The life of a Jamaican mama

Jo-leona Lewis and other junk

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:39:46 GMT

One time, in baseball camp, I was getting ready in morning. I had VH1 and Leona Lewis' Better in Time came up. Jo-Jo was standing next to the tv and the chorus came up:

Thought I couldn't live without you (OOO)
It's gonna hurt, but it heals too (TWO) (oh yeah)
It'll all get better in time (TINE)
Even though I really love you (OOO)
I'm gonna smile 'cause I deserve to (ooh ooh)
It'll all get better in time (TINE)

...the makings of a future singer. So now, when the song comes up I hear him humming and singing the end words to the best of his abilities. Awesome.
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Had a conference with Boobs' teacher. Her progress is very good. She said that she's doing really well. Most of the kids got a rate of 2 and she got alot of 3s. She is very meticulous with her drawings. Boobs is so meticulous, she tends to forget the concept of time. She must have gotten that me. I'm glad for now she's a happy camper. She loves to learn. Lately she's been going on a math binge: counting to a hundred and then backwards, adding numbers even in double digits, and counting 1-14 in Spanish.
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It's been quite a tough month for me (hence why I haven't written in so long) but I feel that things are coming to play. Being laid off RIGHT before Thanksgiving has been the icing on the cake, but now the cake is finished, I'm ready to eat that suckah. I am thankful for my health, my kids, the support of family and friends, EDD, a great thanksgiving holiday (even though we got into a bender-fender on the way back up, thank God it wasn't worse), and the little "signs" that let me know there is a light at the end of tunnel. December will be majorly hectic...but I know in the long run it will be better for me and the kids.

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:32:36 GMT

Friends for Life
Wow, I can't believe I've known these gals since I was 5 or 6!

Weekend Getaway to LA
Drove to LA for Boobs' party Sat nonstop. Yeh, scary but with 2 kids. Took me only about 5 hours (only because freeway stopped 3 exits away from my destination to clear up debri)

CEC Club
Part II of the Chuck E Cheese marathon was held in LA last week. In the morning ate breakfast and picked up cake from Porto's bakery. I love that place. Arrived ON TIME (a first) at 12noon. Guests were fashionable late (unlike Part I). Double the kids in a junk food high. Food and appetizers were ready before people started showing up. The organizer was great! As the kids showed up one by one, you can feel the amount of increasing energy. Friends I havent seen in a long time stopped by. Miss them much! Monrovia location was very clean and our table was allowed to stay around till 3:30. Unfortunately we stayed till 5pm.

Blast from Past 2
Later that evening I had some dinner with some high school classmates, girls I haven't seen for 15 years! It was great seeing them and catching up although one night was not enough. One of them lives in the Bahamas so you know my wheels are turning when I think 'vacation'.

'Things with Wings' Halloween 2008
Halloween was fun. In the morning, I was able to help out at Boob' kindergarten class. Unfortunately, I was the only parent to dress up. They had a little parade and a party after. Jo-Jo visited and was a firefigher by day (turned dragon by night). Ate lunch with Grandma and Grandpa. Rested until trick-or-treat time. I was able to get 30 min in before in started sprinkling, then headed to the mall but by that time the stores scrounged with stickers and coupons (damn you Gymboree!) Little man was scurd...until he realized that what they were giving out was candy. He held on to his favorite, a tootsie pop (with gum), until he attempted to open it and I snatched from him. Of course, he cried and we negotiated to a dum dum. The night ended with the Ghost Hunters marathon. His new word: candy.

Fall Cleaning
MIL, aunt, and cousin came by the house on Sunday to help me with the house. I didn't realize how excited they were to dig into my crap, yet found it refreshing (in a weird and funky way). I've been so exhausted that I find myself not wanting to do anything...and anything that I do gets covered up instantly when kids are involved. Yes, I'm thankful for my lucky stars for giving my temporary relief to my mind, body, and especially, soul. My fight is not over. I have a long way to go. So, part 2 and 3 anyone?

Where a Kid Can Be A Kid

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:02:17 GMT

The 3 Amiga Cousins

Weekend was filled with party after party. Had brunch with Crazy Iron Man Lady and hubby. Ran a little late for the actual party but didn't put a dent into the kids' fun capacity. Teenie-bopper workers were well organized and kicked us out on time for the next party-goers. All 10 remaining adults huddled into one table, amazing for a couple more hours. One aunt decided she wanted to go to my home to see Boobs open her gifts. Next I know, the other aunt was ordering food, cousins were bringing KFC, soft drinks and movies were being brought to the home. I didn't mind though. Just gave a reason to get my house cleaned in 15 minutes. We talked and watched movies till close to Cinderella time and I believe it was the first time family came to the home in the first place.

