UNSUNG HEROES

I did something dumb on the Monday before I left for Hawaii. I went to the bank after work to withdraw some dinero to take on my trip. There was only 1 space left on that whole first floor at the Wells Fargo lot and it HAD to be next to this huge ass Camry that parked, not only on HIS space, but inched right into the empty space next to it…the space I was going to try to get into. So, I’m trying to be all careful, moving ever so slowly when I heard this noise come from the front of the car. I thought I had run over a plastic bottle or something. When I got out of the car, ‘lo and behold, there were streaks of yellow paint on the left side of my bumper because I scraped against the stupid pole! Aaaaaaaahhhhh!!! It looked much worse than it really was. None of Raven’s paint (that’s my car’s name, Raven – Raven the Rav 4…ha ha ha…) was harmed. All the paint streaks came from that stupid yellow pole. Something like this ALWAYS happens to me before I leave for a trip. Before I left for England in 1999, my wallet was stolen; before I left for DC, I got into a really bad car accident; before I left for Hawaii LAST year, I ran over that freeway rail that punctured a hole in my oil tank and my front right tire. And then now this. But I learned in the last year not to overreact about stuff like this so I’m like, it’s ok, when I get back from Hawaii, I’ll clean it up and it’ll look just fine.

When we were driving to work last Tuesday morning, I suddenly remembered that that had happened the day before and I was telling my mom how I felt so sorry for my car. Then my mom says, “oh, daddy fixed it already.” When we got to the garage at work, I looked at my bumper and it was as if nothing happened. My dad had spent the night before cleaning it up. That’s just like my dad, always doing things for us and never waiting for acts or words of gratitude. I love my dad! I felt awful this past Sunday, Father’s Day, because I was in Hawaii, unable to celebrate the day designated to honoring the men who woke up in the middle of the night for midnight feedings, the one who sang and rocked us to sleep, the one who sterilized our bottles, the proxy who awkwardly tried to fix our hair before school if mom was sick, the family caretaker who stands in a shadow often to give mom most of the glory.

I don’t think dads get enough appreciation in this world. On tv, in movies, it’s always the dad who abandons the mom and the children and it’s always the dad who has the affair. Not all dads are this way but that’s how it appears sometimes, doesn’t it? When it’s Mother’s Day, you know it because the malls and restaurants are filled with signs reminding us and cable is chockfull of made-for-tv movies about moms. But when it’s Father’s Day, you see a sign here and there, and hardly anything on tv giving dad the recognition he deserves. Maybe it’s just me, but it’s only because I love my dad so much and I wish he got as much attention as mom does sometimes.

Here’s to all of our dads, on earth and in heaven! And to honor this most important male influence in my life, here’s…

Getting to know…

FORTUNATO D. GONDA, JR. aka DADDY
Vitals: Met when I was born cuz he was there! = 26 years and counting
Role In My Life: The Best Dad Ever – Not only is my dad the typical patriarch of the family, who drives us everywhere, pays the bills and makes sure the cars are always in good health, he’s also the epitome of Mr. Mom. Every Friday when I get home from work, the washing machine and dryer are already running cuz Dad likes to end the week with laundry. He does this well into early Saturday morning, after which he spends a good part of the afternoon folding everything (unless my sister and I…well, unless I run into a basket and fold it myself).
Good Times: Sometimes I feel bad that my dad didn’t have any sons. Both of his brothers have sons and sometimes I feel like my dad kinda wishes he had at least ONE to carry on the family name and to do guy things with. So my sister and I do what we can to help the situation. On some Saturday mornings, my sister will get up early to play basketball or tennis with my dad. I try to watch as many basketball games on tv with my dad as I can. It’s fun watching Laker games together. We get angry and yell at stupid plays and bogus foul calls and get excited, hi-fiving each other when Kobe can’t miss. Who needs a son when you’ve got 2 daughters who love their dad right?
In his own words: “Ok, Leng, just call me on my cellophone.” – Ha ha ha…I think he got telephone and cell phone mixed up. Oh dad...

