Know when to hold 'em, Know when to fold 'em

It appears that we've all made it back from Grand Casino Coushatta in one piece for Chris' birthday trip. Some with lighter wallets, but still all in one piece. I, the non-gambler of the group, thoroughly enjoyed bouncing from one person to the other to touch base on their progress to beat the house. With some disappointment I can report that no one came away with much success. Although I did entertain Chris with my casino theory - I'm convinced that casinos hire a handful of midgets to sit underneath the roulette table and spin the wheel manually...they are the ones to know, I tell ya. I tried to explain that concept to Chris, and even talked to the midget through the table right before each spin to be kind to the birthday boy. Unfortunately, I think the midget sensed my phobia for people smaller than myself and purposely chose every other number or opposite color that poor Chris chose to spite me. I offered to kick the roulette-spinning midget's ass as his birthday gift, but we chose not to create a scene. It probably wasn't that great that the women standing next to me kept thinking that I was calling THEM "little midget" either.


(And, yes, the picture is what you think it is...we rented a mini-van so that the kids could all ride together, and Lindsay could "soccer mom" us all the way to Coushatta. Mini-vans are so hot, huh?!?!)



My favorite thing to do in casinos (usually this can only be done in Vegas) is to admire the architecture of the buildings. Since this was a lone free-standing casino in the middle of nowhere Louisiana, my attention was focused on my second favorite thing to do in casinos - people watch. It's been a while since I've seen such a parade of mullets/she-mullets all under one roof. There was also a lack of deeming front teeth as a necessity - I suppose they might've considered such things as dentures a luxury item. I know, I know...there I am again being a bitch! Through it all, the experience was worth it 100% to celebrate a birthday for a good friend. Happy birthday again, Chris...we hope you enjoyed yourself!

Now we have three weeks to recover just in time for MJ's 30th...

Kiss me!

I'm not Irish, but kiss me anyway! Or, better yet, just shower me with gifts of Guinness...

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

The New Monogamy

Who would've thought that I, of all people, would be such a traditionalist???? I can't remember what I was reading on MSN that led me to a Q&A with relationship experts about the idea of "managed monogamy," but it piqued my interest. So in order to find out where this all started, I searched for the article that started the controversy titled "The New Monogamy." This entails having open relationships/marriages. Already, I was a tad confused because doesn't "mono" mean one? Hmmmm...

At first I thought, wow! It's like living the dream - having a wonderful husband, my house with the white picket fence, the 2.5 kids, yada, yada, yada...and to top things off, an open arrangement to play nookie with other men with my husband's consent. The hemisphere of my brain still clutching on for dear life to the idea of being young, sexy, and single screams, "That's awesome!" While the other hemisphere of my brain (the one that's been slowly trying to take over the entire cranium as I toe the line into my 30's - damn you, responsible part of the brain) takes a reality check and wonders whatever happened to the sanctity of marriage or even the sanctity of a serious relationship for that matter? Again, hmmmmm.....

I understand that we're in a time where 50% of marriages end in divorce, the feminine mystique has become the feminine takeover, and our fast-paced lives often leads us to swapping out partners as quickly as we upgrade our software because we "don't have time" to enjoy, nurture, or allow relationships to gestate to their full potentials. Then for those who truly want to maintain such a non-commital way of life, why not just stay single and slut around avoiding subjecting oneself to a relationship that is suppose to be mutally exclusive? I can totally accept and respect that decision. Don't get me wrong...I'm all about kissing (and then some) all the frogs in the world before you find that prince. But, c'mon now! It sounds to me like The New Monogamy has been around forever - it's called staying single.

Skinless bodies? Why, yes, thank you.

Last night my brother, his girlfriend, and his best friend accompanied me to the museum to the Body Worlds 3 exhibit. It was phenomenal. If you ever get a chance to see this bad boy, you should. Basically, it's real life humans who've donated their bodies to this exhibit of which show the human body either stripped of skin or body parts and organs disected for viewing - tumors and all, in some cases. They put the bodies through this plastination process where they preserve the bodies with a hardening material. I'm not even going to attempt to explain the process, but it's cool nonetheless. I thought it was extremely interesting, but I could tell a few people were a bit queazy. The only thing I didn't get was if they got all that funding in order to preserve these bodies for viewing, you'd think they'd hire some minimum wage high school kid to at least clip the toe nails of these human specimens before displaying them...yes, there were some funky toes in need of some serious attention!

Fried Twinkie Anyone?

So I went to the rodeo last night with Matt, Chris, and Lindsay. Maroon 5 was performing, so I couldn't miss one of my "if I could marry a famous person" husbands - the band's lead singer Adam Levine. I'm so that cliche groupie in love with some "guy in a band who plays guitar and sings and stuff." I even enjoyed the bronco and bull riding competitions pre-concert (see photos).




Going up the never-ending escalator











The infamous Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at the Reliant Stadium












Moi and Lindsay













Bull Ridin' - That's gotta hurt!










I've always wanted to be a rodeo clown!!!