Boobs presents included: backpacks, clothes, $$$, easy oven, jewelry...that's all I remember.

Sunday, the kids and I attended a Pampered Chef party. Yes, more food and it was ho-dam delicioso. I bought a chopper thingy and a measuring duo cup for liquid/dry ingredients. MIL will be having a party next month and Lo became a consultant...AGAIN. Speaking of which, we are all consultants for one thing or another. It would be interesting to hold a "home fair" featuring all our products. Imagine the mental overload for the party-goers. Still would be interesting to see =)

Speaking of...I'm trying to find out a time in my calendar to hold a Workshop for my stuff. Gotta get down n dirty since I invested in a high-end photo scanner that scans 100s in an hour. Also gotta get back to my storybooking projects. My mom is going to the PI and I want her to give book of the kids for my grandma. I also want my mom to get some info about my grandma's life (not to say she's gonna croak anytime soon but why wait till it's too late). I can't wait what my mom find out about her mom...and maybe even my great-grandmother.

I also need to work on MIL's mom's book as well. It'll be great to have it in time for the holidays.

Ghosts and Goblins

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:38:07 GMT

I realized something about watching all these ghost/crypto shows. I have crushes on the "main guy". I don't know if it's the common fascination with the unknown or what, but yeh...these are mah boys. In no particular order:

1) Ryan Buell from Paranormal State. He's got that boyish pretty boy look (almost on the metro and other side of the spectrum). But he's still a youngin' but got a sexy voice. Dunno about the new earring he got though.

2) Josh Gates from Destination Truth. I'd marry this guy. He's sexy, an adventurer, a photographer...and has a great sense of humor. I could watch this show over and over again...even though he hardly finds anything (except that Yeti footprint). And he's close in my age.

3) Grant and Jason from Ghost Hunters. Dynamic duo, sexy in a non-physical way, haha! Just the average Joe but they've got great personalities. Plumbers by day *bow-chica-bow-bow*. Unfortunately they're married and have 8 kids between them. I wouldn't be able to break that apart.

4) Zak Bagan from Ghost Adventures (series premiers tonight on Travel Channel!). He's a hottie. I don't know much about him yet, kind of has that band boy look, but yeh...he's a hottie. =)

These shows are always on my TiVo, which I can't let go of. If you think I have funky taste in men, you're damn right!
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I have a Goblin story. Yesterday, while I was driving home from work , a car in the lane next to me mosied on my lane with no turn signal, NADA. So I'm like "what the F!" As usual, I can never find my horn as I hardly ever use it. And once I found it, I honked the "watch where you're going, A-hole". And THEN, I saw that HE WAS ON HIS CELL PHONE (not hands-free)....and all hell broke loose. I honked my LOUDEST LONGEST HOOOOONNNKKKKK ever and drove next to him and flicked him off. But of course, he was oblivious and kept on talking like I wasn't even there. Poor car after me behind him. He was probably going 25 mph on a 45mph. Well, the moral of the story was that he looked like an asian goblin. The end.
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I have a teenie ghost story. Two nights ago, I was sleeping with the kids when I heard the Microsoft computer music (the one where you first open your computer and it starts booting up). At first, I thought it was my imagination so I waited like a dumbo. A couple minutes later, I really heard it. I looked at the clock. Yep, 3:00ish am (dead time). I NEVER heard my computer do that before in the middle of the night so that's a first for me. I just turned around and buried my head in the covers...along with the kiddies.

I've had funk stuff happen in my house but they're very minor and I think it's just "someone or something" watching over us. Mostly just toys turning on for no reason or the computer singing songs. Go figure. Look how many ghost shows I've been watching.

Big Sis, Little Broder

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:42:28 GMT

I was going through some pics and came across this. Jo-Jo is actually smiling (aka actually showing his teeth). I love my cubs.

Seattle and Parties Galore

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:32:25 GMT

Last week I took the kiddies to Seattle. We arrived Wed evening (arrived 1/2 hour early) and drove to my cousin's house 45 min away in Everett.

Thurs we drove to some outlets, toured Boeing (my cousin's work) and the surrounding area and crossed Deception bridge. That evening we hit the rehearsal dinner and met with friends we haven't seen in a LONG time.

Fri met with the Neri family for lunch @ Thai Ginger in the mall, walked Pike's Place and as Boobs put it "saw the flying DEAD fish", paid homage to the first Starbucks, and munched on Red Mango. Stayed at Westin (got the hookup) and ordered room service. @ 50% off but with the service charge, 9.3% tax, and gratuity, it kind of shaved off the idea of "50% off". But it was convenient for me to order in with the kids. Got Salmon, crab cake, and chicken nuggets. Rain and cold sucked.

