Sunday, July 30, 2006

Happy Birthday
to my long time penpal,
Toni!
Hope your day was happy! Let's never meet, ok? Hahaha!

Friday, July 28, 2006

bereft [bi-'reft]
to leave desolate or alone, especially by death; deprived of something; lacking something needed or expected
Synonyms include: bereaved, cut off, deprived, devoid, abandoned


Bereft...I get that feeling every two years, after every Bautista family reunion. My family and I, who come from all over the place, saturate our 4-5 days together with as much bonding as we can get...and then it's SEE YOU LATER all over again. This year we celebrated up in Vallejo, CA from June 30-July 5th. I think that's the longest I've ever celebrated a reunion (except for when I was in Maumee, OH for a week. But that was to hang out with Chrissy & Melissa, my cousins). Anyhow, it was one funfilled and memorable (well, maybe except for Ben. hahaha! JK pinsan!) series of events.

On July 1st, we spent the day at the park, eating, playing games and just having a grand time catching up with everyone. Aside from the t-shirts that we had made, we each got a name tag to wear all day. I swear my family cracks me up. And each sub family got assigned a color to wear for the day too. My parents, Tin and I got assigned orange. At first we were like, what the heck. But it worked out and we looked just fine. Man, my family rolls deep huh! And this group picture is even missing like 10-15 people!We were at the park from 11:00 am-7:00 pm, where we all suffered sunburn, creating tanlines that we fondly call our "pinsan ("cousin" in Tagalog) tans." All of us have these terrible lines on our arms, and I've got a box around my neck because of the neckline of the shirt I wore. Geez!

We spent that evening in one of our rooms, and had In-N-Out for dinner. My cousins from the east coast LOVE their In-N-Out and Del Taco. Sadly, there was so Del Taco nearby. Our nieces and nephews kept us pretty occupied the entire time we were there. My niece Sabrina (above) is a 24/7 smiler! I swear, the coldest-hearted person would melt if they saw this little girl. The next day, Sunday, after mass, a buffet brunch and a few hours at the mall across the street from the hotel, we had our dinner dance at the ballroom of the hotel. We did some eating, some dancing (TRIED to remember the Todo-Todo but lost it! Booo!), lots of laughing and more catching up. See that crowd up there? Oh man, it was INSANITY! The next day, despite not getting to bed until 3:30 am, we got up early for the San Francisco tour. We took up a whole tourbus, complete with a tour guide who gave us SF tidbits as he drove us up and down the city's hills. We stopped at Twin Peaks (where it was foggy as hell so all our pictures have this gray backdrop! hahaha!), this part of Golden Gate Park where there is a windmill and BEAUTIFUL garden, the Golden Gate bridge, and our last stop was Fisherman's Wharf where we got to walk around a little bit after a hearty bowl of clam chowder in a breadbowl from Boudin Bakery. Mmmmm! After the tour, we all had a quick rest and then it was off to this retaurant/ karaoke place, where we, again, took up the whole space! That's my dad there with his buddies (my kuyas and Uncle Eric). My dad loves his karaoke! And though I like to sing a tune here and there, I am TERRIFIED of singing in front of crowds, but Ben got me to do a duet with him. It was hilarious because I hid behind that big tv and when I started to sing, my whole family was like, "Who is that? Where is that coming from?!" That was a one-time deal family! Hahaha!
The next day, 4th of July, we opted to hang out instead of trying to drive to the city. In an effort to lose the "pinsan tan," we thought we'd go swimming to try to even out. We weren't planning to stay long, but then my niece, Bianca and my nephew, Roman, came down and we played in the pool for like 2 more hours. We were all such SUCKERS for them, I tell you!
And then, just like that, it was time to leave again. I hate saying good-bye. I have so much fun when I'm around my family, especially my cousins who, despite the distance, I feel I grew up with via email, cards and phonecalls. I must say, though, that this time around, it wasn't as hard for us as the previous farewells were. Maybe we're getting used to it...or maybe it's because we know that good-byes really mean "until next time."


See you all in Vegas in 2008!!!

