Friday, November 28, 2003

Gracias!...Merci!...Salamat!...Thank You!

Thanksgiving day for me is typically comprised of morning mass, helping out with the meal preparations, entertaining family and of course...EATING! I love eating! IT'S SO AWFUL! But I couldn't help it. Our thanksgiving table was adorned with the best food my family could provide; turkey, spaghetti, pad siyew, baked salmon, popeye's chicken, etc. you know, Filipino thanksgiving food.

But the best part of my day would have to be looking after my nephew, Kelsoe. He's 7 months now! So big is he, crawling, standing up, and chattering away what sounds like gibberish to me but must mean so many things to him. He fell asleep while I was feeding him yesterday afternoon and as sore as my arm was getting, I SO didn't care cuz I love this baby so much.

Ok, I'm a bit tired so I'm gonna end this now before I get really carried away. I spent part of the day helping my aunt decorate her house for Christmas and the rest helping my parents and my uncle paint our living room, and then playing taxi for my sister. My neighborhood is so chaotic this time of year because I live behind the mall. Seeing all that traffic got me even more fatigued. Until next time, I hope everyone had an excellent thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 26, 2003

Rude Awakening

Have you ever had a dream that seemed so real that you could feel your heart beating, hear yourself breathing and feel someone's touch? This has happened to me all too often and I get so frustrated when I wake up because it wasn't real. It happened to me again Sunday night. I won't disclose the details of the dream but I woke up Monday morning and said, "I KNEW IT! OF COURSE IT WAS A FREAKIN' DREAM!"

Well, I'm a dreamer and a thinker. I have an ultra-active imagination and I've overanalyzed practically everything about my life (and probably some other people's lives too). I go lie and think about at least 10 things before i finally fall asleep, and then I wake up thinking some more. It's really no wonder I have the dreams that I do!! I just wish that sometimes I could catch a break and not have to wake up from something that felt perfect. Maybe tonite it'll be different...How Anna? Apparently I wish to live in my dreams forever...hmm...we'll see...

Monday, November 24, 2003

***NEW FEATURE***

I just got an idea folks. When we were taking US History during our sophomore year at IH, our teacher, Mr. West used to give us a WONDERFUL WOMAN of the WEEK to learn about. So every week I’ve decided to do a variation and introduce or re-acquaint you all with the people in my life through the GETTING TO KNOW YOU series. You know the saying, “tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are?” Well, maybe this’ll give you all more insight into why I am the way I am if you know who I’m related to and who I’m friends with. That way, if you don’t like me, then you know who to blame…hee hee hee…Let's see who the first victim is...

Getting to know...

ROCHELLE T. GALACE aka BOBBERS
Vitals: Met in 1982 at my aunt and uncle’s party and had scattered meetings for a couple years, then lost touch until we became classmates for 4 years at Immaculate Heart High School = 20 years and counting
Role in my Life: Unconditional Supporter – If all I need is a kind word of comfort or someone just to be on my side, this is my girl.
Good Times: Lugging around our Poochie (remember that cute pink dog?) collectibles when we were tinier tots =)
In her own words: “69? Does that mean there are positions 1-68?”


Friday, November 21, 2003

ChILLIN’ Again…

Last night, Iya, Randy, Bobbers, Joe, Riann and I had dinner at Noodle World in Pasadena then treated ourselves to an evening of original music at McMurphy’s. I finally got to see ILL AGAIN perform and now I fully understand the hoopla that surrounds these guys. I’m no hip-hop connoisseur but I know what’s pleasing to the ear and their music really was. A 6-member band consisting of 2 guitarists (1 bassist), a drummer, a multi-faceted instrumentalist and 2 emcees, they filled the room with a solid following bobbin’ their heads to the beat of their sounds. Exceptional lyricists, their set was nothing short of unique and I do look forward to seeing them perform again.

What made the night even more happening was seeing our high school classmate, Jimelle. We haven’t seen her in 2 years and it was great seeing such a familiar face in the crowd. Catching up with old friends is always fun. I think the comedic moments of the evening were,. by and large, the dancing showcase of 3 women. One lady, who was dressed like a stewardess and was easily 40+ was by the stage, drink in hand, shakin’ her booty to the DJ. And then there were these two other gals who were dancing so furiously (I don’t know why, the music wasn’t that fast-paced) and they were literally bumping in to everyone around them. Randy and I were so ready to be like, “Will you please calm down? You’re all up in our space!” but we didn’t. We’re not squabbers.

