Epic

My boyfriend showed me this video last night and I couldn't stop laughing. It was really well-done.

Original Video:

The REMIX!

It's A Celebration!

My friends and I decided to hit up the Alameda County Fair on July 5th (since we were all off that day anyway). Let me tell you right now that San Franciscans are not internally equipped for bright, sunny, 90+ degree weather. Whoooo, boy! It was a lot of fun, though. Jeff and I went on our own last year and were really excited about this one. We're probably going to see about the state fair coming up within the next 2 weeks. It's suppose to be crazy and huge.

The Couples:

Me & Jeff
It's called trust, baby!

Chris & Jasmine
The folks from the fog don't bake well.

Rob & Joy
Isn't it good to know that your lady's lap is always there when you need a rest?

He had been craving one of these since last year... *snicker*
I had been craving chocolate-dipped strawberries covered in Oreos, but settled for ones covered in whipped cream instead. :(
There were a bunch of little kids taking pictures before us and we sort of wanted to get them out of the way. We were thinking along the lines of, "You kids aren't even old enough the fully appreciate the CHARM of the Berenstain Bears!"
My favorite shots of ALL... TIME...
And don't think for a second that we forced them to do this.

Yup, we are the lucky girlfriends of these fine gentlemen.

Joy, Jasmine, Rob, & Chris all left early, so Jeff & I walked the rest of the fair on our own. It was kinda nice since everything was being lit up and the weather wasn't slowly baking us to a crisp brown anymore. We were hungry and bought sandwiches from Big Bubba's BBQ. As a general rule, I like to eat at places that contain "Bubba" in their name.

Mine: Pulled pork & His: BBQ beef

And what else could we possibly have for dessert other than deep fried Snickers & Oreos? We were both extremely grateful that these aren't available on a a regular basis. It was like eating delicious, delicious guilt.All in all, it was a great day spent with wonderful people.

:)

I hope everybody had a worth-while holiday!

Well... crap...

My computer is up and functioning once again after who knows how long. I won't lie. I wasn't exactly rushing to fix the thing. My eyes needed to readjust to reality. But now that this glowing screen is once again in front of me... I have all sorts of crap that I need to catch up on (most of which I won't due to laziness and confusion). Also, there were so many things to write about that have come and gone.

The main thing I want to post up? I got to see my favorite group of all time: Bone Thugs N Harmony. Literally resting my drink on the stage and touching their shoes as they passed (while resisting the urge to grab ankles,which would ruin the show).

My next post will be on that, including videos and pictures.

This post is simply: I'M BAAAAACKKKKKK!!!

See It

Cheap Addiction DIY

If you've never heard of www.luxaddiction.com, you should check it out. It's a site that carries all sorts of custom phone cases... I can't even describe them. You just have to check out the site for yourself.

I was ABOUT to put down the $80 for a case. I seriously was. But then the cheap in my blazed to life and I though, screw that... I'll make my own. I love the designs. There are some that caught my eye, but none that made me think, "I HAVE to have that!" And I wasn't about to shell out that amount of money on something that I had luke-warm attraction to. Nuh-uh.

So I ordered a cheap case off of Amazon (I probably could have gotten one cheaper off Ebay, but I'm an Amazon fan) for around $3.00. The cost was mainly shipping :/ It's a matte, hard plastic one that snaps into place.

Also ordered a red one.

Then, I headed off to Michael's art supply store and bought a bunch of jewels and pearls. Here's what my work area at the kitchen table looked like:

Gorilla Glue!!

Bling Bling

I didn't really have a design in mind. I just figured that I'd make it up as I go along and cross my fingers. I sacrificed a couple necklaces and earrings to my little project, too. It's fine since they were pieces that never made any special appearance anyway.

I didn't get to use the owl because it didn't go with my color scheme :/ Next time.

Work in progress.

And then....



...


*drum roll*


...

I am incredibly proud and satisfied with how it turned out. >.< I'm actually considering making a second one, a more colorful one. The total cost for everything was actually less than $30. So, if nothing grabs your attention on the site, I think that you should just grab some Krazy Glue (But be careful with it. Use toothpicks to position the stones you use.) and get to work!

Really quick...

Loreal Studio Secrets Anti-Dull Skin Primer...

I hated it.
It made my foundation cakey & my face look dry.
I regret spending money on this.

