summer [suhm-er]
the season between spring and autumn, in the Northern Hemisphere from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox, and in the Southern Hemisphere from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox; a period of hot, usually sunny weather; the period of finest development, perfection, or beauty previous to any decline
Synonyms include: summertime, sunny season, vacation

Labor Day weekend, for as long as I can remember, has always signified one truly sad thing for me: the end of summer and the beginning of the school year. It's been 7 years since I've had to grapple with this thorn in my vacational foot. After June 2000, I lost a certain sense of time. I was forced to abandon the academic calendar, which always began with autumn and ended with summer. Suddenly my new year of life began in January, and that was just weird. Now another summer is coming to pass. The weather hasn't been too forgiving as of yet. The 105 degrees I saw on a thermometer today shows no indication of the autumn that waits 18 days away. By the time we reach September 21st, we'll have something else to deal with - the end of this year and the beginning of the next. But I'll wait until September to get into that...Another indication of the end of summer for me are the birthdays that we celebrate. A beach bonfire to celebrate Rachey, Matt and Chris' birthdays was such the California thing to do. I'm not much of a beachgoer, but when I do step on the sand, see the ocean, feel the breeze (or in the case of that night, huge gusts of wind - it was freezing!), I always feel like the Southern California girl that I am.
Isa's birthday falls in the middle of August (yummy Little Caesar's in the brand new house!), and by the time we reach Rochelle's birthday, it's already the end of the month. No way did summer sprint past us like that!!!
We had dinner at McGrath's Fishhouse in Santa Anita to celebrate Rochelle's 28th. Our table was situated in what appeared to be a sunroom, where a whole wall was an open window to the outside. We dined on seafoord, semi-al fresco. We were dressed in short sleeve polos, blouses, tanktops, skirts and shorts. To think, in a month or so, we'll be stowing away such light clothing in exchange for scarves, turtleneck sweaters and jackets.
Winter has always been my favorite season of the year. I love layering clothes and wearing scarves. My cousins from the east coast always tease me because, compared to their winters in Ohio, Illinois or North Carolina, the months between November and February here are significantly more pleasant and fair.
In any case, the fact remains, summer will turn into autumn soon. A new season awaits more opportunities for change, for reminders, for looking forward. "Have a great summer!" our friends wrote in our yearbooks. It maybe have sounded generic back then, but such wishes only make me smile as I remember what pleasantries the last 3 months have brought: engagement celebrations, wedding planning, weddings, new babies, beach days, family reunions, birthdays, housewarmings, SEXYBack and the rest of Justin's new cd(hahahaha!), Danity Kane's long-awaited cd (hahaha!), skirt outfits, trips, a graduation, new friends and new things to look forward to. A great summer it really has been...

loaf [lohf]
to idle away time; to lounge or saunter lazily and idly; a portion of bread or cake baked in a mass, usually oblong with a rounded top (haha)
Synonyms include: to be inactive, be slothful, be unoccupied, dillydally, evade, fool around, hang out, loiter, lounge, pass time, relax

Riann’s favorite past time is an activity she fondly calls, “loafing.” Whenever she has ANY TIME whatsoever where she doesn’t have to work or run errands, she “loafs around,” often pulling a fellow malingerer to join her. Living 4 minutes away, I find myself a part of her spontaneous loafing excursions.

Loafing doesn’t involve a lot of planning or thinking. In fact, it calls for more randomness than anything. When I’m driving home from work, Riann will call or I’ll call her and next thing you know, we’re either at the mall or at this SurfCity/Jamba Juice-like place that opened recently in Glendale called “Maui Wowie.” After spending one evening there, sipping on one of many coffee and fruity drinks, we realized that we had found our new favorite hangout.

One Tuesday night, however, we decided to to check out this place in Fullerton called 419 Veronese Gallery and Cafe, highly recommended by Chef Seong, who was there to loaf along. What a welcome treat that evening was. The cafe itself is not your typical Starbucks or Coffee Bean, whose walls are often laden with shelves of packed coffee beans, tea bags and travelmugs with the notable insignias etched on them. This cafe was different. In the simplest description that I could give - it feels like someone's house.

