beach of Cabo to soak up the sun, the sea and the sand. I cannot wait. I’ve done a little bit of research, but for the most part I’m looking forward to a little rest and relaxation and plenty of hot sand between my toes and hopefully my share of the margaritas.

There’s a place called Todos Santos, which is about 1.5 hours drive from Cabo. It’s a small town famous for its arts and crafts and the home of Hotel California. No, not the one mentioned in the very famous Eagles song. However, look up the net and you’ll see everyone’s taking their selfies with the hotel. I want to see it. It’s going to be iffy if we’re going to rent a car for a day to do some sightseeing, but if we do Todos Santos is in the itinerary for sure. Oh and the capital city of La Paz, although according to the net that’s all 4 hours of driving away. Wait and see.

It’s the time of the year that discontent sets in. I don’t know why. Probably because half of the year is over and nothing has been accomplished. It’s always the same old routine, the same old regrets, the same old pessimism.

As soon as we get back from Cabo, I’ll get going on prepping for a chocolate item that I will be entering for the fundraiser, the annual Chocolate Extravaganza at church. While I had been lucky in the first year to bag a spot in the top 3 taster’s choice, the following years had been unsuccessful. I do want to revisit the recipe (truffle) that I entered on the first year where I bagged 2nd place but tweak it a bit. I’m thinking of changing the flavor from mint, which I was not crazy to begin with, to something different. Maybe amaretto. I would have to experiment first.

So for the time being, enjoy your summer. And if you’re on the other side of the world where summer days are dwindling giving way to cooler, or rainier weather, I sure hoped that you made the most of the sun and the sea and the sand this year

A Bunch of Randomness

In my mind I've been making up posts for this blog all through the week, but somehow these never made it to the blog.

Anywhooo, I just want to share a few randomness with you today:

• The picture above is from Berkeley Rose Garden snapped a week ago.  Unfortunately, it was too early to visit that very few of the roses had flowers.
• I got my DSLR cleaned professionally.  However, I only got the body cleaned and not the telescopic lens because as usual I'm trying to save money. Turned out the cause of all my problems was the dirty lens and not the body(mirror, etc), ugh!
• I'm taking a month off Zumba.
• One more month and I'm off to Mexico for a little R&R.
• My co-worker is going to Italy this year, her first time, and I'm so excited for her.
• I bought two bags of books from the town library's book sale.  My year's supply of reading is taken care of.
• Speaking of reading, I've been doing a lot of that lately.  A lot, a lot!
• I still haven't seen Insurgent.  It doesn't look like I'm ever going to see it on the big screen.  How was it, for those who have seen it?
• Thankful Emma and Buster are in pink of health, knock on wood.
• I haven't been to San Francisco since last year, can you believe that?  Too much things going on here in the East Bay.
• I could have a bowl of vermicelli bun right now.
• I'm a little under the weather. It's 71 F outside, and I'm inside the house in my bathrobe and feeling really cold, sinus is congested and head pounding, but surfing online makes my aches and pains all manageable.

Cheap is Expensive

Are you like me? Do you have a fascination with buying anything cheap? I like going to the Dollar Tree, Dollar Store, 99 Cents Store, etc to get items like dust pan, brooms, paper clips, legal pads, etc, etc, etc.

Lately, however, I’ve been becoming aware that cheap is getting expensive. Like the soap caddy for instance. We buy at the dollar store. It doesn’t work after a few months. In a year we get to replace the caddy so often. Then there’s my work ID badge, the plastic thingy that you hang on a lanyard? Well I’ve been buying ID badge holder every month at the 99 Cents Store. Finally one day, I had it. On the third week of the last badge holder that I got from the discount store, it broke. I finally had it. I decided to buy one from Walmart. Okay so as much as Walmart doesn’t appeal to me as a “good employer”, the prices cannot be beat and when you’re operating your household under a tight budget, believe me you will grab onto Walmart’s prices so quickly.

Anyway, so we went to Walmart and found a package of 12 badge holders…..for $1.99. Twelve for $1.99!!!! More bang for my buck! And it’s good quality too. I think I will think twice before buying something from the dollar store from now on, although I’m very sure that nothing can stop me from shopping there.

Do you buy anything from discount/dollar stores?

Millie and Other Random Thoughts

Out of the blue I thought of Millie today. Who is Millie? I met Millie in college, freshman year. She’s one of the girls I hang out with. Since we were seated alphabetically (pathetic, right?) we always sit together, both of us have last names starting with M.

In college she wore her straight black hair short, an inch or two above shoulder with bangs. She wore red red lipstick on her nicely shaped lips. She also wore make-up, I thought too much for school setting. She kept her uniform (yes we did wear unis in university) above the knee, highlighting her beautifully-shaped legs, proportional for her short stature.