Sat started feeling sicky-pooh but took the kiddies to the Space Needle. Went back to the hotel where we got ready for my friend's wedding. Felt naucious but found out I wasn't alone. The last 2 tables at the rehearsal dinner started getting sick, one thing lead to another and by the end of the trip, 80 people got sick. Heard it was the norovirus...pretty scary. Seemed like it lasted about 24 hours. The wedding was beautiful. If only I didn't feel sick and Jo-Jo acting up I would have enjoyed it more. I tried to eat the dinner and could only grasp the beef. I had to leave a little early to get some snacks for the kids and some meds for the trip back home.

Sun we flew home, but not before Jo-Jo throwing a fit through the security line and in the plane before falling asleep. He woke up after we landed safely back in Oakland. The rest of the day vegged out.
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Mid-week, Boobs turned 5! Just celebrated with family. Had a hearty meal and some ice-cream cake. Bday party next week at ChuckECheese with friends and family.
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This past weekend, went to the park in Pleasant Hill to celebrate cousin's son's 1st bday. Carnitas, carne asada, sausage, tortilla, guacamole, lumpia, pancit, fondant cake, goodie bags, etc....YUM! Passed out in the afternoon and hung with the kiddies till kingdom come. Today, went to the Wui's baby shower for phase 2 of non-stop eats. It was good to see everyone and the kids had fun. Won a couple of prizes from the games...one I didn't expect...#7 on the gift list (according to legend, that person is supposed to be the next one pregnant). Golly gee, I wonder how that's supposed to happen! All in fun though, love the smell of the candles I got. Late afternoon, did a tiny bit of shopping and eyed the Concerto Punk Tokidoki print that just came out this month. I started my Xmas shopping already.
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I had a conversation with Crazy-Runner cousin about Boobs at the park on Sat. She was walking around aimlessly when he made a comment about her, mentioned that she was in her own world...he didn't know how to describe her. I mentioned "like a gypsy" (only because she likes to wear mis-matched baggy clothing). He responded with a description of her being "free-spirited" or "like a hippie". It was a moment I realized how much she has emerged to be her own person. And Crazy-Runner mentioned how she wasn't afraid to say what's on her mind, she just says it. I laughed... just kept looking at her in pride and smiled at what a beautiful thang she is. So far so good. ;)

HM "Reunion" Highlights

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 02:10:38 GMT

Came back from an overwhelming experience in Anaheim at the HM Reunion (aka Convention). Over 600 attended (from 400 2 years ago). My travel started on a sour note (missed my flight, ran out of gas, everyone in slow motion, overload at work..long story). It didn't boggle me. I was excited to see my fellow consultants and learn about the products and changes in the business. Plus it was around Disneyland, the happiest place on earth. For a moment I was. :)

First day was the "opening ceremonies". Rallies, cheers...hint of what was to come. It ended with the performance by Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband My picks: 1) the basist 2) the drummer.

Second day was guest speaker, Jerry O'Connor. His story is that he belongs to generations of undertakers. Great speaker. Couple of awards were presented. Attended afternoon workshops. Evening ended with the "Royal Ball".

Third day began with more workshops, lunch, and the closing ceremonies. Guest speaker that day was Karen Phelps. She was one awesome speaker and was HILARIOUS. Our president Doug Cloward blessed us with his presence. I commend him deeply for having the strength to fly there from Utah despite his chemo treatements. I didn't attend the Disney trip afterwards. Took off with the girls for some Boilng Crab in Garden Grove. It was well worth the 2 hour wait. Hung out at Dayzitta's house and on-and-off watched Sex in the City. I held out for as long as I could but fell asleep, then woke up, then fell asleep, then woke up. It was a long weekend.

Flew back on Sunday and spent time with the kiddies. Slept a little. The week starts again. Part 2 of Operation Chaos mid-week. The kiddies and I will be flying to Seattle for a wedding and some family time. Inbetween that I need to plan for Boobs' bday on 10/18...so mark ye calendar.

This week...

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:49:35 GMT

Chaq came up this weekend to help me clean. Picked her up around 10pm with the kiddies asleep. Stopped by Jack in the Crack for some munchies and talked till the wee hours in the morning. Morning comes we clean some of the downstairs, putting stuff in "stations". Headed off to Festival in the Glen, then to Target for a couple hours (got some hangers for 0.72 cents), and then to Macy's. Fate has a way of gleaming it's ugly head. We walk in and someone comes up to us with a 10-20% coupon only good for that day. I know I've got my gal pals interest in Tokidoki bags so we didn't think twice. Eco Mondo is the latest style and they had a good selection of them. Called Dayzitta and took pics of the bags of interest. In the end, Chaq and Dayzitta landed the same bag...the Graziosa. The same bag that I have as well :) Three amigas for life. Ever since college, we bought certain things in 3's: It started out with our bag pack minis, progressed to boots, then to Coach keychains, and now Tokidoki bags. After our lengthy shopping spree, headed back to bake the ultimate cookie....worth the wait.

