it's just Di

Delayed Resolutionist

2012-01-20T00:22:00.000-08:00

Trust me, I realize my blog needs an overhaul. I am working on it. In my mind.

My friend Mona keeps encouraging to blog more. And I will try. I should have made at least that one resolution during the new year. But since it is still January, then it's still okay to squeeze in a resolution or two right?

I didn't realize until now that the last time I blogged was in November. Again, proof that time flies by fast.

I've been back to the work force since December and I am enjoying rated PG "adult" time away from home. But once that clock ticks close to going home time, I get anxious to come home to my darling kid. "Darling" because when I get home, it's time for a nap. And when baby naps, I nap. We are all happy. I over dose on naps. I don't catnap. I lion-nap. I need to go to Nappers Anonymous. And that wouldn't be for any kind of illegal napping like kidnapping or carnapping.

It has been a winter wonderland here in Washington since Monday.The first major snowfall of the season. I haven't been to work the whole week because it has been snowing and icy. I think we accumulated close to a foot here in Marysville. We kind of got snowed in. But today, we were all snowed out in the sense that we didn't want to frolic in the cold snow anymore. Total cabin fever. But we asked for it, we got it.

"Pick me up and bring me in the house!!"

Returning to the Work Force

2011-11-10T21:01:00.000-08:00

Wow.

My blog has been left neglected for 7 months. I have been busy and tired with the toddler who is now a rambunctious, active, and handsome 19 month old. I miss the baby days. I miss the days when he took naps and couldn't roll over. I need a time machine.

I have decided to return to the work force. Being a stay at home mom is as rewarding as it gets and unless you haven't been a stay at home parent, sit down and be quiet. We work a full time job. From morning until night. No sick days allowed even when you, yourself, are sick.

My search for a job has not been the easiest one. I would turn in resume after resume after resume. I only received two calls, both from private practice clinics.

I first interviewed with a practice in Edmonds last week. I was really nervous. I had no "grown up" professional business attire. I haven't had a real professional interaction for almost 2 years. I was afraid I was going to fudge the interview. Contrary to my fears, the office manager was warm and cordial, and the physicians were friendly and nice. The position I interviewed for is a temporary part time gig. The hours are half day 4 days out of the week plus 1 full day but the gig will only last about 8-12 weeks since it is to fill in for a staff member going on maternity leave.

Today, I had another interview at a bigger practice in Mill Creek. I got the call yesterday. Because I was attending to the toddler, the manager left me a hurried and rushed voice mail. I had to replay the message several times to get her name and I had to Google the words she had rambled to figure out what clinic she worked for.

I called back the Mill Creek practice and spoke to the manager. She spoke in that hurried and rushed manner not to mention cold. You could tell what kind of person you are talking to just by that initial phone call. I guess my perkiness was too much for her. She bitingly asked me "Why have you not been working since 2009?" I told her the reason was because I had a baby and decided that I was not ready to go back to work just yet. Then another biting question as to why I haven't called my former work place to get my job back. I felt like I was defending myself answering her questions. THEN she made a snide comment regarding the questions and said "I am asking these questions so that you don't waste our time and we don't waste yours". I was taken aback and shyly responded that I completely understood that time was valuable indeed. We scheduled for an interview today at 11 this morning.

Even though I had this "feeling", I gave the manager the benefit of the doubt regarding her cold demeanor. Maybe she was having a bad day?

I went to my interview this morning and well, my nerves were present however I believe that I showed good composure under the harsh and grueling interview. I met with the same lady I had spoken to over the phone yesterday. She was cold during her interview. I don't expect her to sugar coat anything and while I respect honesty up front, there are some ways to deliver certain questions or statements. This lady was neither cordial nor warm. I felt intimidated by her almost condescending tone.

One part of the interview that really ticked me off was when I asked what system they ran for the electronic medical records. Her response? "You don't know it." I was stunned by this response. STUNNED. Who responds like that?!

On my way home, I had replayed the whole interview in my mind. That interview alone raised a lot of red flags about the company. I mean they have that woman representing their company for crissakes! However, could I just see past the manager and hope for the best? After all, the pay would be decent, the benefits are fantastic, and they are opening a satellite clinic 10 minutes from my house. I did get the feel of the clinic as a very busy practice. Busy equals stress. I was so stressed out from my last job that I was hanging by a very thin thread before I could die from exhaustion at the end of the day. And I didn't have a child yet back then!

I was caught in a dilemma.

Do I go with the warm and fuzzy clinic that I had interviewed with first? A temporary part time gig, 30 minutes from my house ? They have plans of expanding in the future although there isn't a definite date however, they assured me that I will be their first pick when that new practice opens.

or ...

Do I go with the 2nd clinic with the manager who needs to work on her attitude in a busy and potentially stressful practice. A full time position, 10 minutes from my house with good benefits?

I have made a decision. And once I know that I commit to that decision, I don't ever want to look back and wonder "what if I took the other job?"

At the end of the day, it is my son, my happiness, and my sanity that matters when it comes to making the decision of which road I will take.

What would you do?

Quick Spring Card

2011-04-19T01:06:00.001-07:00

I haven't been able to shop for the appropriate Easter crafting materials such as stamps and embellishments. However, I was able to get a DCWV "Nana's Kids" paper pack from Marshall's for $3.99 (normally retails for $7). The paper pack has a lot of pastel type themes making it perfect for spring.

Since I am strapped for time due to poor planning and of course procrastination, my cluttered mind has been able to come up with anything fancy.

Below is what I could quickly come up with.

For this project, I used a plain pastel yellow cardstock paper. I chose one of themes from the paper pack I bought and placed it on the plain cardstock. I used a pink Prima flower from the "Island Pastel" tin and placed a pink rhinestone on the center.

Finally, I used a clear stamp and black dye ink for the "Spring has Sprung" wording. The stamp I used is by Studio G which I bought for $1 at Jo-Ann's.

This is just a quick project that I could do in very little time. If I set my mind to stick to this very design, It would take me about 10 minutes per card. Of course it took me more than that because I think as I go with no certain design in mind and before I know it, I've come up with something.

Mom and my 2nd grade Mother's Day project

2011-04-06T23:30:00.001-07:00

Let There Be Cake

2011-04-05T13:53:00.001-07:00

Kaleo had numerous birthday celebrations while in the Philippines. Each of the 3 parties we had warranted a cake...or cakes.

The first cake is an "Up" themed cake from Goldilocks from my parents. It is a marble flavored cake. This cake was for the first birthday party that we had on March 20th which was also the day of the Paniqui town fiesta.

The second and third cakes were for a dinner we had with my Mom's kumares. I had bought a brazo de mercedes cake not knowing my aunties would be bringing an actual birthday cake!

The last two cakes were from his birthday party at Shakey's. One was from the restaurant and the other from his godparents.

How many cakes did my one year old need?! This puts a whole new meaning to "let them eat cake"! All in all, the parties were great!

- discombobulated musings posted from BlogPress on my badass iphone

Philippines Vacay

2011-04-03T06:16:00.001-07:00

Warning:Pic heavy and a lengthy read. So grab a cup of coffee.

3 weeks in the Motherland was not enough to make up for the past 10 years I haven't been home. However, I tried to make the most of it and I did to the best I could in such little time.

We spent majority of our time in Paniqui which is my mom's hometown. There, I did just what I have been aching to do, with zero guilt or worry: relax, rejuvenate, and laze around.

My parents, my Dad especially, were so good about looking after Kaleo. He'd literally hold off on eating so that he can watch Kaleo which Shon and I ate. Kaleo was definitely spoiled with attention from my parents.

Dad and Kaleo

Life in the province is very, very laid back. Totally different from the hustle and bustle of the city. It was nice to do nothing and just go with the flow.

March 20th marked the town fiesta at Paniqui and so my Dad headed the cooking team of other fambam and prepared a feast. Of course, what Filipino gathering is without a karaoke machine? And when I say machine, I mean the actual machine and not just the microphone that has all the songs in it.

Kaleo and his Aunty Ninang Shawie and the karaoke

We celebrated Kaleo's birthday during the fiesta on the 20th with our family and few close friends. It was also a mini reunion long overdue.

My parents have planned to visit Our Lady of Manaoag in Pangasinan on Kaleo's actual birthday on March 22. The church is beautiful and it's just very spiritual.

The Grandparent-al Units

That same day, we traveled to Muñoz, Nueva Ecija which is my Dad's province. There, I saw my parents' house that was built a few years ago. Nothing grand, just a modest, simple house. Kaleo also met his 82 year old great grandmother.

Mom and Dad's house

We were able to get some pool time. I mean after all, what vacay to a hot climate doesn't warrant some swim time? The first outing was in Paniqui at a tiny resort. I forgot the name of it but it was nice and relaxing. The second resort was actually a private resort that our family rented for the day. It was gorgeous. Unfortunately my camera died so I wasn't able to take many pictures.

The highlights of our trip was being with my Mom and Dad and being with family. We reconnected and reminisced. Lots of laughter and good times. I plan to visit the Motherland again in a couple of years. I missed out on so much letting 10 years go by without visiting. I can never make up for lost time but I can make the most out of my visit.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

My Baby Boy

2011-04-01T23:54:00.001-07:00

A little late entry due to lack of Internet access in the motherland.

March 22, 2011
Paniqui, Tarlac

A year ago, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy whom I named Kaleo Loreto. He is a miracle baby considering I couldn't conceive for the longest time due to PCOS.

The months prior to Kaleo's birth were crazy, hormonal, emotional, chaotic. From cravings to guessing if my baby would be a boy or a girl. If it would be Kaleo or Keoni during the naming process to what stroller to register for to packing my bags for the hospital.

I now have a rambunctious toddler who takes so much after me: physical appearances, personality, attitude, mannerisms. Kaleo, is indeed the son of Dianne.

We have celebrated his birthday here in the Philippines twice already. Last Sunday, the 20th was the town fiesta of Paniqui, my mom's hometown. We prepared a feast for relatives and friends and bought Kaleo a cake and balloons. Nothing grand. It is all I wanted for him: to be with family and simple.

Today, his actual birthday, we went to Mass in Manaoag, Pangasinan and had lunch at my new found favorite, Gerry's Grill in Rosales which is also in Pangasinan. Again, everything in simplicity. We paid a visit to my dad's hometown of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija where Kaleo met his only great grandmother.

Tomorrow, we are having another small birthday gathering with my Mom's friends who are family friends.

The year that passed has been quite an eventful one for Kaleo and me. I am blessed to be able to stay home with him and raise him. I can only wish that I could either go back in time or freeze time whenever I want. I cherished each and every growing day in Kaleo's first year and I'm glad he has had a happy 12 months.

My birthday wish for him is to have a happy and healthy life. That is all a mother wishes for their child.

While my baby is no longer a "baby", we all know that he will always be my baby.

Happy 1st Birthday, Kaleo Loreto.

It's Just,
Mom

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Disconnected, Tsunami Alerts, The Simple Life

2011-03-11T17:05:00.001-08:00

I have no idea what day it is today. I *think* it's Saturday.

It is day 2 here of my vacay here in the Motherland and access to the interwebz is somewhat not happening for me. I have no idea if the unlock for my jailbroken iPhone is out yet. The buzz in the jailbreak community was that the unlock for my iPhone's current baseband would come out shortly after iOS 4.3 rolled out which it did the day I left Seattle. One of my twitter friends told me that the unlock would be out soon but what defines "soon"? Two days? Two week?

Thankfully, my family has been keeping me busy therefore the withdrawals from not being connected hasn't really kicked in.

I am hoping the unlock for my phone has been released so I can get back online and document my trip as promised to friends who've requested that I keep them posted.

Life has drastically gone from convenient to simple ever since I came here to the Philippines. I don't have my air-conditioned car to go to the mall. We gotta commute and take the jeepney or taxi or bus. Our dirty clothes are quickly piling up so obviously I have to do laundry. By hand. Because my parents don't have a washing machine or a maid.

We heard about the news of the earthquake and tsunami devastation In Japan that happened yesterday. The Philippines was on tsunami alert but it was just for the east coastal areas and we are far from there and thank God, out of harm's way.

Had we planned to leave Seattle on the 10th and arrive here on the 11th, we would have been stranded in Narita because no flights are leaving or going due to the earthquake and tsunami. That said, there is a reason for everything and thank goodness we were able to get on a flight.

My family has been great. I've missed them so much and I'm glad that I was able to come back home. Shon and I kicked it with my cousins Filipino style with the karaoke going and the San Miguel flowing.

I should probably be taking a lot of photos even of the simplest things which I'll try to do.

Kaleo Loreto has been adjusting well and has taken a liking to my family especially my Dad, his namesake. My Dad adores Kaleo so much and would entertain while I sat and did, well, nothing but relax I guess.

We are currently in Alabang, Muntinlupa where my auntie stays. Today, we will be going go my mom's province of Paniqui, Tarlac where we will be staying for the majority of our vacation. We are taking the bus and from what I've gathered, it's about a 4 hour bus ride. I was hoping that life would be more kicked back and slow paced there but according to my family a lot has changed over the 10 years I haven't been home and my Mom's town has definitely grown and gotten busier.

I describe the Philippines as neurotically busy, loud, crowded, hot, humid, and dirty. I expected a culture "re-shock" upon returning but everything seems the same. And it's funny that even though it is busy, loud, crowded, hot, humid, and dirty, this is home and I don't mind it so much.

So until next blog post (and interwebz connection!)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Alabang, Muntinlupa

Yeah, Buddy (Pass)

2011-03-11T17:04:00.001-08:00

March 9, 2011
Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean heading to Narita

I have never flown as a standby or buddy pass passenger and neither has Shon. Therefore, I am unfamiliar with the procedures.

We weren't able to check in using the kiosk since we are buddy pass passengers. So we had to wait in line for about half hour to check in. For some reason the kiosks weren't working well for other passengers so what could have been a simple line turned out to be a line for Disneyworld's "It's a Small World".

After we were successfully checked in which took about only 10 minutes, we headed to security. At this point it was already 1130AM. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 1250PM.

Let me tell you. The line in security mid day, mid week, was hellacious. It was ridiculous. There should have been a line for us with little ones. We had to take out every single ziplock bag and called it good. However, as soon as the TSA person yelled out "BAG CHECK 9!!!!!" I sheepishly looked at other passengers and silently blamed it on the turon we got from Seafood City earlier. Turns out, EVERYTHING must be placed on the conveyor. We might as well have emptied out the entire carry on.

At about 1210pm, Security was finally done with us and our many carry ons including a stroller. We had to haul ass to the S gates which involved an escalator, a tram, and two more escalators.

We got to our gate as soon as the last bit of passengers were boarding. All who were left were the standby passengers. I knew the flight wasn't full so I knew our chances of getting on were very good. The Delta agents at the gate assigned as bulkhead seats which was great.

Our takeoff was about 20 mins delayed but it seems like the pilot is making good time once airborne.

Speaking of airborne, I have been under a concoction of Zicam and Airborne and Halls Defense and Emergen-C. I came down with a slight cold last night and I'm trying so earnestly to fight it off.

Now, as for Kaleo. I am very pleased to say that he has been cooperative and manageable. He fell asleep before takeoff so that didn't faze him. I woke him up as the altitude was rising so I could give him a bottle to help the ear popping.

Shon has been taking care of Kaleo during the flight which gives me time to catch up on rest.

When lunch was served, that was kind of a challenge. One of us had to eat while the other carried Kaleo lest he knock everything off the flimsy airplane tray tables.

One thing I do recommend on a flight, is to wear a mask that covers your one and mouth regardless if you have a cold or not. There are a lot of coughing and sneezing passengers on board you can just imagine their germs floating in the stagnant, recycled air. If Kaleo could keep his hands off his mask, it would have been perfect. Shon and I don our masks as do some of the other passengers.

It's about 8pm PST and we will be landing in Narita in about 3 hours. Since I know that I won't be able to use FB and Twitter as much as I could and want, these blog entries will have to do for now.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Delta Airlines 0295 to Narita, somewhere over the pacific ocean

Facking Packing

2011-03-08T11:02:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow, we leave for our 3 week vacation to the Philippines, the Motherland.

It'll be Shon's first time to the Motherland as well as Kaleo's obviously. I've lived in the Philippines from 1993 to 1999. I only returned in 2000 for a few days before coming to the states. So even though I lived there, going back after 11 years is going to be a culture shock and a half for me.

I haven't seen my Dad since 2000. My mom came to WA in 2006 to visit for a few months. My sister will also be leaving for Manila in a few days. This is a long awaited family reunion as we haven't been together for years.

I managed to gather a lot of travel advice from my Twitter friends (@GeminiPinai and @JeniQ) who travel a lot to international destinations. Advice from packing to currency exchange to how to hide your money to customs forms.

Being that the Philippines is a 3rd world country, there are a lot of bad elements. However I'm reassured that if you keep alert and not stand out as a "balikbayan" (Filipino who lives overseas). I have no problem NOT standing out. I'm as FOB as it gets. Shon however, well let's just say that he definitely will stand out being 6 feet tall. He'll be able to see over the crowds.

It's summer time in the Motherland. So it'll be HOT and humid. As in sweaty crevices and sticky skin. I want to get out of the WA weather but sweaty and sticky? I don't know. This is why I love the dry heat of Vegas.

I'll try to blog from the Philippines and take pictures. Hopefully I'm able to unlock my iPhone so I can stay connected with the interwebz.

Our living room is dubbed "Operation: Facking". I only planned on bringing two luggages. That quickly went up to three.

No we aren't bringing the dog.

This is exciting. I can't wait.

- discombobulated musings posted from BlogPress on my badass iphone

DEEcisions, Decisions

2011-02-27T01:12:00.001-08:00

The decision in getting a DSLR was getting too overwhelming for me. Which one? What brand? How much?

I couldn't take it and I felt like I was going to buy on a whim and regret my choice then I'd be out hundreds of dollars for something I wasn't completely happy about. So I let my lust for a DSLR go.

Instead, I opted for choice number 2: An iPad. Yes. An oversized iPhone. Shut up, haters. I love it. It'll be perfect entertainment for Kaleo and me on our upcoming trip to the Motherland.

"oh but you should have waited for the new iPad." you say. I couldn't. The unveiling of iPad 2 is on 3/2. We leave 3/9. Who knows when it'll be available.

I bought my iPad from a seller in Craigslist. I hounded the guy via email late last night and told him that I could buy it from him on Saturday (yesterday? Today?)

Shon and I met the seller and made the exchange of good and cash. The price was very right. Better than the actual retail price of $500+ tax.

Upon inspection, we noticed a few specks of dust under the screen. We haggled for a few bucks below seller's asking price which he agreed to. Informing us that the warranty was still good, we immediately took the iPad to the Apple Store. We were provided with a brand spankin' new iPad. FTMFW!!!

Whilst my lust for a DSLR is on hold, I'm reveling in my recent purchase. Hello iPad. I Di.

A Plan Unplanned

2011-02-22T01:04:00.001-08:00

The kids who are featured on TLC's "Outrageous Kid Parties" will probably be be on MTV's "My Super Sweet Sixteen". And in turn will either be on "You're Cut Off". Or "Intervention".

When I was 7 years old, all I had were cake, ice cream and Hi-C in my 2nd grade classroom. And I thought I was the bomb. No bouncy houses, not even party favors! Yet I thought I had the best time and I did!

Birthdays are a HUGE deal to me even as an adult. It's a celebration of another year well lived. A celebration with family and friends. It's not even about the gifts. We all know, it's all about the booze.

The Boy, my son, Kaleo will be turning a year old next month. I have no clue as to what I will be planning. We are hoping to go home to the Philippines next month. That is if all goes well as far as travel arrangements are concerned. (Not to mention IRS taking their sweet ass time with out tax refund.)

At this point, any planning is in limbo. This is not working out for me. I am a planner. Things NEED to be planned. Without knowing for sure the details of our trip, I can't plan. I can't plan until I'm in the Philippines. Of course along with planning comes the financial "dent". I have nothing to "dent" with.

I'm mentally panicking about the whole birthday thing for Kaleo. Where, when, who, what. I can't plan anything. And it's in about a month...

To be continued ... We'll see what will happen. If anything, I can always just stick that party hat on my son, give him a cupcake with a single candle, sing happy birthday and call it good.

Doghouse

2011-02-17T10:46:00.001-08:00

I caught The Boy and The Dog sharing snacks. And by sharing, I mean one of them took the ziplocked bag and the other ripped into it. Alas, a mess of Cheerios and puffs all over the carpet.

Since no one would 'fess up, they're both in time out until someone speaks up.

DISCLAIMER: This post is written purely for humor. CPS need not pay me a visit. The parolees have been released and are on probation.

Goose Egg Bump

2011-02-16T13:23:00.001-08:00

When Kaleo started crawling and pulling himself up to stand, I told Shon to remove the glass shelf from the entertainment stand because it's a hazard if Kaleo falls since he likes to hang on to the entertainment stand. That was almost 5 months ago.

Last night, Kaleo bumped his forehead on it. And then again today resulting in a bump the size of an egg.

If only someone listened to me when I said to remove the glass shelf. 5 months ago.

As Pantless As He Wants to Be

2011-02-14T10:41:00.001-08:00

I've been looking for a light, humorous read. As a SAHM, I don't have a lot of time for leisurely reading. That is why I haven't finished The 7th installment of Harry Potter which I started to read in 2009.

Being unemployed due to a termination (they wanna call it "lay off") at one point before giving birth to Bossbaby, I started following @TheManwife on Twitter, a fellow unemployed.

@TheManwife came out with a book which was inspired by his #ManwifeQ or Question of the Day. What else could an unemployed father of two do with his time after he's folded that fitted sheet? His manwife productivity couldn't end there. So he writes a book of humor and sarcasm which I can definitely relate to.

The book is hilarious. It makes for a fun read while sitting on the porcelain god or in line at the unemployment office. For me, who constantly loses place in books, I didn't have to go back to chapter 3 to figure out chapter 7. I have no time for that. "As Pantless As I Want To Be" was exactly what I was looking for. Nothing too heavy, nothing too lengthy.