Thursday, July 27, 2006

shepherd ['she-p&rd]
one who herds, guards, and tends sheep; one who cares for and guides a group of people, as a minister or teacher;watch over like a shepherd
Synonyms include: attend, carry, conduct, escort, guide, oversee, protect, safeguard, shepherd, supervise, watch over

The responsorial psalm at mass on Sunday was from Psalm 23:1-6:

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want;
He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me;

Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;

and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Sometimes, when I feel overwhelmed and spent, confused and afraid (ESPECIALLY when I'm confused and afraid), and I wonder how much longer I’m going to last, I find myself wallowing in my own frustrations; agonizing over worst case scenarios, agitated over what hasn’t even happened yet. Basically I throw some theatrics into the world.


I let physical fatigue turn into weariness of heart; I allow worry to turn into paranoia and then I pray desperately for any kind of relief. It’s funny how fear can wrangle up all these emotions if we let it: the fear of messing up, of disappointment, of losing something/someone important. When we can’t figure the easiest way out of a less than perfect situation, choosing fear seems to be the next best thing…even though most times, it ends up being the worst.

These past few weeks I’ve experienced some moments of BLAH, a pseudo-respite, I suppose, from all that self-inflicted aggravation. I couldn’t figure out if I was tired, fed up, apathetic or just bored. I hate when I can’t identify the source of feeling this way.


It’s times like these when I find myself praying out of nowhere, asking God for signs that I’m notorious for misunderstanding, or not reading at all. Sometimes I act like I know what’s good for me and I later suffer because of it. This cycle could go on forever…until days like these past few come along and I get smacked in the face with that F-word.


No, not THAT F-word; a much more powerful one: Faith. It’s so easy to have when everything is under control, but is so easily forgotten in times when you need it the most. Letting go, and letting God is so hard to do when your hold on old habits refuses to loosen its grip. But when you do remember, and you use this gift liberally, the possibility of more strength for the struggles becomes more apparent and suddenly, life and everything in it, doesn’t seem so unmanageable.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

tempt ['tem(p)t]
to entice to do wrong by promise of pleasure or gain
Synonyms include: allure, appeal to, attract, bait, charm, coax, entice

Someone at work is selling a pair of Shakira tickets. I'm so tempted...but $86 each? If it were, oh I don't know...*NSYNC, then yeah. But how badly do I wanna prove that hips don't lie?

After turbo freakin' kickboxing last night, I'll tell you what ISN'T lying...my whole dang body cuz I'm sore as all hell! Oh the pain of trying to be healthy...and knowing I have to wear a dress for Iya's wedding. hahaha!



Monday, July 24, 2006

androgynous [an-'drä-j&-n&s]
having both female and male characteristics; hermaphroditic; being neither distinguishably masculine nor feminine, as in dress, appearance, or behavior
Synonyms include: confused? haha! JK!

Who's the hottie? I'll tell you in a minute...

When "She's the Man" was first released, Ate Tin-Tin thought she could convince me to watch it with her. I love Amanda Bynes and everything (waaaaay more than Hillary and Lindsay) but I wasn't ready to shell out $8 to watch it.

Fast forward to yesterday afternoon. Since Ate's been on vacation, she's literally been a border at my house. All she needs are her own set of keys! Anyhow, on this Sunday afternoon, bored out of her freakin' mind, Ate came over again...then Fantone needed a playmate...and Seong needed to get out (and have a meal that didn't take a lot of effort, nor caused any pain)...and hey, James is coming over to visit...and a random evening in Old Pas was born.

We had dinner at Noodle Planet, had some frozen yogurt and then sat in the alley/courtyard-ish area by Gordon Biersch sharing stories about: wisdom-teeth pulling, pinched nerves, new job at a fancy restaurant, new job as a 5th grade teacher, having your ex-girlfriend order a sushi platter for two but eating it all herself, putting your newborn puppies through a photoshoot before they can even open their eyes...good times.

Then we hung out at Seong's apartment and watched "She's the Man" on the big white wall because of the nice projector. Ate was amazed. She was still talking about it today. Ate, you should buy one. Anyhow, the movie was pretty funny, and that guy up there is Channing Tatum. He's kinda foxy, huh? He plays a major role in the movie. It was pretty cheezy, pretty predictable, but very entertaining. It was a good way to end the evening. And what a fun evening it was! THANKS KIDS!

Dude, it's freakin' het men!!!

