Weekend Update

Friday was super busy after I got off work. Noodlette met me at Noodle's house to start the maniacal task of cooking and having everything done at a decent hour for dinnertime. After it was all said and done, we completed cooking the following: Dijon Baked Salmon, Garlic Pesto Chicken, Thyme-Roasted Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus and Shallots in Red Wine Vinegar, Green Bean Casserole, Rolls, and Pistachio Salad. Not to mention, we had lots of wine, liquor, and our very own margarita machine on the balcony to make all things even more entertaining.

We had a great dinner to coat our stomachs, and then the night progressed to absolute retardedness with the boys singing 80's tunes in the living room while everyone broke down in old 90's dance moves...let's just say it all started when someone played the song "Ice Ice, Baby". How is it we ALL know Vanilla's dance moves????

The rest of the weekend was basically recovery after Friday night. A few people went to another Christmas party on Saturday. Unfortunately, I had to do some work...however, I don't think my body could've gone through Round 2 anyway. Below, I've included some of the less incriminating photos.

My beautiful tablescape - yes, I had place cards for everyone's assigned seat at the table

The Grown-Ups' Table (aka The Couples' Table)

The Kids' Table (aka The Singles' Table)

We had MUCH more fun at the Kids' Table than the other table! Don't Ask...I have no idea what started the napkin hat ordeal!

The boys and their shots...

The Ladies and their shots...


Having more fun than we should staying in!

I call this "Club Living Room" - It's the place to be!

My 90's throwback to doing the "kid'n'play"

I love hanging out with these people!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

Tee hee hee

Nothing like a sadist Reindeer to spread holiday cheer...

I thought this was f-ing hilarious

LMAO!!!

Holiday Gatherings

We are now officially in the last month of the year. You know...the time of year where you blow a ton of money on family and friends and squeeze in holiday parties galore almost every week until December 25th. Oh, and probably gain about 15lbs on top of all that...

This week, I have 3 dinners to go to: (1) the Lombardi Award dinner on Wednesday - a non-holiday event, but a big event for NCAA football; (2) the YPE Christmas Party on Thursday; and (3) our End-of-Year/Holiday Dinner with our close group of friends on Friday. How exhausting!

For Friday's dinner, I'm taking the helm on the cooking. So far, this is my menu:

• Salt-, peppercorn- and herb-crusted beef tenderloin with wild mushroom red wine sauce. A recipe I found in Ladies' Home Journal - yes, I read LHJ.
• Thyme-roasted baby new potatoes
• Roasted Asparagus
• Green bean casserole
• Assorted rolls and breads
• And for dessert: Pistacchio Salad - so good if you have not had it and SUPER easy to make!
• And of course lots 'o' vino - Cuz that's how we roll....haha...I love saying that!

So there you have it. I have four days to summon my chi in order to psych myself up for all the cooking. Wish me luck!

Fashion goes to hell in a handbasket

You would thinking dropping that deadbeat husband of hers would allow her to somehow win back some chic and classy brownie points. But, alas... Ms. Spears is quickly becoming another Mariah Carey - flashing way too much for our poor eyes to see.

Now if this new look she and Paris are sporting - the one-legged thigh-high fishnets - actually take off, I will personally shave my head. Ok, maybe not shave my head as I will look like a small Buddah training for Shaolin Monk school, but maybe just gouge my eyes out. Am I becoming so old that I have become appalled with the younger generations' fashions?!?! Oh, jeez...what has this world come to?!?!

(Photo is courtesy of People Magazine)

Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving Eve to all my loyal readers (all 4 of you...hehehe)! I hope you are all getting an opportunity to spend time with family and/or friends over this holiday. If not, I hope that you are at least enjoying the time away from work to relax and vegetate.

I've decided to use this post as my own chance to list a few things I'm thankful for this year - some profound things, others just minor things that still touched a special part of my heart.

• Family - Don't get me wrong, I want it duly noted that my family has the undeniable knack to annoy the hell out of me. However, I am thankful they are the first to stand by my side to support me and to protect me...sometimes, even when they know I'm wrong. Now that is love. My family went through a lot of tragedies and disappointments this year, but also a lot of wonderful milestones. My brother got engaged, my niece turned two and learned to say f*%$ and sh!t all in one bold statement (amusingly in public...lol), my sister has another little one on the way, and I have managed to not kill myself as I still struggle to juggle two jobs and play equally as hard as I work.
• Friends - Dealing with some major life-changing family events and also some personal emotional challenges, I realized that I'm one lucky little lady. No one will understand how thankful I am to have friends that will drop plans at the drop of a hat to console me, travel great distances just to physically be here for me, and stay up all hours of the night talking nonsense just so I don't suffer my insomnia spells alone. It's never hard to find someone willing to catch a drink with you, but it's those who just want to sit with you and do nothing that make you realize how valuable their friendship is and how you never want to experience what life would be without them.
• Work - Although I'm a constant broken record about the difficulties of keeping two jobs, I'm thankful I have them both. Some people can't even say that their one job is fulfilling, exciting, or rewarding. I, on the other hand, have two jobs that have allowed me rewards that make me quite the envy. Job #1 has allowed me to meet and interact with some major power players in the energy industry and have never let us forget how grateful they are for the work we do while Job #2 has shown me (and some of my friends) the world. Who can knock that?!?! So let me rant and bitch, but don't ever take me seriously ;)
• Love - I struggled with putting this on here simply because I make it a point not to put anything too personal in this blog. You never know who's feelings I might hurt when I vent off about how upset I am with a friend or loved one only to regret that I posted it for everyone to see. Also, it makes you pretty vulnerable...which you all know is not a color I like to wear often. However, I do want to give thanks that this year I realized something that I wasn't sure was ever possible again. I fell in love. Although things didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped or turned out how I had dreamed, I learned that I, in fact, was not dead inside - an inside joke with Sparky and myself.
• Health - I've had a few medical issues this year, but luckily nothing life-threatening. I'm thankful to say that I am as physically able as I am, and never want to take that for granted

I've decided to leave it at that. I think that I could go on about the small stuff, but I think this is enough for now. So I hope I didn't bore you with my list...I could've made it more interesting if I mentioned how thankful I was Britney FINALLY left K-Fed, but you already know that...hehehe.

So... Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, and go stuff your faces!

Big Hugs and Kisses!!!

Weekend Update

Ok, folks...this weekend was "interesting" to say the very least. To save you from some of the unnecessary dramatics (which by the way is becoming so second nature in my life right now that you'd think I was making it up...but whatever), let me give you some of the finer points.

THURSDAY

BigOil arrived. We had a great Mexican dinner sprinkled with margarita goodness followed by meeting up with Blondie and some of her friends at Pub Fiction. Fun, fun. At some point I blacked out, but here is proof I had a great time...yes, I'm standing on furniture...again. My mother can only be so proud.