Sunday, I lied on the sofa most of the day while the kids put the downstairs back in its place: messy.
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It's hard to keep up with Boob's homework. Luckily Grandma and Grandpa have been helping her.
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Boobs had her first hula class yesterday. There were only 7-8 girls in the class but watching them was entertaining. They always had ended up right next to each other even though the teacher kept telling them to spread out. Boobs and her cousin were holding hands. It was the cutest thing. The best part was when the teacher gave them poi balls for them to practice with and all hell broke loose. I had to cover myself to make sure that one wasn't flying to my face. Good thing it was stuffed with newspapers and not metal.

Today I leave for LA for the HM convention. I'm trying to remember what I need to bring. I know I'm going to forget something. Need to TiVo my shows. Will be MIA for the next couple days and then I come back home Sunday. Gonna miss the kids.

3-Week Recap

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:52:14 GMT

I'm laggin, but have 2 seconds to recap the last couple weeks:

Labor Day Weekend:
Went to LA to visit family and friends. Left after Boob's school (ate at Red Robins with the grandparents before leaving) and arrived early Friday evening to hang out with Chaquita n Dayzie for some Albiertos (the usual Albertos knockoff) and watched Definitely Maybe, a chick-flick. Mom was there to see the kids and then she was off to Vegas. Crazy mom, LOL. Saturday, hung with Joey n kin at Chuck E Cheese and then raced off the evening to hang out with the cousins @ Kabuki's. Sunday, didn't know what to do with myself (surprisingly) but was able to hang with my bro @ Boiling Crab (Lousiana style seafood) *double-yummy*. I can't wait for the San Jose location to open! Hung out with the Dayzie fam at Americana in Glendale that afternoon. It's another new outdoor shop area. I wish Bay Area had more of those. Met with Che and Joy for breakfast at Mimi's Cafe before heading off to the sunset (aka home). Got dissed again by Dot's Cupcakes. I couldn't find it on Saturday. Tried to return Sunday and found out it's closed on Sundays and Monday it was closed for Labor Day. I don't know how many times I tried looking for that place or thinking about looking for it. I should just have them mail me some.

Two weekends ago:
Friday hung out at the Wui residence for Rosary. Happy bday to the pseudo-twins (brothers, born same day exactly one year apart). It was nice to see the clubbers and the cubbies run around and cause mayhem. Had a belly-before-burst photo session Sat morning of my old roomie and family and looked for my friend's wedding gift (but found some other stuff). Oh yeh, I did 5 miles with Crazy-Running Guy cousin. It was my fault though. I thought I'd challenge myself with someome motivated enough to do the run with me, haha! I paid dearly for my actions. Back to my 3ish distance.

Last weekend:
Ran with the cousins in the morning. Spent the afternoon at Nordstrom Rack, Gap Outlet, Talbots Outlet in San Leandro, then headed to Emeryville for some Thai food at the Marketplace. Sunday, took the Bart to the City for some "exercise". Spent some time at the Saks counter getting a makeover (something I didn't anticipate but I had a "Mystery money" card and wanted to spend it. Had dinner at one of my favorite mall eateries, Catch Isle on the Bloomingdales side. Latest obssession: Tokidoki. Boobs would love me forever now.

This week/weekend:
Found out I'm a "runner-up" in my HM for the design template contest for the Creative Center. Yay! Worked to do some final fixes to the template chosen. Ninong LA comes for a visit on Wed. Ate Madfish, picked up the kiddies, and desserted on Blush. Watched Ghost Hunters and Destination Truth. Thurs: Fusion 3 hair appt, dinner at Matsu, and movie (The Women, another chick-flick). Today, picking up Chaq to rummage through my home and maybe through some shops as well.

Kids:
Now that Boobs is at school, I feel like I am as well. She has homework every night, which means, I do too! And of course I can't ignore Jo-Jo, so he's screaming or whining for attention while I try to help Boobs. She seems to enjoy it and adapted well to school life and making new friends. I am having "intellectual" conversations with her. She reads to me, counts to 100, writes, draws...she wants to learn which makes my life a little easier. She dresses up on her own and asks for my approval. Color coordination is "slightly" getting better. This is the part where I want her to regress to her baby days because right now it means I am slowly letting her go...one microsecond at a time. She's become her own little self.

