Thanksgiving Fun

Thanksgiving was really great at Judy’s, my sister-in-law’s place. It’s an hour drive and so Cindy (my other sister-in-law) rode with us. She brought her two dogs and we brought Jake too. It was kind of full in the car with doggie. Then, Judy’s kids have two other dogs and it became a doggie party. There was even a scene, Jake got into a fight with another boxer.

Overall, it was all so great. Judy is really such a nice and sincere lady. They have lived in the same house all throughout their marriage. So amazing to me! We even watched a video or a compilation of family pictures and adventures of them. It’s my second Thanksgving and maybe last at Judy’s since B has decided to start a new tradition. I think the tradition is such a great opportunity for families to gather and have dinner together. I mean, a special holiday for everyone to celebrate at the same time makes it more extraordinary.

Wordless Wednesday "Happy Thanksgiving"

I asked my husband what are the 5 things that he’s thankful about. Here’s his answer:
1. Happy Family
2. Financial Success
3. Happiness
4. Great Health
5. Great Weather (‘twas raining when I asked him the q & we just badly need rain)

Well, those were great answers! Here is mine:
1. Great Health
2. Happy Married Life
3. Serenity
4. My family in the Philippines is in good health.
5. I love my job.

There are a lot of things that I’m so grateful about and I make sure I do that everyday. To remind myself how small I am and how a simple prayer of gratitude to my Creator can make Him happy. And I will always be His humble servant:) Happy Thanksgiving!

Things I'm Grateful For!

I asked my husband what are the 5 things that he’s thankful about. Here’s his answer:
1. Happy Family
2. Financial Success
3. Happiness
4. Great Health
5. Great Weather (‘twas raining when I asked him the q & we just badly need rain)

Well, those were great answers! Here is mine:
1. Great Health
2. Happy Married Life
3. Serenity
4. My family in the Philippines is in good health.
5. I love my job.

There are a lot of things that I’m so grateful about and I make sure I do that everyday. To remind myself how small I am and how a simple prayer of gratitude to my Creator can make Him happy. And I will always be His humble servant:) Happy Thanksgiving!

Blooper

I have to come home from the office to open the doors for the furniture guys. After 6 weeks of waiting for the custom-made dining set, finally it arrived just a day before Thanksgiving. Well, we’re not hosting a party anyway. When I arrived home, the truck driver was taking a nap; I thought they’re about 30 minutes away. Anyway, they brought the chairs inside and finally the table. But the table is heavy that the bigger guy fell on his butt, he missed a step on the porch. The good thing though was that the table was sitting on his lap. I pretended not to see. I know it’s embarrassing to him. He kept explaining to me what happened and I didn’t seem to care It’s not comical that he was knocked down but it was funny that he became defensive. Oh well, the table and the chairs really looked good!

The Cowboy Story

I was sorting through my mailbox and found this letter from Jim (now my husband). It was kind of funny that I thought of sharing the story he narrated. It’s been over 4 years of knowing each other and so far, nothing has changed. We remained great friends and great lovers, lol! It’s one of those few emails we have exchanged on the early stage of friendship. So, here’s the story…

I forgot to tell you something that happened that reminded me of you and I.

When I was in the airport going to Chicago I saw a man that really stood out in the crowd. He was about 75 and dressed like an authentic cowboy. He had a cowboy hat, big cowboy belt, boots and cowboy shirt. You can tell a real cowboy when his name is carved in his leather belt, haha. Everyone else was dressed in street clothes so he was quite noticable.

It just happened that he sat next to me in the flight. Turned out that he lives in Iowa and raised horses for a living and was a retired rodeo clown.

The part that reminded me was he said that when he was young he lived in a tiny town, far in the country and tiny population. He said there were only 2 pretty girls in town and they were twin sisters. So, he married one and his brother married the other one. Funny, huh?

I asked him who got the prettiest sister and he said "We both did. They're twins and after 52 years still the prettiest girls in town".

Anyway, that was kind of a nothing story but I thought it cute. Chat with you tomorrow.

Christmas Fun!

Rick, my husband’s best friend always invites us for parties at their house. They have a very close neighborhood relationship. Two weeks before Christmas, the entire neighborhood is lighted up from roof to front and back yards. It’s really lively and delightful-looking streets! One of the neighbors should host a party and its funny coz we’re always invited. As if we’re part of the neighborhood, lol! But it’s really nice and I’ve met some friends there. We even joined their exchanging gifts which has different theme every year. Last year, it was all so cheap gifts that should be something different and unique. One lady got a pair of undies but XXL size, haha! They have parlor games too. It’s really fun party! I’m looking forward to another early Christmas party this first week of December.