The book contains the drama of a manwife. A mix of rants about the corporate world which he has been exiled from and musings of what he discovered with his children now that he spend majority of the time being the primary care giver. He learns Spanish from watching Dora the Explorer and takes pride in his toilet cleaning skills.

My favorite thing about the book is that whilst David Kaa (@TheManwife) is the author, he has included his followers in the book with their witty, sarcastic, lewd, & funny, responses to his daily #ManwifeQ. It wasn't all "me, me, me".

I recommend this book to those looking for a humorous read. What pleasantly surprised me is that I'm in the book too! Some of my replies to his #ManWifeQ were included. I'm in a book, bitches!

- discombobulated musings posted from BlogPress on my badass iphone

Valentine Day Cards

2011-02-14T01:09:00.001-08:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Valentine schmalentine. I am not a fan. But as an oxymoron, I made some valentine day cards to send to a few close friends.

My New York Minute

2011-02-14T00:59:00.001-08:00

I had the opportunity to jetset to NYC for a day. Some of you might think it's crazy or why just a day. But really, being a SAHM mom, i don't ask for much nor do I need too much time. I just needed a day away and that is what I got.

I flew on a red eye flight on Thursday and landed at JFK at exactly 6AM. I wasn't able to sleep well on the flight. I knew somehow my body clock would be screwed. Turns out, not at all.

My friend-tour guide-jetsetter trainer-seester gurl, @GeminiPinai was my host. She lives in Queens and is a seasoned New Yorker knowing the city like the back of her hand.

New York is a total culture shock. It is definitely the "fast lane" for this country mouse. I was both excited and apprehensive at first.

So much to do, so much to see. We packed as much as we could in a day. Liza has written down where we were going and even timed our meals so that they didn't coincide with rush hour hunger.

This was our itinerary:
Midtown ☞ Upper East Side ☞ Columbus Circle ☞ East Village ☞ Greenwich Village ☞ SoHo ☞ Times Square

Everything is so fast paced. People were on a mission. You don't saunter. You power walked. You don't ride the escalators. You climbed. You get pushed, you push back. You don't get a seat on the subway, tough. You stand. Carry on luggage and all.

The things that surprised me about my trip:

* Not all New Yorkers are rude. In fact, I didn't encounter a rude person.
* Walk that meal away. We ate 3 meals during our day out yesterday. 3 full meals. Now, typically I would not walk miles and miles and miles after a meal. But we did. We walked block after block after block. Climbed up and down stairs to the subways. Ran across the street. I burned off each meal. So I expect my scale at home to tell me that I did not gain weight.
*Jaywalk at your own risk. One jaywalker's clear run is not your clear run. Jaywalking happened everywhere in NYC. Either you waited at the corner and wastes 10 seconds of your time or you jaywalked and now have 20 seconds to spare.
*Layer up. When the New Yorker says it's cold and to bring layers, bring it. No seriously. The cold is bitter. It'll bite at your face and your ass if you wear a thong and don't have that extra cheek protection of warmth. I wore a camisole, a sweater, pea coat, scarf, hat, jeans and boots. I still felt the cold but not as cold as it would have been if I wore something like yoga pants and a hoodie.

Going to NY during the winter was a gamble. It had just snowed in NY the week prior to my trip. I hawked the forecast. The trip could have been re-scheduled should Mother Nature deliver snow and luckily she didn't.

NY in a day IS absolutely doable: As long as you have a great tour guide like mine, a packed itinerary like ours, and comfortable footwear to endure all that walking.

At the end of the day, I'd seen what I wanted to see in a day and spent the day with such a good and kind hearted friend.

We got home at exactly 10pm. Perfect. I was exhausted and my legs and feet were sore. A hot shower to rid me of any icky debris and vermin from the city did me well. I packed my bags ensuring that the souvenirs I bought for my family were safely tucked away. I laid down in hopes of catching the latest "Ghost Adventures" episode while trying to catch up on my Words with Friends turns. No success. I was going down. I was asleep by midnight. This never happens in Seattle. I slept soundly. Oblivious to the train visible from the apartment. One of the best nights of slumber.

We ended my one night stand with NYC with breakfast at a Filipino restaurant where I had daing bangus which is dried fish. I haven't had that since I left the Motherland.

Liza saw me off at the JFK AirTran. As we hugged each other goodbye and I walked toward the train, I would keep reciting "terminal 5...terminal 5" so that I wouldn't miss my stop.

Of note, it was my first time flying on JetBlue airlines. It was a nice experience. The flights left close to the scheduled departure time.

The only regrets I have during the trip was not having an amazing camera to capture the sights. My point and shoot only captures average shots. However, my iPhone 4 did a decent job with pictures. A little filter editing with Instagram adds drama to the pictures I took. Another regret albeit by choice, I wasn't in most of the pictures. I'm still harboring fattage from child bearing and I'm very self conscious with pictures. So I tend to avoid being in the pictures.

My crazy one day trip has come to an end. And really, any city, small or big is doable in a day. Next stop? Perhaps Chicago? We'll see. In the meantime, wanderlusting will not end. I NY.

- discombobulated musings posted from BlogPress on my badass iphone

"Tweet" Peek

2011-02-08T21:50:00.001-08:00

My weak attempts at trying to 3-D a stamped image using three different colors of cardstock. For future reference, I'll be using a thicker cardstock to avoid curving in of the paper.

Anyway, this is the latest of my work. It is still in the making but I'm just about done. C

The Michelle Card

2011-02-07T17:19:00.001-08:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

I've taken on the hobby of crafting. Mostly making greeting cards.

I made a whole bunch for Christmas and I wish I knew which went to who so i could name the card after its recipient.

In any case, here's a birthday card I recently made for my friend Michelle in Chi-town.

At the moment, my work is really amateur and nothing close to that of a seasoned cardmaker's work. But I'm just starting. Hopefully, it'll improve as time goes by.

Downgrade

2011-02-03T13:03:00.001-08:00

We bought a plasma 52" TV in 2007 when we moved in to our house. It was the hype of big screen, flat screen, LCD screen, everything screen. Honestly, I could care less about TVs. I don't need HD. Why would I want to see the HD enhanced sweat dripping off Tatupu on football Sunday? Muno and Brobee don't look any different on HD versus regular TV. That said, I don't care about what TV we have. As long as I have access to The National Geographic Channel, TruTV, History Channel and Nick Jr, I'm set.

Our almost 4 year old plasma TV went into TV coma. It won't turn on. Or stay on. Of course since we don't have all the money in the world to squander (or parents who'll buy one for us), Shon decided to have the TV repaired. In the meantime, we had to bust out the oh so heavy regular TV. And I've never been happy. The 35" JVC tv suits the size of our living room. I no longer feel like I'm in the front row at the movie theater and getting a stiff neck from looking up at a huge screen. Heck. When I was a kid, my parents had a TV that they bought before I was even born and kept it until I was 12 and we had to move to the Philippines. I'm talking about the TV with the dial channel changer thingy. So while my classmates had TVs that went up to channel 99, I had a TV that went up to channel 13. Hey as long as I had my cartoons on Saturday morning and nickelodeon on channel 9, who needed channel 99? I wish we could keep this lovely 35" non fancy schmansy TV.

Our plasma TV will be repaired within a week, then back to the garage our regular TV goes. It obviously lasted longer than the plasma. Bigger isn't always better.

Mischief Managed

2011-02-02T12:08:00.001-08:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

The Boy is unstoppable. The other day I found him at the dog's water bowl. Face. In. Drinking from it. Today, he crawls into the dog's kennel. Does my kid want to be a feral Mowgli? Does he want to be raised by a pack of Boxers? Does he want to go peepee-poopoo outside? Anything that isn't a toy he'll play with: my wallet, power cords, dog's squeaky toy, my toe, the remote control. With our living room looking like Toys 'R Us threw up in it, he picks his shoe to chew on. He's managed to master the art of pulling out his baby wipes until there is a pile around him as he sucks on one as if it were a cold washcloth for teething. This isn't a parenting fail. No. This is the life of a mom who gets an average of 3 hours sleep and zombified during the day. I love my little Bossbaby. It's all worth it.

Annual Bah Humbag Rant

2010-12-21T23:28:00.001-08:00

As an adult, every time the days, weeks, and months preceding the "holidays" came around, I loathed it. I loathed the "holidays" with a passion. But I loved Christmas. There's a difference. The holidays were about gift giving and deck the fricking halls and go all out broke. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ and enjoying the togetherness of family. I was raised to recognize Christmas was more than the gift giving.

Having grown up in Saipan during my "Santa is real" age, I never believed in Santa Claus. Mainly because 1 - my parents never really instilled the jolly old man's myth upon me. And 2 - We lived in a hot, humid, and tropical island where the only chimneys are those relatives who smoked cigarettes around us. And when Santa rolled up on a fire truck at the Mount Carmel baseball field, that was it. I knew for certain that Santa Claus was not brown and in fact, did not exist. I didn't really understand the fuss about him.

This picture tells me Kaleo won't be so fond of the jolly big guy.

Kaleo's Tree

2010-12-04T02:26:00.001-08:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

We opted to go with a fake tree this year because of A) Kaleo will terrorize a real tree and has the potential to bring it down. And B) we have no space since Kaleo has set up shop in the living room and has made it his play room.

We got a cute little 3 foot lighted tree. This is Kaleo's tree. Even when he's a year old or 10 or 15, I'm still going to put this tree up for him. And add an ornament each Christmas. Until he leaves the nest.

So Far, So Good

2010-11-28T20:25:00.001-08:00

I made the mistake of procrastinating and cramming last minute making Kaleo's baptism invitations and party favors last month.
I vowed that I'd get a good head start when I make our Christmas cards. Yes. I am handmaking our Christmas cards. And sure enough I got a good head start over Thanksgiving weekend when Shon was home and can entertain Kaleo.
With ideas from Michael's.com, Google
Images and good ol' Martha Stewart, I was able to fashion some good (I think) cards. Want one? Let me know!

Eat, Sleep, Repeat

2010-11-26T03:05:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving. Aahhh. The holiday that encourage the three deadly sins. Glutton. Check! Sloth. Check! Greed. Check! (although the greed part rolls in at midnight on Black Friday)

We came home from thanksgiving dinner. I was a full fool. (gluttony) I went to my room to watch some tv. Fell asleep (sloth) and the next thing I know, I'm up at 2 AM.

I'm skipping Black Friday because of nothing is that important to risk being trampled on. Oh and personal economics.

How was your thanksgiving?

Need for Read

2010-11-24T11:53:00.001-08:00

I wish I had time to read. I miss it. Yes, I read for fun.

Hey, Seuss!

2010-11-22T01:19:00.001-08:00

I'm a fan of the eloquent, Dr. Seuss. I've read many of his books when I was younger. One of my favorites was "Wocket in My Pocket" which Kaleo has a copy of.

However, I have never read "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas". Shon and I bought Kaleo a copy from Kohl's. Proceeds of selected Dr. Seuss books go to Kohl's charity for kids.

There are many things that I did not experience as a kid and I'm glad to be sharing new experiences with Kaleo. Even if it's as simple as reading a book I've always heard of but never read.

Sneak Peak

2010-11-21T17:46:00.001-08:00

We had our family photos done by our family friend, Abby. She's an up and coming photographer specializing in infants, maternity, and family photos. You can visit her website at AbigailVillarPhotography.com

She took a bunch of indoor photos in her makeshift studio at her house. We also did some quick outdoor photos at park right when the snow started to fall.

I'm really excited to see how the photos came out. Kaleo was cooperative to a point. But Abby managed to get good shots of him.

Here's a sneak peak of the photo shoot. I'll post more when we get the pictures. And if I have your address, you'll be getting one in the mail ;)

Un-bah humbug

2010-11-19T13:43:00.001-08:00

Before I had Kaleo, I hated this time of year when the holidays rolled around. I hated how stressed out I would getting presents for people I saw about 4 times a year. I hated the holiday traffic. The commercials. Especially the Kay Jewelers commercial. BARF.

This year is different. All because of Kaleo. I'm excited for him. I've been listening to a lot of Christmas carols. Trying to get in to the spirit that I haven't felt for many, many years.

Early Christmas

2010-11-18T23:01:00.001-08:00

This is a belated birthday gift as well as an early Christmas present. I've been informed that after this, the only thing I'm getting for Christmas are the annual Joe Boxer pajamas Shon gets for me every year. Hark the herald angels sing.

Short but Sweet

2010-11-18T01:38:00.001-08:00

I needed something that isn't too time consuming in this busy life of muthahood. Welcome, me, to Posterous. I am not even sure how to pronounce it. Anyway, life is VERY busy. However, I do have time to stop and blow some bubbles. Like I did today.

Bubbles against Picasso's "The Rest"

Doing It Myself

2010-11-04T10:47:00.000-07:00

For Kaleo's christening, I really wanted it to be special. From the invitations to the party favors. I wanted the invitations to be personal so I didn't go the Evite route even though I knew that the RSVPs would be somewhat shotty if I sent out the paper invites. I thought about ordering the invitations online, but that I felt that I wanted it to be very special. Therefore, I decided to hand make the invitations. What was I thinking. I could barely get by in art class when I was in school and to this day, I only draw stick people. The picture of a house that I drew in 2nd grade is still going to be the same if I drew it today. I has no art skills, yo. Martha Stewart would put me in jail for cutting paper crookedly.

With a little bit of cardstock paper, some ribbon, buttons as embellishments and my new found love for craft glue and glue dots, I was able to put together Kaleo’s baptism invitations. I used pre-folded cards for the invitations. I cut the pre-folded card in half so that I could make two invites. I printed Kaleo’s picture on card stock paper instead of having a bunch printed professionally. I used scissors with decorative shears so that evidence of my crooked cutting would be disguised. Scrapbook stickers served as additional embellishments such as the cross and the baby theme stickers. Because I did not have a lot of time during the day to make these invitations, it took me three late nights to finish about 25 invitations. I logged in about 3 hours per night. If I had the whole day to work on these, I’m sure I could have finished them in maybe 6 hours, uninterrupted. (Of note, some of the embellishments on the invites were raised, so that was an extra charge on the postage because it couldn’t go through their sorter and would have to be done manually. It was an extra 20 cents for those invites)

I seriously dabbled about what the party favors would be. I finally settled on something practical and something else that would maybe give an island feel. Of course since my son’s baptism was on Halloween, I had to come up with something fun for the kids as personalized hand sanitizer and kukui nut bracelets wouldn’t be too interesting for them.

For the personalized hand sanitizers, I bought travel size Germ-X bottles. The travel size bottles came in three different colors at the store: Orange, green, and blue. Of course, to go with the theme I had in mind, I went with the blue. I removed the Germ-X label and replaced it with stickers that I made myself. I used the Office Depot brand sticker paper. They were not pre-cut so again, I had to resort to the decorative scissors to hide the fact that I cannot cut straight.

My mali, Teresa lives in Hawaii. So she had access to all things island. I asked if she could help me find kukui nut bracelets in bulk that had a blue hibiscus on them. Luckily, she found some at the flea market and the seller gave her a really good deal. The bracelets came with their own tags, but I removed those as well and replaced them with tags I had personalized and printed on blue card stock.

I wondered if I should get a guest book. But I thought that a guest board would be much better. So for the guest board, I bought a foam board. I got a good deal on it. It was about $2.50 and it was buy one, get one free. This was good in case I messed up the first one. I bought a simple black frame that would hold the guest board. I used ribbon to serve as the border for the foam board. I printed a picture of Kaleo that my good friend Mona had taken, and stuck it (with, yes, craft glue) on the board. BAM! You have a guest board.

I got my inspiration for the baptismal candles from manilamommy.com whom I found when I was doing a Google search. I thought it was perfect especially since my theme was also blue and brown. It’s pretty much self explanatory how to make this candle. The first candle I made was dominantly brown. I wanted blue to be the dominant color so I used the brown ribbon as the “background” for the second candle I made. I used the golden cross stickers that I used on the invitations as a finishing touch on the candle to give it that “Holy” look.

Finally, for the party favors for the kids, I just threw in a bunch of Halloween candy and Halloween themed favors such as the googly eye glasses, Halloween stamps, glow sticks, those plastic bracelets that seem to be coming back in style, and Playdoh. I also made the stickers that would seal the party favor bag.

For the party favor bags, I didn’t really want to spend so much on things that would just be thrown away. I opted to use white paper bags. I bought a hibiscus stamp that was on clearance and a “thank you” stamp along with a blue ink pad. Stamped those on the favor bags for the adults and voila, you have an instant party favor bag. I used the left over ribbon for the handle and to give it a nice finishing touch as well.

I have put so much time and effort into hand making and personalizing all these for Kaleo’s christening. I never knew I had it in me. I was in touch with my inner Martha Stewart. Most of the supplies I used were from Michael’s Arts and Crafts. They would often times have coupons in the Sunday ads for 40% or 50% off. I am also now the mayor (Foursquare) of Michael’s thanks to my numerous visits.

All in all, I am very pleased with how everything came out. Everyone loved the party favors and the invitations. Now, if only my art teachers could see that even though I can’t color monochromatic sheit, I sure know how to use them glue dots and fancy shears.

Prodigal Blogger

2010-10-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

My blog is in dire need of a facelift. I want to buy my own domain. I need more then 24 hours in a day. These are the reasons for my lack of blogging lately. Oh, and yes. the bossbaby Kaleo. Since bossbaby is napping right now and will wake up at any minute, I will make this short and sweet.

The past 2 months have been crazy and here are some of the highlights in no random order because my brain can't put things in chronological order anymore.

- Kaleo has started crawling before Shon and I escaped to Vegas. We got back from Vegas and the kid is full on crawling like it is going out of style tomorrow. He crawls after me, he crawls after Tasi our dog.

- Everything but baby toys ARE toys and teethers: iPhones, my wallet, board books, baby wipes, baby swipes container, underneath the exersaucer, underneath the high chair, my shirt, his shirt, the cord of the pacifier, the otherside of the pacifier. You name it, he likes it.

- Shon and I went to Vegassss. Here's my philosophy on Vegas. I don't gamble. I go to Vegas and shop, eat, and do what the locals do. I don't do the clubs on The Strip thing. Instead, I opted to go to this very Filipino bar with Shon and my friend Lhey. When I say very Filipino I mean, your Aunty Baby and Uncle Doming type bar/club where you can eat sisig whilst watching a bunch of partygoers for a 70th birthday party do the Electric Slide with feelings. or in Filipino, peeleengs.

- Word. Mamamama and babababa. These are Kaleo's first words. Shon is pushing Kaleo in a shopping cart around Michael's and all I hear are his wails for Mamamama. My heart melts more each day.

- I had to refer to my blog when I was filling out Kaleo's baby book. I went 6 whole months of not opening it. I promised myself that I'll be better about writing things down in my planner or directly in the book when Kaleo does something epic.

- The boy will be 7 months next week.

I told you this is going to be short and sweet. My spawn as awaken from his slumber.

Summer Lovin'

2010-08-13T12:46:00.001-07:00

Our summer has been very busy so far. Every weekend seems to be packed with things to do. I can't remember the last time we stayed home on the weekend.

Last weekend, my stepson, Shon Jr, had a performance at Qwest Field for the Regence Wellness Fair. We took Kaleo with us. The weather was really crappy but managed a few good photo ops on the field. The turf was for soccer. I was hoping to get a picture of Kaleo doing tummy time on the 50 yard line. But this was just as good.

On the same weekend, we welcomed back a dear friend of ours, Abby. She was in Iraq on deployment for about 5 months. Kaleo was born on her birthday. It was the first time that the two birthday sharers met. I also was able to re-connect with a long time friend and school mate, Erin, from Saipan! Sometimes, living in this small world brings out the best surprises.

My brother in law, Jay, is here in WA visiting from Guam. He was actually in LA for a conference for his church and my in laws decided to fly him up here. It has been an eventful week that he has been here. We are sad to see him leave tonight but he is sorely missed by the wifey and his 3 kids.

We went to Leavenworth on Monday. The trip was a long 2 hours with an infant strapped to his car seat and crying bloody murder because of the altitude change and his ears probably popping. But for the most part, he slept on the way up the mountains and down to the other side. We walked the little Bavarian town and decided to grab something to eat. We stopped at the Baren Haus. We were seated, waited at the table for a good 10 minutes. I noticed that they haven't even taken our drink orders. I mentioned this to my family. My mother in law then informed the waiter/host/whatever that the couple who walked in after we did have already placed their order but no one has come to our table for at least a drink order. The waiter's response? "We take our orders here differently". And with that, we left. I mean really. As we were walking out, the same whats-its-face said "you guys are leaving? I was going to take your order". Stupid f*ck. It was just bad service. And there was a hint of profiling and I don't mean stylin' profilin'. We ended up eating next door at a restaurant called "South", a Mexican restaurant that played reggae music. Service was better, food was decent. It was okay. I don't think I'll be going to Leavenworth anytime soon. A bad experience of hostile hospitality tainted the town I once looked forward to visiting.

In Kaleo news, the little 4 month old is already a handful. He babbles so much now. He has me to credit for his temper according to his father. He hasn't quite rolled over yet, but I am working with him on that by enforcing tummy time in spite of his despise for this activity. Kaleo has discovered my glasses and the fact that he can grab them. My iPhone is the object of his attention at the moment. And my hair. Let me tell you something about my hair. It's long. A slight pull of a few stray strands hurt like a mutha. So different from the hair pulling I'm used to.

I am trying to leave out TV from Kaleo's day. I noticed that when it is on, he is very zoomed in on it. Personally, I don't like this. He then loses interests in toys, books, and playing. That being said, TV is not on when he's awake, which is most of the day. I haven't watched TV in a long time. The only shows that I am subjected to is the news at 11pm when he is asleep and ... well ... ok, fine, Jersey Shore which is on at 10pm on Thursday nights. Most days, we listen to music on Pandora. It is either the Reggae station or Hip Hop R&B. I won't be surprised if my child's first words will be jah mon.

Road Trip

2010-07-26T13:56:00.000-07:00

* It took me two days to finish this. And believe me, this is the short version. The long version has long escaped my brain.

