patriarch [pey-tree-ahrk]
the male head of a family or tribal line; a person regarded as the father or founder of an order, class, etc.
Synonyms include: ancestor, chief, creator, elder, father, founder

I haven't blogged in a week and I hardly logged on to chat or netsurf much because we were taking care of my grandfather's 80th birthday. I had relatieves come in from all over to celebrate with us and, as stressful as it's been these last few months (especially for my mom - party planner extraordinaire), the event was completely worthwhile. My grandfather deserved to be recognized for the man that he is to all of us. A few of us got to give short speeches about this wonderful man in my life. It was then that I fully understoon why all my aunts and uncles call him "The Godfather."
He is the one his brothers and sisters turn to (even from an ocean away) when their lives have become too difficult to deal with. He is my aunts' and uncles' substitute father when their fathers had passed away. As a grandfather, his expectations of his grandchildren tell us we're better than how we often feel about ourselves. He's a man who loves his family, worships his Maker and makes everyone around him feel happy to be part of this world. The eldest of 8 children, the father of 7, the grandfather of 9, the great-grandfather of 2, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend of many, my grandfather has reached this milestone in his life because he loves everyone who is part of his life.

Someone once asked my grandfather how he manages to look so young. He said it's because he doesn't have any worries and because he's happy. I hope that I too will achieve eternal youth through such a simple way.

prayer [prair]
a devout petition to God; that which is prayed for
Synonyms include: appeal, beseeching, worship

Hey everyone, will you please say a little prayer for Iya's new baby niece, Emily? She was born to Iya's bro and sis-in-law, Kuya Dennis and Ate Myla, this weekend, but with much complication. Please keep them all in your thoughts and pray that Emily gets more of a chance to enjoy the world that has yet to know her...

impromptu [im-promp-too]
made or done without previous preparation; suddenly or hastily prepared, made, etc.
Synonyms include: ad-lib, extemporaneous, spontaneous, improvised, unrehearsed

Update on one of my New Year’s resolutions: Be more spontaneous - I really have been trying this new thing since the year began and I haven't regretted anything I've done since then. I began this quest in January when I decided to go to Mammoth. Everyone talked about it for months and I decided to go 3 days before we had to leave for the weekend. Even though I didn't get to snowboard (which would've been a great thing to do up there), I was just as happy hanging out. There was snow all over the place! I'm a Southern Cali girl - this is a highlight for me. Anyhow, people these days don't know the meaning of spontaneous or impromptu anymore. I know because I, too, am still learning.

I'm learning that not everything has to be planned out so meticulously by mass emails, mass text messages and phone trees. Say for example, a John Mayer concert. A month ago, I told Riann that if she didn't have anyone to go to the John Mayer-Sheryl Crow concert with, I would gladly go with her. I completely forgot about it until she called me the very morning of the concert and asked if I was still up for it because she saw tickets for sale on Craig's List. Sure, I said. Why did she wait until the last minute, you ask? Because, as Riann will tell you, she's very picky about the audience that she shares John Mayer with. With a joint concert alongside Sheryl Crow, I don't think she knew what to expect.

We really didn't know what to expect, so I'll just tell you what we encountered. It was a mixed crowd for the most part - a mix of beer-toting-mary-jane-smoking old and young. The lady who sold the tickets to Riann was Asian, and we (Riann, Spastic-ass TJ and I) pictured some 20-something chick to be sitting next to us. No, Chong was in her 40's, kickin' it with her other 40+ homegirls, rockin' to Sheryl Crow and John Mayer. HI-larious! And then there was this girl sitting 2 rows in front of us and she stood up almost the entire time, dancing around with a cigarette in her hand, the ashes a split second away from falling on someone, a beer in her other hand and everyone around yelling for her to, "SIT THE HELL DOWN!" Oh man, thanks Babygirl. That was a fun concert!

That impromptu concert night was followed on Saturday by an impromptu karaoke night at Orchid. People have been bugging Riann about celebrating her birthday for weeks, but because her work schedule's been so crazy, she didn't have any time to plan. So at 3:30-ish on Saturday afternoon she decides, "I wanna go karaoke tonight." A few text messages and phone calls later, and so the spontaneity ensued.
I always forget how much fun karaoke is. I haven't gone since Jhoette visited us back in the spring. We sang for almost 3 hours!!! The highlight of my evening? Not James singing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," or Joe blowing our eardrums out with "Battery," not Seong making Riann scream at the first few bars of All-4-One's "I Swear." Grammy Kay wins my vote that night. She shook her ass to Abba's "Dancing Queen" and "Fernando" (WTF!). Oh man, Grams. YOU WERE FREAKIN' HILARIOUS!
I love random calls and text messages for a Coffee Bean run, or a quick trip to the mall, an afternoon mass, a pre-sunset walk around the neighborhood, a dinner to catch up or a John Mayer-Sheryl Crow concert (what the hell). We've all got our lives planned out so carefully and, though I'd like to think otherwise, it really is necessary if we want to get more than one thing done. But the impromptu invitations are kind of like life's little reminders that it's okay to do something that isn't part of the day's or week's agenda. Pulling ourselves away from false idols in the form of datebooks, palm pilots and Outlook calendars is sometimes exactly what we need to remember we actually have choices in this life that don't require penciling in of any kind.