Better Than Nothing

My brother-in-law, Bob manages the building of their Mom. It has become a Family Partnership now and each kid gets its share every month. It’s been a rough and slow year on real state business that there are quiet a few empty offices. One of the tenants can’t pay the rent and so he made a deal. Since the tenant sells women’s clothing, all the kids should buy something that would at least pay the rent and they’ll get 25% discount, tax-free. My husband was asking me if there’s something I would like. Aha, he shouldn’t be asking me that, lol! I’m such a shoe fetish, hahaha! Here’s some of what he got:

Well, it looked like a great deal and reasonable prices.

Baby T

This picture has been passed around the family circle. Trevor, Drew’s friend offered to buy him a shirt if he promised to wear it. They were in Lake Tahoe on the weekend for a bachelor’s party. And guess what he bought him? Looks like it may be time for Drew’s intervention…hahaha!

Hmmm, looked like a gay, hahaha!

A Star Full of Memories

In the Philippines at Christmastime, these bright lanterns, called parols, fill the streets, their shape echoing the star of Bethlehem.

I remembered when we were in grade school; our teacher would require us to bring a lantern to decorate our classroom. It’s a graded project sort of and so it’s a compulsory thing to present. My parents have too many kids in school at the same time that my Mom had to come up with a great idea of saving money. Actually, we don’t have enough money to spend on those fancy lanterns. So, my Mom just uses some cheap crepe papers and bamboos to make a five-pointed star. It’s quiet simple and very indigenous project. When deadline comes, most of my classmates have these big, bright colored-lanterns while I just got a cheap-looking one. You know, it’s practical for me just for the sake of not getting a bad grade. Our parents used to comfort us (kids) by telling we have the best lantern in school, lol! Well, as you know when you’re a kid, you’re embarrassed when you feel like you don’t belong in the group. I mean, my project is different or not as grand as other classmates.

But as time goes by, it became a family tradition that keeps us together on weekends before Christmas. We love doing all those extra little work of cutting the papers and sticking in the glue.

As I grow older, I have more understanding and appreciation of my parent’s efforts. Those memories of making lanterns had just kept me humbled and rooted with my family. After all, Christmas most importantly is all about sharing the simple joys with one another.

Being and Burden

I was at the market yesterday and in front of me was this skinny, older man. He bought a pack of mac&cheese at the Deli and asked for fork from the sales lady. Then, he was in front of me again at the cashier and grabbed a bottle of coke from the refrigerator. He looked so strange and I thought maybe I’ll just pay for his foods. But it might be insulting for him. I felt like my heart’s going to melt. I was expecting that maybe he will pay it with food stamp but no, he paid cash. Geeez, I felt so bad after that. I told my husband about the incident and he described him to me. He said, he felt bad too when he saw him once in the same market buying a piece of tomato, banana, carrot, etc. Then, he dropped a 20-dollar bill and pretended that it came from the guy’s pocket and gave it to him. Well, I don’t have any idea how he got into that situation but I sure hope life would be easier for him.

Pennies Everywhere But Not a Cent to Spend

My husband showed this coin he had bought from eBay. He was all so excited about it and so thrilled to put that coin on his collections. When I asked him how much it costs- he just said its 900 bucks, yikes! It’s evidently not my thing at all but I get all so excited too when he wins good coins on eBay.

He had this book where he put all his coins. It’s very organized and I believe it’s worth more than a hundred grand. I don’t blame him when he gets so apprehensive about it when we leave the house and go on a vacation. It’s his investment and great hobby. Well, it’s his happiness and he earns his money and so he deserves it.

Keep Walking

For the first time after a year of not doing so much of an exercise; we decided to go for a walk. It’s an hour of medium to fast-paced walk around the neighborhood- down the hill and walking back up. It used to be fine the last year but lately, it wasn’t. My husband and I both have a backache after that. It was kind of strange since we’ve been doing it every night last year.

Well, it’s worth trying once again. I just wanna be as supportive as I can for my husband. He’s been stressing out on gaining weight. At least now, he’s on the right track. He finally figured out the best plan. So far, it’s been working for him which is great!

Shedding Extra Pounds

Looking at some of my old pictures (I mean from last year’s Christmas vacation), it made me pause for a while. I remembered how disciplined I was with my diet. My husband can’t help teasing me about being a calorie-guru, hahaha! As a matter of fact, I went down to 99 lbs. from 106 lbs. Yeah, I know it’s not that much but that’s just hardest part of losing weight, I guess. It took me 2 months to finally shed those extra lbs. But then after a number of vacations during summer, I was back to 106 lbs, grrrr. The nice thing though is I already know when and how to start. So far, I’ve lost 3 lbs but I want to go back to 99 lbs. Although I still wish to be as lean as 92 but its quiet impossible now. Other than to feel good, I want to be as healthy as I can be. It’s a little different now that I’m getting older, I think. Well, I just take it one day at a time.