We are back from a weekend road trip to Portland. It made for a very interesting trip considering we had our now 4 month old Kaleo, with us. It was a long trip with too many stops either because we needed snacks or a poopy diaper that was stronger than the air freshener in the car.

We left on Friday after Kaleo's 4 month check up. He's healthy and growing. The boy weighs 15lbs. Lifting and carrying him is my work out for the day. He measures at about 25 inches. He was given two shots, one on each of his chubby thighs. He cried bloody murder but quickly recovered. Again, we are fortunate he tolerated his shots well and didn't have a fever. I was concerned about taking him out of town after shots, but had taken little comfort from the last round of shots that he tolerated as well.

Shon and I have went back and forth on what baby carrier to get. The Baby Bjorn was not working out too well. Babies "dangle" in them and I'm sure cut off some circulation causing their legs to fall asleep. I love the Moby but it was going to be HOT in Oregon. So after some reading and opinions and recommendations, I decided to go with the Ergo. I was looking for one on Craigslist. There was a woman selling one and she was in Tacoma. I thought it would be perfect to pick it up on the way to OR. However, she never emailed me back. So I had asked the oh so ever awesome Mona to help me find an Ergo dealer in Portland so I could pick one up. Plus, it's tax free shopping there too. Mona found a children's boutique, Milagros and they had plenty of Ergos in stock. Perfect. I planned on going there after our first stop which was The Grott o, a Catholic sanctuary that I make a point to visit when I get the chance to go to Portland.

We left The Grotto and ventured to find Milagros so that we would have our Ergo for the weekend. The directions were easy peasy. The neighborhoods we passed on the way to Milagros were some kind of a sketchy. I wondered where in the world is Mona sending us? Finally, the neighborhoods we passed started to look somewhat decent. and finally we found Milagros! The lady in the boutique was very helpful and even showed me how to use the Ergo. I LOVE IT. Alright, so Ergo on hand, we were ready to make our way to Salem where we would stay the night and head out to Lincoln City in the morning.

I was not impressed at all with the hotel we stayed at. It was very dated. The customer service sucked cow's balls and although it was not a dirty hotel, I didn't find it comforting that it appeared clean.

On Saturday, we left the hotel early to beat traffic into Lincoln City. The weather in Salem was gorgeous! It was warm and we were ready to get our beach on! We got to the coast at about 9am. We figured we'd walk around and head to the beach. However, this is what greeted us upon arriving in Lincoln City.

Lincoln City fogged in. boohoo.

We needed plan B and we needed it quick. It was too cold to hang around and it was windy. We were in very summery clothes and were not prepared for a blustery day. Newport was about 20 miles south of Lincoln City so I told Shon to just drive there and we'll go to the aquarium. That was a good plan. We got to the aquarium shortly after it opened so it was not too crowded and navigating the stroller was easy.

After the aquarium, we headed back towards Lincoln City where the Tanger Outlets are. @LetTheDogIn tweeted me: @ItsJustDi i always assumed fog is the reason God put an outlet mall there. The fog at the beach was not letting up anytime soon, so we decided to leave Lincoln City all together after shopping. On our way out of Lincoln City, this was on the way in.

traffic into Lincoln City and miles of it!

We would be staying in Portland on Saturday night so we would head back up north. We stopped by the Woodburn Outlets. Now, I am a shopping whore. However, I did not get anything for myself. Nothing interest me. I got tons of stuff for Kaleo though. Shon asked me why I didn't shop for myself. The answer is simple: Once you have a child of your own, you are on the back burner. I didn't mind. As long as I got to shop for my kid, that is considered my retail therapy.

We stayed at the Sheraton Portland Airport which was way better than the hotel in Salem. We picked the Sheraton because of the sweet deal we got. $70 for the night! It was also about 10 minutes from The Grotto where we planned to attend Mass on Sunday.

Before we left Portland, Shon asked me one more time if I'd like to go shopping. That we would go to Lloyd Center. I said, no I didn't want to but I'd like to go to Powell's City of Books and check that out. Because we were pressed for time, I was only able to spend an hour at the bookstore. In the children's section. Again, it was all for my little Kaleo.

I'd love to go back to Oregon sometime in the fall. The trip over the weekend just went by too fast. Each day was packed with things to do and places to see. Here are some things that I learned during our road trip.

* Infants do NOT like long road trips. You'd think they'd be asleep the whole way, think again.
* 30 diapers was just enough for the weekend. I had about 6 more diapers left when we came home on Sunday evening.
* Google Maps on the iPhone is VERY reliable.
* Leaving for the coast early and leaving the coast early will save a lot of time and you won't be at a traffic stand still where you are able to get out of your car and mingle with other drivers, baffled as to why there is a traffic jam into Lincoln City.
* Do not underestimate weather reports. Always bring some type of a hoodie or sweater in the event that fog greets you at the coast.
* Hot water at the hotel never runs out. Never. And when I say hot water, I mean hot, scorching water that is good enough to sterilize baby bottles.
* Don't stay at the Shilo Inn Suites in Salem.
* Arrive early for Mass at the Grotto. We found good seats by the side entrance where there was a nice breeze and quick escape route if Kaleo became cranky.
* When going to Powell's City of Books, ask your fellow road trippers to drop you off and come back in a couple of hours. Or three. or four. Whichever.
* Learn how to multitask between infant and camera and Google maps. You will miss a photo opportunity in the midst of wiping spit up and missing that right turn two blocks back and now you have to go up the one way street and turn back around on the other one way street.

All in all, I love Oregon. I can't wait to go back.

Deals and Dog

2010-07-14T22:22:00.000-07:00

I had an Olympus 570 which to me seems like a smaller DSLR. Shon bought it for me when I thought I'd really be interested and have time in photography. It was pretty much a beginner camera. However, I had NO time to figure out all the settings. Okay, I didn't make time. I didn't have the patience and finally I said, eff it. I posted an ad on Craigslist for the camera. It stayed on Craigslist for weeks. I was totally losing hope because, one, I don't know how to work the damn thing and two, what am I going to do with it just sitting around. Finally, some guy who was going to Africa was interested and took it off my hands for $240. He was sold on the 20x zoom. What ever that means.

All I really needed was a not so complicated camera where I didn't have to figure out the settings and miss Kaleo's precious moments. So, with the money that I got from the camera I sold, I went to Costco and bought a Canon A3000 for $150. Just a good ol' regular point and shoot. Don't let point and shoot fool you. I love the quality of the images it produces. So much better than the Olympus point and shoot that I have been using for 3 years now. My new camera is easy, convenient, and not so rocket science.

These days of unemployment and staying at home dictates a strict watch on our budget. Therefore, I'm all about bargains and deals. I shop Craigslist, thrift stores like Value Village, and consignment shops and browse Freecycle.org for potential in good condition freebies. My recent Craigslist purchase was a crib for Kaleo. Currently, he is sleeping in a pack and play which is fine and all, but I really prefer a firmer mattress for him rather than the thin padding the pack and play has. Shon and I drove to the deep woods of Snohomish this evening to pick up the crib. Thank goodness it stays light until 9pm. It would have been scary to drive through the sticks with no daylight. The drive just went on forever. In any case, we got our crib. I just need to find a mattress now.

I went to a children's consignment shop here in Marysville called Mimi's Kids. They have so much stuff! I was able to buy Kaleo 4 rompers and 3 Lamaze brand toys, all for $15. One Lamaze toy can retail for $13.99 brand new! I really like the Lamaze toys because they're colorful and have different feels for babies.

Kaleo is finally taking notice to our dog, Tasi. He's curious about her and follows her with his eyes when she passes by. Tasi has been trained to be gentle with him. She has always been gentle with other kids so we are not worried at all. I'm sure they'll be the best of friends and get in trouble together, you know, he said, she woofed kinda thing.

Little Man in the Mirror

2010-07-03T06:38:00.000-07:00

Kaleo has discovered that handsome face in the mirror. Although I didn't capture the first encounter of his face to face with himself the first time, it really is hilarious when he does see himself in the mirror. First he'll look at himself. Then he'll smile. And then shy away. It is the cutest thing.

Alone time for Shon and I is scarce. With him working almost everyday, the only time we ever have together is at night when Kaleo finally goes down to sleep. And then soon after, Shon goes to sleep because he has to get up at the butt crack of dawn for work.

Honestly, our relationship has definitely changed. I felt it change the day we brought Kaleo home. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my son and I am not blaming him for whatever Shon and I are going through. New parenthood really changes everything. If I barely have time for myself, then just think of how little time Shon and I have before we both hit the hay due to the day's exhaustion.

We were able to finally go out on a date sans Kaleo. My sister was more than happy to baby sit. If only she lived closer! Shon and I had dinner at Blue Fin Sushi where I can get my fill of sashimi, sushi and poki to my heart and stomach's content since I couldn't have much while I was pregnant.

After dinner, we debated whether we should just go home or go to a movie like planned. I dabbled on this. I was tired. Ok, I was full and I wanted to go home and sleep while Shon took care of the baby. I told him it didn't matter, that we didn't have to go to the movies and that we should just go pick the baby up. I told him it was up to him. So movies we went.

Do not ask me what we watched. You already know. We lined up for tickets. I asked what time the next showing was. 10:30pm. It was already 9:10pm when we got to the movies. At that point, I'm thinking "Screw it, let's go get the baby and go home so I can play Words with Friends in bed". Then the cashier told us there was an earlier not so sold out showing at 9:55. In IMAX though. Thirty five dollars later, we were in line for the event.

Luckily, the past couple of years that the saga has been at the movies, we managed to catch it late at night where the throng of omg-he's-so-hot gigglers and squealers were at the minimum if not gone. I was not to pleased that we had to shell out that much for a fricking movie. I was thinking that I could have bought Kaleo a box of Costco diapers with change to spare. But again, we don't go out very often, so there. We went, we saw, we conquered. I couldn't wait to go pick my baby up.

Of course, the night didn't end without humor. Our 13 year old, Shayne, sent a text message to both Shon's and my phone saying that we were supposed to be home by 11:00 and that when we got home we'd be in trouble. And sure enough, we got home and homeboy was waiting up for us.
Who knows when the next time will be that Shon and I get a chance to go out again. But I'm glad we did.

Cry It Out

2010-06-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

Our childbirth class that ended at the end of February had a baby reunion over the weekend. There were six couples in the class and only 3 of us made it back for the baby reunion. That was too bad because I was curious to hear the birth stories of the others.

I was the first one due in our group of 6. Therefore, Kaleo is the oldest in the group. However, there was another baby, Owen, who is about 8 weeks and is longer than Kaleo and weighs about as much as him. All 3 of us who were present in this little reunion were all c-section moms. Similar stories: water broke, Pitocin, no progress, heart rate unstable, all leading to necessary c-section.

We traded stories back and forth. Eating habits, sleep patterns, poop stories. That kind of stuff. I wish that I actually had a play group or mommy group that I could bring Kaleo to. I need that kind of outlet. It was nice to be with other parents that have babies around Kaleo’s age. Unfortunately, the other new parents and me don’t live within decent driving distance. If I were to drive to Seattle for a playdate, I’d be so tired by the time we got there, that it’d be nap time for me.

Summer is somewhat here. Made a cameo today and I’m not sure if it’s here to stay. Shayne and I were so antsy to get out of the house. We went to the park. Kaleo’s first time at the park and he was asleep for most of it. I got my first exercise of the season. The park we went to has a good walking path with some inclines so I felt the burn. Hopefully, the weather is nice again tomorrow and the day after and the day after that so I can get more exercise. Otherwise, the only exercise I get when the weather isn’t nice is going downstairs to get something to eat and back upstairs to sleep it off. I am no where near my pre-pregnancy weight. And screw you betches who just gave birth and are fitting your oh so awesome True Religion jeans already. I am nurturing every bit of my mommy body.

The boy is 3 months old today. I cannot believe how fast time has flown. It is insane. He’s such a big boy and oh my, he has my attitude to the tee! Since we now have a schedule as far as going to bed and sleeping in the crib, one thing I am letting him learn is to cry it out when he needs to go down for a nap or sleep for the night. When I know that he is well fed, has a clean diaper, has been rocked to sleep and loved, I put him in the crib. When I did this for the first time sometime last week for a nap, he cried. A lot. It is not the easiest thing to hear. But I can differentiate between an “I’m hungry” cry versus a “pick me up” cry. His cries were definitely a “pick me up” cry, the bratty kind of cry. So I stuck a pacifier in his mouth and soothed him by talking to him, even patting him for comfort. But I did not pick him up. I will be damned if anyone ruins this discipline for him.

I am glad it’s summer. I have great help with Kaleo from his Kuya (big brother in Tagalog) Shayne. Shayne just loves helping and taking care of his baby brother. He is an expert in changing wet diapers and feeding the baby. He entertains Kaleo while I eat or shower.

All in all, this mommy gig is getting easier. I love that I can spend time with him during these early stages of his life. I don’t want to miss a thing.

Halleluyer

2010-06-11T07:23:00.000-07:00

It is rare that I am able to pick up the laptop and write. Or type. Alot of my online civic duties like Facebook or Twitter are done from my iPhone. And if I still have space in my cluttered and over tired brain, I play Words with Friends. Add me, yo. You'll beat me once my words include sat, dog, or haha.

HALLELUYER. Kaleo is sleeping in his crib. This is major. Shon and I get to reclaim our bed, No longer do we have to sleep on our sides through out the night only to wake up to aches and stiffness. Not that stiffness. In any case, this has been the longest that Kaleo has been sleeping in his crib and hopefully it is a continued success.

Another Halleluyer worthy news, the child is sleeping through the night! Yes! He usually goes to sleep between 11 and midnight and will get up between 5 and 6 in the morning for a diaper change and feeding and go back to sleep. I'd like to put him to sleep earlier than 11 but right now, I'm just thrilled and relieved that he's sleeping through the night.

While I am doing my victory dance for successful cribbing, Kaleo has discovered the next best thing to his pacifier. His hands and fingers. That his hands and fingers apparently belong in his mouth. And the drool. Where is all that laway coming from? [Laway is saliva in Tagalog.]

Another thing that Kaleo has come up with is crying when someone leaves the room. Understandably, no baby likes to be alone and feel abandoned, but come on! I just went to the bathroom, in our room.

Of course along with all these new things, comes an issue that I have been struggling with since day one. Susu-feeding. This milk maid is about to retire the udders. It has been successful at one point, but that was short lived. After the insanity, pain, and frustration, it was just easier for Kaleo and I if we bottled fed breast milk. The thing is that, I didn't anticipate that it would end so soon. I thought I could go on for at least 6 months. But the udders are drying out. Enter formula. Bah. That was so not my plan. I've tried many things to maintain my milk supply: Oatmeal, Brewer's Yeast, Fenugreek, Water. But even with those, it didn't improve things. It really saddens me.

I cannot believe how fast time has flown by. Kaleo will be 3 months old on June 22. To this day, I still sometimes cannot believe I have a son of my own. And that I can do this to him.

SAHM I Am

2010-06-02T17:34:00.000-07:00

Last night, I had to make a major decision that I knew I would never, ever regret. After talking to Shon about it and going through the numbers, I decided that I would not go back to work anytime soon as previously planned. I am now a stay at home mom.

The original plan was that I would go back to work twice a day in July and then eventually three days a week beginning in August. But after weighing so many factors, the cons definitely outweigh the pros. The cons included spending so much on childcare that whoever or wherever I will take Kaleo to will be making more than me. Another issue was gas and mileage to where I would have been working. I would be travelling about 45 miles one way. I've already put so much miles on our car commuting at my previous job. After all that was said and done and added and subtracted and divided and multiplied, it was simply not worth going back to work. It was just not feasible. It would put a negative in our income.

I was really nervous about talking to my boss-lady-doctor about not going back to work. I have worked with her since 2004 and we have such a great working relationship. We have mutual trust and respect. I was her right hand and she was my advocate. She has always been there for me as I was for her.

It saddens me that this great working relationship has come to an end. Who knows if I will ever go back to work with her. I can't justify the commute and time away from Kaleo in exchange for meager earnings. It's ridiculous. I cannot leave my child with just anybody. I cannot not see my child grow up. I do not want to miss the first word, the first step, the first firsts.

Financially, it will be hard. I know it will be. But what is a cutback here and there if it means being with my child and caring for him and not having to worry all day long about him being in the care of someone else.

SAHM I am.

Call of Doody

2010-05-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

While every cooing and smile are precious moments that I cherish with Kaleo, my own precious moments is my alone time. My alone time consists of washing bottles, pumping milk, taking a shower, getting a drink of water and finally settling down. The next thing I know, my time is up and I resume my duties. My Call of Doody.

I feel so behind with everything. I couldn't even blog about my very first Mother's Day as a real child bearing mother. I've been celebrating Mother's Day for about 5 years now as a stepmom but of course this year was extra special. You would think I'd wanted a whole fanfare and a chorus singing Everything's Coming Up Roses as I walk through a shower of roses, all I really wanted was to go shopping and relax. And that is what I got.

Shopping. Apparently, that is no fun when I am still bearing some post partum fattage. I am trying to come to terms that *temporarily* Love Culture and Forever 21 are off limits for now until I get back in to normalcy and not trying to squeeze a bunch of flab into something fab. I've managed to score some cute accessories from Charlotte Russe. I didn't even look twice at those cute jeans. As much as I'd love a Coach purse, my philosophy is why spend that much for ONE purse when I can get two purses from Marshalls or 3 months supply of formula. It's all about priorities and practicality these days.

I haven't really shopped for myself out of want since before I got pregnant. Note that shopping for maternity clothes is not much of luxury shopping as it is a necessity because heller, size pre pregnancy can only stretch so far right? Shopping was an addiction to me before. And because I was given that small taste on Mother's Day weekend, I was jonesing the next day for more. I was looking online by Monday. My next fix was this weekend. I swore up and down that "this is the last one". Yeah right. I would have gone back to rehab.

Kaleo is one big boy now. He is 8 weeks and turns exactly 2 months old this week. He has my temper. One of the many traits he will inherit from me aside from my mediocre looks. It melts my heart when I first caught his first elusive smile at about 4 weeks and now he gives me a giggle. Not quite audible laughter albeit LOL but more of that silent laughter which will eventually lead to a LOL.

Fussiness is his business. Seriously the child will be up late night and in spite of the routine change, feed, burp deal, he will still fuss. This will only lead Shon and I to believe that he has some mild (?) form of colic and that we need to remedy that for everyone's sanity.

In the Filipino and Chamorro cultures, the belief of the supernatural is somewhat embedded in us one way or another passed down from the prior generation's stories. We believe in taotaomonas and multos and their tendencies to "pick on" the living. According to legend or myth, an entity has picked on you if there is some unexplained physical evidence such as a bruise or if you get sick after say being in an unfamiliar place. Our backyard is the woods. There are trees and it's dark. Perfect dwelling for ancient entities who impressively have managed to migrate here supernaturally from Guam or the Philippines.

Shon and I decided that the first remedy to Kaleo's colic or fussiness would be a traditional ritual involving smoking out the entire house inside and out and around using the blessed palms from Palm Sunday. So last night, our family recited prayers and went from room to room with the palms lightly burned and ensuring that we smoked out the bad or negative spirits that may be contributing to Kaleo's fussiness.

I kid you not, Kaleo went down with out a fuss and slept for 6 hours straight. He woke up at 330am for a diaper change and a feeding and went back to sleep without the requisite fuss. Coincidence or not, I'm not letting go of culture's beliefs anytime soon.

I hope your weekend was good. Monday rears its fugly head. I hate Mondays even though I don't work. I look forward to every Friday. Because I know that Shon will have relieved me from my Call of Doody.

Wee!! Six Weeks

2010-05-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

I am now six weeks post partum. This opens up the gates of can do's that were once dont's. Don'ts? I can now start working out. There is no longer the weight restriction as to how heavy I can lift. Initially I was told I couldn't lift anything heavier than the baby prior to six weeks post partum. Another six week milestone is the choice of birth control which leads to the go signal for kangkang. I have not made my appointment with my OB yet. I'm in no rush. After my breastages are fooled around with the breast pump, I am not interested in other sextra curricular activities.

Enough about me and move on to the baby. I made the attempt to have him sleep in his crib which is actually a pack and play with a bassinet. This attempt was successful. Kaleo was reluctant to sleep in his crib. I was just excited and happy to have my half of the baby instead of a quarted of the bed. The first night he slept in his crib, I did not know what to do with the space that had freed up. The crib gig lasted 3 nights. And then daddy Shon had to ruin the streak. Well, it was not his fault. Kaleo would not stop crying last night. But BAM! As soon as Shon put him to lay down on our bed, the night couldn't be any quieter. I am going to try to put him back to the crib tonight and see how that pans out. I would cry bloody murder too if I had to sleep in his crib. The padding isn't very comfortable and because of the risk of SIDS, I am not making his crib comfortable by adding a blanket underneath him or around him. One way that he will sleep continuously in his crib is by sleeping on his tummy as opposed to his back. Of course another SIDS risk and there is much debate about that. But that is one of the ways Kaleo can sleep peacefully, therefore allowing me to get shut eye exceeding two hours.

Speaking of sleep, I am desperately trying to train him and get him on a schedule. It's hit or miss thing. Last night, he slept for 5 hours and only because he was on our bed with us. He sleeps better during the day which no bueno because that means we are up all night long which is not ideal during the week because I try not to wake the daddy up since he has to work in the morning.

I am getting little smiles here and there with Kaleo as the weeks pass. A little smile is such a rewarding thing. I love it. This is one of my favorite pictures of Kaleo.

One Month Old

2010-04-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

Kaleo is a month old now and slowly leaving the newborn classification. Since he's been born the child has gained 2lbs and is now a whopping 9lbs4oz. That's good for him. Bad for me when I have to lift him. My pregnancy induced carpal is here to stay ladies and gentledudes. Both wrists now. Muthacrapper.

We have graduated to size 1 diapers. I change him every 2 to 3 hours. And of course it is inevitable that right after I put on a clean diaper, poop goes the dagan.