Prior to losing lucidity, I did get a few shots of the other ladies who joined BigOil and myself...

Here's Bartendress (i.e., my Bartender Goddess), myself, and BigOil - I just ran my crotch into the corner of Bartendress' chair...thus, the forced smile hiding my wincing pain...yes, it still hurts a girl too! (albeit, probably not as bad as for you boys)

FRIDAY

That night was a huge celebration for Midtowner's 30th birthday. The sky-diving was nixed due to Midtowner's sinus infection that wouldn't clear up. However, we are merely postponing!!! Stay tuned for that in the near future!

We rang in Midtowner's big 3-0 with a stretch excursion and a number of good friends. What a night!

The Gang celebrating in style...why can't we do this every Friday night?!?!

Me and the birthday girl

Me, once again proving to my mother she raised a classy broad. In my defense, I'm multi-tasking...who else can sip-sip pass, hold her own drink, and pay the limo driver all at once????

The evening eventually ended, on a dramatic note on my personal level...BUT, nonetheless, a very fun night for Midtowner's birthday!!!

SATURDAY

This day was a whole different story. By the time I met up with BigOil and Grove, they were 5 hours into drinking. Needless to say, I became designated driver extraordinaire!!! Let's just leave it at this...This is what I woke up to the next morning in my living room....

They look so peaceful...and sweet. Why can't they always look this sweet? The rest of Sunday really didn't change from this picture. We pretty much slept the whole day away... I don't know if the boys have yet to fully recover. From what I hear, not so much...

Dear, Liver...Please forgive me...

BigOil's plane lands at approximately 5pm. Although I'm excited as one little Filipina can be, my liver has it's proverbial hands wrapped around itself, rocking back and forth in the fetal position trying to hide itself behind it's small neighbor Mr. Kidney for shelter. I think the last visit included people passed out before 9pm. Hopefully, this visit will be less "in yo face" and a little more relaxing. However....I REALLY doubt that.

Spicing up the blog

After blogging yesterday, I sought out the help of The Madame, Eurotrash!, and Pocahontas on ideas of how to give my blog that little bit of "je ne sais quoi." Some write about politics, others focus on child-rearing, while others simply use blogging as a way to chronicle the mundane trivialites of their lives. I, personally, have been using this as a documentary so that when I'm old and gray, I can look back and say, "Those were the days when my boobs didn't hang to my waist!" Or, "Wow, I can't believe I never got a staph infection from falling into a roadside ditch!" Oh, how those things sound trivial now... but when I'm 60 years old and looking back, I really will want to remember how much I actually enjoyed the men I dated, the places I had traveled, and the friends I don't speak to anymore.

Eurotrash! had long ago suggested a Cheese of the Month bit, but seeing I'm lactose intolerant...I may very well just end up writing about the effects these yummies have on my digestive system. I'm thinking that can only go so far...imagine....

"Dear Blog, Cheese of the Month will be Broccio. It is a French cheese made of goat's or ewe's milk and is unpasteurized, whey cheese of various shapes. Some broccio are salted and dried for a sharper flavor and is similar to Italian Ricotta. However, after eating said cheese, I was curled up in the fetal position within the hour praying to all that is holy for the gut-wrenching twisting of my stomach to stop, followed by frequent trips to my new porcelain best friend. Please, for the love of God, do not eat this cheese should you have a function to attend within the next 8 hours. People will start to notice the faint noises coming from your backside no matter how hard you clench!"

Hmmmm....actually, that could be pretty entertaining.

Anyway, so I'm thinking I will choose a Photo of the Month. Seeing as I am a true Asian in the sense that I almost always have my digitial camera with me, I snap pictures at just about every opportunity - major functions, evenings of debauchery, harrassing the gas station attendant on why they don't carry super glue. (Sidebar: Why doesn't the gas station by my apartment have ANYTHING???? No Visine, no Pepto Bismal, and today...no super glue. Don't ask...long story!) So, yes, I took a picture of the said gas station's shotty "supplies" section. In between the chips and the motor oil. I'm thinking Photo of the Month...maybe Photo of the Week. What do you think?

I'm alive!!!

Ok, a lot of you have called me out because I haven't blogged since September. So here I am trying to get back into blogging. We must thank Banana who reminded me most recently....like a few minutes ago via MySpace.

Just a bit of an update... a lot of my lack of desire to blog has spawned from a number of personal issues which is best summed up of as family tragedies and dramas along with my re-introduction into the single world...all in a matter of 2 months. So, yes, I decided it best I not become one of those emo-like blogs talking about being depressed/wanting to kill....something (seeing as I can't kill myself...Jeez, NO!).

Anyway, today will be a boring blog. I suppose I can re-enter the blogging community by outlining my week. Yes, I know it's pathetic, BUT it's a start until I get my momentum going. Tomorrow, I will have 2 events I have to be at all at the same time. Seeing as cloning is not legal, I must make a choice - an all-volunteer meeting for American Cancer Society Starlight Gala (of which I'm a member of the Social and Membership Committee) or dinner at the phenomenal restaurant Mark's with co-workers for a birthday. Hmmmm... I'm sure you know I lean to the latter. HOWEVER, there is another glitch to the plan....I'm still on the schedule to work at Job #2. Now, I think that I can take care of that, but errrrr....that means I have to kiss someone's butt to work for me :( After that, Wednesday is just another day of working both jobs, then comes the fun part....

BigOil gets in on Thursday!!!! WOOHOO!!! How do I miss BigOil? Let me count the ways? (1) No one allows me to throw up in the back of a cab, carries me to my apartment, cleans me up, and still loves me in the morning (2) No one talks to me at late hours just to keep me awake during the ride home from Job #2...especially when I'm dumb enough to pop a Xanax before getting behind the wheel because I'm having a freak out session, and (3) just because he's "so good-looking, he's unapproachable" (inside joke). Anyway, I guarantee there will be lots of funny pictures to post after this weekend.

Also, Friday is one of my BFF's birthdays!!! Happy birthday, Midtowner. For her big 3-0, she's making a few of us girls jump out of a plane. Yes, I might be permanently pressed to asphalt if all things go tragic...so pray for me...or cross your fingers, if you don't pray to a diety of choice. I'm still trying to convince BigOil to jump with us, but I don't think he'll budge on his stance of "HELL NO!"

Ok, that actually turned out to be a pretty long blog. Good start... Are you happy now, Banana???

Are you ready for some football?!?!?!?!?

College football season started last week...WOOHOO! And this weekend is NFL! I'm so excited. I get to watch a bunch of big sweaty men collide on top of each other. Is that badass broadcasting or what?!? Haha. Seriously though...I am quite excited.

As for this weekend the Texas v. OSU game is the big buzz. Can't wait to see what happens.