Jo-Jo, what can I say? He's a mess. Literally, LOL. He is everything I can imagine in a boy: running all over the place, making a mess, no holds barred. The great thing about him is that I can calm him down with one flip of my finger and flaring nose and eyes (not attrative, I know). No screaming at him=less stress. He knows he's in the bad and gives me those teary eyes with one little "bah!". I pick him up and he puts his head on my shoulder...and for a moment he's calm. Just melts my heart. I just want to eat him right now cuz he's so cute. Latest words: apple, Bambi, book, it's dark, bits and pieces of counting 1-16 (steps on my stairs), more, ouch...and some other stuff.

Gotta love motherhood. They're my "happy ending" (as "Van Wilder" in Defintely Maybe says).

Pics to come when I get the chance.

Kindergarten Princess

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:11:39 GMT

I decided to do a mini photo Kindergarten shoot during the afternoon. Ran around like a crazed maniac for school supplies like everyone else. After a pitstop at home, continued to Walmart. Seemed like a prequel to Holiday Season (people shoving, mess galore). Then went to Office Depot, Golden Apple Learning Store, and then Kohls. Finished the shopping at Babies R Us. Toured the location her building so we won't look too stupid finding where she's supposed to be. First outfit is ready to go. Supplies and her backpack is 98% complete. If they need anything else they can contact me. I'm too pooped.

I have to let her go sometime :( All I ask is that she doesn't come back with a BF.

Fashionista Alert

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 21:48:10 GMT

Who says casts aren't cool? Little Man Jo-Jo is hot to trot! Sexy naman!

Yesterday took a tour of the bay. Of the 4 events going on I was only able to attend 2. Had I attended all of them, I would have started with 2 in San Jose, 1 in San Mateo, and 1 in Vallejo. And then I would have died. Being that the weather was gorgeous, traffic SUCKED in the City and Berkeley areas. I also took a couple of wrong turns because of construction-ridden areas.

This morning bought out my camera for a mini workout (see above) and then head to Office Max and Target for some school supplies for Boobs who will begin her first day *sniff* in Kindergarten. Won't be going to Dougherty (classes were filled), but to Fallon. I believe it's their first class there which is pretty exciting. Will probably take a tour this afternoon so she knows where she's going. Also need to go to Walmart for the remainder of the supplies. Target sold out on some stuff needed.

Yes, there is a God!

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:04:34 GMT

Super Crew...hell yeh! (I still miss my Fanny)

My Little Cripple

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 22:44:42 GMT

...and it's not a Halloween joke. Jo-Jo fell off the piano bench and "broke" (or fractured) a bone in his elbow. Not a great way to start your life with something broken. It seems Jo-Jo hasn't learned his lesson. He still climbs (or at least tries) whatever obstacle he has.

I was looking forward to seeing my family in LA but will need to be postponed till the dreaded Labor Day weekend. Monday he's supposed to get a cast. I already know what I want to draw on it. I was bummed so I dined on some Mad Fish and Blush, then took Boobs to watch B movie at the park.

Some pics from last week:

Boobs, "Pseudo-Sis" @ 1 month, and Jo-Jo

Future Mr. and Mrs.?

Whoa my Fanny

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:34:28 GMT

I'm still mourning the great Fanny Pak's ousting last week after a standing ovation from the judges. Even their last 2 sets were amazing. That show is such a conspiracy. I watched the final 2 and I'm just not excited. I voted for Super Crew cuz they have that hot mexican guy.

Damn those Texans.
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Last week I got to be a new mom while Deflowered was up here with her family. I know it sounds crazy, but I sure miss the whole burping, diaper, feeding, sleeping, and loving routine. Oh and that milk smell is just so heavenly. (New moms, sniff your babes while they're young and fresh. Before you know it, they'll be souring when they get into solids.) Boobs and Jo-Jo were so fascinated with the new babe in their home. I called her, their "pseudo sister".
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I've been on this running craze for the last 2 weeks straight. Been running (or walking). Also been slowly gathering a "running crew". This past weekend, we were able to get 5 people run. Ran about 3.8 miles (my most ever). On occassion I run with this crazy former football player of a cousin. I have to work twice as hard to keep up with his "trot-like" strides. He almost looks like he's just floating on water. I don't know why I allow such pain and then keep coming asking him for more but the hills by the kids' grandparents are a killer. "Midget" (think Happy Gilmore) and "size 8" sure does help me get through. Now if I can control my food intake. Mocha blast, Dr. Pepper....*yum*

Debating: Half marathon or 5K?
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Boobs will be starting Kindergarten next week. She's almost out of the house *sniff* She got a bump in the back her head while at the park. After 15 minutes of kawawa, she was out-n-about with her cousin. I love hearing her lecture me about stuff. And her negotiating skills have gotten better as well.