Breastfeeding eventually worked out. I thought there would be nipple confusion between the bottle and breast, but Kaleo seems to have adjusted just well. I was really worried that breast feeding would not work out. Even the pediatrician at Kaleo's clinic says she's noticed I am much more confident in breast feeding.

I have been taking pictures of Kaleo with my iPhone. I should be taking pictures using an actual camera so I could print them out. At least that is the plan. But then again, 10 years from now, will printed pictures be obsolete? Is it worth printing out a butt load of pictures and sticking them in albums considering we are a very digital media society and therefore keep the pictures stored digitally? Thoughts on that?

I operate on Kaleo's schedule. He is my personal alarm clock. Man he so owes me as soon as he can take orders. Motherhood is indeed a full time job. And much more challenging during the graveyard shift. Thankfully, most nights, his sleep stretches to 4 hours during the night. During the week when Shon works, I am pretty much on my own. I look forward to the weekend when I have a "co-worker". Even if he is only part time.

Alone time is very scarce being a Mom to a baby. Thankfully, Shon is good about giving me breaks. Gives me time to actually blog, catch up with online civic duties, listen to music. Alone time feels so good I want to cry.

It saddens me most of the time that my parents aren't here to experience first hand the joys of their first grandchild. I communicate with my mom via Yahoo Messenger which she receives on her cellphone. My parents are not tech savvy, so they don't have their own Facebook account or Skype for that matter. However, one of my aunties in the Philippines who lives steps away from my mom has Facebook. Therefore, my parents have been able to see pictures of their grandson. It broke my heart when my Mom told me that my Dad was so excited and happy to see pictures of Kaleo that when he saw Kaleo's pictures on the computer screen, he reached out to touch Kaleo's picture on the screen. This is why I want to go home to the Motherland so bad in December. I can bear to be away from my parents, but I can't bear for them not to see their only grandchild.

The baby bandwagon has not stopped. A good number of my friends are pregnant or have recently given birth. Majority have been baby boys so far. Go Team Blue! Mona, a good friend of mine, gave birth about two weeks after Kaleo was born. I am glad that she and I have babies close in age. We have been comparing notes and woes during our pregnancy, and I'm glad I have her alongside our newborn adventure. Read more about her, here.

I leave with you with Kaleo's most recent picture. He hasn't quite mastered full on smiling. So he's practicing his magas look for now. Have a good weekend all.

Born. But Not Without Drama

2010-04-03T23:11:00.000-07:00

I have made several weak attempts in blogging about Kaleo's journey into this world and mine. So far, all I ever got to was a weaksauce title and weakersauce intro only to be interrupted by the call of doody duty or a feeding frenzy.

I have played with thoughts on how to share the events with you and I figured a timeline would suffice because TLC's "A Baby Story" does not film in Washington.

March 21, Sunday
3:30AM - I get up to use the bathroom and then head back to bed.

3:50AM - I'm a little bit awake and felt something "wet" and it wasn't because of a dream. So I tell Shon "I think my water just broke". So I head back in the bathroom and sure enough in a very Hollywoodsque movie scene, my Hooha Dam gave way.
I called my doctor's office and the doctor on call advised me to head to the hospital. In spite of my bags packed and in the car, we still had some minimal packing to do. I wasn't having any contractions or anything at that moment. I was scared and nervous. And scared. Mostly excited. And scared.

4:15AM - Shon and I finally make our 30 minute drive to NW Hospital in North Seattle. It was almost tempting to go above the speed limit given there was barely any cars on the road. But again, since active labor was not iminent at that point there was really no rush except that the Hooha Dam just kept letting the waters flowing. What I didn't know was that once your water breaks, it keeps on going. It's not just one WHOOOOOSH.

5:15AM - we are finally settled in room 205, a lovely, cozy childbirth suite. At this point, it is still a waiting game. I was hooked on to a machine to monitor Kaleo's heart rate and my contractions. What is funny is that the machine was reading my contractions and I was feeling nothing. I thought I was a freak of nature not feeling those contractions.
The nurse advised that I walk the halls of shame to try to induce labor and contractions. So Shon and I walk the halls of the hospital. Up until noon, there is nothing exciting, however I am still in good spirits and still able to post updates on Facebook and Twitter.

I'm rockin' this gown.

12:15PM - Pitocin is administered. Contractions are coming in but I feel NOTHING.

5:15PM - I feel some contractions. Come 6:15pm, I feel really uncomfortable and they are starting to hurt. Baby's heart rate is up and down so I have to wear an oxygen mask. At that point, I am freaking out. Once the pain started to kick in, I'm given pain meds so I can rest.

March 22, Monday: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KALEO!
3:00AM Contractions are definitely hurting and within 2 minutes of each other. Felt like less. Can you believe that at this point, I am only 4cm dilated and not progressing fast enough? Note that my water broke almost 24hours ago. An epidural is administered for that oh so godawful pain.

3:45AM The doctor talks to Shon and I and informs us that because my cervix is swollen and not dilating fast enough, not to mention baby's heart rate is unsteady, it is imperative that a C-section be done to get little Kaleo out safely. I am beyond freaked out. I started shaking. Crying. It was all happening so fast. A C-section was not the plan but it was the safest way we could bring this child in to the world.

I was in the operating room at about 4 in the morning, Shon by my side. The surgery was the most weirdest feeling ever. The upper part of my body was shielded from seeing the whole procedure. A sterile field divided my body. I don't think I would have wanted to watch it.

At 4:33AM, Kaleo Loreto was born. 7lbs even, 19.5inches. He came out wailing. As soon as he was swaddled, he stayed awake. He is gorgeous. I am just in awe. I can't believe I am now a mom and that I have managed to sustain life for the last 40 weeks.

While Mr. Kaleo's birth was very successful it was not without drama. He was born with jaundice. The day after he was born, he was weighed again and had lost 10% of his birth weight which is more than the doctors would have liked to see. Therefore, another unplanned necessity had to be done. I had to supplement feed him with infant formula. This was really disappointing. I didn't want to have to introduce formula until he has completely graduated from breast milk. But then again, things needed to be done in order to phase out the jaundice and encourage his weight gain.

Kaleo Loreto born March 22, 2010 4:33AM
7lbs 19.5inches

Excuse the mess.

Today, Kaleo is now a little over 2 weeks. We are still getting to know each other and some days are easier than others. I've had breakdowns already mainly because susu-feeding has not been going so well and I've had to resort to feeding him breast milk from the bottle. Again, not something I had planned on. I've had break downs because this new mommy gig is just overwhelming. Last night, I told Shon that this is hard. Sleepless nights because I was pregnant and comfortable versus having to get up every 2 to 3 hours for a feeding or changing through out the night and day are totally different.

I have absolutely no regrets having Kaleo in spite of how hard new mommyhood is. He is my joy and my life. Moreso than anyone or anything in this world. I may be late for family gatherings or posting a blog. I may not be able to take a shower whenever I want to. I may have to delay breakfast into lunch. I may have these stretchmarks forever. But everything that I have gone through while I was pregnant with Kaleo and everything that I am going through right now is so worth it. I will forever be known as Mommy to Kaleo. And that is the most rewarding feeling ever.

The 2nd Due Date

2010-03-18T19:32:00.000-07:00

Why couldn't my doc just tell me my due date was on March 25th instead of the misleading March 18?

Today is my actual due date and well I'm not laboring away with a litany of profane and obscene words in a possessed voice. Shon and I went in for our 40 week appointment. Yes...40 weeks. And my doctor said I am 1cm dilated. Better than no centimeters right? My doctor asked me:"So are you feeling like you can wait and hang out or are you about done?" If she didn't have access to any of the drugs that I might potentially be needing during childbirth, I would have shot her with dagger eyes and wrung her pretty little neck . Instead, as politely as I could, I told her that I've had enough and that I'd like for her to do something if I haven't given birth by the time I reach 41wks which is on Wednesday.

In all honesty, I would like for nature to take its course and have labor come naturally. Do not judge me for agreeing to an induction. Sustaining human life is great and rewarding but when your waddle beats that of Donald Duck's and you can't even get to the next person in duck, duck, goose, then I think it's time.

So now, the waiting game continues with a a mini game of guessing when. At least this time, if labor doesn't come on its own, then there is a definite DOB for this child. And in the meantime, pardon me if all politeness has flown out the window. Trust me, the only living thing that wants to be next to me most days is the dog. She has no choice. I feed her. In the meantime, shall we place bets on when this baby will show up? Have your bookie call my bookie.

The Waiting Game

2010-03-10T13:56:00.000-08:00

8 more days until my due date and the only activity I am getting is Kaleo moving about as if taunting me that "hey mommy, I am liking it in here, I think I will extend my vacay". The waiting game is excruciating because I am not getting any signs that labor is near. I have been a stay at home pregnant woman for 3 months now and that seems to make the waiting that much longer. I am not even getting any sporadic painful contractions. Nada. I am constantly tired and evil and whiny and uncomfortable and evil. And I've been blessed with fricking carpal tunnel syndrome.

I am so done watching these baby shows on TLC. It's my turn damnit! Me!!! I realize that the longer the baby marinates in the womb, the better, the healthier. I am going to start charging this child an extra year after he is 18 years old for an extra day he is overdue.

Shon and I have completed our childbirth classes. Of course the longer I wait, the lesser information I can retain. So dear child, if you want mama to remember how to susu-feed you properly, you best come out NOW. Please and thank you.

I have another appointment tomorrow. I will be 39 weeks along. Here's hoping there is good news. Send positive vibes.

Uneventful

2010-02-25T18:10:00.000-08:00

I went in for my 37 week prenatal check up. Aside from my labor, contraction, and mucous plug queries, nothing eventful. Kaleo hasn't dropped like he's hot. But he is definitely upside down. Good. My cervix is not even open for business yet. Not dilated. Not effaced. Nothing. Nada. Little homeboy is taking his time. Shon describes the baby "as stubborn as his mama". Chillin' like a villain.

Lately, I've been my evil twin. Just pure evil lurks. I'm irritable and frustrated. I've also managed to develop a slight stutter when I can't get my frustrations out because I am trying to speak as fast as my mind. I'm tired and restless. It's been rough these past few weeks. I lose sleep at night. Bathroom intermissions aside, I wake up at 530 in the morning when Shon goes to work and then it takes me a while to go back to sleep. 2 hours later, I'm JUST drifting back to sleep and about to clock in about 4 or 5 hours of sleep.

In light of all the not so pleasant things that have been going on, I have enjoyed doing Kaleo's laundry. Check me in 13 years and see if I feel the same way. I love washing the baby clothes, blankets and other clothing paraphernalia. I wish I could say the same about regular laundry.

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go. Of course, I anticipate this little baby to simmer and cook until my due date. The waiting just sucks. 21 more sleepless nights. Shon and my 13yo stepson Shayne started assembling the pack and play. We opted for the pack and play since it has a bassinet and a small changing table since the baby will be rooming with us. A crib will only take so much space and well, less is best to utilize more space. Our neighbor dropped by and tried to help assemble the pack and play making that 3 people trying to assemble the sleeping quarters. It took me to figure out the finishing touch and voila. It's assembled and in our room.

Well, hopefully at the next OB visit in a week will be a little bit more eventful that today. I hope doctor will finally say something and I'll be like "Yippee! We're open for business, baby".

Getting There

2010-02-15T12:15:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy half of February so far. I mean, half of the month is gone. On February 6, a baby shower was thrown in honor of baby boy Kaleo by my best friend and Shon's cousin, Danielle and another friend of mine, Stephanie. It was a lovely baby shower with friends and family. It was not a typical baby shower. There were literally a good number of people present. Say at least 45 people? It was amazing and fun. I wish I remembered to bring my camera but of course placenta brain took over and totally forgot to bring it. Thankfully, Mona, was there to take some photos. I will post some pictures just as soon as I get them.

Shon and I attended are first childbirth class last Saturday and we actually both enjoyed the class and found it informative and useful. I found it graphic. Hello, crowning little baby. The class starts at about 9:30 and lasts about 4 hours. It's really not that bad. After all, what else could I be doing on a Saturday? The class is scheduled for 4 Saturdays. I am curious as to whether I will be completing the series or give birth before the series is over.

This week, I will be 36 weeks along. Four more weeks and I am just getting impatient by the day. I am tired and sleepless amongst other late trimester woes such as cankles, grunting from effort to get up, and unintentional sheer evilness. I had an OB appointment last Thursday.I have gained a pound and a half since my last visit 3 weeks ago and my uterus is measuring right where it should be. And baby's head is down "there". As in he is now upside down and preparing himself for his journey. I am really excited and I seriously canNOT wait. I want the next few weeks to just zoom by. This waiting is making me insane. Of course I have NOTHING ready and the baby shower gifts are sitting in a corner of my room. Shon and I also had the chance to go on a tour of the childbirth center of NW Hospital and that makes me even much more excited to deliver this child.

Shon and I don't celebrate Valentine's day the typical way. None of that dinner date, flowers, chocolates, gifts. Valentine's day is so overrated and seriously makes me nauseous, pregnant or not. I hate all those dumb jewelry commercials on TV that air pre-Valentine's day. So in lieu of VD mushiness, Shon and I decided to just go out for brunch at Ivar's on the Seattle waterfront. Brunch buffet even! It was very nice. Hello dungeness crab omelette and clam chowder. I swear I could spend every Sunday morning there. After brunch, we went shopping. For baby things at Babies R Us. and well, diapers were on sale at Target.

The next few weeks couldn't come sooner. I am just excited and getting really antsy. I am not even experiencing Braxton Hicks which may be a good thing? I don't know. The baby however is so active moving about. I can literally see my stomach moving when Kaleo moves. This is all very exciting and I just can't wait to see him.

Maternity Shoot by Ramona Hickey

2010-02-10T01:33:00.000-08:00

I am grateful that Washington is having a mild winter. It made for a wonderful and awesome maternity photo shoot over the weekend.

My friend, Mona, did a maternity shoot with Shon and I last Saturday in our little town of Marysville. Her ideas were unique and she made it fun and we enjoyed the shoot. And did I mention that the weather was fantastic? She also took pictures of our baby shower which also took place on Saturday.

Here are some of my favorite photos that she took. Check out the rest of Mona's photos here.

I be bumpin'

Jennings Park - Marysville, WA

I wasn't just laughing. I was actually in a hearty mid-guffaw.

A Belly full of Baby

My favorite

Love the Skin You're In

2010-01-27T02:00:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, Shon and I drove to Dupont so that our friend Abby could do her first maternity photo shoot using me as her model. Abby [A.V. Photography] is just starting out so she is experimenting with a lot of things. She has a great eye for photography. I'm glad and honored to have been her first maternity model. Next weekend, I will be photographed by my friend Mona [Ramona Hickey Photography] who's work I've always been a fan of.

Before I got pregnant, I have always been very conscious and un-sure of my body. Abby knows this because she's been my friend for quite a while now. I've struggled with my weight and she always told me to "love the skin you're in". Even when I lost weight, I'd still complain about my other flaws.

Pregnancy brought another "skin" out of me. I love my pregnancy. It's been a great and beautiful. I can honestly say that I have never felt sexier or comfortable with my body than I do now. I definitely love the skin that I'm in.

Here are some of my favorites from our session.

I have never seen a maternity pose like this so this makes it one of my favorites.

And of course the baby daddy has his camera time as well

Cheapskate

2010-01-19T07:22:00.001-08:00

I swore up and down that I wouldn't buy maternity clothes for two reasons. One, they are absurdly overpriced. I mean, really, something made to accommodate my growing belly for $39.99? Thanks, but no thanks. And two, I couldn't seem to find decent looking maternity clothes. But, I had to succumb into buying maternity tops because of two reasons as well. One, buying regular clothes at size large is not fitting well although it "conforms" to my belly. And two, hello $4.98 clearance at Target. Ok ... and cute finds at Ross. Not-so-clearance price but less than $12 is a good deal. I'm a cheapskate.

This was amongst one of my favorite toys when I was a kid. It's a classic. I want to get one for Kaleo. Thank you, eBay for being a practical source of purchase because seriously, $26.50 for this is a little steep. I'm sure it cost less than that back in the day.

I've registered for childbirth classes. Of course, my "lab" partner will be the baby daddy. The class takes place every Saturday beginning February 13th for 4 hours beginning at 9:30am. The last day of our class is about a week before my due date. Talk about cramming. Very reminiscent of actual school days. I am really excited about the class not for the "light" refreshments and snacks that will be offered, but because I didn't have to pay for it, thank you DSHS. And don't even get all "welfare chick" on me. It's people like me who need it. I don't plan to run a baby mill and live off of WA state benefits. I do plan to relocate in a few years you know. The class itself costs about $185. Even if I was employed, I don't think I would have paid for the class. Insert cheapskate here. I would have relied on educational videos on YouTube and BabyCenter. So I am really grateful for the wonderful benefit of free classes.

As my due date draws closer, I am bummed that my mom and dad won't be here when Kaleo arrives. There's something comforting about your own mom helping out. When I was born, my mom's mom was in the Philippines and I didn't meet her until I was a year and a half. Back in those days, my mom would always send my grandparents pictures of me. 28 years later, I have to do the same. You see, my parental units are not technologically savvy. Being technologically savvy to them means being able to send me text messages. When my mom came to visit in 2006, I taught her how to use Yahoo Messenger. It took us 3 months to perfect that. She was visiting for 3 months.

This Thursday, I am seeing my OB. As much as I look forward to my appointments, I am kind of reluctant about this because of my weight gain. My doctor kind of frowned upon my 6lb weight gain at my last visit. 3 weeks later, I think I gained like 10lbs. At my last visit my doctor trailed off after saying "well if you gain 6lbs at your next visit......" then what? Yup, I am not looking forward to any lectures. Lecturing me about my weight gain because I'm pregnant does not deter me from going to dimsum with my sister after my appointment, Doctor.

I got new glasses. My IQ didn't go up like my prescription did so I only look smarter. Or so I believe.

Jobless Speeder

2010-01-08T15:21:00.000-08:00

Some days I just want to watch old school Looney Toons at 8 in the morning while eating Apple Jacks and not have to worry about the real world and being an adult.

I have managed to successfully apply for unemployment benefits and a decent amount is deposited in my bank account every week. I say to myself "Look at the money you are getting sitting on your ass tweeting or facebooking". However, I was getting paid more at work tweeting and facebooking AND doing my real jobby. Anyhow, to maintain my unemployment benefits, I have to attend an unemployment seminar tomorrow. A Saturday. At 8:45am. On a Saturday. I received a letter from the unemployment office saying that my attendance is mandatory or else they will report my absence to their people and there goes my chunk change deposited in my account every week. This is where my plethora of frack-bombs go off. Frack this. Frack that. Fracktard. Fracknuts. Fracking A. Frackfrackfrack. Rinse, lather, repeat. And in addition to attending this wonderful unemployment seminar I have to apply for jobs. I don't mean to sound like a deadbeat but HELLO. I am 7 months pregnant. Who the frack is going to hire me knowing I am going on maternity leave in March? And if I was hired then that just dents my unemployment benefits and then I wouldn't have ANY income during my maternity leave. Seriously, man.

As if that wasn't bad enough. Remember my speeding ticket in November? Well, because I didn't want to pay $100, I decide to contest it, hoping to lower the fine and for a court date sooner rather than later. But of course, the court date falls 10 days before my due date of March 18. The ticket is really stupid. Since Mr Policeman didn't have his clever radar gun thingy, he guessed my speed. And hello to 65mph in a 60mph. FOR SOBBING OUT LOUD Mr Officer. Give me a break!!! I sure hope the judge has mercy on me as I waddle in to plead my speeding case.

30 weeks ... and counting

2010-01-07T10:05:00.000-08:00

I don't know that I've been blogging about my pregnancy in great detail. Today, I am 30 weeks along. This is crucial. I have 10 more weeks of harboring my dear fugitive. My little Kaleo Loreto is very active in the womb. If he's not practicing his MMA moves, he's busy tumbling about.

Every time I turn a week of pregnancy, I get an email from Babycenter telling me more about the gestational week I currently in. 30 weeks caught my eye. It was like a check list. Trouble sleeping - check! Clumsiness - check! Fattening fingers and feet - check and check! Mood swings - one big fat check!

I can't sleep. Of course you may already know that from previous posts, hence why I needed Shon to buy me memory foam pillows. But even with those, as comfortable as they may be, I still have hard time staying asleep. I can't sleep on my back because it is not advised as it decreases flow of blood to the babe. I have to sleep on my left side. But I can shift to my right side from time to time as advised by my OB. With every shift, right or left, I have my little Kaleo Superpoking me from within as if to say "Mama, you are squishing me". Great, my child isn't even born and he thinks his mama is a heifer. I'm sure at 3 years old he'll be busting out with Yo Momma jokes from experience.

Where do I even begin about clumsiness. It's mostly when I'm eating. Alot of my food and drink end up on my chin, inside my shirt, on my lap. Is it nature's way of preparing me for a messy eater later on down the road? I don't even bother wearing nice clothes anymore since it's not even worth it once I get ketchup or something on it. Of course Shon is quick to point "Honey, did your drink miss your mouth again?" as he points to the puddle on my jeans.

I've always had problems with rings that I liked mainly because my fingers were too small or skinny. Now, I can't even wear my size 4 engagement ring. But I can now wear rings that were too big for me. As for my feet, ack. Size 5 and a half seem so ridiculous to own now. And I'm doomed if I even have to bend down to tie or velcro my shoe. Yup. I have shoes with velcro. The father of my baby bought me some nice shoes that don't require 5 minutes per shoe to bend down, tie/velcro.

My awesome shoes with velcro from Payless Shoe Source

$29.90 at Nordstrom Rack

Don't get me wrong, this pregnancy has been far more pleasant than what I have heard from other women. The third trimester is just THAT much challenging trying to sleep comfortably or wedge into the dining chair. This is why I eat at the couch and coffee table now.

