Run with it

Aah!! I haven't blogged in almost a month. Bad bad... I swore to write at least once a week. It's just really crazy the past few weeks. This is probably the busiest I've been since I moved here. And even though I lack sleep, totally breaking out and sporting extra fatty eye bags.. I'm having the best time. :) Funny how several months would uneventfully linger on, then suddenly life bombards you with the coolest surprises. No time to think, go lang ng go!

Will (must!) write more, soon.

Easter Roadtrip

To celebrate my very first Easter day away from the tropics, we decided to take a mini roadtrip.

So I rolled out of bed at 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning, threw on yesterday's clothes and dragged myself to my car. This is your driver for the day, goodluck with the next 60 miles.

Destination: the Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano in Orange County.


Visiting this national shrine seems fitting for the occasion. It is a holy day after all. Plus, I missed the whole Bisita Iglesia tradition this year, so this somewhat makes up for it.

Now, no roadtrip is complete without the essentials: coffee for the driver, a chill playlist, GPS! (i'm hopeless without this), the digicam and loooads of car food.

Pit stop: Balboa Island. My dad's friend works here so we decided to stop by for coffee. I love this place. I've been here once before but that didn't make the area any less charming. It's this really small whimsical island off Newport Beach. Despite it being an upscale neighborhood, the atmosphere here isn't intimidating at all. You'll find the cutest, tiny, old school shops selling candy, beachwear, flowers, furniture, toys.. everything! And all of them are compact size. The island is so small you can walk the entire perimeter in less than an hour. Most of the residents just use golf carts to go around.


Each of the houses have their own private dock in their 'backyard' where they 'park' their kayaks, speedboats and yachts. It's really cool how one place can be both fancy and relaxed.

After getting the caffeine fix, we're ready to head further down south (about 20 more miles) to San Juan Capistrano.


When we arrived at the Basilica, it was really crowded. The mass was just about to end so while we were waiting, I decided to wander around and take pictures.


After hearing mass we went back to Balboa Island for lunch. I was really looking forward to this part of the day 'cause it will be my first non-veggie meal after 40 days. We opted for Mexican food. Enchiladas, nachos, chimiflautas, quesadillas.. yummm. Food is bliss.


We figured we need to do a bit of walking after stuffing ourselves with beans and guacamole. So we loaded my car onto the auto ferry (RORO!) and headed for the beach on the Peninsula.


It was a super tiring day I was so scared of falling asleep during the drive home. My dad was handing me gum after gum to keep me awake. Haha! Anyway, I should start planning my next roadtrip. I wanna do one every month now.. but I need a driver. Hehe.

* If you're my Multiply contact, you can view the rest of the pictures here.

Meatless

Lenten season will be ending in approximately 48 hours. Finally, I can eat meat again. I made a commitment to be a pseudo-vegetarian for 40-something days.. and surprisingly, it wasn't too bad. I did succumb to temptation three times. Tsk. Pork sisig, orange chicken and Chickenjoy are my downfalls. Hayayay.. how can i say no? It has been nine months since I had these Pinoy yumminess in my system. No regrets. Hehe.

I still think I did a pretty good job. Two months of mostly subsisting on soy protein, tofu and beans.. I must say, I didn't think it was possible. I might just convince myself to do this every year. It'll be my Lenten thing.

Being picky with food actually felt pretty cool. It kind of builds character.. it made me a little bit more interesting as a person, I think. But c'mon, how many people do you know walk into a restaurant and request for veggie meat?? Not a lot, right? According to my google search, only 4% of the American population are vegetarians. So to be counted as part of that little group, that minority, makes me feel a wee bit special. Even if it's just for forty days. Haha.

And maybe when I turn 40, I'll turn vegan for real. Maybe.

"Slip into Happiness"

This girl rocks my socks. ;]

I stumbled upon my first HappySlip video about a year ago while I was reading a Pinoy food blog, of all places. (Sorry I forgot which blog that was. So much for proper acknowledgement. I go through a lot of food blogs kasi. Sayang, that was a really good one pa naman. I'll try looking for it again so I can give the person proper credit.)