Photo Hunt "Reflection"

I really love the reflection of the lights in the water. Ah, the singing fountain of Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas. Photo was taken last July 4th. Happy photo hunting everyone:)

I'm Happy it's Friday!

Thank God, it’s Friday! It’s been a long week for me, having to wake up early. B is in Chicago for big meetings and my husband had been so busy for his new product. I felt bad for my friends; I was not able to go out for lunch date. I missed their birthdays. Well, I can make it up next week.

I have been taking our dog, Jake to the new office. He’s kind of scary-looking for the mailman. The other guy, who looked Japanese, was terrified a little bit of him. The next day, he was kind of talking to him and he was smiling. Today, I’m just so bummed of the lady, I think she’s Persian. She definitely was scared of him and was shouting at me to lock the door when she arrives next time. What a b-ssy little, fella, lol! I don’t blame her though. I was frantically scared of Jake the first time I saw him. Oh well, the UPS and FedEx guys are not scared of him at all. They just go right inside the door and Jake will just keep jumping at them and give some lovin’ lick, hahaha! He’s kind of slobbery but they don’t seem to care.

Okay, enough of that. I'll just go and list our old telephones on my eBay store and make some money, lol! Happy weekend!

Living and Sharing

The Gospel last Sunday was really nice. It’s all about a story of 3 servants who were given equal talents by their Master before he takes off. When he came back, 2 servants had doubled the talents the Master had given while the last one just gave the Master back the original talent. Out of fear, he just buried it while the other two had generously shared it to others and doubled in return. It was really fascinating parable.

I always believed we are all created uniquely to function in this world. We all have to participate in the celebration called Life. Our days will be measured on what we built, what we have given and not on what we got.

As what Thomas Merton said on his book “Choosing to Love the World”:
Only when we see ourselves in our true human context, as members of a race which is intended to be one organism and "one body," will we begin to understand the positive importance not only of the successes but of the failures and accidents in our lives. My successes are not my own. The way to them was prepared by others. The fruit of my labors is not my own: for I am preparing the way for the achievements of another. Nor are my failures my own. They may spring from the failure of another, but they are also compensated for by another's achievement. Therefore the meaning of my life is not to be looked for merely in the sum total of my achievements. It is seen only in the complete integration of my achievements and failures with the achievements and failures of my own generation, and society, and time. It is seen, above all, in my own integration in Christ.

What's For Dinner?

At the end of every busy day, the question was always the same: "What's for dinner?" Dinner? I used to be running out of meal ideas since I don’t know any American food. It used to be a problem before. Then, I research some recipes on the Internet and watch some cooking show. I have learned some techniques and great recipes. Jim loved Italian food and so I always have to stock some canned tomatoes. Sometimes I cook it right, sometimes not that good. He told me I’m such a Scientist in the kitchen, lol!

After too much complaining that he’s gaining weight, he decided to go on a diet. Now, I don’t worry much of what to cook for dinner. How about grilled chicken? Yum! Well, that’s all he’s been eating and I’ve been cooking for the past 2 months, haha! We go out for dinner twice a week though. Ah, spoiled wifey:)

Not-So Wordless Wednesday

So, have you found your turkey yet? I decided not to cook for Thanksgiving. Well, I never tried cooking a whole turkey though. We don’t have that same tradition but I would be willing to try- hmmm, maybe in 5 years, LOL! We will be spending the Thanksgiving at my sister-in-law’s place in LA together with some other guests and familes. There’s one guest that’s so fascinating and I’m curious to see again. Why? Because she dress up like Tina Arena and she sings really good. She said she was an Entertainer on her younger days, I can’t elaborate coz I didn’t ask, hahaha! She jokes a lot and laughs so loud:)Well, looks President Bush had found his turkey already...

Hang In There!

Hang in there! Yes, that’s what I always remind myself every time I go to the Dentist. I can’t believe I have put up at least 4 shots every two weeks of visit. Since they started working on my bridge, I have to visit the Dentist every two weeks. Whew! I have been wearing the invisalign since September of last year. I have to admit, it was a lot of work. Jim already asked me if I would want my teeth be fixed. I was fine with the idea but freaked out when I asked how much would it cost him. He said, around 15 grand. What? I don’t think I would spend that much money on teeth but he said he’s willing to pay. I was silent for a moment. Then, I got more worried about the pain and all that. Of course, the Dentist would say- it’s not that painful, right? At first, it was all so easy. However, when they take out the old bridge- that’s where I had pains. So, okay…hang in there! I believe, I survived, LOL! It will all be done in 2 weeks, can’t wait!