That is all.

Stress-Reliever

(Have I mentioned that I love my camera?)

I spent most of today with my family. Nice and mellow. Yea. Yea. Superbowl Sunday. I'm not a football nut... anymore. In middle/high school, my best friend (Jen) and I used to watch the Superbowl together. We'd buy a crap=load of snacks and set up in my living room. I haven't watched since the Niners beat the Packers years ago. :P

Anyway, I just wasn't feeling it today. After the week I've had, I just wanted to be surrounded by the people I love this weekend.

The sun was out today and everything! I forgot to take pictures, but Les made steak, potatoes au gratin, a mushroom gravy, and broccoli with cheese. ^.^ It was all so good.

Gave Mariel some milk tea tapioca... and Tito Miguel took it :/

It's ok. She still loves him.

Les was the only one really watching the game.

Both babies in the stroller.

Lola's always ready for the camera.

Dad and Tito Johnny busted out a bottle of wine.

She kept asking because they made it look good... bleehh...

We swapped it with prune juice :) Sneaky... sneaky...

Last night, we finally got to meet baby Xavier! Ate Liza and Kuya Gus brought him by. He was actually born a few day before we were supposed to have the baby shower. :) I loved listening to Gus talk about the birth. I don't know if Jeff would be as calm as he was. He said that the nurses kept eye-balling him, expecting him to faint.

He's so tiny!

He is so adorable! I love babies, but they feel so delicate in your arms!

Ahhhh... family therapy is good.

GAAAHHH!! *twitchtwitch*

This is a pharmacy-related rant, just to warn you. Well, truthfully it's not really a rant. It's just a situation that got me so frustrated I couldn't help but start laughing about it. These are faxes going back and forth between myself and a doctor's office.


My fax : This medication is no longer available to order. Please change to an alternative if possible.

Their fax: Yes. This medication is okay to refill 3 times.

My fax: This medication is NO LONGER AVAILABLE. Please change to an alternative if possible.

Their fax: Please order the medication and call the patient once it comes in.

My fax: This is NOT AVAILABLE, meaning we CANNOT order it. We have tried several times, but it may be discontinued. Please change it to an alternative.

Their fax: Please refill this medication. We have already faxed you ok-ing it.

My fax: THE MEDICATION CANNOT BE ORDERED, therefore this cannot be refilled.

Their fax: Why?



o.O <--- me reading the last fax.

OH... MY... GOD...

New Toy: Day 1

My Nikon D3000 came in yesterday and I took it out for a test spin today.

Side-story: I went to Target to buy my camera last week, but when the cashier rung it up, my card was declined! I was so unbelievably bummed... not to mention confused, since there was no reason for my card to be declined. Jeff suggested that I just order it on-line because it would most likely be cheaper. I looked on Amazon and it was about $100 cheaper... no tax... and free shipping. Woo-Hoo!! I ordered it right there.

When I checked Yahoo for my confirmation e-mail, I also had an email from my bank. They reported that there had been some suspicious activity (my thwarted attempt at Target) on my card and that they had locked it! BAH! I suppose you could call it a blessing in disguise, since I got such a deal afterward. :)

Here are some test shots. There aren't many because I only had a 64 MB SD card on me, but I'm planning on ordering a larger one later on.

Trying to enhance his blue-ness.

A Japanese pinball machine from Mocha 101.

You've GOTTA know what this is.

Ummm... yea...

I am seriously in love with my camera. The pictures come out so crisp and detailed, even in dim lighting. I think that was my main issue with my little point-n-shoot Cannon. Couldn't take night shots for shit. But not my Nikon. :) I'm so happy! My last splurge for a while. Gotta let my stack recover.

I Gotta Get Free!!

It's been literally YEARS since I've had a real vacation, so I'm trying to plan a get-away for my birthday. I already requested a week off and am trying to find out where I should head out to. LA? Vegas? Chicago? Canada? Australia??? Don'tcha love it when you have have family all over? :) Heck, maybe I'll drop by Guam. We'll see. I'm really looking forward to just busting the hell out of this cage. I feel like I'm about to lose my mind. I DESERVE some friggin' time off!!

I've been talking to my dad and he wants to come along, too, which I don't mind. He needs a vacation just as badly (if not worse) than I do. Besides, I miss spending time with my dad.