Unfortunately, I have nothing else to report right now because the info is either out of date or just not that interesting. I will try to be more captivating next time.

Damn those roadside ditches!

So I have always had this fear of ditches. Not like a diagnosed phobia or anything, but more of a paranoia that I will either slide into one in the rain or not clear one when turning into a narrow street like Baby's. Anyway, I have a funny story to tell...

Saturday night after getting off work early, I head over to Baby's. By the time I get there, the boys were 3 shots and a couple of bottles of wine into the evening...yikes! So what's a girl to do in this situation? Options only lead to one solid solution - catch up, of course. After realizing that the evening will be 'one of THOSE nights', we head over to Dark Horse to see 'Lil E. You would think that we would know better than to take this train wreck to a public arena, but alas...not so much. As the nights progressed and the alcohol flowed freely, we decided it was about time to take it back to the house. Baby, Grove, Noodle, Noodlette, and myself are thinking...wow, home by midnight...good stuff. UNTIL...

Grove pulls into Baby's driveway without pulling all the way up, so we are near the edge of the street. Poor Noodlette is beyond coherency at this point so I walk around to help her out of the car. In that instance, her dead weight brings us both toppling over in the grass. As we laugh hysterically, I begin to realize that I am slowly sliding down. "Where am I going?" I wonder. Until it dawns on me that I am not in the flat grassy area, but in fact, on the edge of the grass near the ditch in front of Baby's house. As I realize that I am only seconds away from swimming with every bacteria known to man and that none of the guys are going to get to me in time, I just start to laugh even harder. Seeing as I was a lost cause about falling into the ditch with no way of avoiding it, I try to at least save Noodlette from joining me. In my effort to push her up from my disgusting fate, I only slide myself down the slope even faster. I eventually hit the water and can do nothing but scream, "Good GOD, I'm in the f-ing ditch!" The guys are cracking up, and Grove fishes me out. Jeez!!! Baby missed the debacle entirely except to see me waist-high in ditch water. I end up shedding my jeans, running upstairs and showering immediately. These were the moments where I wish I was so wasted that I wouldn't have cared, but what can you do?

So the moral of the story is: If you ever feel like you had a crappy weekend...just rememer that you were NEVER in a ditch!

(Man, I wish I had pictures to go with this post!)

Could I be anymore half-assed about updating this thing?

Lately, I've been really busy. Work has been insane on both fronts. My day job just made a major business announcement that has apparently made us the talk of our industry, and my evening job just suffered a major national security issue that has us bogged down with more work than ever! It's always funny how I spend 8 hours of my day amazed at how well my company is doing, and then spend the last 4 hours of my evening watching the company I work for part-time be in such dismay. Oh, well...enough about that!

Let's see...what's happened since my last post? Well...a lot. But the condensed version is:

• My brother is now officially engaged! Yay!!!! Picture below is from my parents' house at their engagement dinner :)

My brother and his fiancee holding an overly-priced bottle of Christal
that Baby and I bought them for their engagement gift

• My friend Wanderer was in town to visit from London on business and squeezed in a little beer-drinking with me

I wish he'd visit more!!!

• I helped out with a Young Professionals in Energy event that was an absolute success - the mayor was there...see my cheesy picture below ;)

I find it ironic that two days after his daughter gets arrested for a DWI,
he speaks at a cocktail reception...priceless.

• My great-aunt just completed successful life-threatening surgery that will allow her to continue her dialysis treatment - big sigh of relief! :)
• Sparky & his wife just gave birth to their first child - a healthy baby boy!!!! Sparky is oh-so excited! Poor kid looks just like his proud papa...heehee!!!
• My mother is en route to the Philippines as I type this to say her final good-byes to my aunt who is in hospice care :(

I guess that's about it. Like I said, busy! Oh, and I've also been on this crazy health kick lately with working out, running, and eating healthy. I'm trying to see if this will alleviate any of this growing stress. If not, I may very well end up back on a leather couch staring at the ceiling and telling a shrink how my otherwise mundane problems have been stacking up all at once and driving me to rip all my hair out...including my eyebrows...not pretty in the least. I don't want to look surprised all the time like Whoopi Goldberg.

As for this weekend, tonight I'm meeting up with Banana and her new dating-type person. I haven't seen Banana since probably high school so it'll be fun to catch up. We're going to see a guy we also went to high school with perform in some rock band he's a part of. Wow, I haven't gone to see a specific live band play at a bar since college...how nostalgic. I would say retro, but apparently "retro" is anything 7-yrs or older. That's according some article I read some years ago. I've still got a couple of years before I can say my college days were "retro." ;)

Other than that, I'm trying to figure how I'll squeeze in relaxing. I have to work the entire weekend, but I'm trying to maneuver around that. I have to check on my great aunt at some point as well. You would think my schedule would have some kind of break at some point or another, but alas...not so much.

Until next time, dear readers...

What does it mean?

Last night I had a strange evening. I went to bed relatively early (for me, that is) sometime after 11pm. In the course of the evening, Baby tossed and turned seeing as he's been nervous about going into work and giving his answer to not accept a counter-offer from his present company because it falls short of what the new company is proposing. So, yes, Baby is on to better and brighter things.

Anyway, other than dealing with his sleep issues....around 5am this morning we heard about six or seven gunshots. His neighbors have this obsession with shooting firearms in the middle of the night. In the past, Baby and his other neighbor have disregarded these noises as firecrackers. But last night was absolutely NOT firecrackers!!! I told Baby to call the police to complain. It's such a pain for Baby and Noodle to live next to such thugs, but they are one of two houses left on his street that have not been bought out to tear down and build luxury townhomes. Although, I'm sure it's ONLY a matter of time. I think it's such a great idea that Baby has chosen to buy in an up and coming neighborhood like he did with his previous home in Midtown seeing as he profited so well when he finally sold it, but I am so glad that I don't live there on a daily basis.

On top of that...when I finally fell asleep, I had this strange dream. This part of my night is more about the title of this post. I dreamt that it was raining really badly and flooding everywhere. In my dream, I lived by a big bridge. It was night time, and still a bit drizzling. I was driving a school bus (yes, a bus again...for those who don't know, I use to have reoccuring dreams about all kinds of different buses - driving them, riding on them, waiting for them...so bizzare). I go to take the bridge to get to the next town since we and my passengers are evacuating, but when we get through the fog, there's no bridge. But, it's too late. I can't stop, so the bus goes off the bridge into mud...not water, mud. The mud proceeds to envelop us like quicksand. Somehow, I must've survived because we flash to me doing something else. Or maybe I went to another dream. Almost if I were having a new dream sharing the similarity of the rain, flooding, and evacuating.