Ok, time to get back to work. I keep forgetting I’m here. Which reminds me, did you guys read that article in blogspot about blogging at work? Ha ha ha…hilarious!

Wednesday, November 19, 2003

"You're Justh Jealousth" - Mark Wong

yeah, i was jealous today and let me tell you why. so before we get our midterms back our teacher gives us this whole lecture about if you haven't done well in this class, please consider dropping and taking it again or study harder and do extremely well on the final, etc. so all of us are thinking, "oh crap, we must've done horribly on the midterm for her to be talking like that." so she goes on to say that we all did fairly well, and out of a possible 200 points, one person got a perfect score + the extra credit making their score 205 points! no it wasn't me (i wish). it was IYA!!! (sorry randy. i only got 185.5/200. i haven't upped iya ONCE this semester. i know you're disappointed in me. hee hee hee...) so yeah, IYA GOT A FREAKIN' PERFECT SCORE ON THE MIDTERM AND SHE GOT THE EXTRA CREDIT POINTS SHE DIDN'T EVEN NEED CUZ SHE'S GETTING LIKE AN A+ IN THE CLASS!!!!!!! AND THEN, when we were going over the test i'm writing in corrections with a black pen to study for later and iya turns to offer me her red pen. WHY CUZ YOU DON'T NEED IT MISS I GOT A HUNDRED? WHY DON'T YOU JUST SAY IT! YOU SUCK AT ACCOUNTING ANNA! hee hee hee...THIS IS FUN! (randy where are you when i need to gang up on iya?) hee hee hee... i'm just playing, girl, friend.

but oh, what a geek! =) no, in all honesty, this girl is the only person i've been extremely jealous of since the day we met but can't help loving to death. why is this? maybe cuz she doesn't flaunt her success with everything in my face (except for the red pen incident that is...i'm kidding, i'm kidding). anyhow, i made a lot of careless mistakes on that exam. i second-guessed myself in practically all of the items i got wrong. never again. always go with your 1st choice!

ok that's it. i've made 3 different entries today. i might not have anything more to blog about at work tomorrow if i continue this.

Tuesday, November 18, 2003

WHO NEEDS NAPSTER WHEN YOU’VE GOT ATE CYN?

Last night I went to bed kinda late. No, I wasn’t studying or doing homework or suffering from insomnia. Actually, I was chatting online with Ate Cyn cuz she was transferring Britney’s new cd via AIM to me. I swear I don’t think Ate Cyn’s bought a cd since downloading music over the internet or cd burning was made possible. So ummm…1999 then? Thanks again Ate Cyn! Same time tonight? Hee hee hee…

I’m listening to the Britney cd at work right now. I’d have to say it’s not the best cd I’ve ever heard but it’s one of her better ones. I’m not really listening to anything she’s singing but the beats are pretty phat, very danceable. There IS this one song that I listened real carefully to though, #12…don’t know what it’s called, let me go check…oh it’s called Everytime. And she’s all “my weakness caused you pain.” Hmmm…wonder who she’s talking to. I guess it’s kind of a response to Justin’s Never Again cuz he said something about her not even saying sorry and she DOES say sorry in this song. Am I really analyzing this? I apologize but I LOVE doing that! Anyhoo, it’s pretty cool. Have a listen if you get a chance. So far Ate Cyn’s favorite is #2, I’ve That Boom Boom (I THINK that’s what it’s called) which I like too cuz it’s a fun song. Iya and Joemama have shown interest in Toxic. That one’s got a cool beat to it too. I love that word…”beat.” Ok enough…just go listen to it.


OH LEGOLAS

So I went to Best Buy during my lunch ( I swear I wanna live there!) and I’ve got 3 words to describe the experience – CA-RAY-ZY! Everybody and their dog was there, in line to buy the TWO TOWERS: extended version (didn’t you know dogs love LORD OF THE RINGS? =). It was only $24.99! The one with BOOKMARKS costs like $56.99! (inside joke) I SO can’t wait to go home and watch it. Too bad I have class tonight. It’s okay though. After class I’ll come home, watch the new episode of the season for QUEER EYE (I’M SO EXCITED!) and then watch some of the extra footage in the dvd. I act like someone’s gonna take away my TV tomorrow or something huh? I can’t help it. Ok, I guess I should go do some work now. I AM at the office.