Before Riann and I walked through the front door, we were welcomed by a quick set of steps, which leads to a porch furnished with a wooden park bench and table. The red front door opens up into a living area of armchairs, small coffee tables, books, art and...is that Whitney Houston playing in the speaker? Hahaha! The soundtrack all night was an eclectic blend of KOST 103.5 classics, from Toni Braxton, to Jewel, to BSB (YUCK!!!) to Joe's favorite, Lionel Richie.

We walked around the property as we waited for Seong to arrive and we were, what's the word?...Delighted. No two sets of tables and chairs look alike and each piece of furniture is strategically placed in a part of the house and garden that it was supposed to. A deck surrounds the cafe, and we found ourselves sitting at a table on the corner of this deck, sipping our tea and mango slush, snacking on tiramisu and chatting about everything, from Valentine's Day disasters to musical artists no one would ever suspect we'd be fans of.

We couldn't leave without taking pictures so here we are taking in the eclectic environment around us. Right next to our table was a shelf of books and... weights? Hahaha! Riann picked up the 5 lb'ers whilst I decided to take in this book...written in Korean or Japanese.

The place wasn't crowded so it was a relatively peaceful evening, except, of course, for the laughter you can't avoid when you're in good company. (Pictures taken by S.H. Good job, Chef!)

Happy Birthday Daphne!!!
(My little babushka!)

Happy Birthday Dorothy!

(My wedding planner idol!)

decorum [di-'kor-&m]
propriety and good taste in conduct or appearance
Synonyms include: civility, courtliness, decency, dignity, etiquette, good grace, order, politeness, propriety, tact

Hahaha...This happened like 3 weeks ago but I can't help but want to talk abuot it. Bev and I spent the morning and afternoon a few weeks ago at the Philippine Expo in the Pomona Fairplex. We manned Ja's booth because he had a wedding to shoot that day. I was actually a little excited, just because I was curious as to what happened at these functions. An expo specifically for Filipinos? Sure, ok.

When I saw her in the parking lot, Bev asked, "Did you bring a book? Magazines? Journal to write in? It's gonna be a long day." And so it kind of was. When we got there, most of the table was already set up with Ja's albums, business cards, mounted images of brides, grooms and flowers displayed for every passer-by to stop, if even for a few seconds, just to oooh and aaaah the talents of Ja Tecson Photography.

The highlight of the day for us was lunchtime. The Manila Sunset booth was set up outside so Bev and I went to get a plate of pancit malabon. The booth is set up so that there are two windows. I'm thinking, oh ok, this shouldn't take too long....but oh how wrong was I. The first time we got in line, there were about 5 people in front of us. Suddenly, some guy came out of nowhere at the side of the booth and said that the line we were in was only for payment and that he would be writing down orders. So Bev managed to walk over to this guy fast enough to be 3rd or 4th in line to give her order. In front of her were 1 or 2 people in green shirts giving the guy their order. WHY DID A THROW OF FILIPINOS with the same green shirts suddenly come up on the side and start giving him their orders? They literally went to the front of the line to give their orders as if there wasn't anyone waiting there already. HELLO THERE'S A LINE! WILL YOU PLEASE PRACTICE SOME DECORUM!!!!

So I left Bev to go back to the booth. She came back about 15-20 minutes later and the look on her face said it all. "Freakin' Filipinos I SWEAR!!!" When I left Bev at the Manila Sunset booth, she was in line to pay for the food. But the people in front of her were taking forever because they kept adding to their orders. HELLO THERE'S A LINE BEHIND YOU! It is these times when I want to shake these people and say, "Hello snap out of it. Suck it up!" Hahaha...the end...Ja, Bev said you owe us TWO dinners for that day! hahaha!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

ROCHELLE!!!

(Bobbers to me...)

mistake [m&-'stAk]
to blunder in the choice of; to misunderstand the meaning or intention of
Synonyms include: misapprehension, misjudging, misjudgment

lesson ['le-s&n]
something to be learned or studied; a useful piece of practical wisdom acquired by experience or study
Synonyms include: homework, schoolwork; lecture; drill, exercise, practice (also practice); etude, study

Aquarians got the following horoscope last week:

"Your past mistakes are definitely lessons you should learn from, but try not to let them paralyze you. You can't let yourself be intimidated by what might happen ... you just have to trust yourself that you can do it. Now is not the time for mulling things through, reviewing all the options, or debating pros and cons. No -- it's the day to grab the bull by the horns and show no fear. By putting on an award-winning bravery act, you will fool yourself into believing you're fearless!"