BACK TO THE MAINLAND

I spent 8 days in lovely Hawaii, on the wonderful island of Oahu and it wouldn't be enough to say what a great time I had. I couldn't possibly relay every detail about the trip to you all, but here's a list of things we did each day:

Day 1: June 17, 2004, Thursday
-Arrived in Honolulu at 11:20 am
-Checked in at the Aston Coral Reef
-Lunch at International Marketplace
-Fun in the Waikiki waters
-Dinner and drinks at Dukes

Day 2: June 18, 2004, Friday
-Diamond Head (or according to Ryan, "Mountain Head") hike
-Lunch at Ono's
-Dole Plantation
-Sunset Beach (for like 5 minutes because of the high tide warning)
-Waimea Beach
-Dinner at Cheeseburger Paradise

Day 3: June 19, 2004, Saturday
-Pearl Harbor - Arizona Memorial
-Aloha Bowl Swap Meet
-Feng Shui Club at the Hyatt Regency

Day 4: June 20, 2004, Sunday
-Mass at St. Augustine
-Brunch on the Beach @ Kalakawa Street
-Lunch with Randy's relatives in Pearl City
-Matsumoto's
-Kuhio Beach (where we experienced some near-drownings. I'll have the victims tell you about that one)
-Walked around and had a late dinner at the Int'l Marketplace

Day 5: June 21, 2004, Monday
-Malasadas from Leonard's Bakery...mmmmmmm
-Maka Pu'u Beach
-Kailua Beach
-Lunch @ L & L
-ATVing at Kualoa Ranch (where Jurassic Park and 50 First Dates was filmed)
-Giovanni's Shrimp Truck
-Mai Tai Bar

Day 6: June 22, 2004, Tuesday
-Shopping all day (Ala Moana Shopping Center), some peeps went mopedding
-Paradise Cove Luau
-Singles spend the evening to the morning on the beach

Day 7: June 23, 2004, Wednesday
-Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay
-More shopping at int'l marketplace and Local Motion
-Dinner @ Tiki Bar & Grill
-Threw leis back into the ocean

Day 8: June 24, 2004, Thursday
-Got ready to head back home =(
-Last minute shopping at Int'l Marketplace
-Flight at 1:15 pm
-Landed at LAX at 9:39 pm

I wish I could go back and not have to deal with the realities of our lives here, like work, school and other issues. We all wish we could stay and loaf around Hawaii a little longer and sadness doesn't begin to describe how we feel about leaving. But Matt told us all something our last night in Hawaii and it's really stuck since we got home: Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. Click on the links on the side to see what I mean.

TINY BUBBLES

Hey kids! If you don't already know, a bunch of us are leaving for Hawaii on Thursday, June 17th and coming back June 24th, next Thursday. I'm sure you'll get to read at least 5-6 different perspectives of the trip when we get back. Check out the Hawaii blog (See "Mahalo Time" link on the side) we've been maintaining since January to find out what we'll be doing while we're there.

Until next time, ALOHA!

IT'S OKAY...

The Lakers aren't the champions this year? Really? Yeah, no parade in downtown LA this year. No shot of Kobe and the trophy in a loving embrace. No Phil Jackson getting doused with champagne in the locker room. No Lakers jumping up and down in the hallways. Tonight (okay fine the whole series), Detroit outplayed our boys and for some reason, as crushed as I am, it's okay. And I'm only okay with this for one reason and one reason only: Coach Larry Brown finally got his ring and I think it's about time. He deserves it.

Sorry Karl and Gary. Your plan was unsuccessful and I guess you'll have to retire without that ring on your hand. Now the Lakers can try to get it together this summer. Shape up the shapeless, enhance the bench's reliability, shoot a hundred freethrows daily, get rid of the oldies and bring in the youth...and resign Kobe. There's the plan. We'll see what happens...next season...

Getting to know...