In this new dream I was trying to evacuate an office-like environment with a bunch of older people (maybe coworkers?). We packed our personal items and were trying to escape out the window...don't ask...to get to the evacation buses. I threw my bag out the window so that I can follow right after it, then something made me stop as I threw my legs over the windowsill. I actually waited for the cloud of fog to move so that I got a better look at the ground I was going to land on (it was only the first floor window, but still high). The next thing you know, I'm staring down on that same muddy mess hundreds of miles below me as if I were on the bridge from the previous dream...or earlier in the dream...whatever it was. I watched as my bag was sinking into the mud. Then, that's when I woke up to the alarm. So strange! I'm thinking I need to go to some dream interpreter to figure out what that all means.

Au Revoir, Pocahontas and J.Smith

This past Saturday was busy as usual... I had two places to be, so of course, I did what I do best...spread myself thin. Saturday night, I had to go to a purse party at Blondie's and then to a going away party for Pocahontas and J.Smith.

Midtowner and I went to the purse party with all intentions of not buying anything seeing as I'm trying to save money and all, but that plan wasn't as successful as I had intended. I ended up buying the cutest green-ish colored clutch purse! I couldn't say no to $30 when it was originally over $100. C'mon...now you see that I was backed into a corner. I blow $30 doing nothing a majority of the time...at least now I have something tangible to show for it.

Anyway, I headed back to Baby's to pick him and Grove up on the way to the going away shindig. So off we were on our way to the party...eggroll appetizers and bottle of champagne in hand. The Madame, Eurotrash!, and Egypt were already there. As always, I try to arrive fashionably late...actually, I was busy frying the eggrolls, but fashionably late sounds so much better. Pocahontas and J.Smith had a phenomenal tablescape (landscape of food on the table) as usual...such the great hostesses! I did the standard pigging out, and then imbibed a bit more than I should've. Those at the party are probably all scorning a hideous bottle of booze called 99 Bananas - 99-proof of banana-flavored hell.






Pocahontas and Me...this will be the last picture of us partying at their house :(










You know Baby loves me when he entertains my snap-happiness after a few drinks








Eurotrash!, Egypt, and Grove...and the kitchen island of booze











The Madame and Me - she taught me everything I needed to know about working the street...heehee









You know it's time to go when we look like this on the way home... Baby is such a good DD





I had a great time that night saying adios to mis agimas as they move to Denver. However, I look forward to visiting them seeing as I've never been to Colorado. I wish them so much luck in their new city....Although, they will never find as colorful friends as the ones from "The Dungeon."

As some of you know, I went to Acapulco for the holiday weekend. It wasn't the absolute best destination I've been to, but it had its charms. Baby and I had spent the 4 days sitting on the beach, drinking Coronas and frozen drinks, and taking in all the local flair.

Our first day, we arrived at the hotel around 1pm - after our airport driver was harassed by police on the way to dropping us off. Apparently, he was looking for a nice little bribe, but our driver was having none of it...so we sat there as the went back and forth for about 15 minutes before the cop gives up and lets us go. So, Baby and I decided to spend the rest of the afternoon dividing our time between one of the many pools at our hotel and vegetating on the beach.





View of Acapulco Beach from our balcony












View of the Adult Pool at the Emporio Hotel









The view we woke up to every morning












Baby and me relaxing on the beach...we even had guys bringing us coolers filled with frosty goodies whenever we needed. Nice, huh?


The next day, we headed over to a local Mexican restaurant close to our hotel that was suggested to me at the Maria Hacienda Eugenia for breakfast. The buffet was really good...lots of different foods. I gave Matt props for trying things he had no clue what they were. Overall, a good place. We even squeezed in watching some World Cup action there. Afterwards, we headed to the beach and rented an umbrella, two chairs, and a table for $3 and stayed on the beach all day for the most part. There were vendors coming by every 2 minutes trying to sell us everything from fans, massages, and sunglasses to henna tatoos, barbecued oysters, and hammocks. Sad to see people being so desperate, but you got use to it after awhile. Baby got great use out of the phrase, "No, pero gracias."

Friday night, we went to La Quebrada which is the awesome cliff diving. These guys jump up to 10 stories into a crevice in the mountain only 20 feet wide and 12 feet deep. Can you believe how insane that is?!?!?! Afterwards we headed to El Amigo Miguel for some more authentic Mexican food. It was in a shady part of town that made Baby a bit nervous, but the food was definitely tasty. Afterwards, we headed to the hotel zone strip to try a few bars. We ended up at Paradise and some pirate bar. We had a few drinks and decided it was time to go home and turn in.







The sunset at La Quebrada












Here we are stopping at Paradise for a cool beverage on the way back to the hotel





On Saturday, we did pretty much the same thing except we rented a palapa (thatched-roof hut looking things on the beach) and some loungers. This was spectacular. People brought us food and drinks nonstop onto the beach while we dozed in and out between vendors trying to sell us stuff. We headed over to Mango's that night for dinner and some undercover drinking as most places were already taking effect of serving no alcohol on election day, which was that next day on Sunday.

On Sunday, we went to go Pie de la Cuesta which is a beautiful beach about 30 minutes outside of the hotel zone. We were literally the first people on the beach that morning. We secured our hammocks and did absolutely nothing. Unfortunately, it was election day so they weren't serving alcohol...and these people at Tres Marias were actually law-abiding citizens...ugh! Who ever heard of laying in a hammock on the beach without a beer or some other frosty alcoholic beverage???? Eventually, our driver came back and got us and took us back to our hotel. Although alcohol was prohibited to be sold...Baby convinced a bartender at one of the pool's bars to be a rebel and pour us a few cold ones ;) And, yes, that's why I love him...Baby shows up on his white horse to save the day when my hopes were shattered by sobriety...lol.






Pie de la Cuesta - we were literally the first people that showed up














Don't I look like a happy, round-faced Asian?!?!? Hahaha










Anyway, that last night (mind you the night no alcohol is to be sold), Baby and I partied like it was 1999. We even took a horse-drawn buggy down a major avenue because it was the closest thing to us to ask for a ride rather than wait for a taxi. Now that was hilarious...clip clopping all the way down say a street like Westheimer next to all these cars as we're going a mile down the road for an illegal margarita....CLASSIC. We ended up at Carlos'n'Charlie's and that's all she wrote. (Smart move that I didn't bring my camera to take pictures of the evening's events)

The next day, Baby and I were struggling to make our way to the airport...but we got there and even got first class on the way home. Yipee!!! All and all our trip was another success. I survived, rode a horse to a bar, and lived to tell about it.

Luckily, I won't be traveling for a while. It's about time I stayed in Houston for a change. Poor Baby has to fly this weekend to a wedding in Tampa. Better him than me ;)

What do you think?