Monday, November 17, 2003

Outta the Bitter Barn

i am no expert when it comes to falling in love. i'm not even close. in fact, i've made it a bad habit to denounce this emotion, this state of heavenly bliss for many of my friends, hoping that it would keep me from longing for it. alas, this bitterness can only last so long because as fate would have it, I'M A SAP.

on saturday evening, iya, edwin, randy and i had the pleasure of sitting with a few thousand other filipinos at the grand olympic auditorium in downtown to watch a SIDE A / FREESTYLE concert. i swear it felt like pcn. anyhow, if you're not familiar with these two bands, they hail from back home and are as entertaining as can be. the highlight of the evening for me would either have to be iya, edwin, randy and i dancing along during their upbeat sequence or their rendition of HOT IN HERRE! ha ha ha...but one of the reasons i love their music, as well as so many filipino artists, is because of their beautiful ballads. one of the songs that they performed last night was GOT TO BELIEVE. if you don't know the song, watch ZAPPED! starring scott baio. and if you don't already know, this song was sung on the soundtrack of the movie with the very same name.

inspired, i decided to watch GOT TO BELIEVE while i folded laundry today (i have the VCD). time and again, i will watch this movie and every ounce of spite i have for love, or lack thereof, disappears. if you watch tagalog movies often, you've probably seen this movie and can understand why i love it so much. it actually reminds me of one of my other favorite movies, WEDDING PLANNER. anyhow, it's about this girl, who's a wedding planner, who dreams and aches to marry someday soon. she becomes acquainted with one of their photographers and let's just say he helps her find someone. you know where this goes right? i don't wanna spoil it for you.

anyhow, the couple playing the couple in the film was together in real life and they showed footage of them promoting their film at the end of the movie and what gets to me is the love you see in their eyes, especially his (Rico Yan, may he rest in peace). you see the way he looks at her and you just know, it's so obvious he's in love. and it just got to me. how unbelieveably special is that? yesterday i caught the last 45 minutes of A WALK TO REMEMBER and i can't say enough for the character that shane west plays. he meets this girl who he falls in love with and does everything he can to show her that he loves her and i was so touched by it.

i know these are only actors playing parts in a movie, but they're portraying the grandest emotion of all and it gets me everytime. when i witness this, yes i feel jealous, but at the same time i gain a small ounce of hope that it can happen, and it can happen to me. but what kind of angel does a person have to be to feel this way? i wonder...

Friday, November 14, 2003

Red Pill, Blue Pill

Iya's sister-in-law, Ate Jenny works for the company who processes permits for movie studios to film in certain locations. She gave Iya 2 passes to the MATRIX REVOLUTIONS screening on the Warner Bros lot and iya took me! (THANKS AGAIN ATE JENNY AND IYA! I HAD SO MUCH FUN!) everyone i know who has seen this movie can't seem to find too many great things to say about it. so iya and i went in there expecting a fluke, minus the effects. people have said it's corny or whatever and i can kinda see why they would say that, but i don't think the dialogue was even half as corny as the dialogue in STAR WARS EPISODE 2. THAT movie freakin' killed me, especially during conversations between amidala and anakin. granted hayden christiansen is FINE, the movie was all effects, weak story.

but back to the MATRIX...we thought it was cool. it made loads of points about destiny and sacrifice and chances. maybe to the discerning eye of a superfan, the movie may have lacked in some areas, but i liked it. i have to admit that i'm at a loss as to what happened in the 1st two movies (which i'm planning to re-watch to understand the 3rd more), but nonetheless, the movie satisfied as much as i expected from it.

after the movie iya pointed me towards a part of the lot where ER films certain scenes and as a diehard ER fan i was like AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M HERE!!! where Noah Wyle and Maura Tierney and Sherry Stringfield and George Clooney walked around! oh! on monday when we spent the day at the Grove, I saw Sharif Atkins from ER! he's the doctor who had the military help him get thru medical school. I SO wanted to go up to him and his little boy (or was it a girl) and shake his hand or something. but i'm bad at celebrity meetings, just ask anyone.

well, my midterm was...it was easy...for the people who studied hardcore for it that is. i wasn't one of them so some parts were a little puzzling for me. anyhow, i better go. I've got bills to do before i go to bed. until next time...

