series [seer-eez]

a set of successive volumes or issues of a periodical published in like form with similarity of subject or purpose.

Synonyms include: continuity, progression, sequence

When I was younger, I remember being asked what I liked to do in my spare time. What were my hobbies? What did I do when I wasn't doing school work, etc. I played volleyball in elementary school, cheerleading in high school, but I wouldn't consider either endeavor to be "spare time" activities. I was certainly no athlete. And though I was (and still am) fortunate to have had a social life, what I really enjoy doing, as nerdy as it was to admit in my "younger" days, was read. And what I really love to read are series.

When I was in the fifth grade, I discovered the Anne of Green Gables series. At 11 years old, I took to Anne like an imaginary friend whose adventures in life and love I so wished I was part of. I wished I had her sassiness, her focus, her smarts and, of course, I wished (and sometimes still do) for Gilbert Blythe's devotion.

The longest series I've read is Harry Potter. I consider myself a Janey-come-lately of sorts, and J.K. Rowling's masterpiece is the perfect example of it. You can tell by looking at the series of books I own, at which point I finally caught on. The first four HP books are paperback (which I prefer) and books 5-7 are, well, hardcover. When the last three books were released, I devoured them; read them each moment I had a few minutes to spare. Harry Potter came out when I was in college. I worked at the bookstore on campus and shelved these classics-in-the-making over and over again, oblivious to their magic (pun tooootally intended). I think J.K. Rowling might have even visited the bookstore across the street when I was at UCI. But when did I start on Sorcerer's Stone? About two years after I graduated.

The Lord of the Rings series is one I feel a little guilty about. It's a classic, for sobbing out loud, but I discovered it, how else, through film of course. I watched "Lord of Rings: Fellowship of the Ring" because I was curious about it, and you know what? The orcs totally and utterly freaked me out and I have to be honest and say, I didn't really understand any of it...so I read the book. When in doubt, right? After I read that, I read Two Towers...then Return of the King, all before the last two films came out. J.R.R. Tolkien, to have created a language like Elvish, not to mention a whole world made up of so many different races and creatures - it's just so incredibly...INCREDIBLE.

...And then came Twilight. I was chatting with a friend of mine online a few years ago, and she asked if I was reading Twilight too. What the hell is Twilight?, I asked. She responded with an all-caps, no-doubt shouting, WHAT?! Janey-come-lately, remember? So a couple of years ago, before a planned girls-night-in, someone suggested we rent New Moon. I hadn't seen the first Twilight movie so I rented it on my own before that thinking, obviously, how am I going to understand New Moon if I hadn't seen Twilight? For whatever reason, we ended up not watching New Moon but after watching that sorry excuse for a first movie in a series, Twilight, I got curious and just decided to read the book, so I borrowed it...and then it swallowed me whole. WHOLE. I started reading in mid-March in 2010 and finished the whole series by the end of April. I read late at night before bed, while I brushed my teeth in the morning, at work during lunch, in time-outs during Laker games - it was beyond ridiculous how quickly I finished those four really long books but I had to know, as quickly as I could, what Edward and Bella's future held. Lucky for me, by the time I discovered the Twilight Saga, the entire series had already been published. Being "late to the party" suddenly became an advantage - I didn't have to wait anxiously for the next book in the series to be released.

About four and half hours ago, I finished reading the last book in The Hunger Games series. Katniss and Peeta kept me inside the house during this rainy weekend and I'm thankful they did. I started The Hunger Games last Monday. Jovi handed me her copy of Catching Fire on Thursday at work, just in case I finished the first book during the weekend, she said. Yeah, I started Catching Fire on Friday night and finished Saturday night, at which point I dove right into the last book because, two chapters from finishing the second, I went to Target and bought Mockingjay. I fell asleep last night with the book in my hand and woke up this morning to an extra hour and read about 160 pages before breakfast. I literally couldn't get myself to put the books down because I HAD to know what happened next, and I had to read (and hear in my head), Peeta speak to Katniss the way he did. It was like Edward Cullen all over again. No one writes a romantic hero like women can (Go Stephenie Meyer and Suzanne Collins!).

Except for The Hunger Games, merely because I literally JUST finished the last book today, I've read all the books above at least twice, and why shouldn't I? Whether it's a simple but meaningful life on Prince Edward Island, a magical world at Hogwarts, a fantastical existence on Middle Earth, Vampire and Werewolf-inhabited Washington State or the authoritarian nation of Panem; taking yourself somewhere beyond the rudimentary life that pound at us each day is refreshing. And sometimes, you just need to read something inspiring, encouraging, or just nice...