Oh! My mom's birthday is tomorrow!

And I'm in a conundrum. You see, whenever my mom wants something. She drops the bills and buys it on the spot. There is NOTHING left for me to buy her! Perhaps flowers and a cake?? Any ideas? :/

Well, I'm gonna head out early and see what I can find. Wish me luck! Definitely getting a cake, though. My mom has 2 favorite ones and I guess I'll buy the lesser of the two evils (ie: the less sugar-engorged one.)

Sneaky Sneaky

I'm sick of my image-less posts :(

My camera up and decided to crap out on me, so I'm in the market for a new one. I'm eying the Nikon D3000. It's definitely bulkier than what I'm used to, but I'm determined to get some quality shots of this year. Videos, also! Like this one...

This was awesome! Let me give you the background on this video.

I wanted to get Jeff a gift that would knock the air out of him, but in order for me to do that, it would have to be car-related. The thought of even ATTEMPTING to buy car parts makes my eyes cross, so I decided I needed to send it a spy for reconnaissance. I messaged his friend Rommel on Facebook and told him the situation. Rommel started texting Jeff and relaying the information to me while I searched on-line. The sites I found were legit, but I figured I needed a little more help.

Queue the folks at Vision Performance (Thank you, Mike, Crosby, Jimmy, Kevin). They're actually friends with Jeff and Rommel and were happy to help me order the gift: a pair of Sparco Torino II racing seats. There was more messaging on Facebook, phone calls, and visits to the shop. Basically, they did the work and I put down the cash :P

The seats came in and I plotted. I usually work on Saturdays, but took the day off. If Jeff had gone by the pharmacy, I had an alibi ready to be delivered by my co-workers. I went to the shop to look at the seats at around 12, then had Jimmy call Jeff to come by to help him with something after work (heheheh). Jeff gets off work at 1, so it was good timing. We decided to take one of the seats out of the box and hide me inside. Crosby manned the camera.

What was on the video was basically my favorite part. :) I wanted to edit the video because there area actually 5 parts to it, but Movie Maker is acting up. It was priceless because he was not expecting it AT ALL. In fact, Jeff told me that he was skeptical even as he was opening the second box. He seriously had no idea what I was doing behind his back.

I love surprises!

So Far, So Good

My resolution this year is not to work out more. It's not to lose weight.

It's to connect.

Or reconnect.

Basically, I want to spend more time with people. Meet new people. Hang out with old friends. Add more folks into my contacts list. Because of my home situation and the fact that my time is never really MINE... I've lost contact with folks... missed out on opportunities to get to know great people... just generally been trapped in a bubble. Don't get me wrong. I love spending time with Jeff and my family, but those are the ONLY people I've been around (outside of work).

I get so lonely and feel seriously isolated because of the way things are. Even Jeff told me over the phone, "You're always by yourself." Pretty pathetic. This year, I'm going to try hard to put myself out there and connect before I go insane. :)

Things are going very well so far. On new year's DAY, I went out for ice cream with a friend from high school who I haven't seen in I don't know how long. I know. "Big deal. You got ice cream." But it meant so much more to me than that.

I'm trying to set up events where I can get together with people and it's great. Rock climbing. A day in the snow at Tahoe. Working out with co-workers. Tomorrow night, another friend from high school is going to be in the city to visit and I plan on having dinner with her after work. I haven't seen her in yeeeaars.

Why now? Because they cut my hours at work and shifted the hours that I DO work, so I have a little more free time. Turn a negative into a positive, right? I plan on using that time wisely.

PS: Updating my blog more regularly will be another way to connect :P

First of The Year!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY!! I hope you all had fun celebrating. I also hope that your hangovers aren't too bad and are easily remedied :P

I don't party on New Year's Eve. It's not really my cup o' tea. I've always ushered in the new year with my family and enjoy it. My mom says her prayers. Lola give us all change to put in our pockets. My dad... well, he goes to sleep and has me wake him up at the countdown. We also bang pots and pans and yell :P Mariel loved that part. The, we feast. Noodles for long life! Last night we had shrimp lumpia, pancit, so much crab, ham, and cake. And I had Taco Bell :/ Why? Because my dumb ass ate before I got home and I was too full to eat the good stuff. So it was fun and low-key. We all sat in the living room and watch the Las Vegas performances and ate. I fell asleep on the couch for a little bit with Baby (my Bischon) laying on top of me, her head under my chin.