It is not my place to blog about my mood swings. I just provide them. I don't suffer because of them. That would be for Shon to address. I do find myself apologizing profusely to my child's father. I'm sure he does not know what to do. Whether to block out the mood swings or cherish the apologies.

Chairs and Stuff

2010-01-06T17:10:00.000-08:00

How is thy new year coming along? Well, I'm 6 days into 2010 and so far, so good. I think. I did not make any new year resolutions. I resolved to stop making resolutions about a decade ago. I'm just not into it. I was supposed to do a recap of the year 2009 but procrastination got the best of me. It's not like I am busy with a job, I could have found time. But hey, don't judge. I am the master procrastinator.

My pregnancy will be 30 weeks along tomorrow. AMAZING. I have 10 more weeks to go. At this point, I am excited. Very excited. Nervousness has not set in yet. I'm not good with pain so I haven't been thinking about that. I don't even want to venture the topic of hemorrhoids just yet either. Well, after Shon described it as "large intestines coming out of your ass", I don't want to even know any more.

Since I have not been sleeping well due to my side and back being very uncomfortable, Shon bought me a nice pair of Sleep Innovations memory foam pillows from Costco. The pair cost $29.99. I could not sleep with them the first night. It felt hard. But during the subsequent nights, I actually found them to be very beneficial. I believe the pillows just needed to "get to know" me and memorize my growing belly. I use one of them for my tummy and the other for my back. I use a total of 6 pillows. And we only have a queen sized bed. I also have to constantly remind our Boxer dog Tasi, (okay and Shon) that those are my memory foam pillows and not for community use.

Sleep Innovations Memory Foam Pillows from Costco $29.99 for two

Another good find of mine during these jobbyless days came to me on Monday. It is a rocker glider with an ottoman. I have been wanting one of these even before I got pregnant. Something about the soothing, well, rocking and gliding. Thanks to the influence of good co-pregnant friend, Mona, I have been scouring Craigslist for items that I can use. And since no money honey, I have to stay frugal. In any case, I came across a used rocker glider set owned by a mom of 3. She was selling it for $40. She was very kind to offer to deliver the set to my house at no extra charge since I didn't have our SUV. [Shon's truck is still being repaired from the accident]. The set is two years old and the lady even carpet cleaned/steamed it the night before she brought it to my house. I am very happy with my Craigslist purchase. Now, I have something to rock the baby during those sleepless nights.

I have to remind Tasi the Boxer that the rocker glider is off limits to her. So she decides to pwn the papasan chair.

DeChristmasfied

2009-12-29T12:54:00.000-08:00

I am ever so glad Christmas is over. I received 4 pairs of pajamas. Each one represents the days of the week I used to work and is now spent staying home. Who cares if I'm in my pajamas all day long? Don't judge me. You know you'd do it if you could especially this time of year.

We spent Christmas at the annual Anderson Christmas party with Shon's side of the family. There was an abundance of food and gifts. Of course I decide to grace the event in 3 inch heels. You may or may not believe that since I have no proof of the occasion. Seriously, I don't know why I failed to take pictures this Christmas. The absence of photographical proof doesn't really have anything to do with my growing belly and swelling nose. Of course Christmas isn't complete without watching a heartwarming movie. In our case, it was The Hangover. And this is because Home Alone was not showing on ABCFamily. I hate guy movies. It definitely must be the hormones.

My sister and her girlfriend and their daughter came over on Christmas day to exchange and open gifts. All of which took less than 30minutes. We received a Wii from them. They got 4 bottles of wine from us. That should last them a month. or less.

My house is finally dechristmasfied. Thank goodness. It was getting too crowded and I was getting claustrophobic. Ok, I lie. Our dog was getting claustrophobic. Plus we need more room for Wii-ing. The tree was definitely dead upon removing the ornaments and lights.

Hello 3rd trimester. It hasn't been easy. My back is constantly hurting. I feel like a senior citizen every time I try to get up from anywhere... the bed, the couch, the car. I think I'm ready for my AARP card. Oh and Medicare. It's always "help me up" or "support my lower back" or "will you be careful with me???!". It is such an ungraceful sight. And to add insult to injury my right arm is very sore. Thank you, Wii. I am at least getting my work out.

The New Year is upon us. I have no plans. If I can stay up, big belly and I will be parked in front of the tv watching the count down.

None of this will be happening like last year.

In any case, you have a good one. Have an extra shot of whatever for me. And then another one.

Every Year

2009-12-22T10:21:00.001-08:00

I have never loathed the holidays as much as I have these past few years. I really hate the consumerism part of it. I don't mean to sound scrooge-ified but Christmas has long lost its essence in my eyes and everyone's materialism has taken over.

I grew up in a family where Christmas meant more than gifts and the amount of gifts one received. My mom and dad were not rich so my sister and I were used to the fact that we each got one gift for Christmas. We were never used to receiving more than one gift from our parents. Not that they were being scrooges. I think it's because they wanted to instill in us the true meaning of Christmas is not all about receiving gifts.

Not until I have spent Christmas with families other than mine that I saw how absurd Christmas can get with all the over gift giving. My parents always taught me to be appreciative of what we received and give what we can. Christmas is for the kids, I get that but holy cow ... what is up with adults getting as much as the kids?

This year, our list is short. VERY short. We are in financial strain train and of course my joblessness doesn't help the pre-existing situation. Last night, Shon and I went Christmas shopping. And we did majority of our shopping within 3 hours. I am not one to shop ahead of time. Christmas shopping stresses me out. Period. The idea of what to go get someone and whether they'll like it or not just stresses the beejeezus out of me. Why can't everyone be appreciative? Gift cards make a great gift but of course you'll get the people who think you're cheap or think that you didn't put much thought into their gift and seriously that is the last thing I need. I'd be glad to revoke that gift card and use it for myself.

EVERY YEAR I miss the REAL Christmas I used to know. Where tradition and culture was well alive. Where noche buena was the excitement of December 24 in our household. I miss the family gathering on December 25 and being truly merry and the focus wasn't the gifts but the togetherness of the family. This existed years ago when I was still in the Philippines. I wish I could spend every Christmas back home.

Times do change I realize that. And it seems like you either go with the flow or you try to stick to what you know or try to make the best out of it. Christmas next year will be so different with baby Kaleo in the mix. And because society seems to dictate it, I'm sure he will get many a present. But my plan is to try to preserve the tradition and culture of Christmas my parents did when I was a child. Ask any child today what Christmas means. I bet the top three answers are: Santa, Gifts, and Christmas tree. Sadly, baby Jesus is left out of that equation.

Testing the Stay At Home Mom Thing

2009-12-14T13:00:00.000-08:00

Before my untimely unemployment, I was talking to Shon about how I think I'd like to be a stay at home mom. And the opportunity came a little too early and I say stay home "pre" mom because hello, no baby yet and no one to mom at this point. At least between now and my due date, I will have hopefully rid myself of stress and get lots of rest.

I woke up this morning at the time I would normally be up to go to work. I stayed awake and never was able to go back to sleep. I pondered what I would do today. I know a major task would be filing for my unemployment claim which I am hoping I did correctly. Laundry was on the list but then what would I do tomorrow? I have to spread these things apart you know. I made my bed today! I never do since I'm always rushing to get out of the house in the morning. I could clean the house then that would just leave me to do the chores of the kids'.

Last Friday, I went to see my OB for my monthly pre-natal. Routine stuff such as listen to Kaleo's heartbeat, measure my growing belly, and see of course weight gain. So far, I've gained 3 pounds since my last visit. I tried to get a feel from the nurse and the doctor whether this weight gain is acceptable and all I got was "that's not bad". Um..ok, well what is good or ideal? According to my doctor, a weight gain of a pound a week is not bad.

During my recent visit, my blood was drawn for glucose testing. I do not need to be the winner of gestational diabetes so I hope that my doctor doesn't call with that news. Thank goodness I had self control not to eat my after glucose testing Snickers bar on my way to the appointment or else I would be practicing to be giving myself insulin injections right now using a mechanical pencil.

My OB visits have now been upgraded to every 3 weeks since I will be in my 3rd trimester very soon. And then a month before my due date my visits will be weekly. I keep saying I cannot wait for March to roll around and Shon says I can. Maybe I am being too confident when I think I can conquer sleepless nights.

Jobless and Pregnant

2009-12-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

As much as I am a fan of roller coasters, this year has been the ultimate, extreme roller coaster for me and Shon. The thing with roller coasters, as much as it unexpectedly and rapidly shoots you up an incline, and pushes you even faster down that incline, it manages to bring you back to the platform, safe for the most part. Right?

Although the surprises and shock and awes didn't start until after mid year, the events have majorly impacted our lives more than we were prepared for and it's just a little too much to digest all at once especially this past month.

August - I found out that I am expecting a baby. I found out 9 weeks into the pregnancy. Lord knows I've always wanted a baby but I couldn't have kids. I gave up on that hope and dream. Finding out that I would be having a baby was a complete shock and a miracle indeed. That I was not prepared for.

This month has just been one ridiculous thing after another. Who gifted Shon and me with such bad luck ?! How did we make it to the naughty list ?

The past week, Shon gets all the luck. Nov 30 - Shon gets into an automobile accident. Not his fault. Dec 5 - Shon falls off roof at a house he was working on.

Today, I have been terminated from my job. It did not come as a shock but it couldn't be anymore wrong timing with whatever was going on with Shon and then with the holidays coming and of course, my pregnancy. Dr C (the doctor i work directly with) had called me and given me the heads up that I will be terminated so I was prepared. I was terminated by the director of the clinic I work(ed) at. Let's just say my loyalty to Dr C made the director upset and perhaps even jealous. She couldn't fire the doctor I work with, so she fired the next best thing...that would be me.

Because I am not a contracted employee with the company, the severance package is not too impressive. However, my health insurance will be paid up to 4 months to cover for my delivery in March. I was told that I didn't even have to be given a severance package. The decision to fire me was based on a personal standpoint. It is a personal vendetta against Dr. C to take me away from the clinic and as Dr C's right hand person.

So this brings me to being a jobless, 6 month pregnant woman, two weeks before the holidays. What is the worst that can happen next?

The brighter side of things, I will be working on collecting unemployment. Since I was not going to get paid for maternity leave if I was still employed at my former work place, I think it is a blessing in disguise that I may potentially collect unemployment throughout my maternity as opposed to not have income flowing in at all.

I am just entrusting everything to God right now and pray and hope for the best. What keeps me sane is the baby in my womb. And well, I always told Shon i wanted to be a stay at home mom for a while ... I guess it just started a little early.

I am sad to have left people I enjoyed working with but relieved to not be under the watchful eye of a terrible IT guy and the witchiness (you can substitute the "W" with a "B") of the clinic director. Time and time we've all heard it: Everything happens for a reason.

Superman is Just...Human

2009-12-05T20:57:00.000-08:00

You know that tabloid gossip show "Best Week Ever" on VH1?? Well, this week has been someone's worst week ever. Someone who goes by the name of BabyDaddySpermDonorShon.

On Monday, Shon got into an accident on his way to work. He was heading west through an intersection. Another vehicle heading east on the same intersection was going to turn left but did not yield to oncoming traffic and made a run for it. Shon tried to stop but it was too late. He was only going 35mph. Shon's right leg was bruised but thank God, no other major injuries.

Today, Shon picked up a side job installing windows on a house. I got a call at about 3 in the afternoon from Shon telling me that he fell off the roof. I thought I was hearing a joke. But it was not. He fell about 10 feet to the ground but miraculously just a badly sprained ankle and nothing broken. It was the left ankle.

I am glad BabyDaddySpermDonorShon is okay. The night of his accident, I told him that I am glad that he is safely home. And then today I am just glad that he didn't break any bones and a bad sprain is better than a broken rib or leg.

I rely on Shon so much to "reach this" or "carry that" or "drive there". It's hard to fathom that he's out of commission for a little bit. So now, you have Sir Limps Alot and lil' knocked up me attempting to attend to each other as much as we can, however we can. I need to invest in a little bit more patience.

As for Shon, 40 is not so far away from his 38 year old self. I keep reminding him to take it easy. Even going to the gym so much and weight lifting so much may be taking a toll without him knowing it. But of course, as we know, men are stubborn and don't listen.

Tonight, Shon is definitely taking it easy. He has ice packs, cushions for his leg, and a fresh prescription for Vicodin. It's going to be a long night. And a longer weekend. Maybe Sunday will indeed be a kick back relaxing kind of day for him this once.

On the brighter side of things, my pregnancy is going great. I am now 25 weeks along and I just wish time would speed up a little bit more. I can't wait for March to roll around. My baby Kaleo is moving about around so much in my belly and I just love that feeling.

I've been the gracious recipient of quite a few baby things such as clothes, pampers (yes,I call disposable diapers "pampers"), toys, blankets, a BabyBjorn carrier and a baby bathtub. These make me so much more excited for Kaleo's arrival in March.

Speedie GonMama

2009-11-11T18:44:00.000-08:00

I have been driving for 10 years now. And of course on my 10th year of what was a squeaky clean driving record, I of course had to get a speeding ticket today. Now, my DMV record is tainted.

I was driving my best friend/cousin's Jetta. And I love driving that car. Except that when I do, I never realize I'm speeding. We were heading to Lynnwood along I-5 on the HOV lane. The roads were pretty clear. My intention was not to speed especially since my almost 4 year old godson was in the back seat. But I don't know ... I was on mental cruise control. Then I saw a motorcycle on the left side of the road with an Erik Estrada wannabe. I knew right then and there it was a cop. FRACKING A! He didn't have one of those radar gun things. But he did signal me to pull over. So I slowly made my way to the right side of the freeway. Muthercrapping fracker!! I handed the officer my driver's license upon his request. And of course the address on my license has yet to be changed ... like since 3 years ago. He asked if that was my current address. I wanted to answer "no habla ingles". But my nerves got the best of me. I started to recite my home address until he interrupted me and said "slow down, i read lips". I didn't know if I wanted to feel bad for him or if I wanted to be pist off because I was pulled over. More muthercrapping frackering was going on and on in my mind. I apologized to Dani for getting pulled over. I just wanted to make sure her insurance wouldn't be affected. And it wouldn't be thank Jesus.

Because the cop didn't have his handy radar gun, and I know this because he was either getting on or off his little cop bike and was not standing there with gunning speeders. And I have witnesses including a 3 year old. So technically, the cop didn't clock me going anything so he gave me a ticket for speeding 65mph in a 60mph. My first traffic infraction and it's a sissy 5mph offense. But I believe I should be thankful. My ticket is a grand 93 dollars. More muthercrapping frackering. At least it doesn't really cost and arm and a leg or my first born. I can't even afford my first born.

Speaking of my first born, we are 22weeks tomorrow! Everything is going well. His movements in the morning is my other alarm clock while his movements at night are his "we need a midnight snack" notifications which I ignore.

At my next prenatal appointment in December, we are doing a glucose tolerance test to see whether gestational diabetes is an issue and I seriously hope it isn't. I was given a bottle of this orangey drink that I'm supposed to drink straight 45mins prior to my appointment. So it's like a screwdriver sans vodka. Thank goodness for imagination huh?

I updated my registry at Babies R Us and I fell in love with a stroller that Shon doesn't like. He wants this but I want this. It seems to be such a negotiation. I'm not even looking for flair. It functions just the same but of course Shon and his man ego wants the "not so girly" stroller which my choice is not so girly! So we shall see where this stroller debacle goes. We can't come to a compromise right now. And then my mind wanders to the days where parents would just hold their children on their laps in the car. What is your stroller recommendation?

The Spawn is Named

2009-11-02T20:18:00.000-08:00

Shon and I finally settled on our baby boy's name. He shall be named Kaleo Loreto. Kaleo (pronounced kah-leh-yo) means "the voice" or "the sound" and Loreto is my dad's first name. I'm sure Kaleo's name will totally make sense during those wee hours of the morning when he demands to to be fed or changed or carried or all of the above. And since Shon was the one picked Kaleo, he has the owners of feeding, changing, and holding the baby. Our choices were between Kaleo and Keoni, both of which I picked out. The sperm donor apparently had the last say.

On the morning of Halloween, Shon, myself and the two kids lined up at about 645am for our H1N1 flu vaccines. Shayne and I were definite target groups since Shayne has asthma and I am with child. Shon Jr also fell into the target group because he's in the >6mos-24yo age group and he lives with a pregnant woman. Big Shon almost didn't get the vaccine because he is completely healthy and was only qualified because he lives with a pregnant oompa loompa. So we are vaccinated and my fears of catching the H1N1 flu and having complications have eased down some. The shot was not so bad actually. It was painless. Then another paranoia set in. Did the nurse really inject me? Did she use the correct gauge needle? Our wait at one of the many vaccination clinics in Snohomish County wasn't so bad. We were about 25th in line.

The day after Halloween is Shayne's birthday and he just turned 13.
I don't know what 13 year olds demand these days but all Shayne really wanted was pizza, cake and ice skating. That's it, that's all. He didn't ask for an absurd gift. He and I started a tradition that will last until he is no longer a teen. Every year for his birthday, Shayne and I will go out for breakfast. Just him and I. No Shon or brothers. I felt that it's something special he and I could share especially since he has no existing bond with his biological mother. Shayne was really excited about this and I am too. We started our tradition this year with IHOP. I cannot wait for next year when his birthday falls on a school day.

Someone shed some light on me. No pun intended. Did Daylight Savings start or end? I can never figure it out. The time change always screws me up the day after. I woke up this morning at 440 with slight panic I was running late for work. I got off from work this evening and it's dark. I left work the same time I left the house but 12 hours later in the same sky conditions: Dark. And soon December will be here before we know it. How is your Autumn coming along so far?

Baby Winners! (No you don't win my baby)

2009-10-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

Apparently, pregnancy lethargy is unpredictable. And they say second trimester is a boost of energy. In any case, I finally go around to picking winners from my latest guessing blog game of whether I will be having a boy or girl.

Well, if you don't already know, we are having a boy! It is exciting! And whilst I was temporarily blinded by the idea of pink and purple ruffles and frills, I am glad that I am having a son.

Congratulations to my cousin Ate Hazel and friend Tami for winning!

Place Your Bets: Boy or Girl?

2009-10-17T19:45:00.001-07:00

The countdown began 5 days ago. 2 more nights before October 19th and if the baby is cooperative and flashes us, we will find out if we're having a boy or a girl.

I'm really not a gambler and I'm weaksauce when it comes to placing bets. Perhaps you'd like to take a guess? In the commentals, enter your bet of whether I will be having a boy or girl. I will be announcing the gender of the baby on Monday night here on my blog and will pick 2 random winners from those who guessed the correct gender. I will be sending the winner a prize in the mail.

RULES:
* I will only take answers left in the comments of this post. Answers on Facebook comments or Twitter @replies are not counted.

*Please leave your name (or @username if you're a Tweeter) along with your answer in the commentals and if you are a winner I will contact you for further information.

*You have until 4pm PST to guess the gender. My ultrasound is at 330pm. I will be announcing the gender of the baby and the winners at about 7pm PST if not sooner.

Good luck to you and your guess! Wish us luck as well!

Party Head Turned Placenta Head

2009-09-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

One of the doctors in my clinic is pregnant and she made up the term placenta head which she describes as being all "duh" or absent minded during pregnancy. Everytime that happens to me I just silently tell my unborn child "I'm losing IQ points and I hope you are absorbing it".

I love being pregnant. So far, second trimester and I are getting along really well. Nausea is somewhat gone. I can't remember the last time I felt nauseous so that's good. And hello porn star susus ! Although I'm not particularly "showing" or sporting that baby bump, I look like I'm always full.

I had a dream the other night that I went to go watch "Wicked" with another pregnant friend, Mona. You can read more about her here. Anyway, in my dream, Mona had her 3 year old son, Nathan AND a newborn son. Me? Yup, no baby to be found with me in that dream and Mona and I are not too far apart in terms of pregnancy. I was really distraught when I woke up from that dream. I mean why didn't have my baby ??

Later that day, Mona and I were chatting and she put something in perspective for me. Maybe I am just having anxiety because I didn't know how to settle into this whole motherhood thing being that Babypika is my first child and my nights of partying and bottomless tequila shots have literally come to an abrupt stop. And I believe that is what it is. I think it has sunk it that I am pregnant and gone are the party days. So gone. I mean, it was bad enough that I was playing beer pong unknowingly pregnant at 7 weeks.

This coming Friday is my monthly prenatal appointment. I'm into my 15th week and I'm crossing my fingers, toes, and eyes in hopes of finding out the sex of the baby. That's if an ultrasound is even done. If we are unable to find out the sex of the baby this Friday, we'll find out mid October.

In any case, I'm slowly trying to settle in to muthahood mode. It helps that I know alot of veteran, new, and expecting muthas. In addition to trying to settle in to mom mode, I am trying to wean off of the bad words. Muthaf*cker has evolved into muthacrapper. Not too clean but cleaner than the former.

Work and Chaos

2009-09-24T20:30:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm el preggers, people tell me to take it easy and I should probably heed to their advice. Who knows what might happen if I take on the amount of stress I used to take on pre-knocked up days? And this is my first pregnancy so I really DO want to take it easy because who knows when I'll be able to get pregnant again? But no matter how hard I try, I'm a magnet for stress especially at work.

Work has been insane. I've been training a new medical assistant who's temporarily replacing another one who went on maternity leave. And just to let you know, our office has a water cooler of fertility.

In my five years of being an MA, I have had many of staff to train. But none have resulted in what happened today. The New Girl [who's only been at the clinic 2wks], walked out this morning. Apparently, she walked out because of me.

New Girl talked to Dr. Rockstar and stated the following: that I was being mean and impatient with her. She said that she's never been treated so badly in all the years that she has been working since she was 14. She is 46 now. She said that I was making her do all the work of having to take patients back. It does not surprise me that she said those things about me. I'm at work to do what I signed up for and that is doing my job. I did not sign up to hide my conversations in whispers or yak about how my day off went. I'm just not that type of warm and fuzzy person.