* * *

"There's a book of revelations in everyone's life." ~ Anne Shirley, Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery

"Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it." ~ Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling

"It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something...That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for." ~ Samwise Gamgee, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien

"Before you, Bella, my life was like a moonless night, very dark, but there were stars, points of light and reason...And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty. When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything went black. Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn't see the stars anymore. And there was no more reason for anything." ~ Edward Cullen, New Moon, Stephenie Meyer

"I wish I could freeze this moment, right here, right now, and live in it forever." Peeta to Katniss, Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins

hospitality [hos-pi-tal-i-tee]

the friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers; the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guestsand strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way

Synonyms include: amiability, heartiness, warmth

It's impossible not to feel welcome when you enter a house and see this sitting atop the coffee table:

...yet that is what greeted me tonight when I invaded the Lontok household for dinner. To say this evening was the highlight of my day would be an understatement. After a not-so-awesome 8 hours prior, I spent the next 2 1/2 eating a home cooked meal and enjoying the company of two people who I feel so fortunate to know. And after a few brief encounters through mutual friends, and one dinner date at BJ's, I feel even more blessed to call them friends.

Tam and Greg (and this is going to sound so cornball but there's no other way to say it) have this aura about them, and it radiates so warmly that I can't imagine anyone not being charmed by their sheer genuineness. There are no two people who best define the term "salt of the earth" than these two.

"Bless Anna," Greg said during grace, and in that moment, whatever upset me earlier today was shoved out their front door, forbidden to cause me anymore grief...at least until tomorrow.

Our appetizer plates were yummy (darn it - forgot to get pictures of the crackers!) and the main course was even yummier! I love salmon and asparagus!

All I could contribute today was some ice cream from Baskin Robbins. It wasn't much, and I wish I could've brought something more worthy of the two courses that came before it, but we enjoyed the sweet treat nonetheless.

Thank you so much, Tam and Greg (and Hachi), for having me over for a delicious meal, for the great tour of your home, for listening to me yammer on, for laughing your infectious laughs and for being such lovely friends to be around! Next time, it's my treat! =)

innovate [in-uh-veyt]

to introduce something new; make changes in anything established; to introduce (something new) for or as if for the first time

Synonyms include: found, invent, pioneer

It absolutely never fails. Death, or possibly a closer than imminent encounter with it, will always force you to re-evaluate your life. Have I made the right choices? Have I chosen the right career? The right friends? Have I been a good daughter? A good sister? A good Catholic? If I die tomorrow, or if I don't make it through the night, will I be able to look back from the afterlife and be proud of what I did in my earthly life?

A great number of us trudge through the day after we awaken with dread because this life, simply, isn't what we planned. We are not as successful as we dreamed, as beautiful as we wished, or as happy as we always figured we would be...eventually. Everything we need seems scarce and everything we try to avoid seems to multiply, clinging to us so tightly at times that it becomes difficult to believe that we'll every find a way out of it.

At 33 years old, I think often to myself. I thought I would've done more with my life, yet I sit in my cubicle staring at a computer screen for 8 hours (sometimes more) each day, filing, sending emails, etc. all the while trying to remember if maybe THIS LIFE is what I actually dreamt of having and maybe I just, well, didn't know it. I attempt some sensible convincing, of course, because what, exactly, is wrong with this part of my life? The job is stable, the people are great, I'm capable of doing the work, it pays well, etc. Nothing wrong with anything, really.

And then it hits me every time - Is what I do each day making a difference in this world? And, essentially, is it making a difference in me?

One of the most intelligent, most innovative and surely one of the most creative thinkers of the modern world died today. At 56 years old, former Apple CEO Steve Jobs passed away, and in his passing, we not only remember the gadgets he created or the changes he made to how we do everything, from listening to music to communicating across a great distance; we will remember the philosophy he so often preached regarding the reasons for his success and hope that for our own good, we will become or continue to be active participants in our own pursuit.

* * *

“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

upgrade [uhp-greyd]

an incline going up in the direction of movement; an increase or improvement; a new version, improved model, etc.

Synonyms include: advancement, betterment, growth

For years now, I've been lusting after the MacBook Pro. If I couldn't afford the $2,600 camera (oy, Canon 5D, Mark ii), I told myself that I'd at least "settle" for a hot new laptop.

"So when are you getting your Pro, fool?" Jaja Tecson would constantly ask.

"Yay tax refund! Go get your MacBook Pro now, Anna!" Jaja's sister, Cecile, chimed in.

Alas, no matter how much money I'd saved the past few years to buy this darn thing, there would always be something else more important to spend the money on, and that $1,700 laptop may as well have cost $2,600 because, in short, I could afford neither.