The Secret of a Happy Marriage

I already heard a lot of different stories about marriage when I was a little kid. I can hear a group of wives in the neighborhood talking about their husbands. Most of them wouldn’t admit that they love their husbands. They just keep saying that it was their husband who loves them the most and that because of his persistence; he was able to win her heart. Ah, a common line. I could almost hear a lot of bitterness when they encounter financial problems. On the other hand, on a group of classy and rich wives, you would hear different stories. That they love their family the most and money can be replaced but not the husband. Apparently, they’re insecure not because they don’t have enough money but because they have enough to spend and for the husband to have affairs outside marriage. Ugh, life is hard.

When I got married, I have the outset that it’s not going to be easy. It will always be a work in progress. Boy, I didn’t know it was a lot of work, lol! Most of it though is all about battling with my false pride, grrrr.... Then, I asked my husband- what does it mean to be happily married? He replied its 95% happiness and 5% unhappiness. When we have arguments, he just tells me- we’re in it together. Well, I was just so silly of seeking perfection in a relationship and how uncomfortable it is to have fights. We normally get over it quick and we kind of joke about it afterwards.

Anyway, a friend sent this story through email and thought of sharing it here:
A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside.

She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000.

He asked her about the contents. "When we were to be married," She said, "my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll."

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him twice in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

But what about all the money? Where did it come from?" Oh," she said, "That's the money I made from selling the dolls."

Finally, We're Back from a Long, Fun Day

On our way home from the drag racing show, there were announcements at the exit gate about the brush fire. Three major freeways going back to Orange County were closed and we were worried of Jake at home. We switched to radio stations and were wondering what Freeway to go. We just heard most freeways were closed due zero visibility and so some accidents happened along the way. Whew! We were just so lucky to have passed the road before it got very serious. An estimated over a thousand homes was lost. Oh, traffic jam seemed so endless and smelled like cooking everywhere :( I think it’s really bad to lose a house now that Christmas is coming. I felt sad for those who were affected.

It took us 2 hours just to get to the road that crosses the mountains. We toured around Lake Elsinore and we just wished we drove with the bike instead :( Apparently, all people are heading the same way. What seemed to be the isolated and kind of hunted road to drive especially at night time was all of a sudden so bright like Christmas lights.

(Lake Elsinore at night)

Finally, we’re home and so happy that Jake didn’t pee on the carpet. He’s so good at holding it for a long time. He’s such a good doggie.

One Long Saturday Part 2

It’s actually a nice Saturday except the brush fire incident. There were different crowds on the Fairplex and it was so exciting coz it’s my first time to watch drag racing live. It was so hot and humid and I was wearing boots, yikes! Well, there were lots of fascinating, funny race cars and sure it’s so loud!

We were watching these guys taking care of the car for the next race. They were doing some tests and boy, it was really loud and I can't believe I got a fuel burn! Tears came out from my eyes and nose, hahaha! I can’t almost breathe. Geee…..

I really liked the show and I was even betting on some racers just for fun! It's not as bad or extreme sports as I thought it would be. I've seen some big names on car racing sports and they looked so cool, lol! Well, here are some of the pictures I’ve taken. Oh, did I tell you that I was finally relieved when my husband bought me a flip flop? I thought it’s winter already, lol!

(amazing to shoot a car that's traveling 290mi/hr)

Some Glitches

I have said this before and I’ll say it again that I have been amazed by the power of technology. One of my favorite hangouts is Friendster. Surprisingly, the site has been down for a week now. Too bad, I have relied so much on the site that I missed to greet my friends on their birthday. The site is so popular with Asians specially in the Philippines that even my Mom had one, haha! I’m just so glad for the creator of the website; people like me had been enjoying connecting with long-lost friends from childhood, old neighbors, high school, college and old officemates, roommates, or friends in Taiwan. When I started joining as I was invited by my friend, I was so shocked that there are a lot of things to catch up with my sweet friends. Well, here’s the explanation for the incident.

•What caused this problem?

There was a building-wide power outage at the QTS / Globix data center in Sunnyvale, California, USA where Friendster’s servers are co-located, along with about 50 other customers. As a result, the memory caching of data was affected. Since Friendster has 85 million users, the cache is taking a considerable amount of time to build. Once the cache has been completely built, all friends will re-appear.