Here's to many more spontaneous opportunities!

Happy, Happy Birthday to my Grandmother!

Yay for you, Nanay!

(She's probably harrassing someone to eat right now. Hahaha!)

Happy Birthday

to my wonderful cousins:

Mary Anne - 17 years old

(EEEEKS when did you turn into a teenager?!)

and

Ben - 26 woo hoo!!

(When's your next west coast visit cuz?!)

motherhood [muhth-er-hood]
the state of being a mother; maternity; the qualities or spirit of a mother
Synonyms include: n/a

Some of us woke up nice and early on a Saturday morning so we could meet with (according to Cheryl) the prince of Koreapines! My friend from high school, Riza, got married last November and 3 months ago, she had little half-Korean, half-Filipino Joe, Jr. Something about babies really brings out the mother (and sometimes father) in all of us. I love kids, especially babies. I'm actually glad that Tin and I were born so far apart (12 years to be exact) because I got to enjoy taking care of her. I was never jealous of my sister; never wished I got as much attention as she did when she was born. I just loved getting her dressed in her cute little outfits from Baby Gap or Gymboree, looking after her while she slept and I did my homework, teaching her how to talk - TIN WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GROW UP?!....but I digress...
Riza's a mommy! Look how happy she looks! Hahaha! I still can't believe this is the same girl who I used to sit in a classroom with, who wrapped my locker door on my birthday. Now she's got this cute little baby to tend to, a husband she shares this responsibilty with, not to mention a career she's got a great handle on. Riza has a new family in her life and I'm so happy and excited for her. She and Joe are fun parents, I know it.
And she's got a lot of help from the outside if she ever needs it. Just check out Ninang Diva - I mean Ninang Vanessa (hahaha!) up there with her Gucci bag, cell phone and t-shirt that says, "SO WORTH IT." I love it girl! You're gonna teach Joe, Jr. how a lady should be treated. This lady's kids are going to be decked out all the time, I can just see them now!There's also Auntie Cheryl. She can teach this baby how to cook (cuz she's gotten quite good at it), how to bball, how to download videogames and how to make professional-looking wedding invitations by hand. Haha!
Oh yeah, and show him what real boobs look like. Hahahahaha! Trying to take this picture cracked me up! Cheryl, as a mom, will be a sight to see. Her motherhood anal-ness will be as obvious as the 1-inch of space between each hanger in her closet!

Auntie Cecile...doesn't that face say it all? I can't wait for Cile to be a mom. I can just see the walls in her house filled from room to room, floor to ceiling, with enigmatic scribbles of paint, color pencils, markers and crayons that only an artistic mother like Cile would love, understand and take complete pride in.

And me? I can't wait to babysit everyone's kids! Hahaha! Honestly, I can't wait for a chance to be someone's mommy one day. As frightening of a role as that sounds, and as daunting a task as it is, what a gift it would be to have a child! I remember one of my co-workers in DC telling me that she could tell how I was raised and what kind of people my parents are like just by knowing me. I hope she meant that as a compliment because I took it as such. But I realized too what a testament that comment was to the way my parents raised me. Hopefully someday we'll all get to try this parenting deal out. CAN YOU IMAGINE?

-Photos provided by C. Zee

breakaway [breyk-uh-wey]
an act or instance of breaking away; secession; separation; a departure or break from routine or tradition
Synonyms include: secession, separate

What do you do when you can’t handle it anymore? When frustration seems to follow you wherever you walk but you don’t want to make a big hoo ha about it because you’re hoping it’s not really happening or that in time, it’ll get better? I begin to wonder most times if it’s me that’s the problem. I hate these episodes, only sometimes I'm afraid this is a chronic issue...

Oh bother... E-crew, can we please leave now?

Breakaway
by: Kelly Clarkson

Grew up in a small town
And when the rain would fall down
I'd just stare out my window
Dreaming of what could be
And if I'd end up happyI would pray

Trying hard to reach out
But when I tried to speak out
Felt like no one could hear me
Wanted to belong here
But something felt so wrong here
So I prayed
I could break away

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly
I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky
And I'll make a wish
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won't forget all the ones that I love
I'll take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway

Wanna feel the warm breeze
Sleep under a palm tree
Feel the rush of the ocean
Get onboard a fast train
Travel on a jet plane, far away (I will)
And breakaway

Buildings with a hundred floors
Swinging around revolving doors
Maybe I don't know where they'll take me but
Gotta keep moving on, moving on
Fly away, breakaway

I'll spread my wings
And I'll learn how to fly
Though it's not easy to tell you goodbye
I gotta take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won't forget the place I come fromI
gotta take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway, breakaway, breakaway

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BIG SIS

ANNIE!!!

