MORE TEASERS TO MAKE YOU ALL ASK “What the heck happened in Vegas?”

MOST MEMORABLE QUOTES FROM THIS WEEKEND:

“Dude, I never knew I had so many gay friends.” – Edwin

"Useless, useless, useless" - Melissa pointing at every straight person

"Useless gay bestfriend!" - Melissa to Fernand

“Whose shirt is THIS?!” – Leia
"I DON'T WANT THAT SHIRT ANYMORE!" - Joemama

"Dammit! I just got raped!" - James walking into the hotel room after losing more money

"Cuz I've been eating pancit for the last 7 days! WAAAAAH!" - Riann with 8 plates of food at the buffet table

"I'll pay you $40. Please just drive us [across the street] to Flamingo!" - Edwin to the taxi driver

"All the girlfriends are lucky that their boyfriends only go for guys." - Edwin

“Hello? Do you know a Mark Wong?” – Security
“Just ask for Eric. Ask for Eric.” – Mark

“Guy on guy, girl on girl, guy on girl – we don’t discriminate.” – Melissa

“I hate Matt!” – Bev

“DOWN WITH UDY!!!” – Bev with her thumbs down

“You guys should be called U.D.A. – Unknown Drama!” – JaJa

Best Quote Ever Award goes to Leia’s friend:

“Your friends are fun, but I can’t tell who's gay or straight.” – Dionne

If you guys remember any, please be my guest!!! Post it in my chatterbox!

Pictures and entry soon to come...

HANGOVER

Man, I have NO VOICE whatsoever and I'm trying to talk to these people and GRRR IT HURTS and I'm so sleepy...may I please go home now?

TEASERS

This weekend in vegas with 30 people was...well, what would YOU expect a weekend in Vegas to be like with 30 friends? It's late and I'm too tired to be eloquent so I'll save that for the real blog entry. It was fun! That's all I can say. And here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure before the I unload the rest on ya'll.

Freakin' drama ass 3 days! People fighting, screaming, drinking, losing inhibitions along the way, jumping boundaries of all types, getting noise complaints from other guests in the hotel, having security wheel you into your room cuz you're too drunk to remember what room number you're in...WHO THE HECK WOULDN'T HAVE FUN WITH US! HAHAHA! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD TIMES!


Walkin' the Strip...
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Poolside fun!
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Always rollin' deep!
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Party up in here!
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YOU'RE STILL THE BEST, LARRY

Larry Brown, my favorite NBA coach ever, didn't get his Back-to-Back like I had hoped. Yes I was rooting for Detroit all post-season, because of last year's fiasco I couldn't like them more. I don't know why I don't like the Spurs. I don't hate them (that honor will forever and always be on Sacramento). I'm just done with thinking they're so good (I'm so gonna get it for saying that).

I just really wanted Larry Brown to get that back-to-back title that he deserves. I swear every team he took under his wing turned gold somehow. From the Pacers, to the Clippers (WTF!),Philadelphia, New Jersey and now Detroit. Joe and I are talking about him right now, all seriously. He says that Larry Brown is the one who made him a Clippers fan. And I told him that Larry Brown is what made me realize what an invaluable asset a good coach is to a team. You can have a "STAR" on your team. But if you don't have a good coach behind that star, he might as well be there.

I hope he does come back next season. No one coaches like him - not Pat, Phil, Adelman, Don. On to next season. Can't wait to see that triangle offense again...

LET THE PAIN REMAIN

So...the left side of my mouth has been hurting for the last 5 days and it's been hard to chew and swallow my food. At first I thought I was coming down with a sore throat but, according to an x-ray, 3 of my wisdom teeth are pushing their way through. Although my aunt, who took the x-ray, says that they're growing straight and won't do damage to my 3-years' worth of braces, I was also advised that the pain will be sporadic and that I can take advil for it or gargle warm water with salt.

I've opted for the Advil, which has become my best friend these last few days. I also refrain from talking as much, chewing food on the left side of my mouth and have taken to smaller bites in order to digest more effectively. I'm still looking for an oral surgeon so until then, I just gotta tough it out. OWIE!


HUGE BOTTLE OF ADVIL! It's the same freakin' size as my coffee mug!
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WHAT THE HECK

I was in my dentist's office on Saturday and I read the funniest headline in DETAILS magazine. It read, and this is verbatim I believe:

"IT'S OKAY IF YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS UGLY"

Next to the article is a picture of this guy who looks like he's on a soap opera. Dressed in what looks to be an outfit by Ralph Lauren, he's hugging a girl who, according to J0emama "isn't allowed," and she's dressed kinda sloppily, frizzy hair and big glasses. Laughable though it was (was it supposed to give girls who think they're unattractive some kind of hope, or make guys whose girlfriends don't look like Jessica Alba somehow feel better?), I was sooo offended for some reason! I didn't get to read the whole article but I'm determined to find it so I can finish reading it and tell you guys about it. If you happen to encounter a DETAILS magazine, it's in the one with Matthew McCoughnohey (sp?) on the cover. Oh man...