Sunday, July 23, 2006

vicodin [VY-koe-din]
Vicodin combines a narcotic analgesic (painkiller) and cough reliever with a non-narcotic analgesic for the relief of moderate to moderately severe pain.
Vicodin can be habit-forming. If you take this drug over a long period of time, you can become mentally and physically dependent on it, and you may find the drug no longer works for you at the prescribed dosage.

Seong got 4 wisdom teeth pulled last Monday, plus he got a root canal. It hasn’t been a pleasant week for the chef…that is until he takes his vicodin.
Vicodin + attempt to converse at 1:00 am = hilarity.

seong: the vicodin makes me incoherent
seong:: i drove
me: you took vicodin and drove?
seong:: i chopped
seong:: i cooked
seong:: i made it to the next round with vicodin
seong:: haha
seong:: im slugglish
seong:: yay vicodin
me: hahaha
seong:: haha
me: are you still talking on the phone?
seong:: no
seong:: r u crazy
seong:: cant do 2 things at once on vicodin
seong:: although i did multitask well during the competition today
seong:: wait
seong:: no i didnt
seong:: i seriously don't know how i moved on
seong:: i was soooo out of it
seong:: everyone could tell
seong:: but i guess all that matters is how the food tastes
seong:: yay yay
me: yay yay?
seong:: that was supposed to go YAY-e- YAY
seong:: like ice cube
me: hahaha
seong:: ur gonna blog this arent you?
me: i'm tempted
seong:: i knew it
seong:: my pinky keeps
seong:: pushing the enter key
seong:: before i finish typing
seong:: haha
seong:: crazy pinky!
seong:: im talking to it
me: i bet you are
seong:: thats what i said
me: Ate Tin-tin said something so funny last night
me: she came over and we watched the first Pirates cuz we're gonna attempt to understand the 2nd one again
me: and she goes, "It's so funny when Davey Jones is playing the organ with his testicles!"
me: DUDE, IT'S TENTACLES!
seong:: haha
seong:: testicles
seong:: like a bunch of yoyo's
me: what?
me: yoyo's?
seong:: if they were testicles
seong:: that's what they would look like
me: oh man
seong:: no?
seong:: oh well
seong:: don't post those last remarks
seong:: haha
me: how many vicodins you have left?
seong: 2
seong:: my preeeecious
me: HAHAHAHAHAHA
me: i think i still have some cuz i know i didn't finish mine. the dentist prescribed like 10!
seong:: gimme gimme

me: yeah right
seong:: com'on
seong:: im in pain
seong:: i need it
seong:: I NEEEED IT
seong:: its not addicting
seong:: haha
me: umm, is the pain like still REALLY bad that you can't take a motrin, advil or tylenol?
seong:: my jaw is killing me
seong:: like its broken
me: is it really?
seong:: but i guess u dont care
seong:: haha
me: oh stop it
me: so what did you eat for dinner?
seong:: i dont remember
seong:: u?
seong:: oh man
me: no i don't remember what you had for dinner since i wasn't there
me: maybe it's time for you to lie down and go to sleep
seong:: yes
purge ['p&rj]
to free from impurities; purify; to remove (impurities and other elements) by or as if by cleansing; to rid of sin, guilt, or defilement.
Synonyms include: abolition, catharsis, clarification, cleaning, cleanup, disposal, ejection, elimination, eradication, evacuation, expulsion, expurgation, extermination, liquidation, purification

I’ve been waiting, for months, for a weekend of NOTHING – no family gatherings, no partying, no scheduled trips. I just wanted one, quiet, uneventful weekend to recover and recollect; maybe finish uploading pictures from the reunion (there's 450!), finish this book which I haven’t touched in 3 months, or get some writing exercises done (since I haven’t written in my journal or blogged much in weeks!). But, of course when I plan on such “restful” activities, I always end up doing something else that just stresses me out.

I couldn’t have been more excited about today. After the insanity of work this week, I couldn’t wait for Saturday to get here because I knew I didn’t have anything to do. So I got up at around 10:30 this morning and after breakfast I decided to clean out one of the closets in my room. It’s a tiny closet which holds my purse rack (don’t ask), my chest of magazines, winter coats and vertical files of notebooks, papers, etc. “This shouldn’t take too long,” I thought. But of course I thought wrong.

