HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY TREASURE,

ISA!!!

glacier ['glA-sh&r]
A huge mass of ice slowly flowing over a land mass, formed from compacted snow in an area where snow accumulation exceeds melting and sublimation

iceberg [ 'Is-"b&rg]
A massive floating body of ice broken away from a glacier. Only about 10 percent of its mass is above the surface of the water.

I just talked to Ate Tin-Tin like 15 minutes ago. She was taking a nature hike in Alaska (what the heck) by herself and she’s bored and frustrated and she's all venting:

Ate: I’m so sad, Anna. I haven’t even seen a glacier yet.
Anna: Are you sure? A glacier would look like a huge piece of land.
Ate: But I wanna see a glacier MADE OUT OF ICE!
Anna: A glacier IS made out of ice. You mean an iceberg?
Ate: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Oh Ate, hurry up and come home. Hahahaha!

Happy 4-year Anniversary, Pat & Grams!

Happy Birthday, Cuz (Metty)!

LUCKY RACHEY!!! I'm sure that was the best birthday ever!

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY

RACHEY

(Justin says he can't wait to see you!)

&

CHRIS

(Why God! Why're you doing this to us?! hahaha!)

master ['mas-t&r]
one who holds a master's degree
Synonyms include: degree, graduate degree

Oh our dearest Larnie, who used to (and probably still does) walk around in her shorts, long-sleeve shirt under a short-sleeve tee, fisherman's hat and sneakers, and who used her backpack as a purse, has a Master's Degree in Sports Health. What the heck?! Hahaha! Just kidding Larnie! We're all so very proud of you! Why else would we travel all the way to freakin' hot Arizona?

Some time in April, we decided to take advantage of a Southwest Airlines deal and bought tickets to Phoenix to see Larnie get hooded. $49 each way! Not bad at all. We bought our ticket such a long time ago though that I almost forgot about it! Thank goodness I have people around to remind me, otherwise I would've missed out on a wonderful weekend.

Leia called Larnie's graduation the most serious graduation she's ever been to because there was hardly any noise when the graduates were walking in and, that rule about holding the applause until a certain section of grads' names were called? PEOPLE ACTUALLY FOLLOWED IT! We were one of the few exceptions of course. We couldn't help but yell when Larnie walked across the stage. She even did her Mimi kick! HAHAHAHA! Cracked us up!

After a celebration lunch at ISLANDS, and a damn good nap party (3-hours worth!), we hung out by the pool. Cile, Andrew and I opted to stay dry while the rest splished splashed in the water. Activities included floatie races, stunts and synchronized swimming. That hotel is really nice! Take note, Mission Palms Hotel by the Arizona State Campus!

We had dinner at PF Chang's (YUMMY!) and then went to this bar called the Library where the DJ thought he could mix (Dude, Joe, you coulda so kicked him to the curb!). How you gonna mix Grease with Miss New Booty?...HOW! The bar dancers need to learn how to dance too. But as long as we got to hear SexyBack, it was a great time!

Funny quote of the evening: Some of us were in line outside to get in and you can see inside through the window. Leia turns to me, "Hey, look at those two nerds inside dancing with each other." HAHA! Dude, those guys were FEELIN' IT THOUGH! Terrible, I know, we're going to hell.

Anyhow, Larnie's back in New Hampshire, where she's a fellow. Hahaha! She's doing a yearlong fellowship and we should go visit her!

Hooray for you #10!!!

showstopper ['shO-"stä-p&r]
a performance or performer that evokes so much applause from the audience that the show is temporarily interrupted
Synonyms include: awe, bewilderment,marvel, perplexity, shock

Hips Don't Lie, though it has brought me much joy, has officially been retired as Danity Kane's new song, Show Stopper refuses to leave the mind. It's soooo catchy! The mid-tempo beat is reminiscent of Ciara's Oh and it makes you wanna shift your body back and forth to the tune. C'mon girls! Pussycat Dolls ain't got nothin' on you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
to my sideline boss,
JA TECSON!
(aaaaaw snaps! HAHAHAHA!)

curtains ['k&r-t&n]
the movable screen or drape in a theater or hall that separates the stage from the auditorium or that serves as a backdrop; the rising or opening of a theater curtain at the beginning of a performance or act; the time at which a theatrical performance begins or is scheduled to begin; the fall or closing of a theater curtain at the end of a performance or act.
Slang: the end; absolute ruin; death
Synonyms include: drape, drapery, film, hanging, screen, shade, shield, shroud, shutter, valance, veil

Musical theater…love it! The first musical I ever saw was MISS SAIGON at the Ahmanson Theater. I memorized the soundtrack long before I watched it, lip-syncing everyone’s parts during the show. I saw it a second time in London and then a third time at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. The same emotions never fail to surface each time I hear any of the songs; love-conquers-all sung with words like, “A song played on the solo saxophone…it’s telling me to hold you tight and dance like it’s the last night of the world”; hope in the wake of loss channeled with “I still, I still believe you will return – I know you will. My heart against all odds holds still”; heartache for the sacrifices – “You will be who you want to be, you can choose what heaven grants. As long as you can have your chance, I swear I’ll give my life for you.”
Les Miserables is another musical I can watch and listen to over and over again. When I saw it for the first time in London, we sat in the THIRD ROW! We could see the mics sticking out of all the actors’ hairlines! We probably got spat on! Hahaha! I remember when we got to our seats, all of us were like DAAAAAAAMN THIS IS CLOSE! I saw it a second time in New York during our unforgettable 2000 east coast excursion, and then a third time a year and a half ago at the Pantages and I had to crack up because, thanks to Joey Potter, everyone was waiting for that one song! Haha! I’ve tried to forget Joey Potter’s rendition of “On My Own,” remembering only the melancholy lyrics of unreciprocated love – “Without me, his world will go on turning; a world that’s full of happiness that I have never known. I love him...but only on my own.” Nothing hits closer to home… Three weeks ago, my sister, my cousins and I spent the day in San Diego and then watched RENT in the evening. I watched RENT for the first time in London too (Let’s go back there already!!!)! I refer to this musical more often than not, especially lately. “No day like today” is such a cathartic blow to my habitual subjugation from uncertainty and fear that I find myself in the midst of emotional outbursts when I least expect it. “How do you measure a year?” Jonathan Larson asks. Each second I spend in fear, I realize how dangerously close I am to the end of that measuring stick.
Ragtime was another good one! Tito Andy (Cile’s dad) had some tickets one night so Cile, Ryan, Joe and I went to see it at the Shubert Theater while everyone else went bowling. But not all musicals render such dramatics of course. I’ve also spent a few evenings laughing to the comedic timing of productions such as The Producers (which also inspired that “do what you want to do, not what you think you should do” kind of attitude in me), Candide (our AP English class watched it because we were reading the play), and most recently Curtains (which is playing at the Ahamanson if you’re interested! It’s a clever murder mystery comedy and David Hyde Pierce-Niles from Frasier- is hilarious).

What I love about musicals most, in addition to the emotions they evoke, is the thought of people breaking out into song when they have something to say. Cheesy? Maybe. But to have an orchestra to back you up whether you’re depressed or ecstatic? How dramatic would that be?!