YODA, WISE IS

Yoda says to Anakin Skywalker in Episode III:

"Train yourself to let go of everything you're afraid to lose."

Unable to ignore his prophetic nightmares about losing Padme, Anakin is overtaken with fear, which causes him to act irrationally, eventually leading to his ultimately tragic destiny: unknowingly fulfulling the fate he feared most - losing his beloved in addition to losing himself in the process.

We all have the potential to be consumed by the same threat that turned Anakin Skywalker (the Jedi) into Darth Vader (a master of the dark side). When we have been fortunate enough to be blessed with something or someone so special, it's very easy to feel afraid, threatened that we'll lose them. From grateful beneficiaries, we can transform into quite the jealous and greedy misers of human love and need.

A miser of love, what a conflict of interest! Love is everything BUT miserly. Many think that genuine love merely envelops us in a passionate rapture, warming us from the cold cruelty of life, and protecting us from all harm. It's so easy to ignore that it also asks for a freedom from the often suffocating embrace of jealousy and distrust.

Keeping powerful bonds of love tight, without the threat of suffocation, can become difficult to accomplish when we've gotten so used to the security it provides. But through the simple concept of time, and our acknowledgement of its impact on our lives, we soon realize, without a reasonable doubt, that giving each other the freedom that true love offers only makes those bonds stronger. Only when we willingly give each other the freedom to face trials and triumphs alone, giving only concern, hopes and prayers from the heart, do we see the power that love's freedom can exude.

Like Yoda says, we have to learn to let go of everything, and everyone we're afraid to lose. Only when we are able to do this can we realize what it truly means to be fearless.

YAY ERIC!

Eric got pinned today. And not only that. Mr. Smarty Pants recieved an award at graduation for being such an excellent student. We're so proud of you!



Hooray for Eric!
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Yay dinner!
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Never gonna grow up!
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Eric's harem for the evening...
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SOMETIMES, YOU JUST WANT TO...

Fly Away
by; Lenny Kravitz

I wish that I could fly
Into the sky
So very high
Just like a dragonfly

I'd fly above the trees
Over the seas
In all degrees
To anywhere I please

Oh I want to get away
I want to fly away
Yeah yeah yeah

Let's go and see the stars
The milky way or even Mars
Where it could just be ours

Let's fade into the sun
Let your spirit fly
Where we are one
Just for a little fun

Oh oh oh yeah !
I got to get away
Feel I got to get away
Oh oh oh yeah

WOH!

Did you guys feel the earthquake? WHAT'S GOING ON!!!

ANNA NANNY

It was my Ninang Lilith's 50th birthday "surprise" party today. Unfortunately, she flew in early from San Francisco and, well, it wasn't so much a surprise when we got there, boo! But it's okay cuz she had a great time!

So you'd think, a 50th birthday party would entail a majority of adults over kids; drinking their wine, playing some poker and/or mahjong and singing on the magic mic. There was some of that going on, and you'd think that I, as a 27-year old, would join in on such adult-type activity. Not so, for when my nieces, April & Alyssa, are around, I'm just a kid trapped in a grown-up's body, trusted to look after them for the day.

They freakin' wore me out today. Along with my cousin, Justin and April & Alyssa's baby brother, Anthony, I was nannified the minute they all arrived, playing shadow (damn I hate that game), watched them cartwheel and tumble around, guide their marshmallows & strawberry skewers at the fondu pot and attempted to play monopoly, a game that 3-year old Anthony was not comprehending. YAYAtology, my Tita Olive calls it. Every single time there's a family gathering, I (and most of the time my sister) somehow get drawn into this makeshift daycare.

But I can't complain cuz I love them all, these kids, who I don't get to see as often as I'd like to. Saying they're a handful is quite the understatement, but I don't think I'd have it any other way.



Another party spent entertaining my nieces April & Alyssa.
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My nephew Brandon, getting a headstart on his alcohol intake...
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Our cousin Lilly, such a ham! She had like 6 costume changes!
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Alyssa seriously thought she was giving my sister a piggy-back ride so she was yelling, "Get off!"
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TONIGHT, A READER

I spent another evening at Barnes & Noble today. My former UCI Bookstore boss would be very disappointed in me (Sorry Matt), supporting the corporate book world. I promise to look for independent bookstores soon. Anyhow, Iya invited me to go watch Mr & Mrs Smith with them this evening and, though the curiosity is there and I've fallen for Brad Pitt (I'm a later bloomer), I opted to spend another evening reading and writing. That and because every cent that comes out of my pocket now is under the strictest scrutiny.