Anyhows, "HappySlip" is the one-woman production project of Christine Gambito, a Pinay who was born and raised in the United States. Most of her videos feature the lovingly hysterical stereotype of the migrant Filipino family. She plays all of the roles - from the lola in her dasters to that insensitive tita (Auntie Baby! my personal favorite). Meet the family now! Her skits would make you fall in love all over again with every single member of your Pinoy family. (And you know you need that, 'cause they can make you want to pull your hair out whenever you're home... I know I do. Haha.)

Aside from the skits, she also does music videos, sings and writes songs, plays the piano, the guitar and 'the cup' (you'll know what I'm talking about when you watch this). Well, what can I say? Filipinos are simply overflowing with talent. Hehe.

Go check her out and get ready to 'lap your heart out... with peelings'. ;]

Source: HappySlip

Haleh-luia!

So.. I'm starting to grow out my curls. Turns out, I have the 'swirly' curly hair type. You know how Taylor Swift's amazing, perfect curls look like? Kind of like that.. if she were subjected to electrocution. Haha! But seriously, i think they're cute. I still can't wear them naturally loose though, 'cause my ends are still chemically-treated straight. So I just blow dry it all straight when I feel like wearing it down or just bunch it all up in a pony tail on my lazy days (aka weekdays). I really wanted to just go ahead and chop off the entire treated portion but I don't think I'd be able to handle boy-cut curly. No no no no wayyyy...

Before I had my hair cut last month, I made sure to do my research. Not everyone can cut curly hair. That's probably why I decided to just keep on straightening it all those years. Not one of my past hair stylists knew what they were doing. I could've gone to one of our neighborhood barber shops, for far less, and have the same result: bad hair. I honestly dreaded every single one of those parlor trips the past nine years. Talk about torture with consent. I sit there for about an hour as this supposedly 'professional' grunt out insults on how brittle, rubbery (i didn't even know that hair could be rubbery!) and hopeless my tresses were. There was even this one time this lady called my hair 'cursed'. What the hell??! Eh kung kulamin kaya kita?

So, I went on Yelp (my saving grace as an L.A. newbie) and alas, found my hair person - Haleh. I love her. I love love love her!! She must've thought I hated it 'cause I was teary eyed the moment she turned me towards the three-way mirror. I was super happy with how my hair turned out when she finished that I just had to give her that crazy hug. I literally jumped out of my seat and pounced at her. I think I scared her a little bit. Ahh, where have you been all my life?

Seems silly, I know... but it really meant a lot to me having someone I can finally trust my hair with. And yeah, it was expensive. Don't even ask how much that Beverly Hills cut cost me. Yes, yes.. I am fully aware that we are in a recession. But hell, she was worth every single hard-earned penny.

Where's my stupid mouth?

"My stupid mouth has got me in trouble. I said too much again....... how could I forget? Mama said, think before speaking. No filter in my head...."

Yeah, John Mayer. My Stupid Mouth.

Call me crazy but I actually want to be more like that. No filter. I seriously have waaaayyy too many filters in my head. Whenever I open my mouth to comment on something or to throw out a retort, this incredibly swift alarm system goes off and starts to dissect whatever it is I'm about to say. All it takes is a split second.. and I'm left with nothing. I usually just let out a snort or a confused chuckle or the very handy, "Mmm-mm." It's like one of those cool juicers advertised on home tv shopping network. You put in a carrot and out comes the purest of juice. No fiber.

It's like that problem Meg Ryan had in You've Got Mail. "When I'm confronted by someone I get tongue tied and my mind goes blank. Then I spend the rest of the night tossing and turning over what i should have said." Like that, but I have it worse. I'd replay the conversation over and over again over the next few days then come up with dozens of kick ass comebacks and counter arguments... and don't forget the very passionately rehearsed facial expression and hand gesture. It's self torture, I know. But, come on. We know we can't help it.

I don't know when I got so cautious. I used to be really snappy and somewhat brutal. I miss being like that. Now, I'm just... too polite. Who installed all these damn filters in me??

*opens mouth*
*freezes*
*a million monologues in a millisecond*

..."You can't say that! Ang corny!"
..."Oh no, that'll sound racist."
..."So unoriginal."
..."Mas matanda/bata yan sa'yo. 'Wag kang bastos."
..."Ang baduy, wag mong patulan."
..."Anjan si mama/papa/lolo/lola/tito/tita, di pwede."
..."Baka ma-offend, wag na."
..."Ay, baka secret lang namin yun."
..."Dude, mahirap i-pronounce. Wag na. Baka mabarok ka lang. Nakakahiya."
..."Baka di niya ma-gets yung sasabihin ko. Ang hirap i-explain e."
..."Ang haba ng i-eexplain ko. Nakakatamad. Ang slow pa naman nito. Um-oo ka nalang."