I was at work this morning when New Girl came in. She didn't say two words to me, no big deal. So I said "good morning". Did she say anything? No. Was she mad because I didn't compliment her 80's hot rollered hairdid? Was she mad because I did not ask how her fabulous day off was yesterday? Her non response didn't really faze me. I just thought she was having a bad day. So whatever, I go about my morning and work.

During the first part of the morning, I have been busy with patients, New Girl was up and down from her desk. I had no idea where she went or what she was doing. I didn't care. It was a slow morning anyway. The next thing I know, she was gathering her bags. I thought to myself "Ok, maybe she just doesn't want to sit next to me". Although I had a small inkling that she was about to walk out but I gave her the benefit of the doubt.

After coming out of an exam room, sure enough, a co worker told me New Girl had walked out. I was surprised but not much. I actually laughed. Okay, I know that was mean. But really? Why did she even come in this morning?

The work that I do as a lowly medical assistant is quite demanding. My doctor runs on a tight schedule, so as her lead, I run a tight ship and my doctor knows this. She knows that I'm territorial and that I'm a toughie but on the same note, I ensure her clinic runs smoothly, everything is done, and everything is done the right way. And this is why my doc loves me.

I am not surprised New Girl blamed everything on me. But I didn't get the memo that she needed a lot of hand holding and reassuring because she is needy. It takes me twice as long to show, teach, or tell someone how to do something even after the fact I have already trained them for that specific something. Because doctor's schedule go-go-go, I can't be turtle slow. I would rather do things myself which will take me 3 second as opposed to 3 minutes. Yes, I am a control freak at work. But I can't babysit and run a daycare for trainees and run a clinic at the same time. I'm too busy to be warm and fuzzy or worry about someone's feelings.

Am I being *too* tough? Is it wrong to have a "suck it up cupcake" attitude? Cmon guys...see my point of view on things. Longer story short, New Girl is coming back to work tomorrow. First of all, after walking out of a jobby, how do you have the balls to go back and what makes her think I have new found respect for her?

Maybe I should have taken it easy on her since she's new. Maybe not everyone has that "Be Aggressive, B-E Aggressive" attitude when starting a new job. I don't know how I'm supposed to welcome back the prodigal co worker tomorrow.

Holy Smokes

2009-09-14T22:35:00.000-07:00

Along with my pregnancy to Babypika, I have quit smoking. This is something I am really proud of. I can't stand the smell of it anymore and my Filipino nose can smell cigarette smoke a mile away. I found out that I was pregnant 9weeks into my pregnancy so as bad as it sounds, I unknowingly smoked during the first two months of my pregnancy but I did quit as soon as I found out.

Shon and I were at Walmart earlier to get some random things and we happened to use the express lane check out where cigarettes were being sold. I was shocked to find out that a pack now costs $7.21. What a big jump from last month. Tsk tsk. I'm glad I quit when I did. Babypika is a blessing in disguise. I have been meaning to quit but no concrete motivation. Then along came baby.

I've officially entered my second trimester although I don't look like I did. I just look bloated. Or worse, fat. I don't have that significant baby bump yet. I can't wait. I'm tired of looking fat even though I know I'm pregnant. By the way, I still cannot believe I'm pregnant.

So far, the pregnancy has been bearable. My nausea has been slowly going away. Although there are some foods that I cannot stand looking at or thinking about. Most of which are my favorites...like sushi (even the cooked one!), Taco Hell, McDonalds, Pizza. I think that's another blessing in disguise. Those are all junk anyway. I love yogurt with granola. And I love Airheads Extreme. I get nauseated when Shon drives....but that was even before Babypika set up camp in my uterus.

My back is already hurting. I am lavished with back rubs every night from Shon. He might have failed several attempts to get my cravings, but he definitely makes it up by giving me my nightly back rubs and cocoa butter on the tummy for the prevention of stretch marks.

In addition to waning nausea and back aches, I'm suffering from incredible insomnia. I can fall asleep easily. But it's staying asleep mostly due to Babypika probably using my bladder as a trampoline. It's also been unbelievably warm so I'm it's been uncomfortable. Make that warm for me but sometimes cold for Shon.

Other than all those woes, I am doing well. Apparently 2nd trimester brings in an energy boost so I hope to see that soon. I know at least a dozen el pregger women. 2 of them have given birth and two more are due anytime soon. This year has been baby making year apparently. And I am one of those baby making machines.

Oh Baby Baby

2009-09-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

These past few months have been quite interesting. Between home and work, things have been insane in the membrane.

For a while, I have neglected my online civic duties such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogging. What can I say? I was on hiatus. Writer's block. or writers' strike. But I'm slowly making a comeback. Comebacks are tricky. It's like a bad spinoff. You don't know whether you're still a hit or you're long forgotten.

In my case, this comeback comes with a real mind blowing news. How's that for ratings?

On August 17, Shon and I found out that I am going to be a mother. YES! I am pregnant! And my first one at that. We have been trying for three years. Because my menstrual cycles are VERY irregular, I don't keep track of the first day of my last menstrual period. TMI, I know but there's a story here I swear. When Shon and I found out that we are having a baby, I had NO idea how far along I was. All my pregnancy symptoms seemed to be more PMS issues. Sure I was nauseous, I thought I was just being a drama queen and wanted to eat out all the time. My susus were getting bigger and hurting more and I'm thinking "oh sure, Aunt Flow will be here any day soon" I was craving for certain foods specifically Cold Stone ice cream at first but I thought to myself "Geez Di...you're just being a fatty". Did I think I could be pregnant? Sure. Did I believe I could be? NO. I never could conceive, no thanks to PCOS which affects fertility.

I took the pregnancy test at work since we had a stash of them. I had a feeling that it would be negative and that I have just been PMSing all this time. However, a twist of fate. Two lines appeared on the pregnancy test indicating a positive pregnancy. I was shaking. I wanted to cry. I was in utter disbelief. I showed the test to pregnant my co worker and I was like "WHAT IS THIS? THIS IS NOT TRUE!" My co worker literally cackled and said that it was true and that I am pregnant.

I called Shon to tell him this very shocking news. He told me to calm down and take another test to be sure. So I took one more test. And it was still positive. I took another one making that three tests in one day, and yes, still very positive. Shon's reaction? "Oh Shit" Yes, that's very comforting. You had to hear it to determine what kind of "Oh Shit" it was. Don't get me wrong, Shon was very excited. I was still in shock. After August 17, I took 4 more pregnancy tests as well as a blood test to confirm the pregnancy and all were positive as can be. I was convinced that I was not pregnant and something utterly wrong was going on with my reproductive system because I'm paranoid and neurotic like that. With news of my pregnancy, I have also quit smoking, cold turkey and I'm happy to report that I am doing very well and I cannot tolerate cigarettes or the smell.

September 1, Tuesday, Shon and I went to our first prenatal appointment and first ultrasound. Our obstetrician is so sweet and we really like her. The ultrasound was done and we saw our little baby moving about. Arms up like waving "hey parental units!" I didn't cry. Most mothers do when they first see their baby. We saw our baby's heartbeat. We were so excited. I was in awe. I am going to be a mother. Also, at the time of our appointment, I was 11weeks along and due on March 18, 2010. So for about two months I didn't even know I was pregnant. Since it is too early, we don't know what the sex of the baby is yet. We find out on my birthday, October 19.

I wanted to wait until my first trimester has safely passed before announcing the pregnancy, you know...just in case. But being a first time mom to be, I'm excited and thrilled. I can only hope and pray that this pregnancy is a safe and healthy one. In addition to myself, I know at least 8 other pregnant women. This year is fertile. And I'm very blessed to be expecting my first child. This is a very pleasant surprise.

Since I don't know the sex of the baby yet, baby has been referred to as BabyPika because I love anything spicy. Baby has also been referred to TwitterBaby amongst my Twitter followers. I will be updating my blog often now that I have something interesting to yak about: The Spawn of Shon and Di. I'm going to be Lil' Momma Di.

Parties and a VLOG

2009-06-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

I don't know what the blog protocol is in terms of blogging about two different subjects w/ a video involved. Is it still considered a vlog?But oh well, here goes.

I am so glad I had my Botox done before the weekend. It was a busy and potentially stressful weekend where it could have warranted un concsious frowning. We had two parties. One was at the house of my bestfriend-mali-cousin's house and then a pretty big party here at our house on Sunday.

UFC fights are usually the requisite for a party and booze where Shon and I get together with "The Cousins". A gathering I am always present for and first in line for the first shot of Patron. We have been doing this traditionally for about 2 years now and it never gets old. Our family (Shon's side at least) are very close knit and we all live within close proximity of each other. If someone needs a hood vent fixed, there's Shon. If I need lumpia, there's Dani. If someone needs to go pick up beer on the way to the party, there's Jason. If someone needs their car fixed, there's Elmo. If there's someone who needs help with their computer, there's Charles. And if someone needs a Patron partner, well, then that would be me. I am fortunate to have Shon's cousins in my life. I did not grow up having cousins close to my age. We have an amazing close to sibling relationship with his cousins and it is almost too much fun. I think I would be lost without them. And when we all hit the age of 50 something [and Shon 60 something] I can only hope that we are still as close as we are now and still watching UFC and throwing back shots of tequila.

I had the pleasure of meeting Shon's maternal side of the family. His Uncle John flew in from Guam for a vacay. A mini family reunion was in order for Sunday. I have never seen my backyard almost full to capacity. It was an exciting event as some of the family members have not seen each other in ages.

There was an absurd amount of food prepared. In the Filipino and Chamorro cultures, we ensure that when we have a gathering, more than enough food is prepared. This way, guests of guests not accounted for will not go hungry and there is no embarrassment of running out of food.

"Guests of guests?" you ask. Yes, you heard right. In any Chamorro or Filipino gathering, it is not a surprise if your guest brings a guest or two or three. We believe in the more the merrier. And who knows? Maybe the guest of a guest of a guest is your relative which seems to be discovered often when we have gatherings or attend one. Chamorros and Filipinos are always hospitable by nature so it's really no big deal at least not for me.

Well, I leave you with a new video. It took me forever to try to get a good one to post. I must have done like 20 takes. I give you the results of the Botox procedure I had done. And hey, check it out, my eyebrows are landscaped. I feel human again. Refer back to the previous vlog for comparison of the before and after. I'm not a genius when it comes to doing videos, so excuse the mediocre production.

Botox...The Aftermath from Di Andres on Vimeo.

VLOG: Why I Botox

2009-06-08T22:49:00.000-07:00

Before you click on the video please note that I just came from work when I did the video. I look like crap and moo. This is my first vlog and take note that I'm a really shy person so this is a huge step for me. Sorry I don't look more glamorous and excuse the caterpillars above my eyes. I will get those babies landscaped soon so I won't scare the living beejeezus out of you, my internet friend.

Botox from Di Andres on Vimeo.

How Hell Felt

2009-06-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

Last week was hell week. Literally. Western WA had a heat advisory out. High of 90. Las Vegas is probably laughing at our sorry asses and our inability to cope with 90 degrees while that is considered bearable to them as opposed to 112 degrees. I would have appreciated the heat if say I was not at work, 20lbs lighter and at a lake. But no, I had to work right smack in the middle of a heat wave.

As if that was not hellage enough. The power in our building went off on Thursday which is my long day where I potentially work from 7:30 in the morning to 7 in the evening. I work in a medical building in Northgate. And unfortunately, because of the sweltering heat wave, our power couldn't level up a notch and had a mental breakdown. Great. Our entire building was powerless. And because our medical records are all electronic, we had to resort to old school paper charting. My hand writing sucks under pressure.

The morning was bearable since the reserved cool air from the AC was still omnipresent. But then our generator finally died down at noonish. Great. It was a sweat shop in there. Only the only sweats I was making was perspiration. It was very warm and humid. A lot of F-bombs were being dropped mostly from me. I felt like my Auntie Mercy going through her hot flashes and menopause. Did I mention that our uniform at work is black scrubs? The one thing that kept me sane was Twitter. Thank goodness for my trusty Blackberry and UberTwitter. I would have been forever lost and be in the psych ward of Harborview Hospital right now.

The power finally went completely out at about 530. At this point, I was the only one working with my doctor. All the other staff had gone home. I was beyond un-happy, irritable and was on the verge of injecting Lidocaine in my veins. I wanted this hell of a nightmare to be over.

I didn't make it out of work until close to 7pm and the power came back on at that point. Ironic isn't it? I went into my car greeted by a blast of hot warm air from being parked under the heat. I just wanted to have a generator breakdown myself. I swore that if the power wouldn't be back on Friday, I would veto going to work.

The cool down finally happened yesterday. My body sensed it. I was asleep until noon. The thing that woke me up was a lawnmower running. How rude. At noon on a Saturday? I know the lack of sunshine the other non-summer months in WA can bring on SAD but as a Washingtonian for the past 6 years, I really don't mind the gloom and rain and the occasional heat waves during the summer month. I am rethinking relocating to Las Vegas. But I believe the heat here versus Vegas is different. I can't deal with the humidity. It made for not so fun, too hot kangkang.

I think most of my co workers know that I Tweet. I really want to keep it on the down low because I vent about work alot and I would not only be the biatch at work but would be promoted to worst biatch status. But it is hard to really hide Tweeting when you pass by my computer and see this:

Continuously I am asked what Twitter is so I finally resorted to answering: "It's not for everybody" . Rude, I know. But then if I answer "It's constant updates between you and your friends" Then the questions and answers go on for another 10 minutes and I have patients to take care of. How do you explain Twitter to non-Tweeters? If you don't Tweet, what do you think Twitter is all about?

I wish I was much more consistent with blogging as soon as something happens but in between work and family life (okay and tweeting) I have to find that quiet time and make sure the brain is not suffering from fartage or writer's block. So I apologize if my posts are about things that's happened eons ago.

Tomorrow is my Mom's birthday. I owe her a phone call. She turns 61. That freaks me out for obvious reasons. I miss my Mom and I hope I can make it to the Philippines next year for a visit. I have not seen my Mom for 2 years now and I haven't seen my Dad since 2000. I'll make 2010 monumental and I will push to go home to the Motherland, Shon in tow. He is in desperate need of a culture shock in my own opinion. And he thinks I'm spoiled because I want the aircon (yes I know it is called AC) in the car on during the heat wave.

Today, Sunday is chill day. The house chores have been done and General Shon the Cleaning Nazi will be too tired to bark orders since he worked the whole day yesterday and had to get up early this morning to pick up our house guests from Seatac airport at 5:30. How is your Sunday coming along?

Love, Peace & Kangkang Grease,

Tweet Tweet

2009-06-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

I will never forget the first of June, twenty thousand and nine. I met 7 people who would have been complete strangers. But thanks to Twitter, they weren't complete strangers. Natalie, Alane, Wayland, Jamie, Lucy, Marie, and Holly are amongst the few people who I encounter on a daily basis from as early as 7am to the wee hours of the night and from inuendos only us can understand to rants to words of encouragement and wise cracks.

We met up at an oh so fanfuckingtastic restaurant called Mexico at the Pacific Place in downtown Seattle. I think as a group, we do NOT recommend that restaurant. It was awful. Jamie and I had mango slushies as opposed to mango margaritas. Then they ran out of mangoes. And since when did lime become strawberries? And when we say flour, we mean NOT corn tortillas. There was no Jack and Jill so why did the rest of our party have to wait for water as if it had to be fetched from up the hill? Food was mediocre. For compensation, some of our drinks were comped. I think they ALL should have been. We were served complimentary churros. I would have been on top of those, but loss of appetite and excitement meeting new friends got in the way.

I know that there may be some who are like: "what?! you met people from online?" or "how do you know that they're not a cult of psychos?" The honest truth is that, you establish a bond of trust with each other....well that and you meet in a public place where in the event you are in danger, you can run for it.

In any case, I had a fun time. Slushie margaritas and all.

Funglasses

2009-05-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

Shon and I decided to do a little bonfire in our backyard last Sunday. We weren't able to do the camping thing [which doesn't bum me out too much] over Memorial Day weekend, so the bonfire was just perfect. Initially, it was just Shon and I out in the backyard. Occasionally, neighborhood kids would zoom past us as they played hide and seek. So much for canoodling in the wild. Then our kids and two of the neighborhood kids joined us while I scrambled for things to roast: Marshmallows, hotdogs, paper, wood, rocks. The two boys were called home by their very VERY unfriendly chump of a stepfather. I mean this guy walks onto OUR property calling for his stepsons without even saying hello or anything. It was downright rude. After neighborhood kids went home, Shon and I were left with our kids arguing over blankets and trying to push each other off the blanket. It was the perfect bonfire. I could have not asked for more than this quality time I spent with Shon, the kids, our dog Tasi, and sure, the neighborhood kids.

I love little towns with those cute little antique shops that I go in to and walk out with nothing. Shon has a peeve about me going into every, single store. But every single time I get resistance, I always tell him "I want to just look". Be it a retro couch or a very, very, very old clock, it never fails to get an "ooh" or "aah" from me. I'm fascinated. Over the weekend, Shon took me to downtown Snohomish where we walked around and went into a few shops. One of the shops we went into was a very retro-ish gig. Retro everything!

I love old school juke boxes with the really old songs my parents listened to.

And for some reason, in these retro shops are the oddities that are Funglasses

I have a town in mine that I would love to visit next. La Conner. It is situated north of Marysville, a nice drive through Skagit Valley. La Conner is probably one of my favorite little towns next to Snohomish in Washington.

Tweet Tweet! I happen to come across such wonderful women and moms on Twitter. And I am glad to be able to "Tweetup" with them. I have never been sociable and I never tried to go out of my comfort zone. I'm glad the opportunity to meet these women came up. I can try to overcome my social anxiety. I come off as a snob but really, I'm just shy and internally hyperventillating and on a verge of a nervous breakdown.

I have two weddings to attend this summer. I told Shon that I needed two dresses for the two different occasions. Just like any typical man would say: "Why do you need two? just wear both of them. You won't see the same people at each wedding" Men, I tell you. I am not one to splurge on dresses. But I have an issue wearing the same dress within a 3 year time frame. I don't mean to be all diva-ish but I don't get invited to alot of fancy schmansy events. So when I do wear my fancy schmansy dresses, it's not hard to remember when exactly I wore it. Today, my sister bought me my first ever Little Black Dress. It's little and black alright and I love it. Now, I just need to say goodbye to my flabby arms.

I plan to re-birth a game I started on my blog a few months ago called "What The Lie". Well it's called "What The Lie" but really, the object of the game is to guess which one is actually the truth. There was some kind of confusion amongst the contestants in the beginning so I gotta iron it out a little. In the meantime, you can catch me on Twitter for my random musings and conversations with fellow Washingtonians, moms, Filipinos, and friends all around. So until next blog entry, I leave you with love, peace, and kangkang grease.

Shoes and Superstitions

2009-05-11T19:35:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, my lesbian co offspring and my wonderful co offspring in law had me over for dinner and presents. It felt like a Christmas noche buena.

You see, my sister in law, Sha works for the bombest department store Nordy's. Therefore, she is entitled to attend sample sales and happened to grab a few things for me. This makes my beloved sister in law da bomb dot com.

Me, Meg [my co-offspring], Brianna [Sha's daughter], and Sha my lovely sister in law.

Next to jeans and purses, my favorite accessories are shoes. And that is what Sha had sample sale shopped for me. Shoes I could never afford because they probably come in triple digit prices not counting the .99 that come after that actual price. She gave me two pairs of Michael Kors shoes and a pair of Guess shoes that one must have the guts and glory to wear somewhere aside from Aurora Ave.

There is a Filipino superstition that it is bad luck to give someone shoes because it is like you are "stepping all over" the other person. The only antidote to this curse is to "pay" the shoe giver for the shoes. And believe me a mere 25 cents will counteract this curse. In the midst of excitement, I forgot to "pay" Sha for my shoes. Until then, no other footwear can be added to the tab.

I grew up in a somewhat traditional Filipino family with alot of knowledge of cultures, values, and superstitions. There are some superstitions that scared the living beejeezus out of me if i didn't heed. I was frequently reminded that "you have nothing to lose" if you go with it. Here are some of the superstitions I grew up with and I actually follow some of them to this day.

When someone leaves the house while there are people at the dining table, those who are at the table must rotate their plate to ensure a safe journey for the leaver. I was 13 when my mom told me this. My Dad was leaving the house and my mom said "Iikot mo ang plato mo" [Turn your plate around] I thought to myself, how do I turn my plate around while there's food on it? My dad returned home safely that day.
Don't sleep with your feet pointing at the door. This was never clearly explained to me. My Dad was adamant that I don't sleep with my feet pointing at the door. I just think he didn't want me falling asleep elsewhere other than my bed. These days, I still hesitate to fall asleep where my feet are directly pointing at a door.
Don't sweep out the door, you lose your fortune.
Don't cut your nails or comb your hair at night. Again, this superstition was not clearly explained. My Dad would always reply "Basta. Wag mong gawin" [Just don't do it]. To this day, I don't cut my nails at night. But I do brush my hair. I just don't comb it.
Finally, this is the creepiest one. At night, when you throw something into the dark, pass an unfamiliar 'dark' place, or in a cemetary, you must pass with caution and say "bari bari apo" as 'respect' to unseen entities or spirits. Yeah, this creeped the living crap out of me when my Mom or Dad would sternly and alarmingly say "Mag bari bari kayo!" [Say bari bari!]

Some of you may think it's silly to believe or heed to these superstitions. But it's a culture thing for me. It doesn't make me anymore weird or neurotic than I already am. Did you have any superstitions that you grew up with and or still heed?

Hello, I Am

2009-05-05T18:10:00.000-07:00

I can never get to work in time for our 7AM meetings. I am always either 15 minutes late or just horribly late. And I always blame the same thing: Traffic.

During this morning's meeting, a new staff member was introduced. Then all of the sudden Dr Diva started introducing herself and had everyone do the same thing. I panicked. I am not great at "Hello, I Am....". Winning an extemporaneous speech in college does not warrant a guaranteed sensible on the spot monologue.