I sat on the floor of the writing section of magazines and read...and read...and read...all the while trying to injest advice I don't often see or hear in my everyday encounters. There was one article about how one can be inspired my an inanimate object, such a building or a tree, etc. But that one source of inspiration can't always be enough to run 15 pages of text on. Adding a HUMAN element brings the inspiration the life it needs to go forward in a story. Quite interesting. It made me think...and we all know what happens when I start doing that!

Have any of you ever read random blogs, of people you don't know? I love doing that, especially if the blogger is from a completely different environment than I could ever know. It's so amazing to read about other people's experiences; living in Kentucky, growing up in Australia, travelling to Italy. It makes me smile to read about their day and to know that they could be doing the same thing as they read my blog, wondering what life is like in Glendale, CA or America. It makes me realize how unfathomably huge our world is. Sometimes I think we need to remind ourselves that we're not the center of the universe; that there are people and phenomena we can't even begin to imagine. It's truly humbling.

WHAT'D YOU CALL ME?!

Check out this forward Marnelli emailed me. It's cool! Next time someone calls me one, I think I'll smile with pride:

BITCHOLOGY

When I stand up for myself and my beliefs, they call me a bitch.

When I stand up for those I love, they call me a bitch.

When I speak my mind, think my own thoughts or do things my own way,they call me a bitch.

Being a bitch means I won't compromise what's in my heart. It means I live my life MY way. It means I won't allow anyone to step on me.

When I refuse to tolerate injustice and speak against it, I am defined as a bitch.

The same thing happens when I take time for myself instead of being everyone's maid, or when I act a little selfish.

It means I have the courage and strength to allow myself to be who I truly am and won't become anyone else's idea of what they think I "should" be.

I am outspoken, opinionated and determined. I want what I want and there is nothing wrong with that!

So try to stomp on me, try to douse my inner flame, try to squash every ounce of beauty I hold within me. You won't succeed.

And if that makes me a bitch, so be it. I embrace the title and am proud to bear it.

B - Babe
I - In
T - Total
C - Control of
H - Herself

B = Beautiful
I = Intelligent
T = Talented
C = Charming
H = Hell of a Woman

B = Beautiful
I = Individual
T = That
C = Can
H = Handle anything

CATCHIN' UP WITH TECHNOLOGY

Look at all my new toys! First my new so very pretty digicam with a freakin' huge lcd! 5.1 megapixels, movie WITH sound, like 50 settings to adapt to the proper environment, 512 + 256 MB worth of memory sticks and did I mention how much I love the huge screen? THANKS THANKS THANKS AGAIN TO MY WONDERFUL FRIENDS! I WON'T EVER EVER FORGET THIS!

And tonite, my mom and dad got us a new computer (God bless 0% apr financing for 12 months!). If you don't already know, we got our old computer Christmas 1998!! Knowing how quickly anything computer-related changes, you can imagine our growing dismay with our old system. The internet constantly logged us off or refused to log on at all. It took like 5 minutes to start the darn thing. Getting something to print was an awful task because the communication between the printer and the system was just...well, slow as hell.

Last night, my last day of class, I had a final project due. Class didn't start unil 7:30 so when I got done revising my piece of fiction (14 pages, 4000 words!) at 7:00, I ATTEMPTED to print. Ask me what time I left for class...8:05 PM cuz I had to keep shutting down and restarting the computer and then for it to have to print 14 pages? I hate to be cliche, but it was like watching paint dry. GRRRRRRRRR!

But it's all good because now we've got these great new toys! I'm sure most of you have like souped up laptops and Macs with 8 billion gigs of space and memory, but seeing as to how we don't do much in this family except check email, look at pictures, write papers and set up excel files for billing cycles, our new HP will satisfy just fine. I CAN'T STOP SITTING HERE IN FRONT OF IT!

And it's got all these drives for different memory cards so I don't even need to connect my camera to the cpu to transfer pictures! And it's a CD AND DVD burner AND a DVD player! I'M SO HAPPY! Wow, I'm such a loser, huh? Pardon the excitement. I haven't received so many new appliances at one time in so long and I'm ecstatic!

Here's to never getting behind again!


Look my new flat screen monitor and shimmery keyboard and mouse to match!
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Here's my brand spankin' new cpu. My comp doesn't choke anymore!
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Here's my new camera! Too bad you can't see the screen on the back cuz it's huge!
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SHORT & SWEET
(No, I'm not talking about me, you silly!! Hahaha! SO just kidding!)