I think in Tagalog so that's basically how it goes inside my head.

Maybe that should be one of my mini resolutions for this year. I should put on my 'stupid mouth' from time to time.

Boxes and Stars

I'm struggling with my "2oo9 Checklist". Tsk. It's March already and I still haven't decided on my targets. I guess 2008 was such a productive (and exhausting!) year for me that my indulgent psyche just wants to kick back and cut me some slack. But noooo, some innate anal force has been bugging me to commit to a few specific, measurable, tangible objectives. Blame it on the college education.

I just started this goal setting habit last year, so it's still a little scary for me. Seriously, I treat it as an 'event'. For somebody who spent her entire late adolescent life inclined to avoid any form of commitment (and succeeded, though rather ungracefully), this is a HUGE change. Writing my targets down is like setting it in stone. From here on, I have to hold myself accountable whether I'm able to tick off that checkbox by the end of the year or not.

Grown up stuff, I know. Hey, I needed to mature sometime, right?

Okay.. so here's my 2009. *inhale*

1. Finalize the evaluation of my Ateneo credits so that I can figure out which classes I still need to take to qualify for an MBA in UCLA, USC and Loyola Marymount. I already sent my transcripts to the evaluating agency. Hopefully, I'll be getting them next week. I don't plan on jumping on the MBA train too soon, though. I just want to get a head start on the application process. I still need work experience and what else.. oh yeah, MONEY!!! Guess I'll be saying hello to the world of student loans sometime in my bright, bright future.
   
2. Review for and take the GMAT. I'm aiming for a score above 600. Eep. Kaya ko 'to.
   
3. Refinance my car for a better rate. I don't know how to do this yet. Maybe through work? I'll get back to this.
   
4. Build my credit. I began doing this with a secured credit card from WaMu last year but they had to close that service due to the WaMu-Chase transition. Boo. So I'm taking my business to B of A. They just approved my application for partially secured credit so.. yay!
   
5. Double my emergency fund. I've been spending too much lately. Control!!!
6. Complete the petition process for my dad. We already filed everything on the last week of January. He'll be doing the biometrics this month. If all goes well, I can tick this off my list by June or July. Woopeiii!
   

*exhale* Whew!

Alrighttt.. enough with the serious stuff. I need 'stars' on my list, too! These are the things I'm actually looking forward to doing this year. :)

1. Take a sit-down Spanish course in a local community college. I was taking tutorials last year but the setting was too casual. A classroom format would probably be more effective.
2. Back to capoeira! I want to do my first batizado and earn my first corda. :) Hopefully get a cool apelido, too!
3. Watch a live Lakers game at Staples. I need to save up for the playoffs!! I miss the ADMU-DLSU Araneta games soooo bad!
   
4. Go beach hopping and learn to surf this summer. I want to visit all the L.A. beaches first. There's Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Venice Beach, Malibu, San Juan Capistrano and also visit the Catalina Island.
5. Volunteer as a Festival Builder for the 18th Annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture. I wanted to volunteer last year but learned about the event too late. I'm really excited about this. I've been wanting to work with the Fil-Am community since I moved here! I'll be sending in my application next week.
   
6. Grow out my natural curls. I've been straightening my hair since sophomore year in high school. Ack! That's seven years already??! I don't even know how my curls look like anymore. But, I'm really excited to wear my hair just loose and natural. :) Embracing my true beauty (uhh Dove ad??!).
7. Update my blog at least once a week. I hope to become a better writer. In order to do that I need to write, write more, write even more, write even more than that, write when I don't want to, write when I do, write when I have something to say, write when I don't, write everyday, keep writing (those are the '10 Steps to Becoming a Better Writer' according to Brian Clark). Hmm I need to apply that to exercising..

So there it is. My balls and chains.. erm, I mean, boxes and stars for 2009. "I'll hold you to it!" ...Nice, I'm talking to myself.

"The best way to predict the future is to invent it." - Alan Kay