Mistakes - we make them for reasons unbeknownst to us until the damage has been done and the worst of feelings have come to play. We're often told that the only way to learn anything is to make mistakes. "Use this as a lesson," they say. So, we make a mistake, bad things happen, we feel guilty, ashamed and we may even find ourselves bereft of any self-respect. Upon experiencing all levels of agony and we're feeling less than our stellar (that one's for you, Leia) selves, we can't help but ask the universe: What the hell was that all about?!

Sometimes when we set ourselves up to work for something we want, we hope and pray for guidance of every kind. We ask for light to lead the way, a companion to help us along and the strength to follow through. We ask for such things if only to keep from feeling lost and alone, but what often happens is, we get lost anyway. It's sound advice to keep your eyes on the prize, no matter how idealistic it sounds. But sometimes the most important part of attaining any goal is the journey that gets you there. What happens, though, when the road ahead is shaded by a dust cloud of discouragement and the goal is safely guarded by a moat of unexpected hardship? There are times when we reach victory far beyond that cloud and that moat. But there are other times when we find ourselves defeated at the foot of the gate.

It is this seemingly unfortunate moment of loss when we have a chance to encounter that lesson that we may have otherwise not learned had we succeeded according to plan. Only after undergoing such an experience do we find the guidance we sought beforehand. The only questions that remain are: Would we ever try to reach for that goal again knowing what could go wrong? Would we be ready to walk the same road and risk a potentially greater fall and face another failure? Or could we see that risk is worth taking if we could have something wonderful because of it? It's hard to figure sometimes what we want if we're too afraid of not getting it if we tried. But a wise friend advised simply, "You learn and try not to repeat the same mistakes, but you have to let yourself TRY."

Move Along
by: All-American Rejects

Go ahead as you waste your days with thinking
When you fall everyone stands
Another day and you've had your fill of sinking
With the life held in your
Hands are shaking cold
These hands are meant to hold

Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through
Move along
Move along

So a day when you've lost yourself completely
Could be a night when your life ends
Such a heart that will lead you to deceiving
All the pain held in your
Hands are shaking cold
Your hands are mine to hold

Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong
Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through
Move along
(Go on, go on, go on, go on)
When everything is wrong we move along
(Go on, go on, go on, go on)
When everything is wrong, we move along
Along, along, along
When all you got to keep is strong

Move along, move along like I know you do
And even when your hope is gone
Move along, move along just to make it through
Right back what is wrong
We move along

sloth ['slOth]
aversion to work or exertion; laziness; indolence
Synonyms include: bum, couch potato, deadbeat, idler, laggard, layabout, lazybones, loafer, malingerer, moocher. slacker

I felt myself slowly turning into one. It seemed like all I did this weekend was EAT! On Friday night some of us spent the evening at Isa & Nick's new house and what did we do? Sat in the kitchen and ate pizza, crazy bread, cheesy bread, mangoes, chocolate cake and Isa's chocolate ice cream birthday cake!...

On Saturday morning, Iya cooked breakfast for me, Rochelle, Ate Bam and Marnelli before the wedding expo and, oh man, we ate banana walnut pancakes (SOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOD!), sausages, scrambled eggs and scones! At the expo: two fondue fountains (one dark chocolate and one white chocolate for sobbing out loud!) and cake tasting. Then after the expo, Iya, Marnelli, Rochelle and I ate at Asian Noodle in downtown where we feasted on beefstake, garlic fried rice, calamari and Rochelle had her Filipino-style spaghetti. Holy crap!...

On Sunday, we attended Irene and Gabe's wedding shower and, hey look -- MORE FOOD! When I got home from the party, my aunts, uncles and cousins were here so my Ninang ordered pizza for merienda. After I ate my first slice and found myself sitting in front of the computer, I said to myself, "Anna, you need to get your ass up right now and do something!"