rhythm [rith-uhm]
movement or procedure with uniform or patterned recurrence of a beat, accent, or the like; procedure marked by the regular recurrence of particular elements, phases, etc
Synonyms include: cadence, flow, movement, regularity, periodicity

I SOOO want to think of something clever to write about, but my system is so out of whack that I feel like if I try too hard to be a good writer, I'll just confuse everyone. So I'll just tell you what an off day I had today. I usually wake up at 5:30 am but this morning I got out of bed at 6:05 am. I didn't leave for work until 6:40, in a poorly put-together outfit, with my half-wet hair barely held together by a claw. When I got in my car I realized I had to get gas. This'll make my commute much faster, I thought to myself. By the time I got on the freeway, it was 6:50 am. I start work at 7:30, and next thing I knew, it was 7:10 am on a Monday morning and I had 30 miles to go. Thank goodness no one keeps tabs on time at the office. I got there at 7:45 am.

Lately I feel like I've been making a lot of mistakes at work too. I hate it because they're mistakes that I should have noticed. Like "Milwaukee, IL" on an advertising rate card. Milwaukee would be in WI, Anna. AAAAARRRRGGGHHH! We had 250 of those printed already and I can't have them reprinted cuz my boss doesn’t think it’s worth the trouble. Thank goodness my Bob (my boss) is sooo understanding about everything all the time. Then I had to run month-end reports and I could not, for the life of me, balance those numbers. I refused to go to lunch until I did so I ran the report probably 6 more times before things finally matched! I ended up missing out on lunch but that’s ok. Geez, sometimes I really hate numbers!

This week, one of my co-workers is at a conference so she had to clue me in on all her business before I left for the day. I usually leave at 4:00 pm. But because she had so much to hand over to me, I didn’t leave until 4:35. I’m clocking overtime for that!

Traffic from the office was relatively bearable than the morning. When I got home I took a nap and then headed to yoga with Riann. I sucked tonight. It felt SOO obvious that I hadn’t done it in a month! It’s all good though, because I tried and I’ll go again (for my sistah, Fantone).

It wasn’t really a bad day, per se. As Riann suggested, it was just an out-of-rhythm kind of day. I guess I just got so comfortable with everything, especially at work, that I developed a cadence, thereby doing things without thinking because it just became second nature. Today was a swift kick in the rear to remind me that I need to stay alert. That and I think for the first time I’m feeling overwhelmed at work and I have a hard time asking for help. I’ll work on that. I’m sure tomorrow will be better.

milestone [mahyl-stohn]
a significant event or stage in the life, progress, development, or the like of a person, nation, etc.
Synonyms include: anniversary, breakthrough, landmark, turning point

We have countless opportunities in life to achieve milestones. The first word you speak as a baby, your first day of school, your first job, first kiss, your first time out of the country - basically anything that involves the word "first" can be considered a milestone. Young love, a first (and hopefully only) marriage, at our age, has been a milestone celebrated time and again these past few years. Ryan and Ann, my goodness, when I think of them now and remember them then, I have to smile. Talk about love meeting great timing! In less than 2 months they're going to be husband and wife!! And we can't forget birthday milestones. My Uncle Joe celebrated his 70th birthday yesterday! A retired naval officer, he and my Auntie Nit have raised 13 children, not to mention even more grandchildren! These cousins of mine are some of the hardest working, fun-loving individuals you will ever meet. My uncle was, still is, quite the old-fashioned strict father and grandfather. No alcohol is even allowed at family gatherings at his house! It's true that these days, his eyesight is compromised and he's not as quick-footed as he was as a young sailor man (I love seeing those pictures of him in the uniform!), but he's as quick-witted as ever.

Last night we also celebrated Annie & Will's 30th birthdays. There's a whole mess of people getting to this milestone this year. We had dinner at Tokyo Wako at the Pike in Long Beach. Our chef was so much fun to watch and so personable as he prepared the food in front of us. Orders ranged from filet mignon, grilled salmon, scallops, prawns and teriyaki chicken. (I'm getting hungry just thinking about i!) And to finish it off, we all had some yummy tempura ice cream! It was hilarious because if it's your birthday, you get to dress up in a kimono and wig while they sing to you. Annie and Will were all about it! I've looked up to Annie since I met her. That Big Sis of mine, I love her to death! And Will, freakin' Nurse funnyman. He doesn't talk a lot, but when he opens his mouth, something hilarious always comes out. I I watched them last night, how much they're looking forward to as individuals and together and it's comforting. 30's going to be great time in life.

And the cutest milestone of all? My niece Samantha's 1st year! She just turned 1 this summer and, oh my goodness, I could spend the entire day playing with her! She's so well-behaved, hardly cried as she sat in the swarm of people and deafening cackles around her. She fussed for maybe 5 seconds until I gave her my fan to play with. When adulthood feels like crap, I get so envious of a baby's life! 1 year old is definitely a place in my life I wouldn't mind re-visiting every so often.

I was thinking of all the moments in my life which I felt were significant in shaping the person I've become, and I came across these words:

"Life isn't a matter of milestones, but of moments." - Rose Kennedy

Here, then, is to many more moments!!