- Watched “Sylvia” (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) on Thursday night about poet Sylvia Plath and her troubled relationship with fellow writer Ted Hughes. She took her own life after having two children and her work went unnoticed until her death. Asked myself if all writers have to have tragic lives in order to successfully convey the internal coherence of their work to the world AND if death is the fastest vehicle for which this lifelong work is carried out to the masses. If all this is so, then you’ll all be able to read my stuff when I’m dead. =)

- Watched “Ray” late Friday after a long session of brainstorming and making leis (actually A lei) because I just couldn’t sleep. Realized that when it comes to doing something you truly love, there are no excuses for failure.

- Went to my cousin's graduation lunch on Saturday at Harvest Inn (Every graduation's got a Chinese food theme this year! It's a good thing I love Chinese food). He just graduated from Loyola High School and will be attending UC Riverside with this brother in the fall. Matt and I were sitting at the table with the celebrant and the rest of our cousins and siblings and we were just like, oh man when did we get so old?!

- That evening, we attended Love's wedding. She looked beautiful! I don't think I've ever seen an ugly bride and she was certainly no exception. Watched Cile, Pat, Kay and James down drink after drink. Though the evening belonged to Love and her new husband, it was definitely the Pat & Kay show! That was wedding 4 of 6 for me this year.

- Fighting a lack of inspiration on Sunday afternoon (plus the fact I got sick of looking at my paper, I watched “Finding Neverland” and, well, let’s just say I wrote for 3 hours after it. Was reminded that not all writers draw on negative instances for inspiration.

- Been working on my final paper for the last week. Yesterday I called in sick cuz I've been feeling so crappy. Too bad I had to finish my paper! I worked on it for 13 hours yesterday. Not pleasant when you're sneezing and coughing like crazy, but I did what I could and made it work somehow, finishing before MIDNIGHT! I'm shocked! Thanks for all your help Pat!

- Modem isn’t working so we haven’t been able to go online all weekend. We’re probably gonna get a new computer Wednesday night because I’M SO SICK OF FREEZING, GETTING LOGGED OFF AND A BUNCH OF OTHER TECHNICAL WOES I’M NOT EVEN GONNA GET INTO! I swear! If it’s not a lost digicam, it’s a jacked up computer! What’s next?!

So, that’s me in a nutshell, kids! Albeit it a rather big nutshell but a nutshell nonetheless. I have a bunch of pictures to show you all taken by my freakin’ frackin’ awesome new camera and as soon as this computer fiasco gets underway, that’ll be no problem! Hope you all had an excellent weekend and will have a great week! Today’s my last day of class woo hoo! 15 weeks go by fast!

BEAUTY & THE GEEK

Oh man, did ANYONE watch this show last night? Tin and I saw it and WE WERE DYING! It’s genius, Ashton Kutcher, GENIUS!! (He’s producing the show) I just KNOW I’m gonna end up seeing this show to the very end because I’ve seen the first episode! If you didn’t catch this first episode, here’s the premise provided by the WB: “14 ‘subjects’ have been gathered to conduct a research project on human behavior. Part social experiment, part competition, all heart — Beauty and the Geek is a look at what happens when good looks meet good grades.” Every week the 2-person teams are assigned to complete challenges, each one testing their knowledge and ability on tasks they’re less than experts at. Like all reality-based programs, people get eliminated every week. The last couple standing at the end of the show, who, the producers I’m sure are hoping, have learned the most from each other, will win $250,000.00 each. It’s hosted by MTV’s very own Bryan McFadden.

The male “contestants” on this show are med students, Mensa members, computer programmers and genius overachievers; all who have either never been kissed, been on a date, or just inherently tactless when it comes to all matters social and romantic. They’re actually not that bad looking, but maybe that's just me. The alpha-females are these attractive women; dancers, models and sorority chicks alike who haven’t used much except their good looks and charm to get by in life. At first, some of the things that came out of their mouths made me say, “Oh man you're so full of yourself!” (Things like, "When I walk into a club, men AND women totally check me out!" Uy ve...) Then I realized that it was envy talking and as the show progressed, it was obvious that they’re not ALL self-centered and clueless.

It’s just so fascinating to see these completely different sets of people who are so confident in one area, but are so completely inept in another. It’s gonna be interesting to see how this turns out because one chick, who’s partnered with this one guy, has already thrown herself towards another girl’s partner. Let the reality TV bed-hopping begin! So if you’re at home at 9:00 pm on a Thursday night, turn on the WB and have a watch! I promise you’ll be entertained!