Since I have no cute toddlers to gush about and I am not 18 weeks pregnant nor do I have a plethora of outdoor activities to indulge in, this is what I said:

"I'm Dee [which by the way is my work name]. I've worked with Dr Rockstar for about 5 years. [and here chimes Dr Rockstar about how I was "rough around the edges" haha]. I am not pregnant [as I gesture to my stomach], I am just full and I love to eat. I have a 16 and 12 year old and I aged gracefully [referring to my stepkids. New staff member gawks at this and I quickly add they are my stepkids].

I have no skills in talking points. I ramble away senseless things my mind spits out. Like today, I had this uber gorgeous patient. Along with the sweating hands underneath my gloves, all I could talk about was the weather that is windstorm and rain. I think gorgeous people have that effect on me and I'm so stunned that nothing sensible comes out.

But I guess that IS me. Di. Discombabulated and random. Sarcastic and dry humor that syke people out and I laugh inside like the madwoman I sometimes am. But I think having a mind as discombabulated as mine, whatever random thing I spit out tells people a fact or two about me. Nonetheless, you still know something about me. Next time when I have to do a "hello i am...." I should probably direct them to my Twitter page or have them meet my lesbian sister. Now, if those are not interesting enough, they can always look at my credit score.

A Night Out

2009-04-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

It was probably from the mind numbing alcoholic drinks why I suffer from writer's block [or brain fart] even 2 days later. This is not my best writing.

Shon and I went to the Shark Club in Kirkland with the cousins on Friday night where some Pacific Islander bands were playing. This kind of weekend outing has been my "thing" recently as opposed to clubs with a massive crowd of sweaty and gyrating bodies, incoherent conversations, and Midori Sours drowned in Sprite costing 9 bucks. Although clubs were my scene say 6 years ago, I can't stand them anymore. Besides, my body doesn't gyrate "that" way anymore. Must be the aging process.

I love going out although we don't every weekend. This is substituted by "sessions" at either my house or at my BFF-Mali-Cousin in law Danielle's house. Mali by the way is a Chamorro definition of what you call the godmother of your child or the mother of your godchild. In Tagalog, the term is kumare.

Anyway, Friday night was great. It's still pretty cold at night here in WA but the weather was decent so we didn't have to hunker down in our winter coats or jackets. What I like about the Shark Club is that there is a good crowd but doesn't feel like it's crowded. If it were closer to where we live, I think I might just frequent that bar. Well, then maybe it is a good thing it isn't.

When a Pacific Islander band or two gather to perform, so do the rest of the brown people. The atmosphere is friendly, laid back and fun. Friday's performances were rendered by Napun Tasi and Koa'Kua. It's also great that Shon is friends with the promoters so we get first dibs on early bird tickets.

I also love to drink. Love it. I know that sounds bad but it's true. Two long island iced teas along with a chocolate cake shot concocted with some vodka and hazelnut liqueur put me in a good place as well as chemically anesthetizing my face. I was working on a "Panty Dropper" drink but that was quickly repo'd by Shon due to my state of faded-ness. I was demoted to H20. Numbness in face, I was still able to enjoy the company and the good music.

What weekend outing is not completed by the late night munchies? We headed to Jade Garden in the International District where we ordered a butt load of food enough to feed 10 people. There were only 5 in our group. Upon getting home, I popped in the miracle pills I call aspirin and voila! No hangover city for me thank you.

I love going out with cousins. We feed on each other's sarcasm and insults, humiliation and embarassment and laugh about it. We are as dysfunctional as it gets.

me w/ The Fiance, Danielle, and Mo
[a few members of our dysFUNk were MIA]

This coming Friday, we are planning to go see another island band called Ten Feet. It'll be closer to home so whoever the DD is [and not I!] won't have a long drive back. It should be a fun concert so that'll be my something to look forward to this week. YOU should come with!

The One Time I Will Pat Myself On The Back

2009-04-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

I don't normally like to blog about work because the second after my blog is posted, I'm sure the IT guy will be printing copies of my entries to use as leverage against me. But you know what? I can't hold this in anymore.

My commute to work is totally demented and impractical. But I have to say that I have dealt with it for as long as I have because I work for the most amazing dermatologist who is kind, down to earth, generous, and has my back. My loyalty to her began in 2004 when I was starting out as a Medical Assistant with her. Because of her I am where I am and because of her I'll be where she'll take me. She has a saying "You are only as good as your instruments" in reference to doing surgical procedures. If you're instruments are whack, so will your procedure. She's a GREAT doctor, teacher and leader which has in turn trained me to be the best that I am. I do a good damn job if I say so myself and I am great at what I do.

However, an opportunity for a job closer to my house arose. I went in for the interview and I was very well liked. Ok, it helped that my ex-cronies were employed there but with or without their recommendation, I'm sure I would have still been liked and considered. It was a pay cut but there were some negotiations that have been discussed.

I've been in an emotional and mental distress the past few days because I did not know how I would tell my doctor, who we'll call Dr. Rockstar because of her fashion taste and very funky [in a great way] personality. I finally talked to Dr. Rockstar yesterday and told her about the job interview. I've also mentioned to her the other issues at work that were bothering me although not the reasons why I was considering the change.

Long story short, Dr. Rockstar talked to the director of our clinic who we'll call Dr. Diva because she is fabulous like that. Both Rockstar and Diva agreed that they would work with me to better things in the clinic like tweeking my work schedule so I don't deal with an hour and a half traffic.

One issue that has been bothering me is our very good IT guy who we'll call Sir SnoopsAlot. I am one of his favorite targets because he is aware of my techie knowledge. He called me out when I attempted to make an appointment during my first two weeks at the clinic. Well sorrry for trying to make an appointment. As part of Sir SnoopsAlot's personal vendetta against me [for installing Firefox on my work computer], he turned and printed out my Tweets AND blocked my computer from Facebook access because of "security" issues. Well, if that was the case, then why wasn't Twitter blocked or Myspace [which BTW I ditched months ago]. This is an isolated issue because hello! There is Facebook access in the operating rooms. I'm sure Sir SnoopsAlot will hate me for having to reinstate my access to Facebook.

In my defense, and my doctors can vouch for me, in addition to being excellent at what I do, I'm reliable and efficient. I get my work done. I hate to leave at the end of the day with stuff in my inbox. I get my work done efficiently with accuracy. I can understand if I'm pushing work to the side just to Tweet, but I barely have time to be online most days because I'm hustling.

In any case, I have decided to stay with Rockstar and Diva. Rockstar has high goals for me in the near future and I'm very humbled to know that she and Diva both consider me as a great asset and a strong staff member.

I have decided to stay with my current practice. It cannot get any better than this when I know how valued I am and how high I'm thought of. Okay, and plus I get a raise. So Sir SnoopsAlot, in yo face!

Prize Winners

2009-04-13T21:11:00.000-07:00

Last month I posted a "game" on my blog and the winners of the contest were to receive a random gift from me. One of the winners, Giot, received his prize [he won Mardi Gras beads] as you can see.

Prize was the Mardi Gras beads. and he didn't even have to flash me.

However, my girl Marie, who lives in Las Vegas, did not get hers, no thanks to crappy ass USPS. We are both very bummed about this.

In any case, I'll have another round of this game sometime soon. I still need suggestions for the official name of the game.

Again, YAY to Giot and Marie! Marie, if you do get your prize in this lifetime, you owe me a picture!

Two Who Play the Game

2009-04-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

4 years ago, when Shon asked me to tell him something he didn't know about me it was easy for me to blurt out some random fact. Since we were still dating he didn't know jack about me.

These days, when he blurts out his infamous "tell me something i don't know about you" it literally takes me a few minutes to think of something he doesn't know about me yet. I love playing this little getting-to-know-you game with him.

I leave you with our first ever picture together in the summer of 2005,

as well as a random fact about us. Our first date was at Denny's on 4th Ave S in Seattle. It was midnight on a Sunday and no other place was open. It was not a booty call.

Lazing and Sleeping

2009-03-28T23:06:00.000-07:00

Today has just been one of those days where I have been entitled to do a whole bunch of nothing, including a glorious 2 hours afternoon nap. Work has been crazy the past few weeks so I am glad to have clocked in some zzz's today. I think naps are a luxury if you have passed the 8 year old mark in your life. This weekend is best described [in my own opinion] as orgasmic. Yes, it is THAT good.

I asked my Twitter friends if they prefer lazing on Saturday and Sunday. Some said they prefer lazing Monday through Friday, or just on Monday. Someone said Saturday the other Sunday. I prefer both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday because I am so tired from the work week and Sunday because I am mentally preparing myself for the new work week.

As much as I love to sleep, I have really bad insomnia. On one recent insomniac night, I found myself still awake at 430AM only to wake up at 9am. I felt jet lagged, just without the new destination. On work nights, I sleep no earlier than 1130pm at that. What do you do to fall asleep? I don't read before I sleep because that will only keep me up. When I was reading New Moon, I read from 9pm to 630 the following morning. I don't watch TV to fall asleep, I'll just keep flipping channels and God forbid I come across Planet Earth on the Discovery Channel because that actually will keep me up.

Because of my late night thanks to insomnia, my in laws have bought me Benadryl to help me fall asleep. It still sits unopened on my night stand. Then there's the whole counting sheep thing. I count sheep backwards from, I don't know, say 200 for example. By the time I get to the 195th sheep, it has either hit the fence and fallen down unconcious, or the sheep start talking to each other. So not only am I still awake but the fracking sheep are now baa-ing about in my mind then Little Bo Peep comes herding the sheep with Mary and her little lamb following behind. Then I lose my place counting sheep.

Shon doesn't have a problem falling asleep. In the middle of talking to him his response is snarffles of snores. Not even the neighbor driving into their fence will wake him up. However, my frantic "OH MY GOD! our neighbor ran into their fance" will. Of course that comes with matching adult shaking syndrome where I shake him out of sleep only for him to wake up with a bewildered "huh ? what happened?"

What ideas do you have for me to fall asleep at night especially during the work week ? I have to get up at least by 6am. I'd like to be in bed by 1030pm. Share your ideas with me. I'm happy to try what I can.

2 Winners !

2009-03-28T00:26:00.000-07:00

Thank you to those who played the game ! The winners are Giot and Ree !

The truth to "What the Lie" is actually the jet ski story. In 2000, an ex boyfriend and I decided to go jet skiing. It was my first time so I buddied up with him on his jet ski. He decided to show and pulled a 360 which caused him to lose control of the jet ski tipping us over to one side. I flew off the jet ski and because I was hanging on to him, he flew off with me. We landed on the water and I was pushed below the water and my back had hit coral. I was rushed to the ER of Guam Memorial Hospital and was discharged with no major injuries, just bruised and achy. I do suffer intermittent brain damage, but that is to be expected of me anyway.

So there you have it! Something random about me. Giot [ a very good family friend of ours] and Ree [my Twitter sister] will both receive something random from me via snail mail because bills are bull and solicitations are annoying.

I had alot of fun with this game and I hope that those who played will play again and those who didn't well, you're missing out on a hell of a good random surprise in the mail.

Actually, I was supposed to post a video announcing the winner but I have been trying to upload it since last night but Vimeo and Photobucket were not being cooperative. Bummage for me. So I am sorry for the delay in announcing the winners. Thank you again for playing if you did! Till next round. Speaking of which, I need to come up with a good name for "What the Lie". So send me your suggestments!

What The Lie?

2009-03-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Kirida's lies, here are mine. Only one of them is true. Which two are the lies? How transparent am I that makes me a bad liar ? In any case, here is a chance to get to know me just a tad bit. It'll be fun.

1 - My friends and I went to go watch RENT when it showed in Seattle. We ran into Bill Gates at the concessions of Paramount Theatre where RENT was showing.

2 - On a trip to Vancouver BC, Shon and I got lost in the city. We asked for directions. From hookers on Seymour Street. Shon was propositioned, we politely declined and went on our merry way.

3 - Whilst jet skiing in Guam, I flew off the jet ski and hit my back on some coral which then landed me in the ER. I was not wearing a life vest.

There is only one rule: Guess which one is the truth and I'll pick a winner and send you a random, usesless but surprise prize. I'll reveal the truth on Friday night, around 9:00 PDT. Or is this contest not even prize worthy?

If this is successful, then maybe I'll make it a regular thing [or something similar]. Plus you get to know more randomawesometies about me.

Party Blues

2009-03-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

I was hosting a Passion Party last night. I had sent out an Evite and about 20 ladies had RSVP'd. So I spent and prepared for the expected number. Sure, one or two guests had cancelled last minute. Out of the 20 ladies who had RSVP'd, only 5 showed up. I have enough appetizers and wine to host another get together. I was upset about the outcome. It's not even the fact that I wanted them to buy something. The passion party was just something to add fun to an all girls night in.

In any case, glad to say I have kids and a fiance that will gorge on an assortment of cheese, pita, hummus, brie, baloney rolls, deviled eggs, lumpia, toasted tuna sandwiches, and salmon Pâté. Unfortuantely, they won't wear the pink, sliver, and black beads I have bought for ladies to take home and my guys have torn down my pink streamers. I still have pink napkins and plates that I guess I can use when host the next UFC fight. And I suppose I can either stick the "Hello my name is ____" badges on our dog Tasi or hand them out to relatives when they come to my house for a party.

The turn out of this recent party does not impede me to host other parties or invite the same people I have invited. I love hosting parties and having guests over. But I just think it is rude when people just no show. You can fabricate the most ludicrous lie and I'll excuse that. But to RSVP and then no show without notice, well, that leaves me kind of bummed.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries... my attempt.

2009-03-20T22:59:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, I will be having a little get together here at my humble abode with a bunch of girlfriends. That being said, I'm preparing unpretentious appetizers and dessert. Well, I only have one type of dessert. In the event it fails, I had a back up plan which would be leche flan.

I have always loved the overrated chocolate covered strawberries. At the Tulalip Casino buffet, they used to have a chocolate covered strawberries made with Lindt chocolate and it was heavenly. And I plan to serve chocolate covered strawberries tomorrow. What girl wouldn't succumb to the chocolatey temptation?

A co worker of mine gave me her recipe for the dessert, but I lost it. Another friend of mine shared her technique with me so I was on my way to dessert fail. Or so I thought.

I bought a container of strawberries at Costco for about $8.99. And my, these berries were jumungous and plentiful. Costco certainly did not skimp on me. I also bought 2 packaged os Ghirardelli chocolate chips, $3 for each package as well as a $.68 cent bag of confectionary sugar [powdered sugar].

First, I washed the strawberries, drained, and lay them on a paper towel. In our household, we use industrial papertowels primarily used for construction but mind you, it's better than your average Bounty the super picker upper. I was instructed to ensure that the berries were dry before dunking them in the chocolate.

While the berries are laying to dry, I started on melting the chocolate chips. My friend said you can use this or the bar of baking chocolate.

I suggest using a medium sauce pan on low heat. My stove heat goes from 1 to 10. I initially set it to 4, then decreased to 2. I put in the first bag of the chocolate. When that was near melting, I added another bag. This is enough for the jumungous Costco container of strawberries. Melt the chocolate until it smoothens out. Like this:

Once I reached that smooth phase, a strawberry dunking I went.

So far so good on the first two ... so I proceeded until I had a platter full. I ended up with two platters. See, I told you the strawberries were jumungous. Safe to say, I think it'll be a hit. Or so I hope.

Neurotic Home Improvement

2009-03-18T22:47:00.000-07:00

I have a shopping problem amongst all the other problems I face. Today, I went to Wal Mart just for toiletries. I ended up buying nice and pretty curtains [panels, drapes, whatever you want to call it]. I came home and discovered that I am short a rod. Great. So I MacGyver'd the panel that was supposed to be in my office. I used thumbtacks [pushpins, tacks, whatever you want to call it]. Of course it looked baduy and just plain BAD. I knew I would not be able to sleep if my new curtain in my home office were being held up by fricking pushpins.

So, on our way out to drop the kids to my in laws, I told Shon that we NEEDED to go to Ross to get curtain rods. He surprisingly conceded with no effort of a response of "NOW?!?"

We went to Ross 30 minutes prior to closing. I hate speed shopping. But it turned out that it was an easy trip. I found my rods. And guess what? They are elegant for $9.99. This is why I love Ross when it comes to house things.

And so, this is what Shon was doing at 10pm
... and I love him more for this. I can sleep soundly now.

Memory Keeper

2009-03-14T00:04:00.000-07:00

I have great long term memory. The ability to remember events, people, places, and things up to over 2 decades ago. I am now 27. I remember as far as my sister being born in Guam and my first sighting of a brown tree snake that my Ninong [Filipino translation for Godfather] and my Dad caught outside Ninong's house in Dededo. I also remember pushing the beacon that is the red record button of the VCR amidst watching the recap of my sister's baptismal rites, therefore erasing a portion of the tape. I was a mere three year old going on four and already fiddling around with electronics.

I remember all of my teachers from pre-school to 6th grade when I was in Saipan - Ms. Indalecio, Mrs. Amog, Ms. Bruzeese, Mrs. Camacho, Ms. Tejada, Mrs. Fabian, Mrs. Martinez and Mrs. Borja. I could name most of my classmates in my 3rd grade class picture. I can tell you what I ate before our first choir performance at the Garapan Elementary School. I can tell you exactly the name of that boy who teased me incessantly about my new pair of glasses as soon as the new school year started in 5th grade.

Where I get the space in my puny brain to retain all this information, I don't know. My brain is already beyond capacity as an adult with so many things. Is there a possibility for brain upgrades? These days, I can't even remember what I ate last week. But I can tell you what I was wearing when I first met Shon...and that was almost 4 years ago.

These are the days of social networking where infamous Facebook or Myspace [may my account RIP] brings people from the past and present together and reunite. So how do I, in a non creepy stalker way, tell someone I have known since the late 80's that I pretty much grew up with them ? I hold back from reconnecting with a few people from the past because I don't want them all freaking out with my vivid memories of them. Of course, they can be polite and say "oh sorry i don't remember" and block all future access to them from me. Or they can be more polite and pretend to remember and be all "Oh em gee...yes I remember you.......(insert next few awkward moments here)". Am I just being paranoid?

Here's a good example. When I was with the ex boyfriend, I have met some people thru him. Either this is a small world or something, I came across one of the ex bf's friends at Shon's cousin's house one night of poker a year later. The same person and I are re-introduced. I, of course, have a pretty clear recollection of that person was. But it was like that person was meeting me for the first time. And believe me, I have hung out with that person in the past on more than one occasion. I must be either a forgettable face or I just have better memory. Either way, it was weird...on my part at least. Not that I expect people to remember every single soul they meet.

Friday Not So the 13th

2009-03-13T17:30:00.000-07:00

I'm glad I feel better than yesterday, which turned out to be the worst day of the 5 days I've been ill. Although another round of stay at home would have been nice today, I made it to work in sweats to hammer out my paperwork that was neatly stacked on my desk as if that were to welcome me warmly.

I had lunch with my sister at T&T Seafood Restaurant, my new favorite Chinese restaurant. Here, we had a conversation about her new pet raccoons [who we have typically named Bandit and Zorro] who share the food that my sister and her girlfriend, Sharon, put out for their other pet, a stray cat. Great. My sister is now in the "Scavanger Outreach Program". She describes her new found pets as "cute" and "awww" because one of them has a hole on its face that might have been caused by a pellet gun.

Today is Friday the 13th. Since March follows February in exact dates and days, Friday the 13th has been exhausted and is probably thinking "Like OMG. Friday the 13th is so February". I actually had nothing catastrophic happen. Yet. There are 3.5hrs more hours left in the day. Or did I just jinx myself?

Sick Ramblings

2009-03-11T21:38:00.000-07:00

Today is day 3 of my flu blues. Quite the inconvenience actually.

Times like this, I miss my Dad. See, when I was a kid, my Dad worked at his shop at home. My mom was a teacher. So my Dad was able to check up on me in the midst of his work. One time, I can vaguely remember my Dad taking me to that bakery next to Joeten in Garapan and he had bought me a big honkin' chocolate donut which I am sure I upchucked sometime that day.

I was sick alot so I knew his M.O.'s to help me get better. One thing he would do is pour rubbing alcohol in a basin of cold water. He'd take a wash cloth soak in the concoction and place it on my forehead. Then of course there is that infamous Vicks that he would apply on my back. I would play with our thermometer just to see if my fever would slight go up or down. Dad would cook arroz caldo and would literally spoon feed me ... even when I was 14 years old. Yup, I am Daddy's girl I suppose.

These days, I fend for myself. However, I have either forgotten or skipped on my Dad's "cures". I miss him dearly and I miss his TLC. Most of all, I miss the scent of Vicks and the rush to my beckonings just so that he can switch the channel because Pinwheel was over.

Being an adult free of all parental TLC sucks. I also miss his corney ass stories that always started as "a long long long long long time ago ... there was a long long long long truck ...."

Hopefully I feel better soon. I am seriously sick and tired of being sick and tired. The chamomile tea no longer has the charm. I am out of fricking tangerine/mandarins. My boxes of tissue seem to taunt the runny nose I have and I am tired of my nose sounding like a horn. It is one of those "wait and rest it out" kinda thing. Bleh.

My Real Life "The Notebook" Couple

2009-03-04T22:57:00.000-08:00

Mr. and Mrs. W are long time patients of mine since my days at VM. They are an elderly couple who've been around beyond World War 2.

They have become really fond of me since VM and I of them. Whenever they would visit the doctor I work with, I would personally take care of them during their visit.

In December last year, they told me that they wanted to take Shon and I out for dinner after they have returned from their vacation beach front home in OR. Finally, I saw them last week at clinic and we made plans to have dinner tonight.

We went to Bob's, a burger joint ala Red Robin located in Marysville. Shon and I met up with them at 7pm and surprisingly, Shon and I were not late as we would usually be.

Shon and I enjoyed listening to their stories from way back when. I love stories like that. History almost out of a book but with much more personality and life. There were alot of price comparisons. They bought their first car in 1950. It cost $1500. Gasoline was 21cents a gallon. Bread was 11cents. Interstate 5 didn't exist at one point. There were no car seats or seatbelts and corporal punishment was widely accepted and enforced as opposed to present time.