CHRISTINA ELLEN G. BAUTISTA aka CHRISSY
Vitals: Been cousins since I was born, but got more acquainted the Summer of 1998 at our family reunion in Ohio (at their house) = 26 years and counting
Role In My Life: The Cousin You Love to Hang Out With – Chrissy is so fun to be around because, first of all, she seriously laughs at everything she sees and hears. She loves listening to me, my sister and my other cousins from California talk because she’s so amused by our expressions and slang. She’s so chill, often found with a smirk on her face. I feel so easygoing when I'm with this girl.
Good Times: I spent the week in Ohio at my aunt and uncle’s house (Chrissy’s parents) back in 1998 after a family reunion. Before I had met Chrissy and her sister Melissa, all I knew were that they were kinda quiet and reserved, so I was a little apprehensive about meeting them because I’m so NOT quiet. They live in Maumee, OH, which is a pretty quiet city a few minutes away from the next big city, Toledo. We didn’t do a whole lot of sight-seeing, but we did what we could to amuse ourselves. One day, Chrissy and I were bored, so we found some cake mix and some chocolate mouse mix and decided we were gonna bake a cake. Suffice it to say it wasn’t Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker. #1, we forgot to grease the pan so the cake fell apart when we tried to take it out and put it on a plate. #2, chocolate mouse does not equal chocolate icing, so the consistency was…well, it wasn’t icing. So for dinner that night we served fragmented cake with hardened chocolate mouse on top. I don’t even think we cooked the chocolate mouse correctly. And then to top THAT off, we found some cherries that we scattered in a pattern on the cake thinking it would make it better. It didn’t.
In her own words: “Hey, let's go somewhere I can see some lowriders.” – Chrissy on her last visit to LA

IS THIS THE LITTLE GIRL I CARRIED?

My sister has just become a member of the great St. Francis of Assisi alumni group. I can't believe Tin just graduated from elementary school! I CAN'T I CAN'T I CAN'T!! It really seems like 5 minutes ago when we were in the hospital the day she was born in 1990, waiting for the nurse to wheel her out to the window of the nursery so I could see her. HAIR! That's all i saw! She was 19 1/2 inches in length and weighed 7 lbs and 13 oz when she was born and I'm almost sure that 1 lb of that was just her hair.

Anyhow, that was almost 14 years ago. My baby sister is a baby no longer and I'm so proud of the young lady she's become. You should've seen her and her classmates yesterday. Young adults with that tiny ounce of teenage angst mixed in. All the girls looked so beautiful and all the boys looked so handsome. It was hard to picture they were ever 5 years old, performing Frosty the Snowman for the Christmas program when they were in kindergarten. Oh when she went to get her diploma I wanted to jump up and down for her. And then when she got called for Third Honors, I wanted to scream out even more.

After the ceremony, Iya, Riann and I followed my sister to the classroom to help get her things together and to help her pass out the leis we made for her classmates. That morning was filled with so much energy and joy that I know none of these new graduates wanted it to end. I can still remember feeling that way 12 years ago when I graduated from St. Francis, and I know all of you will agree. There are all these emotions flying through your body because you're happy you're finally done with elementary school, you're sad because you'll miss your friends, you're excited about starting high school, and you're scared because you don't know what this new life will be like. I could see all of that in each of my sister's and friends' eyes. But oh how much bigger their world will become!

Later that day we had a small party for my sister. Mom and Dad outdid themselves, again, with all the food and preparations. We had some magic mic entertainment from Riann & Joe (of course, who else?) and had my nephew Kelsoe amusing us all day. It's a day I know Tin won't soon forget. A new milestone has been set...on to the next one...

I'm so excited for my sister! She's such a good kid and seeing her experience yet another accomplishment in her life overflows my insides with pride. I know people think I punk her a lot (actually not as much as Riann, but that's another story), but it's just sisterly banter, I promise. What are sisters for? She does the same thing to me. I think the 12-year age difference is a major factor. I'm like a 3rd parent to her.

Anyhow, I know that the next few years will be much different. She starts Providence High School in September and I'm just waiting for that day that she and I have it out because she missed curfew, or ran the cell phone bill, or used me as a taxi. My parents and I anticipate a wild ride to 2008. Holy crap! Next you know, she'll be graduating from high school!...And I'll be 30!.......But wait! She's NOT graduating from high school yet and I am certainly NOT 30 yet either...one at a time please.
See pictures from this weekend on the side...