She was a Manilena, through and through. Okay to be more precise, she was from San Juan. One time we went to their house, I don't remember why.

Anyway, she belonged to the group of gals that I hang with on that freshman year. All of them are from the Metro area and I was the only one that’s from the province. I really felt like I was fresh off the boat for the most part whenever I was around them, or what we used to term, promdi (short for from the province).

She was very nice to me and she has that guile, womanly guile that only a Manilena would know at age 17. In my eyes she was mature beyond her years.

She moved away the next year. I heard she migrated to USA.

Years later, my bff from high school who also migrated to California was on the phone with me and out of nowhere she asked if I knew Millie. They bumped into each other in San Jose and they had me in common. Both of them shared individual experience of how we copied off each other during exams.

I really don’t have a reason for this post except that I realized that so many people come into our lives that are there only for a second or so. Then they’re gone forever. They move on to their own journey on this earth and our journey goes on without them.

Say for instance, all the people in all the classes I’ve been in the university. Out of a roomful of people, there’s one or two that would be important for a period of time, if not forever. What happens with the others?

I’ve lived in dormitories before. I’ve made life-long friends there. But there were more who I ate dinner with regularity and yet I cannot remember their names anymore. At one point in my life, I have shared a chuckle with so many people that have touched my life in some ways.

I don’t know what I’m talking about. But as I was looking at the photos of people I took in Venice, an idea is brewing in my mind. I think I’ll explore that idea further.

In the meantime, I wonder what happened to Millie. Would we recognize each other when we bump into each other? I could only wonder.

Take Time To Smell The Flowers

Enjoy the little things.


Bask in the sunshine.


Dance in the wind.


Make a new friend.


Remember to always take time to smell the flowers.

Mindless Mumblings.

Almost a week ago today, the sad news that Philippine movie personality Liezl Martinez succumbed to the big C came to me as I was about to sleep for the night. Her passing affected me in a way I did not expect. I guess one reason is that I’m still whirling from losing my niece to the same dreaded disease. Another reason is that I have been following (okay reading since I don’t have an account) her tweets and Instagram for a while now. I enjoy looking at her photos. I don’t recall watching any of her films; I don’t think she had many. I wasn’t even maka-Albert (Albert fan) during the Regal Babies days. But her passing saddened me. It felt like air was let out of my balloon. Rest in peace Liezl, another one gone way too soon.

Anyway, things are the way they’re supposed to be. Did not go on any trips, long or short; however, there’s one in the offing that I’m quite excited about. I’ll let you in on the planning soon.

Yes, I’ve returned to Zumba. I missed two weeks of February because we were too busy with the niece being in the hospital and then the funeral. But I’m back. Now if I could only lose some weight.

Spring is officially arriving tomorrow. Out here in Cali, we’ve had Spring since after Fall. I don’t recall any winter like conditions here. And because our winter was the driest in how many years, the drought conditions are getting worse. I read somewhere that the water supply we have right now is only good for one year. And then what?

I’ve been telling anyone who would care to listen this. Why not transport all the extra snow that the other parts of this great country received this winter and dump it all in California? That would solve some of this state’s problems on water, right? Kidding aside, how feasible is it to do that? Pipeline from one coast to the other?

Another thing on my mind is the worsening traffic in the Bay Area. Can we not utilize our waters to ease congestion? Is there a way to make our ferry system affordable and appealing to the commuters? Talks have been going in the past about a ferry depot in Hercules. As a matter of fact, construction of housing and stores have been put up near the location. If my husband reads this he would tell me to attend the town hall meeting. We have attended one time and it was about this same issue. I believe that was nearly 5 years ago.

Speaking of commute, I was able to share my route, the scenic route, to my co-worker. I did not realize we live near each other. And when I told her about my route she was flabbergasted that such a route exist. When you’re commuting in the I-80 in the East Bay you are expected to have a plan B or route B because if you rely on taking the freeway the rest of the way you’ll be in big trouble. The most obvious plan B is to take San Pablo Avenue. It somewhat parallels the freeway. The only problem with this route is that everyone knows about it and it’s the first one they take when something goes wrong on I-80. There’s another route that also uses San Pablo Avenue, but this one takes Arlington and you’d end up in Oakland.

Now this is the route I use nowadays. I don’t even bother to go to I-80 even though I see it’s clear near my house. I know it’s jammed in Richmond or in Berkeley, so what’s the point.

I take the backroads. My commute is through the rolling green hills with grazing cows, and electric poles and lines covered with birds, then it comes out to a curvy San Pablo Dam Road that passes by dams and hills and Orinda town where I take the freeway to Oakland.

My co-worker has been taking the route for days now. Today she was beaming from ear to ear and said her commute is down to 40 minutes. Well that’s still long, but better than I-80. I’m just glad I shared this super secret route, which actually was shared to me by others as well. Pass it on.