Never one to be discouraged or disillusioned too easily, I reasoned with myself, knowing deep inside that the best I could do was to MAKE the best of what I already had; and I had a perfectly competent HP desktop with the large flat screen monitor that ran Microsoft Word, Excel, Lightroom and Photoshop round-the-clock...until about a month ago. A month ago, that competent monitor went black and I was stuck - stuck with three photoshoots to edit through and no computer to edit with. Thankfully, I did manage to save, and with little to no emergency expenditures in sight, I bit the bullet, or, well, the Apple.

I never even gave purchasing an iMac over a MacBook Pro a second thought, assuming the laptop would cost less. Showed how unsavvy I was, right? The iMac was significantly less (like a third), so I went down to the neighborhood Apple Store (a badass new store with high ceilings at the Americana) and bought this gorgeous 21.5 inch iMac that I don't know how I ever managed without. I even bought a new desk to match the awesomeness =)

...and then I went to the Container Store and bought this desk drawer organizer to maximize my desk space. It keeps all my pens, pencils, markers, scissors, hole punchers and other Laker office supplies - yes, those are Laker glue sticks (Thanks, Iya & Chris! =D) - neatly placed in sections. O...C...Damn look how organized that is!

I'm like a little kid with a new toy, I know. But mostly I'm just a grateful adult. As corny as it sounds to say it, I feel really blessed to even have the means to buy such things. It's not like I was suffering from technological abuse (there are literally three other computers in this house, not counting my broken, but fixable, desktop). A purchase this major, though, just reminded me of what my parents have taught and showed me all my life - how and why to appreciate what I have.

I don't live in a mansion with a dozen servants, but live in a modest townhouse with, yes, my family who lets me live rent-free and I share a room with my 21-year old sister who schools me on Photoshop (and who, by the way, also bought an iMac so our room looks like an office with beds). I don't drive a fancy car, but a very well-maintained 2002 Rav4 that's got 175,000 miles on it still manages my 400 mile/week commute. I don't shop on Rodeo Drive, but the occasional visit to H&M, Anthropologie or The GAP always seems to keep the shopping bug satisfied. I don't own that top of the line camera yet, but what my Canon 40D has produced sure is a reflection of how much I've learned about photography.

And now I have this awesome new computer that is, by far, the nicest thing I've ever owned, and I don't know if I could appreciate what it means as much as I do now, if I hadn't known how to appreciate what I had before it.

background [bak-ground]

the ground or parts, as of a scene, situated in the rear ( opposed to foreground);
the part of a painted or carved surface against which represented objects and forms are perceived or depicted: a portrait against a purple background; the part of an image represented as being at maximum distance from the frontal plane.
Synonyms include: accomplishments, experience, backdrop

The girl was crying, saying how all through school, all through her childhood, and now in her young adult life, she'd always just almost get the part, almost get the spotlight, but never quite got to be that one - the chosen one. She's a young dancer on Laurieann Gibson's reality show, Born to Dance, and to her seemingly hopeless, tearfilled face, Laurieann said, "You dance like the girl who doesn't get picked." There sure is a whole lotta wisdom under all that boomkack, because it hit me - I'm her, the girl who doesn't get picked, and for once I'm starting to realize that maybe that's my fault.

Yes, I've had my share of the spotlight. In general though, my M.O. is to stay in the background, work behind the scenes, manage the details that no one really notices. I always said I'd never be a good boss, preferring to report to a higher power than be that power myself. I'd rather work in supportive, less glamourous and less prominent positions, like assistants, logistical coordinators, wedding planners or second shooters. Even being student council president in the 8th grade meant a lot of dirty work that often went unnoticed. But I never minded. The work got done and I knew I had a part in it and, truly, how could that not be enough for me? There is absolutely no shame in playing these roles, and frankly I don't just NOT mind it - I rather enjoy it. The trouble comes, however, when I need more for and from myself and sitting and working in the background where no one sees me can be a problem...a big one.

How did I expect to make a living as a writer if I refuse to show people work I've spent a lot of time and careful thought writing because I'm afraid I'll be told how awful I am instead of being hungry for the guidance I so wish I had? How does someone like me, who has never taken a photography class, call herself an aspiring photographer when I see another photographer's images and mentally punish myself for not being that good instead of getting out there and searching for help?

Though I've been on the receiving end of generous accolades, I've also been the one who often thinks she doesn't deserve it. In the process of growing up in a humble household, I've mistaken humility for self-deprecation and they are, in fact, not even close to being the same thing.

I'm not cutthroat at anything, I tell myself. I'm not a vicious social climber who'd sell her soul to the devil to be the best at something. Live like the nice girl, I remind myself. Live life straight, no shortcuts, no over the top gimmicks, etc. And while that seems to be a good plan, I also don't want the fate of the "nice girl." If at all possible, I'd rather not finish last.