LAST WEEKEND / THIS WEEK

So, no person of the week this week because I was busy studying for that final, but that’ll resume next week. Here’s what I’ve done these last 7 days. They’re divided into short entriettes:

Rootie Tootie Fresh ‘N Fruity, Please - It was a busy weekend, this one that just passed. On Friday night I had dinner at IHOP with Matt, Randy, Iya and Carlo. How random, IHOP. Matt was craving this for some reason and invited me, Rrrrrandy, Iya, and Cahlo (our little SFA gang minus Jhoette) to join him in a pancake dinner. Weirdo! We were all wondering for the longest time what to order and I mentioned I would be ordering an omelette. Iya, I guess in her confusion, asked if all the omelettes came with eggs…ha ha ha…she meant to ask if they all came with pancakes! Silly Iya! And Matt spent a good part of the dinner imitating Carlo’s laugh and Carlo spent the same amount of time trying NOT to laugh. Aww, miss that guys.

Shower of Babies - On Saturday I spent the day in Chino Hills to help Iya with Ate Myla and Kuya Dennis’ baby shower. Baby Isabella is due…ummmm, in a couple of months I believe. Seems just like yesterday I was helping her with Ate Jenny and Kuya Francis’ baby shower and now Matty is almost 2 months old!!!! Oh he’s so cute, getting passed around just a little bit before finally finding comfort in the arms of his grandma, Tita Susie. He slept most of the time, cried a little bit, ate, got changed, and then slept some more. I’M SO JEALOUS OF BABIES’ LIVES SOMETIMES! What I would give to be fed, changed and sleep all day! Ate Myla and Kuya Dennis got a LOAD of presents, from a swing set, to a car seat, to clothes galore! Can’t wait to see Baby Isabella!

ESPN Zone - After the shower, Iya and I headed towards Downtown Disney for Carlo’s farewell dinner at ESPN Zone. By the time we got there at around 9:20 pm (after I asked everyone to be there at 7:00 oops!), everyone was sitting out on the patio, half-faded, talking and laughing away as they waited for their food to arrive. (Thanks again for getting there early to wait for the tables Jerome!) After dinner, we hammed it up with pictures outside, then headed upstairs to play some games. I didn’t play much, actually not at all, because I was so busy taking pictures of everyone. I had the best time watching everyone! It’s like a Chuck E. Cheese for adults there! The highlight of the evening was probably that horseracing game. Oh man, talk about INTO IT! Just take a look at the pictures (they’re on the side). I got home at around 2:20 am or something. Suffice it to say, it was a long day, but a fun-filled one.

Sunday - On Sunday I went to mass in the morning, started my laundry, and then managed to squeeze in a few hours of studying before I headed out to Khahloh’s house to watch the 1st half of the game. Then I headed back to my house to watch the 2nd half with my dad. Thank goodness because he needed someone to be angry with.

Please No More Good-byes - We all went to the airport on Wednesday night to see Cahlo off. We spent most of the evening sitting upstairs by McDonald’s, reminiscing a little about his stay, while trying to convince him to come back for Christmas. The farewell this year was nowhere near as heartbreaking for us as it was last year when he decided to leave. Not many tears were shed this time. Maybe because Cahlo held it in when it came time to hug each and every one of us. I’m not sure who was trying harder to be strong for whom. Sometimes you just can’t tell with him. He talks so little, if ever, that we’re often left guessing what he’s thinking and feeling. We’ve said so long, see you later to yet another friend who’s off to the Philippines to set up for his future. All we can do for them is pray and hope that everything works out the way they imagined.

Getting Leid – Last night my mom, my sister, my ninang and I spent 4 ½ hours making leis for my sister’s classmates. My little sister is graduating from elementary school this Saturday. I CAN’T FREAKIN’ BELIEVE IT! Time flies! I’ll let you know how it all goes this weekend.

Until then, I’ll talk to you guys later!

Hawaii, 6 days and counting...

FAVORITE MOVIE LINES

I'm watching SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE right now and one of my favorite lines occurs when Jonah calls Dr. Marsha Fieldstone a second time cuz his dad is out on the deck with his date who Jonah doesn't like. So he's all, "Now he's kissing her on the lips! She's a ho! My dad's been captured by a ho!"

ha ha ha...ok time for bed...