Jo-Jo is counting the stairs up to 16. It's still faint but I hear him mimicing the numbers. He also says "saw-we" after going on time out (like, 4 times on Sunday). He broke 2 glass flowers from Lola's house during a Fajita night. He's starting to have interest in the toilet. Training should be fun. Time to put plastisize the the walls and floors. This one is going to be messy.

Models

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:51:24 GMT

The latest addition to the family. My daughter, Dayzie (ok, she's borrowed). Visiting the Bay for a bit.

Boobs aka "Strike-A-Pose"

Jo-Jo (w/ new look) gearing up the baldo game plan in an "Abercombrie" pose.

Didn't do alot this weekend other than clean clean clean. Doesn't seem to make much of a dent. Oh well. My bud and her fam are here for the week. I work tomorrow and Wed but took Thurs and Fri to do miscellaneou stuff. I feel like taking some kind of sabatical aka no work for a month. Looking for job cuz work sucks right now.

Anyway, Jo-Jo is a gadget man. He was able to erase my friend's camera before she was able to save them to computer. That boy is pure genius. Boobs is such a big sister, bossing broder around (in a good way). So far so good. They get along and the sibling rivalry has been kept to a minimum.

Keyrayzie

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:01:38 GMT

I just watched America's Best Dance Crew last night. Let me tell ya...my Fanny Pak just KILLED! I must have voted for them like 40 times. I want to make sure they go to the final against Super Crew. Not to say that So Real wasn't good...I just find the other 2 more fascinating. Anyway, my 2 cents. Go Fanny pak!
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Went to Robster's bday party last night at Frank's (yes on a Thurs, but practical as it's busy on weekends, so be more stressed?) Boobs and Jo-Jo had a good time and were all over the place (as little kids should be). It was nice to see the Wui clan again.
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Jury duty...yuck. Not to say that I don't ever want to serve (ok, maybe I don't). But timing is all off. I'm glad I was able to be excused, but by a hair. Luckily, the j-o-b doesn't cover more than 3 days. Judge made a comment about having better benefits. That's not my call so I'm in the green.
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Ran with big scary football guy cousin on Wed. The route included a very steep hill. He nearly almost killed me. The crazy thing is it was his "off-day". I'm afraid to find out what his regular workouts are. So after the huffin-n-puffin, what do I do? I ask "hey, what are you going on Sat morning?" I must have been drunk with Monavie or just attracted to the abuse I've just taken. Nonetheless, I convince Yems to take the heat Sat and run with us. Hmm...I think we're starting a following.
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I'm disappointed with HM's compensation for template designers. With all the work I do, I get a measely 10%. Anyway, I'm turning in my stuff because the first 2 months might be crazy with sales. Plus I can put my name out there with 100k Premier account holders. I'm going to have to think about what I do with new templates. I'm probably going to go the route of the original art designer...I'd get more (just more time consuming)...or I can go another route (legal "black market" style).
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This weekend...clean and sterilize as much as possible. Got a baby visiting for the week and will be using the kid's crib. Got alot of clutter to de-clutter. Possible find some shopping time to relax. I've had a long week and wish I could use vacation for vacation. But life doesn't work that way, at least, not for now.
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Pics...they'll be comin'. I'm Miss Procrastinator, remember?

Randomness of last week

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 01:21:47 GMT

Ok...I thought this post went through when I wrote it but apparently not. It was in the save in a draft dimension. Anyway for your entertainment until I get my pics posted and random thoughts from this weekend. Procrastinating as usual.

This weekend was filled with activities galore. Spent the morning-afternoon shopping with the cousin. Headed to a list minute run to Chuck-E-Cheese for cousin (on the other side) for his son's bday. Luckily JoJo was partially out. But once he woke up it was over...as in he was all over the place. Stayed there for about 4 hours and I already felt the wind from the entire day.

But then, they told me they were going to watch Dark Knight. I haven't seen a movie for a while so I thought "what the hell". Took the kids back home to rest (actually, gave them both a bath so I was still running around) and got them ready for bed. Then I got "the call". Movie at 9:55pm. Yikes. Called the grandparents (special thanks, they really love their grandkids), who were hanging with the fam-clan. Rushed to drop them off and luckily I arrived at the same time as everyone else.

Movie Review:

I am notorious for sleeping in the middle of a movie...and I took a chance to watch one late at night despite my VERY long day. But let me just tell you...Dark Knight was SO GOOD, I was not only awake, but I couldn't sleep. WOOHOO! Would I go again and pay an additional $10+??? HELL YA! I'm not going to give away anything, but yes, Ledger deserves an Oscar, the movie deserves an Oscar, and the critics and audience raves right on the money. It definitely deserves to break records.