Thursday, November 13, 2003

Menace to my Neatness

Hey everyone!! Today is ate cyn's birthday! (See link below. You'll die laughing when you read her blog!) I love her to death, even though she loved to mess up my bed when we were living in irvine. Happy happy birthday ate cyn-chaa!!!

Sunday, November 09, 2003

Hiatus

hey there!!! i know i haven't made any entries into my blog but for some reason last week, i felt a tad overwhelmed and was unable to sit in front of the computer for half an hour and go over my day. so i'm gonna try to make an entry right now as i watch ALIAS. i'll try my hardest to write coherently as i wait in ernest for sidney bristow's next move.

so hey, what's up guys? guess what i did last sunday? i opened up my CPU and installed 128 MB of RAM into my system. I was gonna ask my cousin, or cile or markie to do it for me because i felt terrified at the thought of opening up my computer. but everyone's like, "it's easy just open up the cpu and stick it in there!" sounded easy enough. so i braved my fear and installed the darn thing. to be honest with you i don't see the change in speed on my computer. THAT i'm still trying to figure out.

ok, i need to finish ALIAS because i have an accounting midterm to study for. fortunately, unlike studying in college, i actually READ the chapter long before the night before the exam. what a concept, reading assignments done when they're assigned. good deal...i'll let you know how it goes...wish me luck! iya doesn't need luck. i think she's gotten a perfect score on all 7 of our quizzes. what a smart bizzatch!

Speaking of which, IT'S IYA'S BIRTHDAY TOMORROW, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10. Greet her if you get a chance!

FELIZ CUMPLEANOS IYA!!

Sunday, November 02, 2003

Juxtaposition

if you've ever taken any kind of english class, this term may sound familiar to you. if not, then it might as well be written in sanscrit cuz it's not a word you hear everyday. but in literary terms, JUXTAPOSITION occurs when a sad or terrible occurrence in a story is immediately followed by a moment of happiness or comic relief, and vice versa.

well, this word couldn't have been more applicable to my life than this very moment. on friday, halloween was a great day. granted the weather was dreary and i would've enjoyed lying in bed more than anything, the work day seemed to rush thru and at the end of my 8 hours i was ready to go out and celebrate. donned in my angel wings and halo, we started the evening with a trip to the mall for my 6-month old nephew, kelsoe's 1st halloween. he was dressed up as tigger and although the rain outside was pounding down on the streets, the smile on his face was enough to brighten my day. he observed in delight at all the little kids (and adults) dressed in their costumes. he had fun trying to snatch on to my wings (to eat) and even more fun attempting to grab my sister's fairy wand (again, to eat). as usual he didn't cry very much, not even in his tigger outfit, and at the end of the trip to the mall, he was as happy as could be.

i spent the rest of the evening at el cid dancing and drinking with iya the bee, matt aka eminem, rochelle the inflateable pumpkin, rachele the fairy, riann the german beer girl, joe as a "badass mutherf**cker," tommy the delta boy soldier straight out of blackhawk down, randy as alvin from the chipmunks, eric the pirate, pocahontas cile and father edwin. the last few moments of the night at denny's were filled with laughter and almost a crime cuz i walked out with the money and the bill in my hand!

l spent saturday doing laundry and then celebrating ate tin's 27th birthday. we tried our hardest to forget we were freezing, attempting at all costs to keep reminding ourselves that the party was a luau theme. as soon as you start grabbing your stomach due to laughter, suddenly you forget it's 65 degrees outside and you're wearing a hawaiian shirt or sarong. we got to watch cile's hawaii video presentation, complete with slideshow and credits. you wanna know how talented this girl is? watch one of her videos.

any evening spent in the company of great people is always perfection, as this weekend proved. but today, it's hard to put into words how quickly all that perfection can disappear. two people very close to me, whom i love dearly, are moving away and i can't do anything to prevent it. i've been crying all day because i feel sad and helpless and i can't tell you how big a part of me is dying because i don't know when i'll see them again. i think they've left already, but haven't even come to say good-bye yet. i'm not sure if it's better this way, since good-byes are always the worst. but i just wanted to hold them both, just to let them know i loved and will miss them. but the best i can do is hope that they're kept safe always.

this is why i'm always so cautious with happiness. cuz there's always something waiting behind the wings to take it away...