SWEET RELIEF

In the words of Tupac, “I GOTTA SAY IT WAS A GOOD DAY.” That’s what I wanted to chant before I went to bed last night. Good days are so rare sometimes that you have to savor the few that are given to you. I finished my accounting final at 9:20 pm last night and I can’t tell you how happy I am…LIKE I CAN’T TELL YOU! All day yesterday I was pretty panicky, but I managed to steal some moments at work here and there to peek at notes, trying to re-familiarize myself with material I haven’t looked at since March. It was a cumulative final, 9 chapters of inventory systems, stocks, bonds, long-term/short-term assets, long-term/short-term liabilities and every type of financial statement you could think of. Anyone need me to figure out their working capital? Net income? Ha ha ha…ask me in a few months because I just don’t want to think about any of that for awhile. Man I forgot what it felt like to finish a final. I used to feel that sense of relief at least 3 times a year during college (December, March and June to be exact) and I love it! The completion of something - what a great feeling!

And to think that was only PART of what made me smile yesterday. THE LAKERS WON! (They should’ve won game 1, but that’s over and done with so I won’t dwell). I’m so mad I didn’t get to see it, but Matt was nice enough to text me at halftime and after the game. The first thing I did when I handed in my final was look at my phone and I saw it, LAKERS WIN! WOOOO HOOOO! (Thanks cuz!) Then I got to vent about the final to Iya on my way home (Thanks friend!). When I got home, I watched the recap with my dad and saw how 40 seconds was enough time for Detroit to lose a 6 point lead, how Kobe sank that 3 with Hamilton’s hand all up in his face and how Luke Walton, our rookie, put up some numbers to aid our team to victory. So proud of Luke and Kareem (who I fondly call Krush. K Rush, get it? Ha ha ha…)! You go boys! Karl and Gary who? I’m disappointed in those guys, but I won’t get into it for fear Joe will go off (although I see your point, homie).

And then, to make the evening even better, my printer didn’t print out pink-shaded pictures anymore! I’ve been fighting with this dang printer since Jhoette left (May HELLO!). But I put in a brand spankin’ new ink cartridge and that did the trick (I swear I tried that before and is still printed the pictures with pink people but it doesn’t matter now). Anyhow, I was wide awake to work on Carlo’s (ok fine, Khahloh’s) album last night because he’s leaving for the Philippines tonight. I’ll let you know how that goes after tonight…

More news on the weekend to come. It was funfilled to say the least!

ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE

I have my accounting final on Tuesday, June 8 and if you haven't heard me complain before, THIS CLASS HAS KICKED MY ASS ALL SEMESTER! I feel like such a whiner when I think of how trivial this test is compared to the pharmacy boards Rochelle has been studying for for months (Please pray for her!). But I'm asking you all to hope and pray that I do decently on this exam as well (Geez Anna, gimme gimme gimme!). I said I wasn't gonna stress because that makes the ability to study and retain information so much harder, so I'm taking it chapter by chapter...but some prayers wouldn't hurt right? Im seriously calling on all the possible help I can get (Hey Riann, can I borrow your guardian angel, Bruno tomorrow? ha ha ha...)

Thanks guys! At 10:00 pm Tuesday night, I will be a much happier lady...unless I decide to say SCREW THIS midway through, in which case I'll be a happier lady BEFORE 10. Okay, back to the wonderful world of stocks, bonds and merchandise inventories!!!

FREAKIN' RANDOM

This is so random but it made me laugh out loud this morning and I thought I’d share it with you guys. The subject matter isn’t so funny because there are 2 people’s lives at stake. But the way the newscaster said it all was freakin’ hilarious to me.

So, this morning, while I’m curling my hair, the tv is on and I’m listening to the news. First they’re talking about Laci Petersen; apparently there’s some discrepancy as to what she was wearing the day she disappeared. The people at the salon claimed that she was wearing khaki pants when they last saw her, but when her body was found she was wearing BEIGE pants. Oh Lord, are you freakin’ kidding me with this “discrepancy?”

Anyhow, in relation to that, there is an 18-year old young lady who has been reported missing. She is also pregnant. The last place she was seen was at a café where she applied for a job. The last thing the reporter said was, “The father is not being considered as a suspect at this time BECAUSE HE’S IN JAIL!” And that just made me laugh out loud!