My horoscope today:

Taurus (April 19 - May 19)
A big decision may need to be made in your professional life, dear Taurus. You are eager to use your capacities fully and are casting about for ways to do so. If your company has a relationship with countries abroad, can you take advantage of this to expand your professional role? There is no question that you are in a phase of expansion, and that includes your confidence! Even so, keep an eye on your finances.

I broke down...but mainly out of principal

I know everyone and they're grandma has heard of MySpace. For years, I've protested getting on that site for the sheer reason that I don't like the idea of people reading about you without you knowing they're looking at your profile. Plus, I'm a firm believer that you're exposing yourself way too easily for the masses to look into your life. By no means am I an introvert or super secretive person, but I also know how some things you write/type on the internet can come back to haunt you...personally and mainly professionally.

Yes, I know it sounds hypocritical for me to say that seeing as I have a blog, but my blog is not set to be openly viewed. Only those who have the direct address can access it, meaning there's no way to just search it via a search engine or search through my blog host Blogger...thank goodness! I accidently dropped that security feature for one day, and my profile views went from 13 to 173. Wow....never gonna do that again!

Anyway, I finally broke down and set up a MySpace account Friday. My reason: anger at ridiculous parents. I heard on the news how a mother from Austin was suing MySpace because her teenage daughter was raped by someone she met on the website. I ask: When does a parent start blaming others for either neglected parenting or for their bad parenting skills altogether? Granted no girl should be forced against her will, but can a mother blame a website for her allowing her child to play on the internet unmonitored for hours on end? Is she so busy she can't check on what her child is doing every once in awhile...maybe take 5 minutes out to pull up the history of what her child's been doing on the computer? Come one, people! We're in a technologically advanced world here...this is just the new age version of teaching your kids not to open the door for strangers, not to get into cars with strangers, and not taking candy from strangers. How can you blame a website for not enforcing your authority to teach your kids these basic rules or for laziness as a parent to check on your teen? Too busy? Whatever, then you shouldn't have had kids to begin with if you couldn't make time for them. I know I don't have time for kids and that's why I make every precaution to not have any right now.

So yes, there is my rant. I enrolled on MySpace as a "stick it to the man/bad parent." I know it sounds retarded, but hey...it made me feel like I was getting back at bad parenting skills...sue me.

Finally!

Baby and I have FINALLY decided on a place to jet away for the July 4th holiday - ACAPULCO! Back in the day (I love that saying), Acapulco was supposedly "the place to be" but had suffered some downslide in tourism in the last few decades. It still ranks as a big spring break destination (as ALL Mexico cities tend to be), but seems to be picking up more general tourism steam lately from what I've been reading. So far, our flights look good (so cross your fingers for us), and I'm hoping the rain clears away by then. Yes, it's been raining like gatos y perros out there the past few days (like that spanglish?).

As I've been doing my standard OCD routine of scouring for all destination info and insider info on the location, I was able to come up with some great things. I decided not go with an all-inclusive (AI) plan as it was strongly suggested not to do one by locals, frequent visitors, and Aca aficianadoes. Apparently, unlike Cancun and Puerto Vallarta, there is more to do and see in Aca outside of your hotel/resort so hiding out at your hotel loading up on drinks and not-so-good food is a waste of your vacation. I was a little nervous about the decision not to go AI in Mexico, but the other travelers from Tripadvisor's Acapulco discussion forums were quick to ease every concern by telling me where to go and what to expect. My log-in is "travelflip" if you ever go on there.

I was told where we are staying, Emporio Hotel Acapulco, is right in the center of everything and a walk away from really good cheap restaurants and all the beachfront bars. Now that's what I want to hear! The more and more I thought about doing the AI, the more I thought it wasn't going to be the best bang for our buck seeing that one day we'd be away from the hotel at a gorgeous beach/village 30 minutes away from the hotel so that would be a waste of lunch, dinner, and drinks for the day. We're also not big drinkers except for maybe one night of our trip when it's just me and Baby (occassional beer here and there, but no typical weekends in Houston...haha), so the boozing it up wouldn't be beneficial. And I forgot to mention, we're a 50-cent and 5-minute bus ride away from the Wal-Mart there if we want to buy snacks and stuff we would actually like rather than whatever we'd be limited to at the hotel. Wal-Mart is taking over the world, I tell ya!

Anyway, here are a few things I'm looking forward to:

• Pie de la Cuesta - the beach/village mentioned above
• La Quebrada - Infamous cliff diving
• A massage at the hotel spa
• Just lounging by the pool with Baby and doing nothing!!!!

I'll be sure to tell you peeps exactly how it all turns out. I'm sure I'll love it, but if I don't... I'll be sure to tell you how much I hated it. Luckily, I have a few more days to fine-tune my itinerary ;)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BIG SISTAH

Lauren's been practicing saying "Happy Birthday" all week. Although, all mom could manage out of her was "Happy Happy" it's still an awesome display.

Weekend Update

I don't think a Monday has felt this exhausting in a while. The rain isn't helping, but I can probably blame the fact that I feel like I need another 10 hours of sleep on too much of...well, everything over the weekend.

BigOil showed up on Friday raring to go. We met up with the guys at Kentucky Club and then headed to 702. Baby, Grove, Noodle, Noodle's g/f, Aussie, and Aussette were all in attendance. The following day we (sans Noodle's g/f) continued by starting out at BW3 for some World Cup action, then to Brian O's and Twelve Spot for some nostalgia. You'll never believe this...but we were actually kicked out of Twelve Spot. Alba would be so proud. Sunday ended up being a lazy day of falling in and out of sleep on the couch before taking BigOil to the airport.

It was definitely great seeing BigOil again, but I'm so glad these visits are few and far between. My poor body feels like it was beaten within an inch of it's life.

Surprise!

Luckily, NONE of the guys this pertains to (even my Baby) reads my blog - which is very good since I can talk/vent about them on this website, so I will tell my loyal readers the surprise I have in store for them. For those of you who remember BigOil (the guy who left us to go back to Ft. Lauderdale in pursuit of internet domain brokering success), I convinced him to FINALLY come back and visit us for the weekend. The guys don't know this, and this may very well backfire. I'm hoping that they don't all have distinct plans this weekend I don't know about that would prevent them from seeing BigOil during his visit. Oh, well...we'll see.

The major hurdle I'm coming across is that I need to be at two places at once. I'll be at the YPE HH around the time his flight comes in today, and can't ask anyone else to pick him up...Hellllloooo, it's a surprise, remember? I decided that I would send a car to pick him up to meet me at this HH. I guess the post after the weekend will recount some crazy stories. Stay tuned....

Break out the bubbly

Congrats to J.Smith on getting the new job in Denver!!! (insert my favorite old-school twink dance move here - the one where you have your arms raised and spinning around wildly to the the song "Ah Rin Tin Tin Tin") I can't believe you and Pocahontas will be leaving H-Town, but I wish you all the great successes in Colorado.