My Grade: A+ infinity (especially for keeping me on my toes the whole time)

My faith in good movies has been restored =) I

Stewie 8 Ball?

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:42:58 GMT

Saturday morning, I was entertaining Jo-Jo with my usual "funky tahitian chicken dance" in master while he was sitting on the bed. He was doing his occassional giggle and smirk as I danced around and sang my songless tune. He has this Stewie figure that makes these smarty-pant remarks. I've always felt that if Jo-Jo needed to say something, he'd press the button. And for some reason, the remark was mostly valid. Strange. He's done it many times in the car.

Anyway, I'm doing my do. And then I hear Stewie say "STOP MOCKING ME!". I turned around and saw Jo-Jo smirking. I couldn't help but burst out in laughter. And eventually, so did he. I wanted to run and smother him with hugs and kisses...but I just continued my chicken dance to keep him entertained.

Yeh, I'm the mom with funk. =)

Jabba's #1 Fan

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:19:41 GMT

Boobs has been a Jabba fan from the beginning. We watched ABDC First Season and had a blast. Now they're into their second season. Like most of America, it's hard to absorb the new groups. It's been especially hard for me to explain to Boobs that the reason Jabba is no longer competing is because they're already the champs and that they need to let the other groups have a chance. Of course, she still didn't get it and pouted all the way through the first couple episodes. Anyway, in honor of Jabba's #1 fan (see above).

I know the hardcores are gonna hit me on this but I LOVE Fanny Pak. You know gotta have guts to bring out the 80s the way they do. It's probably the artsy fartsy "different" or "unique"..ummmm "special" in me. =)

Super Cr3w seems to be the favorite. Gotta admit...they're good.

Anyway, pics to come from July 4th. Spent it with the Wii-fam. Also gotta post my latest templates. HM is creating a "marketplace" to house these templates. So, I'm trying to black market them before the 7/15 deadline.

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:05:30 GMT

Darn I just cleaned my car yesterday too:

Mom's Messiest Cars

I'm picking up the kids today. Hopefully they can do some damage so I can have a chance to win some prizes.

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Hectic
Left around 8:15ish and got to LA around 1:30. Had the urge for an Alberto run. Didn't sleep till about 3ish. Got up at 7 on Saturday to get ready for the 9:00 service.

Service
Over 300 people attended my friend's funeral. She was greatly admired and loved by many. The eulogy was given by her older brother. He mentioned that not once did she ever complain about her condition and took on everything with a smile. She was a great listener. She accomplished many things in her short life. Him and his brother found her journal in which she list 3 things for others to approach life:

1) Follow your calling
2) No regrets
3) Say those three words <I love you>

(He mentioned that in their family, "I love you" was never mentioned in the house till her condition worsened.) Many of us have been through life without those 3 words. And in this day and age it is important to let each other know. With my kids, I make sure I give them a family hug moment with "our song" and give each of the babies a kiss. Boobs always makes it a point to remind me. With my mom (and me and bro being all grow up), I get off the phone with her with a "lab you", something that we didn't share unless we got into an argument or an argument with my brother (mostly with my brother) when I was young.

When she got buried, everyone stayed. You can feel her mother's pain when she ran to her coffin to give her one last goodbye...although she was not ready to let her go.

The Girls watched and held each other as I was amazed how fast she was buried. When all was finished, my kids and my friend's kids flocked to the pile of flowers that lay on top of her. You could feel the innocence...no notion of what death is. In a sense there was some peace in watching them...curious, wondering what had just happened. I sat with them asking Auntie to watch over them and be their guradian angel.

She was buried alongside her grandmother and share the same stone.

I was late to the reception (dropping off Boobs to spend time with her cousin). I didn't get to say hi to alot of people...people that I haven't seen since probably the beginning of college. It was nice to be greeted with the word "cruise!", a multi-family trip we took when were in high school (including my friend's family).

Graduation Party
After the service I jet to my cousin's house for her graduation party. Again couldn't greet everyone because Jo-Jo woke up from his nap and was very grouchy. So, I was isolated for a bit and by the time he warmed up, I was blocked by more guests. Didn't get home till about 10:30ish. I pretty much crashed.

Porto's
Followed tradition and met up with the buds for brunch. I didn't get to eat alot but at least had my potato ball. I was more than happy.

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Scrounged last night to meet HM's deadline for the contest so I can win some free credit and put my name on there. Hopefull I'll win so much they'll ban me from any of the contests and just frickin hire me =) I kind of went past the deadline but it didn't hurt I guess to shove it back. No one would have noticed since they were all probably asleep.