I went from cleaning out that small closet, to re-arranging the hallway shelf, to re-arranging the computer desk, to re-arranging one of the cabinets in our room and then I decided to shred super old paycheck stubs (I still had some from UNIVERSAL STUDIOS for sobbing out loud! 1996!) and old bills/invoices. I managed to collect 4 bags of trash! It’s crazy how quickly paper collects! I ran into so many things that I had to stop and read over, but I kept reminding myself of the time. I worked on this project from 11:30am to 11:00 pm! I have to say that the room feels a little lighter to me.

And then, I have a stack of frames that I bought over the course of two years and tomorrow, I AM DETERMINED to put pictures in them and fill the chestnut-painted voids in this room. The dilemma lies with which pictures to choose. This’ll probably take me all day.

Oh well, so much for a relaxing weekend…

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Welcome to the world, Mikayla! Congratulations and God Bless on your new family, Noreenie & Mike!!!

Thursday, July 20, 2006

...haha Lord, very funny!

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

alacrity [&-'la-kr&-tE]
cheerful willingness; eagerness; speed or quickness; celerity
Synonyms include: alertness, avidity, briskness, cheerfulness, eagerness, enthusiasm, expedition, fervor, gaiety, hilarity, joyousness, promptitude, quickness, readiness, sprightliness, willingness, zeal

So I’ve been kinda worn out these last two weeks. Since June 30th, I feel like I haven’t had any time to take a breath. That family reunion (which I have yet to write about) wore me out, and then when I got back here, there was barely any time to unpack and clean up before another crazy week began.

One highlight was last Tuesday night when Fernand took me, Ate Tin-Tin and Ben on a “Gay Bar Tour”…at least that’s what he called it. Before this “tour,” however, we stopped by the Grove so I could show my cousin around and then, to get our tickets validated, we had drinks at Cheesecake Factory…well, THEY had drinks. I had an iced vanilla latte with soy from Coffee Bean. After that, Fernand took us to this place called Eye Candy.

So we walk in there and Fernand’s talking about how the company he used to work for had a party there. We get in there and it’s FULL OF CHICKS. “Oh shit,” Fernand says. “It’s lesbian night. Sorry guys.” Hahaha! We laughed, had a few drinks and then headed to Bar #2 - the Abbey. Drank some more...even I drank. And then just to sweat off our slight tipsyness, we headed to Bar #3 - Micky's, to dance it off. Dude, it was SO ON over there...ON A TUESDAY NIGHT! Who parties on a Tuesday? (apparently everyone in West Hollywood cuz it was pretty busy up in there!). They played "Sexyback" and "Promiscuous Girl" twice, and then they played this random Brittany Murphy music video. WHT? FYI, by this time, I’m the most sober one. Ate had had 2 drinks and Ben and Fernand were on their…6th or 7th? Geez! Anyhow, it was so much fun! I think the fact that all of us were so ready to party made all the difference. The only thing I wasn’t down for that night was the gay porn store. “No way!” I said. “Not unless I’m drunk!” If you all saw the pictures from Fernand’s birthday, you’ll know I totally ate my words 2 days later!

The ride back home was fun…for Ate and Ben anyhow, because they chattered all through it! We didn’t get home until 2:30 and I had work the next day, but my cousin was yammering away until I turned off the lights (he slept on a fold-away in our room). “Okay Ben,” I begged, "I have to get up in 2 1/2 hours. GO TO BED!"

Okay, Fernand, what time does the next tour take place?

Monday, July 17, 2006

decade [de-'kAd]
a period of ten years; group or series of ten
Synonyms include: being, continuance, course, cycle, days, epoch, era, extent, generation, period, pilgrimage, record, season, span, time

Janet Jackson released a cd titled "Design of a Decade," and since then I've often wondered what that meant...to her, to me...to each person who celebrates another 10 years of life. Most of us are nearing that milestone; dare I say it again, 30, and it doesn't take much for the creases on our foreheads, the quiver of our eyes and the sad wrinkles in our noses to appear at the thought of nature's most conniving prank of all: aging.

This past Saturday, we celebrated Joe's 28th with a 90's-themed birthday party. The fact that enough years have gone by that we were able to celebrate in such a way makes me laugh. While the 80's will always remind me of my childhood, the 90's, for a lot of us, remains to be the pivotal decade of change.