So does this mean one of you are going to teach me how to snowboard when I come out to visit in the winter???? If not, you can at least scout out cute instructors for me...just don't tell Baby ;)

I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. Deville...

My beautiful little niece has already mastered her "I'm the most adorable 20-month-old you've ever seen" look.

Happy Birthday, The Madame!

Today I must also send birthday wishes to The Madame!!!! She shares this wonderful birthday with my awesome pooch Duchess...The Madame can only be so proud. Hehe. If only I had taken that picture of you clawing the sands of the North Shore to place in this blog entry...

Happy Happy Birthday to My Baby

Yesterday was Baby's birthday....woohoo! Happy Birthday!!! Unfortunately over the weekend, we didn't do anything grand or spectacular...same ole shit of hanging out. No big to-do was put into motion because mainly Baby didn't want anything. Oh, well...

However, I did get Baby this fabulous white micro-terry bathrobe. He's been looking for one for quite some time, but has not been successful. With some internet savvy, I was able to track down a spa-soft robe that is a full-length version of my super soft bathrobe. It was actually less expensive than I thought I would spend, so that was a plus. And of course, Baby LOVED it! Score...one point for me!

Vegas Pictures

Here are just a few of the pictures from our weekend...







Baby in front of The Wynn Waterfalls











Here we are at The Light at Bellagio. A little tipsy, but we're still so cute...dontcha think????







This is what my black girlfriends enlightened me to as a "hot mess". That means they're so drunk that they think they're sexy hot, but are really just a mess. Fitting.

Sadness

I received an email from Pocahontas today informing me that J.Smith just received a job opportunity in Denver he couldn't refuse (wow, how The Godfather), and they will soon be relocating. How sad! How can they leave Houston?!?!?! I mean, you'd think the humidity and sweltering heat was enough to keep anyone here, right? Although I did tease Pocahontas that they will soon be the ski season hook-up of a lifetime...lol!!!

Oh, well...I guess this means it's time to plan a HUMONGOUS going away party...

Vegas Baby

Updating a Vegas trip is usually the same story over and over. The short version of ANYONE'S recap would be: posh hotel, awesome food, great nightlife partying, and loss of money. Sound about right?

As for more detail, Baby and I spent two nights at the very nice Bellagio Hotel...courtesy of my generous boss. Our whole office met for dinner the first night at Prime Steakhouse, which by the way is excellent. We started off with oysters, and I had ginger shredded tuna for an appetizer while Baby had these delecatable crab spring rolls - YUM! As we all know, I'm not that fond of beef, but I decided to try the filet mignon seeing that steaks are what they are famous for. I really can't remember what Baby had, but I know he wasn't disappointed in the least.

After dinner, the group headed for the craps tables and milled about until we all decided to call it a night around 2am. I suppose that was relatively tame for a night in Vegas.

The next day, Baby and I decided to do some unsuccessful shopping. I was reminded why I hate that I'm not 5'10" and a size 0. Damn cute clothes being made for stick figures!!! Anyway, I called it quits on the shopping so we headed for the Bellagio pool. It was super packed and hotter than Hades, but a frozen pina colada helped ease the heat.

After the pool, Baby and I leisurely got ready for our dinner reservations at Tao. The dinner was spectacular!!! The food was some of the best seafood we had ever had...and that's saying a lot! For dessert, we had...what else? Sake flights. I found a sake that was so smooth it went down like water. Good thing I don't remember the name as that could become very dangerous on my next sushi outing.

Following dinner, we headed over to The Wynn to lose more money on the tables as we waited for our 10:30pm showing of Le Reve . We stopped into one of their lounges Lure for a quick drink. It was about pretty early (9pm-ish), so there weren't very many people. To tell you the truth, it reminded me a lot of M Bar here in Houston.

Le Reve (meaning "the dream") was like nothing Baby and I had ever seen. The sets were amazing and done completely in water. My coworker didn't enjoy it as much as we did and called it "O"-Part 2, but seeing we never saw "O" it was still a great performance for us. I highly recommend seeing this if you are ever in Vegas. Tickets aren't cheap, but definitely worth every penny!

After the show, we headed back to Bellagio so that Baby could get sucked into the evil he calls 4-Card Poker. A few hands and stout drinks later, I convinced Baby to go to Light for some dancing. We had such a great time. There were strippers everywhere (according to Baby) and all kinds of craziness. Eventually, the night became morning and Baby and I headed upstairs for some shut-eye.

The next morning was slow and painful. We were able to get packed up, cashed out on my minimal winnings after betting on the Dallas v. Phoenix game, and headed to the airport.

Thank GOD we were going home... Any more than two nights of this rock'n'roll lifestyle is even too much for me to handle. How does Paris Hilton do it?!?!?!

Star sightings: The Donald, his super model wife Melania, and his six humongous bodyguards walking through The Wynn around midnight; Senator John McCain at Bellagio's crap tables

PS. Pictures to be added once I get my camera back from Baby...

Happy Birthday, Little Brother!

Woo Hoo....par-tay!

Memorial Weekend Update

This weekend was actually pretty nice. For an absolute change, Baby and I decided that staying in town may actually do us some good.

We started the weekend by meeting J.Smith and Pocahontas for dinner. They are my favorite gay couple...ever. We also had Grove in tow. We collectively decided that Cyclone Anaya's jumbo margaritas weren't f-ing around because it just about knocked ALL of us on our asses. Yes, that coming from a weekend-alcoholic and her drinking entourage... After congregating at J.Smith and Pocahontas' beautiful townhome for a couple more beverages and shots (yikes!), we headed back to Baby's house. After a drink or two at his house, we then decided we must investigate whether Little E still worked at Darkhorse. And to our surprise, she was there pouring us glass after glass of liquid evil.

Saturday was more tame... I lounged by the pool with Ash while Baby and Grove hit the sticks. Afterwards, it was a tame night of dinner at home and watching (of all things) UFC.

Sunday was a bit more active. Baby started his day by cutting the grass...meaning I was recruited to help in some way, shape, or form - he did 95% the work though. Ran around looking for a dining room table after that. As usual, Finger's bargain basement has proven a good place to rummage. Baby found everything he was looking for at half the price he was intending to spend. We eventually met up with Grove, ShanerBach, and ShanerBach's g/f at the Marquis. They were two teas in when we left...they would definitely feel those in the morning! Baby and I caught dinner and were in bed by 10pm - woohoo...party animals!

Monday ended up being more errands and taking my great aunt to her dialysis appt. Then working a measly hour at Job #2 as it was sooooo dead. All in all, there was nothing great to report, but it was so much more relaxing than any weekend I've had over the last couple of months.

All that will change though, as next week Baby and I are headed to Vegas! Oy vey!