As for my resolution?
It's a secret. Let's see how it goes :)

All Over the Place

Relationship Ramblings...

Many times, I believe that people enter a relationship and forget that they function completely fine without their "other half." Actually, I don't like that term. My boyfriend is not my other half. I am whole by myself. He doesn't complete me. I love him to the core of me and if he ever walked away from me, I'd feel as if he crushed my soul in his palm... but I wouldn't be DESTROYED.

You have to be able to stand on your own.
Have your own security.
Realize your worth.

I've been in relationships that, through the course of the whole thing... I felt worthless. I truly believed that what I was getting, what I was being put through... was what I deserved. I guess I slowly evolved and hardened my shell. You could say that a bad relationship saved me from the worst relationship and helped clear my heart and mind up for my current relationship.

3½ years of hell... a few months of emotional boot camp... then I found The One.

I feel stronger in this relationship than I ever did with anybody else. I feel more cherished, wanted and loved than I ever have. I found a good man with a kind heart. I found a man who can also stand on his own. He's a hard worker. He's focused. He handles his business. When he sees his goal, he follows that path until the end. He has a wonderful personality and has the power to draw people to him. He is a great friend and truly cares about people. Of course, he's nowhere near perfect, but neither am I. Perfection is boring and is not what I'm looking for.

I know for a fact that he'd be fine without me.

That is my point. I came into this relationship knowing my own worth, which is a first. Toward the end of "hell," my now-ex-boyfriend accused me of thinking I was better than him. You know what? I told him I was. I had a job. I took care of my family. I cherished the people I cared about. I handled my business. I was a good person no matter what he did to me, how low he tried to bring me, or how badly he tried to make me think of myself. A little slow in the realization, but I got it eventually.

The second relationship was slightly better than the first. Went into it with my head high because of what I knew then. When that went badly, I was sad, but I walked away without looking back because I deserved better. He agreed to that and we remain friends.

Failed relationships sometimes mess with your self esteem. I felt very different in the months after "boot camp", but not in a negative way. I was happy. I felt that I had become stronger and more myself without somebody smashing me down at every turn. I became more secure with myself. It was an incredible feeling and I still feel it.

I enjoy my relationship because I don't have the insecurities I had when I was younger. I know who I am and what my positives are. I know what I bring to the table and what I'm worth.
I also know my faults and I'm still working on those. I know how to stop and think. I realize when I'm over-analyzing something simple (that was something hard to learn, by the way).

Mostly, I don't take it too seriously. Obviously, I'm serious about being with him, but the relationship itself... I think that life is already stressful enough without analyzing your partner's tone... posture... vague gesture... relationships... texts... random phrases... facial expressions. It'll drive you insane! For example, my boyfriend has many female friends that he's close to (and a few that he used to have crushes on, but I'm not gonna bust him out in case one of them is reading this :P). They hang out, talk, spend time together and it truly doesn't bother me. These people are important to him and are a part of his life. It's that simple to me.

We drew our lines in the beginning. What we'd put up with and what would be crossing the line. Cheating means no second chances. No "breaks," just breaking up. We don't want to hear that the other person needs a break from the relationship. Time alone is different, because sometimes a person just needs space to breath. But a break from the relationship? No.

Where am I going with this?
I'm all over the place.
These are just thoughts rattling around in my head, looking for a place to spew.
There's more, but it's 1:17 am and I'm sleeping.
Bye!

Say It Ain't So!

I am an admirer of pretty girls. If my boyfriend tells me he just saw a hot girl, I HAVE to see her. Can't help it.

That being said, there's an import model by the name of Tokki that I came across and I was in awe immediately.

Gorgeous!

This is where Jeff and I butt heads. I think she's hot and he doesn't. Well, I THOUGHT she was hot... until I saw her recent photos. At first I thought it was just the thumbnail messing with me, but no.

What happened to my goddess?? I actually prefer more curves (Beyonce... Alicia Keys... etc...), but she was fine the way she was. Now... she looks like she's wasting away! *sad face x 10,000* I seriously hope that this was Photoshopped.

(Sorry about the random post out of nowhere, but I had to put this up because it upset me.)