We bid farewell to items sold at your local Kay Bee Toys and Toys 'R' Us, opting to spend our allowance and birthday money at the GAP, Red Eye, Contempo Casual, Judy's, Oak Tree, Structure and Express. At 11 or 12 years told, we began design on our very own decade; from the way that we dressed, to the music we listened to, not to mention the attitude we strutted through shopping malls and arcades.

In the 90's, we finished the last few years of elementary school and junior high, got through high school AND attended college! We experienced 3 types of regulated social environments through the eyes of education all in one decade. This decade really witnessed our growth and that's why I think it means so much to us.

To hear familiar 90's songs on the radio, at a club or at a party is like getting warped to half our lifetime ago, when homework was just homework (no lengthy research papers or projects), crushes weren't so saturated with "circumstances," and working at the mall or a theme park for minimum wage provided more than enough money to have fun. Living in the 90's, at the ages that we were...it just worked.
screwed ['skrüd]
Slang: To make a mess of (an undertaking)
Synonyms include:

My boss and my two co-workers are both out today and I'm filling in for all of them. I was off last Friday so I expect to have work to catch up on. But this morning I opened my inbox on Outlook and I have 70 EMAILS! And I've got a mess of voicemails to answer.

Man oh man, is this gonna be a long freakin' day or what!

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Happy Birthday Deeeeeck (aka Joe)!
(Saturday, get yo' Mary J. Blige-Shai-Hi-Five-flannel shirt-chiffon sleeves on!)
and
Happy Birthday Fernand!
(Let me know when the next Gay Bar Tour will take place...hahaha!)

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Happy Birthday
Terry & Chary!!!

Sunday, July 09, 2006


HAPPY 16TH BIRTHDAY
LITTLE SISTER!!!

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Happy 3rd Birthday
to my cutie pie neice, Bianca!!!
Happy Birthday
GRAMMY KAY
and
DR. ANN!!!

Friday, July 07, 2006

pirate ['pI-r&t]
one who robs at sea or plunders the land from the sea without commission from a sovereign nation; one who preys on others; one who makes use of or reproduces the work of another without authorization

Synonyms include: brigand, crook, forager, gangster, gunman, highwayman, hijacker, marauder, mobster, outlaw, pillager, pirate, plunderer, racketeer, raider, robber, villain

GO WATCH IT!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW!!!!
(for your special day, I am going to research
the history of Swedish kings! Hahaha!!!)

Thursday, July 06, 2006

maid of honor
an unmarried lady usually of noble birth whose duty it is to attend a queen or a princess; a bride's principal unmarried wedding attendant
Synonyms include: bride's slave...hahaha! Just kidding, Iya!

You know that cliche, "always a bridesmaid, never a bride?" Well, in my case it's been, always the wedding planner, never the bridesmaid! (My favorite line from that famous movie of the same name is, "You know they say 'those who can't do, teach?' Those who can't wed, PLAN!" Hahaha!) Anyhow, not since I was a junior bridesmaid in the 9th grade for my aunt, have I been asked to just stand there and try to look pretty at a wedding. With the 15 or so weddings I've either attended or helped plan in the last 3 years, I finally get to be on the other side of the clipboard and I'm so excited!

So, last Friday before I left for my family reunion weekend (which I have a lot to talk about!), Iya asked me to be one of her maids-of-honor! Crazy!!! I've never been one before so this is going to be fun! Iya says she gives us permission to slap her if she ever turns into the infamous bridezilla. And given this opportunity, I'm sure we all (Rochelle, Cile, Marnelli, Chris' sister and Iya's cousin) look forward to a meltdown of this signature Scorpio so we can smack her around. Hahaha! THIS IS GONNA BE FUN! (Iya must be like, man, what the heck did I get myself into!) In all seriousness, though, I'm so honored to have been asked to share in such a major responsibility. Can't wait to get all Monica on this!

Now I have whole year to think of Iya's most embarrassing moments so I can share it with everyone at the reception. Hmmm, THAT'S gonna be a fun speech to write!
YAY!!!!

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Man! Here we go again with the 80 billion summer birthdays!
Happy Birthday
to my cousin Alan
and his lovely wife Stephanie!
(They have the same birthday! M.F.E.O.! Hahaha!
Who knows what movie that's from?)

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY
to my cousin, MARI
and
GWEEEEN!
(who's probably getting drunk in the caribbean!)

Saturday, July 01, 2006

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JHOETTE!!!