Anonymity

So I've decided to start using "nicknames" more when discussing people in my life on this blog. Not that I would ever put anything too racey in here that would get anyone in trouble, but I figure for those who do know me well, you'll know who I'm talking about. For those who don't, can follow the story strictly based on your pseudonym. Unfortunately, you will all be stuck with whatever name I give you, so if you're not happy with it...deal. HAHAHAHA!!! Most of them will be pretty evident though.

Testicle Truck Watch 2006

Still no sign of the Chevy with Balls.... (sigh)

My cutie patootie niece

My adorable niece is becoming quite the character....



She has learned how to stop what's she's doing and pose for the camera...what a ham! Could that be a trait she picked up from our side of the family????







She is so my niece in this picture - already dancing on tables...even has the "I've had too much to drink and my glasses are on crooked" look going for her. Not many can pull this off.








The cutest picture ever of Lauren and her "Mimi"










The Drama Queen - she just dropped her fork and said, "Oh no, oh no."

Jacky

As you can tell, I'm lacking much to blog about. I've been having a run of bad luck lately, but don't feel the need to become one of those bloggers that drone on and on about how you should feel sorry for them.

Anyhoo, I got this in an email today, and thought I'd fill it out. Don't ask...because I have no idea what happend to #37 and #41. Maybe you can learn more about me...although I think you all already know most of this b.s. Just felt I should post SOMETHING...

1. FIRST NAME? Diva --- kidding!
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Jaclyn Smith...my dad was obsessed with Charlie's Angels - no joke.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? This morning...found out a friend's mother lost her battle to cancer
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I guess
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Chicken
6. KIDS? 4-legged: Miss Duchess of Poo Poo (aka Duchess/Duchy)
7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOURSELF? Definitely. I'm damn fun!
8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Just the occasional blog entry
9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Me? Nev-AH!
10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes
11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Already Have
12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Banana Nut
13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Rarely
14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yes
15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Amaretto with Almonds or Pistacchio with almonds
16. SHOE SIZE? 5.5 or 6
17. RED OR PINK? PINK!
18. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? How I handle being overwhelmed sometimes...not all the time, but sometimes
19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Scott
20. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Ehh
21. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES YOU ARE WEARING? No pants - get your mind out of the gutter...I'm wearing a blue skirt and have kicked off my 3-inch heels
22. WHAT DID YOU EAT LAST? Turkey lettuce wrap and a Dannon yogurt
23. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The news
24. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Bronze
25. FAVORITE SMELL? Matt before he goes to bed - after a shower, not after a night at the bars (I know...can you believe I'm saying something that cheesey for everyone to read?!?!)
26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Insurance adjuster
27. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? It's been different with every person
28. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I tell her she sucks almost everyday ;)
29. FAVORITE DRINK? Whisky and soda or whisky on the rocks
30. FAVORITE SPORT? College Football (c'mon, I grew up in TX), also like baseball too
31. HAIR COLOR? Black
32. EYE COLOR? Dark Brown
33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Sometimes
34. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD? Most grilled fish
35. SCARY MOVIE OR HAPPY ENDING? Scary
36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Mission Impossible III
38. SUMMER OR WINTER? Fall...lol
39. HUGS OR KISSES? Both
40. FAVORITE DESSERT? Ice Cream
42. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Hmmmm
43. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? The Historian
44. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Nothing
45. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Nothing
46. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SOUNDS? Laughter
47. STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles
48. THE FURTHEST YOU BEEN FROM HOME? Philippines, but in a way that's home too
49. HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I'm sure I do, just don't know it yet
50. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Manila, Philippines

The Chase

I heard two ladies probably in their late-20's/early-30's talking on the elevator yesterday as I was leaving work. Seeing that I'm almost on the highest floor at my skyscraper, it was a long enough ride down to overhear a chunk of their conversation. It went something like this:

Blonde: From what you said, I think he likes you but too chicken shit to make a move. He seems kinda shy.
Brunette: I was trying to see if he was even interested, but I couldn't tell if he had just drank too much so that's why he stayed out later with us or if he was staying because I started talking to him more. Everyone says he never stays any longer than a couple of hours at those happy hours.
Blonde: Well are you gonna ask him out or wait to see if he's interested?
Brunette: Maybe I'm not even interested in him but I like the idea of the challenge (insert giggle here). I never even noticed this guy until someone mentioned he was hard to get to know.
Blonde: You're so messed up. You just like the chase.
Brunette: Maybe. Maybe he can at least be a practice chase if nothing comes out of it. (insert more vindictive giggling here)
(Elevator door opens, and the women head the opposite direction from me continuing their conversation)

I've always known that women were equally competitive as men about "The Chase." I, too, have been guilty of it - probably the queen of it for years. You like a guy so much that you can't imagine not wanting to be with him. Then you start dating more frequently, know he'll never leave you, and then all the sudden he's not as exciting as he use to be. Isn't that horrible?!?!?

Although I'm glad I no longer partake in all the chasing or being chased, I remember the adrenaline rush it gives so I don't fault anyone for doing it in the least. I guess it's just funny to hear people talk about it like it's some great XBox game that we all enjoy playing.

Happy Birthday Simon!

This past Saturday, I joined Anna and Chris in honoring Simon for his birthday. We met at a dive bar on Richmond that has apparently been there since the early- to mid-80's. However did I miss this place?!?! It was awesome...the bartender was quite entertaining as well. After polishing off an entire bottle of Grey Goose, we mosied on over to the Fairview tri-fecta - 611, JR's, and Mining Co. Remind me why we always end up at that last scarey place?!?! Oh, well...it was fun regardless. Happy Birthday again to Simon!!!

The Strange Things People Do

I was on my way to job #2 on Monday and saw one of the funniest things on the road EVER! I know some of you will think I am making this up, but I swear on all that is holy that I did IN FACT see this driving down 45N at rush hour. After fumbling the buttons on my radio trying to find either a traffic report or something that doesn't make me want to crash into the car in front of me, I look in front of me to see a green Chevrolet SUV with the big over-sized tires (Suburban, I guess...not a car person, so Chevy gas guzzler would be the best description). The SUV's trailer hitch had a skull with light-up red eyes...classs-ay. BUT that was NOT what caught my attention. What caught my eye were a pair of black socks hanging behind the hitch which appeared to be filled with large potato-like objects. These two socks were somehow attached or sewn together at the ends holding the potato-like fillers and left to dangle as something unmistakenly to be viewed as the SUV's manhood. Yes, you heard it here... Somewhere in Houston a man is driving a car with balls, cajones, huevos! NICE! Although I normally have my digital camera with me to capture such amazingly unbelievable anomolies, I had lent it to my brother and have not gotten it back yet. DRATS! So now I'm on the search everyday between 5:30-6:15p hoping to catch one more glimpse of Testicle Truck so that I can capture him on film. It's so sad when THIS has become my daily goal - to hunt down an SUV with balls...