I was never close to my own grandparents. My maternal grandparents are long gone and my paternal grandparents have too many grandchildren who have grown up in the Philippines with them so I never had the opportunity to bond considering we lived abroad. This being said, I am actually quite excited that I have Mr. and Mrs. W to share stories from the past with me. And of course, I was bound to hear "you have it so easy these days" as expected.

Mr. and Mrs. W have been married for 63 years and it is just amazing how they are with each other. It is surprising that their humour is similar to that of Shon and mine. Mrs. W and I both hate to drive, and Mr. W did not remember Mrs. W's name when they first met just as Shon forgot mine when we first met. We each shared our stories on "how we met" and believe me, theirs was so much cooler than our "we met a party" story. They met during a church youth function. Mr. W had his date and Mrs. W had hers. The two couples were talking and Mr. W cracked a joke and Mrs. W was the only one who got the punchline. He had her at LOL if you will.

They are the epitome of "The Notebook" couple, aged but still so much in love. I can only hope that The Shon and I reach that mark in our relationship. Mr. W is somewhat recently disabled, but Mrs. W has been such a loving, patient, and supportive wife to him.

It was such a lovely dinner double date with Mr. and Mrs. W. They have invited Shon and I to visit their beach home in OR when summer rolls around. This definitely warrants a summer road trip to OR.

On a sidenote, I just got deja vu about blogging about this specific subject.

Hammer Time

2009-02-26T23:27:00.000-08:00

I have really vivid dreams. My subconscious never rests I suppose. Not only are my dreams lucid, they are sometimes [and call me "whack job"] a premonition.

There have been certain dreams [more like nightmares] that have turned themselves into reality. For an instance, a week before my father in law had a heart attack, I had a nightmare that my brother in law had a heart attack. Another nightmare I had involved a car accident and sure enough, Shon had two car accidents within two weeks. I hate the fact I have this type of clairvoyance. Coincidence or whack job?

However, there will be times that I think I'm dreaming, but then it's actually real. Just like that earthquake last month.

This morning at about 215 or so, I woke up to what sounded like pounding on a door. I seriously thought I was going to have a coronary. I shot up from bed and woke Shon up and told him to "go check downstairs NOW". Since we don't have an electronic security system, we rely on our Boxer, Tasi. However, Tasi was not reacting to anything and she normally would. But maybe she was deep in sleep. Hello, she snores.

Back to this morning, after waking him up to go check downstairs, Shon thinks it's a good idea to BOTH go check it out. I am armed with my Blackberry and he with his hammer than he keeps underneath the bed [apparently, a hammer is faster than a speeding bullet]

We both go downstairs and our creaking staircase hints this. Way to "surprise" an intruder. Shon checks my office, the kitchen, two of our closets, bathroom, and garage. Then he sees the front door which was unlocked. But the door knob and the dead bolt. Now who didn't do security check before heading to bed? Yes, that would be me. But then again, we rarely enter or exit through the front door. So, okay, that was my bad.

Of note, I am not religious or anything ... but what Shon said next creeped the beejeezus out of me. He says: "Maybe God woke us up to come downstairs so that we can see the front door is unlocked". At the first 4 words of that statement, I got goosebumps and rushed to the safety of Shon's arms and freaked out. I don't know what it was but what he said freaked me out beyond joke.

So what was it? Did I really hear something ? Or was it a rude nightmare? All I know is that it was terrifying enough to send me in to a tachyarrhythmia.

Lenten Musings

2009-02-25T20:08:00.000-08:00

I was born and raised Catholic. I still am a Catholic. Non practicing, however, these days. My parents, especially my Mother, are fervent Catholics. None of the creepy cult stuff. Just benign religious church going folk. That being said, for most of my academic life, I have attended private Catholic schools in Saipan and in the Philippines.

My first encounter with the sacrament of reconciliation, popularly known as confession, was at the tender age of 7 which was the rite of passage for First Holy Communion. Not to mention, confession was a pre requisite to receiving the Eucharist.

I didn’t mind going to confession. After all, after confessing that “I lied to my Daddy about washing the dishes” what more was a 7 year old capable of innocently sinning? These days, I don’t go to confession. The worldy world has shamelessly influenced me, the Catholic bred , to veto the sacrament of reconciliation.

In April 1993 (maybe 1992), my dad and I climbed Mt. Tapotchau in Saipan as a penance thing.It was an amazing trek for me at that age. I was tired, but I did not falter. I wanted to prove to my Dad that I could do it. That was one of the best times, one of the few times I’ve spent with my Dad. It was a Good Friday not to forget.

Fast forward 7 or 8 years. Another Good Friday experience with my Dad in the picture. We were on Guam this time in 2000. I had slept in on Good Friday since I was off from work. Dad has always been very “superstitious” and old school. He said that on Good Friday, we shouldn’t be going anywhere for there might be “something” lingering that might not have a good outcome. I didn’t object. At 18, I still heeded to Dad’s opinions.

In any case, a friend of mine had called me and asked me to go with her to Catholic churches to do the Stations of the Cross. Traditionally, my family and I do this on Friday night where we would kiss the feet of the Jesus statue in his casket. Morbid as it sounds, I enjoyed this Catholic tradtion.

I told my Dad that I would be heading out with my friend that Good Friday afternoon to go to around to churches. He objected and so did I. My friend and I were headed home at about 3pm [the hour Jesus died on the cross]. We were heading down a hill and she failed to stop at the stop sign. Cars coming from the side had right of way. Our car was t-boned and we had swerved to oncoming traffic. Thank goodness no other car struck us otherwise, I would be writing this blog from beyond.

I went home that afternoon and my Dad immediately asked me what had happened even though I didn’t call him after the accident. What was I supposed to say? Hello, I had to take a loaner car home. I told Dad that we got into an accident at 3pm and that is when he told me he had this bad “feeling” at that same exact time.

This Lenten season is no different from the past 9 years. The traditions and religion I have embraced until early adult hood has disappated, unfortunately. It’s hard for me to get back in to the groove of Catholicism. Or an ism for that matter.

The Shon and I

2009-02-21T00:05:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Mona for the suggestment of completing this meme.

What are your middle names?
I’m not putting our exact middle names because these days every credit application requires your mother’s maiden name. Both Shon and I have our mothers’ maiden names as our middle names.
However, there’s a catch 22 on this. My middle name may be my mother’s maiden name as written on my birth certificate. But in a decision I had made on my own, I had dropped the “C” in my name and replaced it with “J”. So whilst my birth certificate and other legal documents show “C” as my middle initial, in not so legal circumstances, it is “J” for “Jill”. My mom named me after Farrah Fawcett’s character in old school Charlie’s Angels. Jill is technically part of my first name. Are you confused yet? I am.

How long have you been together?
We met and started dating in 2005. We will be 4 years old in July. We got engaged on March 11, 2008.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Not too long. A month maybe. We met a housewarming in June and started dating in July. I was an un-willing guest of a guest and he was an unwilling guest. But I am glad that we both unwillingly attended the party.The hosts of that housewarming moved to another house last summer. They did not have another housewarming party.

Who asked whom out?
I did. That’s right, me.

How old are each of you?
I am 27. Shon is 37.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
I have one sister, Meg. She lives in Seattle. We see her as much as time permits. Shon's brothers live in Guam and California.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
This is such a tough question for me to answer and not because we have a lot of “situations”. I am trying to think of a certain situation that is most hard on us without having him look bad or making me look like the biatch. It is 10:14pm. Let’s see what time I get back to this question.
11:07pm – I am having such a hard time coming up with an answer for this specific question. Unfortunately, I still have not come up with a good answer.
I can tell you this much though, a situation becomes a hard one when both my and Shon’s stubbornness want to have a simultaneous show down against each other, when my YES means HELL YES and his NO means OH HELL NO.

Did you go to the same school?
Shon went to Harmon Loop Elem., Dededo Middle School, and John F. Kennedy High School. All are on Guam. I attended Mount Carmel School in Saipan from 1st to 6th grade (’87-’93). When my family moved to the Philippines, I went to Southernside Montessori School for my freshman, sophomore and half of junior year. I finished high school at Saint Rose Catholic School in Paniqui, Tarlac, where my mom was a teacher in the late 60’s early ‘70s.

Are you from the same home town?
A little bit. Shon was born and raised on Guam. He grew up in Dededo, Guam. I was also born on Guam.
I was [and still am] fortunate to have godparents who would have me visit them in Guam every summer or so. My godparents live in Dededo also.
What is interesting is that Shon lived on Mariposa S. My godparents had a house in Mariposa N. I had a child hood friend who lived on Mariposa N. Had I kicked the ball further than the house on the corner, my 8 year old self would have ran into 18 year old Shon.

Who is smarter?
Shon is definitely street smart. I could not survive the streets without him. When I say street smart, I’m not talking directionally either. That’s my department. He knows his stuff when it comes to cars and trucks, construction, and many other things practical.
I am the bookwork and nerd. While he watches Entertainment Tonight, I am watching the History Channel. I believe that there is a good balance between our levels of smartness. Besides, two smart alecs are just spending most of their time proving whose brain is bigger as opposed to whose heart is bigger.

Who is the most sensitive?
I would like to say that I am. But honestly, he is. Any little, sharp remark I make, sarcasm sensed or not is taken to a level of minimal but obvious pistivity.
When Shon says something that he thinks might irk me, I take it to a higher level of challenge.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
We both like sushi and dim sum. For sushi, we like either Blue C Sushi or Sushiland. For dim sum, we go to Sunya in International District.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
By car, we have been to Salem, OR. It was a surprise road trip. On my way home on a Friday afternoon, I realized it was my turn to do a “surprise” date. And of course I did not have anything planned. I had NOTHING. Then a thought crossed my mind. Wouldn’t it be awesome if I surprised him with an out of town rendezvous? I had to decide where to go 15 minutes away from my house. Should we make the 2 hour drive across the border to Canada? Or should we drive 5 hours to Salem, OR? We ended up in Salem, OR at 11pm that Friday night.
By plane, our furthest trip was to Las Vegas. We have been trying to make it a yearly Mecca but we unfortunately missed a trip to last year.

Who has the craziest exes?
I don’t have exes who were crazy about me. Shon on the other hand has quite the crazy and we'll call her Melissa.

Who has the worst temper?
I do. Impatience sparks the temper.

Who does the cooking?
If there is any cooking going on at all, that would be. In the 4 years that we have been together, I have seen Shon actually cook [okay, fry] no more than 5 times. If I am really in the mood, I whip up a good Filipino meal.

Who is the neat-freak?
That would definitely NOT be me. I take after my cluttered brain. If I leave something specific somewhere, I expect it to be in that same exact pile of a mess 3 weeks later. I may be a mess but I know exactly where I put something. Shon is not a neat freak per se. But he definitely does not like mess. Or my mess. I had to tell him to stop picking up after me.

Who is more stubborn?
Definitely Shon. There have been many “I TOLD YOU SO” instances that would have come out from my mouth. Had Shon listened to me when I said: “Remove your hat”, he would saved us an immigration interrogation at the frigging Canadian border during my birthday weekend.

Who hogs the bed?
I do. We have a queen sized bed. We each have our own blanket but most nights, we end up under one blanket, which mostly covers me. And every single night, we end up on side of the bed…Shon’s. With much room to spare on my side.

Who wakes up earlier?
Shon does. He wakes up at 5:10 am. He has an hour and a half commute to work and that is without traffic.I wake up at 530am. I have an hour commute. And that is with average traffic. An hour and half commute if traffic is bad. Otherwise, my drive would take 45 minutes at the most.

Where was your first date?
We were on the phone for 3 hours on a Sunday night. Jokingly I told Shon that I think he should come down and have a midnight meal with me. He took it seriously. I was living in downtown Seattle and he was living in Marysville. There was a good 45 miles between the two cities. He came down for a date at midnight at Denny’s which was the only restaurant we knew was open at that time. And no, there was no “booty” involved at that time. But thanks for thinking of asking.

Who is more jealous?
I was the queen of jealousy. But thanks to getting older but wiser, that is no longer the case. I would go into jealous psycho girlfriend frenzy at any unfamiliar female name in his cell phone or conversation or story about “prior” to us dating.

How long did it take to get serious?
Well, we started dating in July. I think it all became seriously serious in September.

Who eats more?
Definitely Shon but he watches what he eats and he goes to the gym a lot. I eat a lot of junk food and I don’t work out. Sex is my only work out.

Who does the laundry?
We try to take turns. When I start laundry on Sunday, it is still not completed on Wednesday. When Shon does the laundry, he sorts, washes, dries, folds, and puts away his clothes. He folds mine and I have to put mine away.

Who’s better with the computer?
This is my expertise. Shon recently signed up for Facebook. He has asked me about 5 times where is “Wall” is. I told him 6 times that if he clicks on his profile, that will bring up his Wall. I remember all of my 200 passwords including all 5 of his. I don’t freak out when I can’t get online, he does. He says the “internet is broken”. He does not understand my fixation on Linksys router and why I can’t go with the Netgear one which is 20 bucks cheaper.

Who drives when you are together?
I love going on car rides provided I am not the one driving. Shon tries to coerce me in to splitting driving shifts. We usually squabble over who gets to do the drive TO the destination as opposed to getting stuck driving home. I am a car sleeper if I am the passenger.
Shon drives more than I do if we go on long car rides. I have no patience for slow drivers in front of me and drivers who want to ride my XTerra's ass. Shon knows how to deal with those types of drivers. When we go on trips, Shon usually drives while I navigate. And again, this is where "I TOLD YOU SO" is often times heard.

Maintaining a relationship is hard. To be honest, this is the longest relationship I have ever allowed myself to be involved in. Shon may not be a man of many riches but he loves unconditionally. He is patient and kind...two things no lover has ever been to me.

My Hot Stripper Song

2009-02-17T21:28:00.001-08:00

My friend Wendi gave me a copy of the Twilight soundtrack. I was very skeptical about it. I got it from her on Saturday and only took a listen today.

Needless to say, it has become a favorite for my commute to and from work. The first track, Supermassive Black Hole by Muse is my favorite. It makes me feel like such a badass [ok, an ass] on the 40mph moving freeway. The song is played during the baseball scene. I think it makes for the ultimate hot stripper song too. Or a clique walking the highschool hallway while the nobodys' [me included] make way.

Cinema in My House

2009-02-15T23:07:00.000-08:00

Thanks to NetFlix, I have been watching films that I have passed up on at the movies. I do not like crowded theaters. I have a self diagnosed case of claustrophobia and irritanitis.

The last movie of the weekend is Evan Almighty [and yes i am that behind with movies] Now, I know I said that I have little faith in sequels. However, I enjoyed Evan much more than his predecessor, Bruce.

While Bruce depicts the role of the big G-O-D, Evan's story is based on Noah's Ark.

Watching Evan prompted me to point out which animals I would like to have. My list of animals I wish I could have include alpacas, lions, monkeys, sheep, and an elephant [I will settle for one elephant because of space constraints in my back yard]

My favorite scene in the movie is when Steve Carrell and John Goodman are in the office and there is an aquarium. While Steve is seated on the couch, the fish in the aquarium follow his every move from one end to the other. I am unable to embed the clip, but you can watch it here. It is hilarious. I could not even listen to the dialogue because I was fixated on the fish following Evan. I think that was the whole point of the scene for the audience. I give Evan Almighty 4 stars.

Movies that are on my NetFlix queue should be coming in this week which of course I won't be able to get to those until my Wednesday off or the weekend.

A new week begins. It is hell week for me. I won't explain. I'm sure you have these types of weeks every now and then. Mine happens once a month. Have a good week.

Cinema in My House ... and more.

2009-02-15T01:48:00.000-08:00

Within the past two days, I have managed to watch 5 movies. Okay, well maybe I watched 4 1/2 movies and "listened" to half. I do have a short attention span.

Mamma Mia [the movie]- I liked it. I did not love it. It was more of a movie for my mom I would think. Although, I dig Abba's Dancing Queen I can only handle so much musical turned movie. I am sure I would have appreciated it more on stage. However, since I have not yet caught Mamma Mia the musical on stage, I made do with the movie. What's her name Mean Girl chick was impressive in the movie. I doubt she did the singing part her character did. Pierce Brosnan should NOT sing. I felt awkward about it for some reason. I just had this image in my head the ex-007 should just play the ladies' man sans vocal awkwardness. Overall, movie was good. A nice twist. 3 stars.

Harold and Kumar:Escape from Guantanamo Bay - stupid humour. 'Nuff said. It is such guy humour. Normally, I can't tolerate movies like this, but I liked the first one. I don't believe in sequels. I have had false sense of great expectations for a part two of anything. Actually, H&K II was funny too. But the same premise of drugs, sex, and mishaps. 3 stars [because of stupid and mindless humour]

Taken [starring Liam Neeson] - This is the movie that I half watched, half listened to. It reminded me of Man on Fire starring Denzel Washington and overachiever Dakota Fanning. The violence is that of Man on Fire. But the story is swift. I don't like guessing games during movies. The movie was okay. 2 1/2 stars because of the familiarity of the plot.

Shiro's Head - An independant film produced and directed by Chamorros. Being that the movie was entirely filmed in Guam brought back memories of home for myself, Shon, and our cousins who have came to our house on Valentine's evening to kick back with us. This bilingual movie was actually pretty impressive. It showcased Chamorro legend/history and language. It starred Chamorros who's acting skills were far from mediocrity. Sure they are no Oscar winners [yet], it just makes me proud that Guam is slowly being known as more than a dot on the map or a land of brown tree snakes.
Shiro's Head can be quite confusing and just like "Taken", features visual violence. In my opinion, the movie is all about family, respect, and loyalty. If there is anything about Chamorro or Filipino families, "we got your back" is always taken to heart.
The production of the movie was nothing Hollywood. It was very genuine. I would watch it again and would totally recommend it.
They have won an award at the Las Vegas International Film Festival. I give this movie 4 stars.

Penelope [starring Christina Ricci] - I watched this movie On Demand. The trailers of the movie kept intriguing me but not convincing enough to go to the movies for.
Typical fairy tale story with a certain twist. Very Shrek-ish, but true love can't solve everything apparently. 3 stars.

It was quite a few days of tube time. To add to our Valentine's Day, Shon and I decided to ditch all traditions of the said holiday. I no longer believe in taking this day so seriously. Why, shouldn't love be shown the rest of the year ? [how cliche] But this is true. I have learned from the past to just drop all expectations so that the surprising little things matter most.

We decided to spend the day with our kids and our cousins. We drove about an hour north to Ferndale just to eat at Sonic that had just opened two days ago. Today was a good day. It was spent with people who we love. It can never get any better than that on Cupid's day.

The Little Koala

2009-02-11T23:10:00.000-08:00

Way back when in old school Nickelodeon, there were two koala shows that I loved: The Adventures of the Little Koala and Noozles. My 8 year old self believed that koalas would make good house pets. Never mind that eucalyptus trees don't grow on Saipan, I would just feed my koala tangan-tangan.

Shon was watching the news tonight and a segment on the Australia fires was featured. What really caught my attention was when the reporter stated that there were a lot of animals that had been claimed by the infernos. *tear* A firefighter had rescued a poor, little koala in the midst of smoke and it just broke my heart that this wee little creature was in the midst of peril. This story made me hug my Tasi so tight until she had wriggled herself free from my emotional embrace.

I can't watch the Animal Planet unless it was a dog show or if it didn't involve mistreated animals. While watching TV one day and during a PMS moment, the Sarah McLachlan ASPCA commercial made me cry.

Here is a video of Mr. Firefighter and the Little Koala.

Dear Myspace

2009-02-11T19:24:00.001-08:00

Dear Myspace ...

It has been a great 4 years of social networking under your wings. I have enjoyed every reconnection and new friendship made. I also enjoyed the drama for your mama that Myspace has brought upon me and those involved.
I will miss the incessant headline updates, the thousands of comments, my pre-blogger blogging, bulletins, surveys, comment graphics, Happy Birthday this, Happy Easter that, the customizing of my profile and then the development of Profile 2.0.
Myspace was fun while it lasted ... but I must say that it is so 2005.
Upon final deletion of the 5th Myspace account I have created, I have migrated to another social network that starts with an F and ends with a K. I also have joined the T_ _ _ _ _ R bandwagon. I am very happy with my relocation. But I will never forget the company of Myspace at 2 in the morning.
I leave you with my family and friends who have not yet made the move to FB or who are not yet Twittering. You are their comfort zone as was mine.
In closing, know that you have been a huge part of my online social life. But I must move on to simpler things and not have to worry about searching through countless layouts or graphics.

Sincerely,
Di

Technical Difficulties

2009-02-11T08:30:00.000-08:00

During the time that I went to highschool and 2years of undergrad in college in the Philippines, we were behind times as far as the world wide web was concerned. My first email address was created in June 1999.

I never formally received any computer training. I never even learned how to type correctly as far as what fingers go on which letters. The only fingers that correctly land on the assigned key are my thumbs for the space bar.

However, over the past 8 years, I have turned into this self learned geekazoid with a considerably decent knowledge in tech talk. Through trial and error and IT assistance from fellow geekazoids, I have been able to achieve that geek status.

One of the things I am most proud about is that I was able to set up my wireless network 2 years ago with little help. However, all fell apart two nights ago. I could not for the life of me troubleshoot this on my own. On Monday night, my network would not even broadcast. When it did, it would drop. I have reset the router countless times, unplugged, waited, plugged, turned on, restarted every thing to little improvement. Last night was the final moment. I have a Linksys router and I had tried desperately to resurrect the damn thing. I tried to upgrade the firmware which I am positive has led my router to draw its last breath....or byte. Although the Ethernet and Internet indicator lights were on, the indicators for power and WLAN were off. I have consulted with my family friend, Giot and Twitter friend Danh [who by the way stayed up 12mn his time to help me]

After all that has been said and done, we have come to the evident conclusion that my Linksys router has come to its final moment. This being said, I need to purchase a new router.

I am currently bumming a wireless connection from someone in our neighborhood. I am not a great fan of doing so especially if I have my own network. But well, desperate times call for desperate measures and network snagging.