Ok that’s it…BACK TO WORK!!!

BACK-BLOGGED

Gosh I haven't sat down to blog in quite a bit and it's all because of accounting crap, but I have all this stuff to catch up on. I'm gonna do a quick recap so bear with me, I'm a tad on the behind side:

MAY 1ST (a freakin' month ago!): My nephew Kelsoe turned 1 year old! He looked adorable in his Baby Gap outfit! He took a nap before the party started so he was a bit on the cranky side, clutching to his daddy for a good part of the day. But we let him open a few of his presents and he was all about it!...See pictures on the side...

Later that night I attended my elementary school reunion. That's right, ELEMENTARY school. I was accompanied by my fellow St. Francis of Assisi crew, Iya, Randy, Carlo, Jhoette and Matt. We said we wouldn't pay money to go if we were just gonna see each other...which is exactly what happened. Aside from us, though, we did get to party it up with Stacy, Edwin, Ate Tin-Tin and Jeff. Bummed as we were that we didn't get to see our long-lost classmates, we made the best of the evening. Jhoette was all about leading the Achey Breaky. FREAKIN' HILARIOUS and definitely one of the highlights of my evening cuz he was SOOOOO into it...see pictures on the side...

May 13: Rochelle our bobbers graduated from pharmacy school! It was a hot day in Pasadena but we made it through ok, taking hammy pictures after the ceremony, then enjoying a 10-course meal at Ocean Seafood Restaurant in Chinatown. Man was I full that night! Distracted by the game, Rochelle feared that should the Lakers lose that night, everyone would suffer indigestion and kill the high she was feeling from graduation. But we all know that's the night D-Fish pulled his 0.4 winning shot so it was all good! See pictures on side as well...

May 15/16/18: I talked about Jhoette's departure on the 18th but I didn't mention the fun-filled weekend we had before he left. 3 Saturdays ago, we spent the day at Corona del Mar. What did we do? We played volleyball, ate, played some flag football, ate...played in the water...ate some more...it was just a great day to spend time with friends, old and new...and of course eat. We had fried rice, hamburgers, hot dogs, el pollo loco - we were pretty stacked! And then that night we had a bonfire complete with s'more-making. We don't do enough outdoorsy things. One can only take so much out of going to the movies, eating out and sitting at Coffee Bean and talking right? The night ended happily for all of us (except maybe Joe) when the Lakers kicked the Spurs to the curb in that series-deciding game. See pictures on the side...

The next day we had a despedida dinner at BJ's in Burbank for Jhoette. The evening was filled with drinks, laughter and just chillin' before the good-byes came to rain in on everything that week. Jhoette left the 18th....but you already knew about that.

May 22: We celebrated Randy's birthday at Orchid...Restaurant, in LA. It's this fancy shmancy place where my crabcake appetizer cost $13. It didn't matter though cuz this place had a slammin' karaoke place above the restaurant. These rooms ARE PIMP (to use Riann's words)! The room we had was fit for 20 people (there were 10 of us I think) and there were a group of 9 screens, with 4 mics hanging from the ceiling over the lounge area. We sang everything from the BeeGees to Roselle Nava to freakin' U2 and Brian McKnight. Can't have the full-effect of karaoke without Miss Riann, and as usual, she monopolized the mics. Entertaining! See pictures on the side...

May 30: Miss Larnie Boquiren graduated from Cal State Fullerton this weekend. Hot, so hot it was on that field where friendship games are usually held (Geez remember friendship games? Seems ages ago doesn't it?). Thank goodness for the covered areas with chairs. The evening was a wonderful celebration in her honor. Larnie's family did a great job planning the event cuz I know we all had an awesome time. From the program, which included Cile's endearing videowork and a How-well-do-you-know-your-brothers game Minette made up for our celebrant, to the dancing (great DJ!), it was non-stop fun that night. Saw some people I hadn't seen in a long time and that was the icing on the cake of an already joyous evening of celebration. Congratulations Larnie! See pictures on the side...

Thanks for reading. I have to go study for my final now. All that's getting me through everything is the 7 days in Hawaii I'm looking forward to. Mahalo Everyone and Take Care!