Weekend Update

Let's see... what do I have to update about? Hmmmm....well, running errands with the family and another day of helping Matt try to get his house the way he wants it. So, basically, I have nothing of interest to report on my end. Jeez...I'm getting boring. Actually, I think I'm on that quiet hiatus period - the calm before the storm some might say.

Other than a number of birthdays to attend to this month (an ongoing theme I must endure through July), Little Miss Emily is graduating from Alabama this weekend. WOOHOO--Congrats to her! The little chica is growing up!!!

Well, I guess that's it until something of great interest stikes me...now off to start another week of work, work, and (let's see...) work.

Margaritas and Pinatas!!!!

No, Cinco de Mayo does not commemorate Mexican Independence from Spain as that was September 15, 1810. It is to celebrate our Mexican brethren for the fending off the French when their army was so grossly outnumbered. This date marks the day of their big battle.

Although I do find it funny that those who love to find ANY reason to drink use Cinco de Mayo as a scapegoat and have no idea what it is... Therefore, here was your CliffNotes version of a history lesson. So go, my margarita connoisseurs, and belittle people at bars tonight with this tidbit of info ;)

Happy Cinco de Mayo, amigos!

Why can't weekends be 3 days long?

I'm slowly recovering from my impromptu birthday celebration. I'm still exhausted, and my liver is still cramping as it suffers the consequences of my actions. Anyhoo, with some help from Jay, Nate, Matt, Chris, MJ, Regan, Lindsay, Joann, and Andy, I was able to do an early ringing into my 29th year of life. It was a shameless display of near-alcoholism that started at Matt and MJ's new abode, followed by embarrassing Michael Jackson dance-offs between myself and Matt (yes, Matt... can you believe that???) at Sammy's, and ending in more hangover-inducing behavior well into the wee morning back at the casa. Sadly, Sunday was spent with throbbing headaches, nausea, and sore body parts... Did I sleep on my head Saturday night because my neck is suffering some serious pain?!?!? I've got that robotic turning from the waist going on today since I can't turn my head in either direction without feeling like it will snap right off.

Other than that, nothing else to report. Tomorrow is my actual birthday, so at the request of my mother I must eat some sort of noodle dish at some point during the day. Filipino tradition infers that eating noodles on your birthday brings you long life. Hmmmm... don't know if I believe that, but after aging myself about 5 years in damaging behavior Saturday, I could use all the help I can get.

I guess I need to update this thing...

I know, I know...I've neglected this blog for over two weeks. Although it's the same lame excuse, I must use it again - I've been super busy! Let me highlight the good stuff and leave out the boring work-related mumbo jumbo.

Sometime right after my last post, the whole gang traveled out to Austin to party in honor of Mr. Rahman's induction into the 30-zone. There were over 20 of us from Austin, Houston, and Dallas at Lake Travis partaking in some college-reminiscent drinking. Lord help us that I don't see a jello shot ever again!


As for Easter Weekend, Matt and I had our fantastic Hawaiian getaway. It was Matt's first time there, so it was me playing tour guide once again...although I didn't mind in the least. My friends Tony and John traveled with us, but seeing that they had accompanied me two years ago, we only hooked up with them once for a trek out to the Dole Plantation and the North Shore while I took Matt to some of the same spots they had already been the rest of the time. Matt was amazed at the waves out on the northside of the island...definitely a lot more challenging than the Florida coast. For those who know Tony, be sure to ask him about how his sunbathing experience at Banzai Pipeline Beach went...it's the second most funniest experience I've had at North Shore (Anna and Simon are still the reigning champions)!






The mountains on the drive to North Shore












Here I am at the Dole Plantation. Matt refused to stick his head through the pineapple in a Hawaiian shirt playing the eukalele for fear I would put him on my blog. Damn him for knowing me so well!















Tony and John at Ehukai Beach a.k.a Banzai Pipeline Beach












Surfers at Banzai Pipeline Beach













Aren't we just the poster children for interracial dating?!?! Hehe











Matt and I also did an 8-hr deep-sea fishing trip on Easter Sunday which is something I had never done before. I caught three mahi mahi while Matt caught two. The colors were amazing!!! Matt caught the largest mahi mahi on the trip (53" and 45lbs.) of which he's getting mounted for display...can't wait to see how it looks when it's done! All of mine looked like weenies next to his, thus, no mounting of my fishies...lol.






Watching the sunrise as we embark on our 8-hr deep-sea fishing trip. It was way too early!










One of my favorite pictures













Matt caught the monster in the center. One of mine was the midget second to the last on the right.






After 8 hours of being blackened in the sun on the fishing trip the day before, people were starting to wonder who that ebony princess Matt was walking around with...lol



As usual, I seriously contemplated whether or not I could survive a massive paycut and take a job as a hotel event coordinator in Waikiki and live in a low-rent apartment with a shared bath and kitchen. First off, shared bath and kitchen for more than what I'm paying for my one-bedroom apartment in Houston is absolutely ridiculous! I was also reminded that my weakness for a few high dollar things such as Chanel makeup, 18-year old Glenfiddich scotch, and spontaneous travel would suffer tremendously. As you've guessed, I'm not willing to give up those luxuries at this selfish state of my existence. Therefore, I'm back in Houston and back to the grind of the two job lifestyle...ugh! Work hard, play hard, right? Why couldn't it be play hard, and play even harder? Wouldn't that be the life?






Here is a gorgeous sunset at Paradise Cove to remind me why I come back as much as I do

Shivers up and down my spine

Although I'm deeply sadden that he didn't survive seeing that I have such a soft spot for animals, this is probably one of the most disturbing images I've seen in quite some time. Especially to my cat-lovers out there, be aware you've been forewarned.

More birthday wishes

I also wanted to make sure not to forget to wish Lindsay and April birthday wishes as well. Lindsay's was yesterday, but I got to tell her in person Saturday night!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LADIES!!!

Even though we don't party like rock stars anymore, we can still pretend like we do! Hope your birthdays are a blast!

I'm jealous!

I know I have no room to spout jealousy about someone's travels seeing that I hop on planes more than most people, but it falls under that concept of always wanting more... ah, yes, gulttony. Ann sent me a pic of her and her hubby skiing in Kitzbuhel, Austria. How pretty! They obviously had a great time, but who couldn't skiing around in Austria?!?!? I miss those two tremendously and am hoping Mark will get a transfer back to Houston. I'm crossing my fingers. Now only if those two could stop hopping all over the world and visit Houston more often ;)

The Big 3-0!!!

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY, MJ!!!

You still don't look a day over 20...haha! Can't wait to celebrate this weekend!!!