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I wish I can say that I'll be on vacation to Hawaii or the Bahamas this weekend. Nah. Another weekend filled with either house chores, babysitting, shopping...but maybe the occassional....nothing

First Recital

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:30:17 GMT

I almost cried with joy. Boobs looked beautiful during her first performance. It didn't help that she danced to this song called Lullaby. Her teacher called them her "Lullaby Girls".

I double-booked myself with a cousin's kid's baptism. In the end the family was able to bounce back and forth between baptism, recital, and baptism reception.

I spent the weekend painting and shopping. It was hot.

This coming weekend I was go to LA with no plans in mind. As usual it got filled. Sat morning will be a funeral for my friend followed by the reception. That evening is my cousin's graduation party. What an odd combination, but oh well.

The last couple weeks have been surreal for me. I made a comment to my GF that it would be nice that if our friend was to go, her service would be at the weekend that I planned to come down. Low-and-behold...my prayers were answered. The story of that Day showed how much of truly amazing person she was. It felt that she waited for everyone to see her in her last days, including me, despite her pain. The day she left us her kidneys were failing. Her family was around her, except her mother. Once her mother arrived, the family decided to let her be. Her mom then whispered in her ear to "go to Him". And that moment...she passed.

Which brings me back to...(see pictures above). Cherish the moments you have. It is the reason for living.

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 04:20:04 GMT

Rest in peace, my friend. You are forever in my heart.

Alva Marie Argonza
June 18 2008

Mental Overload

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:37:13 GMT

I got back on Monday from a long weekend of situation after situation. I'm pooped. But after hanging with my girls for a sushi lunch and visiting my friend one last time to let her know Sunday that her Lakers won (unfortunately not the Championship, but she doesnt have to know), Derek Jeter is still single, and that I like Mexicans (there's a joke between the girls of how much she loved Mexicans...I thought I'd join in too) I've come to terms that when it's her time, it's her time. At least I got to see her and let her know I was there.

The great thing about the visit was that we were able to all come together. It felt as if I never left. I've known these gals since my youth and for the most part, things haven't not changed much between us. Chowing down on comfort food of 7-11 nachos, a burrito, chips, ice-cream, sinagang, adobo, palabok, cherries, strawberries, watermelon while jumping and screaming at the Lakers to keep Boston at bay (I'm sure many guys would have gotten turned on to that scenario) brought back so many memories. It's hard to imagine life without one of them.

Coming back to my personal life didn't make anything better...and then chatting with A about my friend's situation last night...well...*blah* He works at in the ICU she's at and has helped out a little as best he could. He knows her so he's not allowed to be assigned to her. He did let me know how grim the situation is from a medical perspective...but I know she's in the best care possible.

I'm going through so many life transitions at once...definitely need some TLC...but at least I can take a moment, look out the window to blue skies and green trees...and be grateful to a beautiful day thus far.

It's So Hard to Say Goodbye

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:00:17 GMT

Last night I got one of the harshest calls from one of my bestest friends: our dear friend may not last long and suggested I come down to see her. As mentioned before, she has been battling a rare form of breast cancer (the 1% most aggressive kind). There is no cure. Things look very grim. She is already on DNR ("do not resusitate") and it's possible she will be taken off life support soon. It is a moment where I have to pause my world of chaos for something which is more important. After a moment of grief and an acceptance of this reality I flew today to see her. I needed to do this, probably for the last time, and tell her I love her...while she is still alive.

I arrived at 1:35pm to meet up with some of the girls for lunch before heading to City of Hope. From there we met up with a couple more people. There were probably about 15 of us there. One of the hard moments was listening to her younger brother explaining her current situation. Although painful, I commend him for his courage to tell us. Groups of 2-3 were to visit her. My group (me, C, & J) was the first. J had a very hard time going into the room because she couldn't bear the condition she was in. I felt numb. I couldn't cry (maybe cause I did the night before). I guess I practiced the picture in my mind of what to expect. We stayed for about 5-10 minutes and let the others see her.

As we waited for the others, we shared fond memories of her. I didn't know she was the first coordinator of Cal State Fullerton's Friendship games. What an accomplishment being that the tournament is celebrating its 15 years. We brought back years of proms, debuts, partying...mentioning of things I didn't know about other people till now. I was sad to part. She is definitely a trooper and I will miss her.

I will be visiting her one last time tomorrow before I go home. When I do, I will be taking home a life lesson: be grateful what you have now, live life as if it was your last, because you don't know when it will be taken from you. Definitely, I will be doing some life evaluation. At least I can always count on family and friends for support and guidance through the toughest times.

*sigh* Life is way to short to be wallowing in stupid stuff.

DisneyMania

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 04:58:09 GMT

Let the memories begin...

I so lagged with the pics but hopefully worth the wait.