So, on Sunday night, I had an impromptu workout. I've never been to the gym on a Sunday. It wasn't crowded, all the machines were free - I loved it! I've been feeling lately that I needed to "run something outta my system" so I worked the treadmill and that nordic track thingy for a 40-minute cardio workout. I felt so good after that I couldn't bear to go home and run the risk of eating anything that would negate the calories that I had just burned, so I went to Quizno's for my new favorite meal - a flatbread Cobb salad! Mmmmmm! That thing is probably full of calories, but I know it beats eating rice at 8 pm.

I did the usual Monday workout, which is yoga, because we've been doing it pretty consistently these past few months that I'd hate to kill it. Besides, I promised Fantone I'd go for the both of us since she hasn't been able to. The 20 min run/brisk walk plus yoga for an hour was just what I needed. No promises of hardcore exercise for the next year. Yes I have that dress for Iya & Chris' wedding looming in my subconscious, but I'm hoping that the goal is far beyond fitting into a pretty dress 13 months from now (although it's great motivation). I'm just going to take this one day at a time until I form a healthy habit - without knowing it. This way, working out becomes part of a lifestyle change instead of a get-thin-quick scheme. Here's hoping...

niche ['nich]
a recess in a wall, as for holding a statue or urn; a cranny, hollow, or crevice, as in rock; a situation or activity specially suited to a person's interests, abilities, or nature
Synonyms include: alcove, calling, indentation, position

I've been truly blessed when it's come to co-workers. There hasn't really been one job (whether I liked it or hated it), where I wasn't surrounded by good people. This job of 6-months has certainly been no exception.

I am a proud member of the SAGE Publications Sales Department. Consisted of 1 VP, 3 managers/directors and a slew of staff, we've gotten quite a reputation in the building for being a fun bunch. Decorating cubicles and offices along with having mini celebrations for people's birthdays? Kay has told me time and again, "Man, you belong in that department!" Hahaha! Don't hate, Grammy. You brought me to them.
Last Friday, our department (minus 2) had our first "teambuilder." We had mimosas on the bus ride over there so from the beginning, this trip already felt worthwhile. We spent the morning and afternoon at the Getty Villa in Malibu. Suffice it to say, the property is a magnificent work of architecture, tucked serenely in between the mountains that stand just behind the Pacific shoreline.
Built like a true villa, the estate is as picturesque as it is a stronghold that houses with care J. Paul Getty's finest antiquities. My favorite areas were the gardens. The atrium, located just beyond the entrance, is surrounded by a 2-story enclosure. It's reminiscent of Shakespearean images of folks looking out of a window into the courtyard below. Watch "Much Ado About Nothing" or even "Romeo and Juliet" and you'll see what I mean.
Further beyond the atrium is a larger garden area where a long pool of water sits, surrounded by a perimeter of open hallways of columns upon columns. It was a shutterbug's dream to be there. I couldn't stop taking pictures! I even got some of my co-workers to take jumping pictures. Hahaha! They're so game for anything - I LOVE IT!!!
After a lovely afternoon at this beautiful place, we had a late lunch at the Gladstone's across the way. We hung out at the beach (which was right beside the restaurant) before we got seated and, it was the nicest few moments. I just thought it was so random to be there with my co-workers on a Friday afternoon that it made the day even more fun for me. Our meals were YUMMY! Especially because it was charged to the company. WHAT A GREAT PERK! Hahaha!
With our stomachs were full, and some of us holding drinks beyond the point of jurisdiction, we boarded the bus and, no joke, makeshift-karaoke'd aaaaaaaall the way back to the office. Our VP, David, was leading and he's determined to make the next department teambuilder a bowling/karaoke night! Hahaha! That's gonna be freakin' hilarious!

That was a such a wonderful day! I got to spend time away from my cubicle (which is ALWAYS a welcome relief), I got to walk around the beautiful Getty Villa, eat a hearty lunch by the beach (paid for by the company. I can't get enough of that!) and, most importantly, I got to hang out with some really great people who I have the best time working with. This is one niche I hope to stay in for a while (or at least until we celebrate our 5 year anniversary so Kay and I can go to London paid for, again, by the company. Hahaha! Way to keep that motivation straight!). Check out our pics on the side!

BEFORE...

...and AFTER!!!...5 HOURS AFTER! Oh what a day...