Maroon 5 - yes, I was a gajillion miles away...and no, it wasn't by court order






The one thing I did not partake in at the rodeo this year is something that's been growing in popularity which was to have one of an array of fried food items - twinkies, oreos, Mars bars, Snickers bars, etc. Sound disgusting? It is. Basically, they batter these items and throw them in the deep fryer. If I remember correctly, they serve it covered with the optional powdered sugar and chocolate syrup. Imagine a Snickers corndog. And they wonder why Houston was the fattest city for a couple of years! Some people look forward to the rodeo all year for an opportunity to eat these monstrosities. Although, I suppose I'm a hypocrit because I look forward all year to that bigass turkey leg at the Renaissance Festival. I may not have a sweet tooth, but sistah likes a good piece of bird!

4 Things

Apparently, there is this thing going around in the blog community. So in an effort to succumb to "jumping off a bridge because everyone else is doing it," I figured I needed to participate as well. That, and I have nothing of great wisdom to spill into a post tonight. So here goes--

Four jobs you've had in your life:
1. Receptionist for a psychologist - who, by the way, had some pretty high-profile clients...you'd never believe how interesting the files were on some of his patients!
2. Contributing Reporter for Houston Chronicle
3. Public Relations Coordinator
4. Administrative Assistant

Four movies you'd watch over and over:
1. Dirty Dancing (Can you believe Matt has NEVER seen Baby being put in a corner?!?!?)
2. Blade (Stephen Dorff- so hot in this movie)
3. Breakfast Club (Nothing beats Ally Sheedy's dandruff-covered drawing...nice)
4. Better off Dead ("For dinner, we have Fr-ah-nch fries, Fr-ah-nch dressing, and to drink...Peru...")

Four places you've lived:
1. The Philippines (technically, for only 4 months though)
2. Houston, TX
3. Channelview, TX
4. (and back to Houston, again...I'm boring)

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. Sex and the City
2. Lost
3. Desperate Housewives
4. 24

Four places you've been on vacation:
1. Island of Oahu, HI
2. The Netherlands - Amsterdam, Delft, The Hauge, Rotterdam, Leiden
3. Nassau, Bahamas
4. Berlin, Germany

Four websites I visit daily:
1. www.google.com
2. www.cnn.com
3. www.people.com
4. www.espn.com

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Sushi - unagi is my favorite
2. Almond croissants
3. Grilled salmon
4. and I hate to admit it...KFC original chicken (my guilty pleasure/comfort food)

Four places I'd rather be right now:
1. Having the Seafood Luau dish at Duke's Canoe Club in Waikiki and staring at the beach
2. At the Spa being pampered and fed
3. Taking a much-needed nap
4. Having a beer at an outdoor cafe watching the tulips blossom in Amsterdam

FINALLY...The wedding pics

Here are just a few pictures from the event...

The Historic Jekyll Island Resort on Jekyll Island, GA











The Groom with Jeff, House (his Best Man), and Scott...aren't they just dashing?











Me and Emily - not bad seeing that I walked about a mile in the rain to get to the chapel, huh?

















Nathan and Susan making their bubble-filled exit













What a photo!

Lauren takes her act on the road

Here we are at a Chinese buffet... My beautiful little niece, Lauren, and her thoroughly exhausted "Tata" who just got in from Nathan's wedding














I tried to tell her to keep her hands at 10 and 2...she prefers one-handed driving though - bad, female Asian driver in the making...hehe.











"I hate this song! Where are my jams?!?!"











Can't see over the steering wheel...just like her Tata ;)







I can't wait until she's old enough to be my DD...hahaha...

1 Week down, 5 to go

So I made it though Weekend 1 of liquor-less Jacky. Maybe I'm not as raging of an alcoholic as I thought because through it all, I only had 3 beers Saturday night. HOWEVER, I think the key was that I (a) did not go out Friday night and (b) got a late start Saturday. If I keep this up, I might, just might, make it through. I think the tough weekend to worry about is in two weeks for Chris' birthday weekend at the casino though. Now that will be a challenge!

A lady doesn't drink such things...

As you've guessed from the title of this post, I've decided to give up my dear friend whiskey (and, yes, Scott...even whisky spelled without the "e") for the season of Lent. No loop holes...quitting my favorite inhibition destroyer and every other hard liquor for that matter in exchange for a dainty glass of vino or it's lesser alcohol content brother - beer. The main reason I have to give up all hard liquors is because I know me. I'll just switch my vice to some other ungodly imbibement worse than the former (i.e., "151 on the rocks, please" YIKES). Wow, between no shots for my 2006 resolution and no hard stuff for 40 days, my circulatory system won't know what to do with the thicker consistency of blood flowing through its veins seeing I've done such a great job of thinning things out over the last few years. I may very well choke an artery with real blood...Memo to self: must consult physician regarding the ramifications of my lifestyle change.

It's that time again

Lent is upon us. According to the Catholic church, starting tomorrow I must give something up for the next 40 days in an effort to experience sacrifice as Jesus Christ did for us on the cross and to repent for the sins that led to that...hmmmmm.... Although I kind of think this is a hokey event some historical Catholic created only to impose suffering on worshippers (seeing that the religion is infamous for administering the feelings of guilt and unworthiness), I thought I would instead use it as a platform to test my will for one of my many weaknesses. Weakness for good food, weakness for whiskey, weakness for excessive spending on kitchen gadgetry, weakness for speaking horribly about people who (in all due respect) are just ASKING for me to comment on their lack of fashion basics, weakness for tanned, European men who yacht all day in the French Mediterranean.... Ok, strike that last one.

I can already feel my mother hurling her rosary at me and see all my fair-weather Catholic friends shaking their heads for speaking so poorly of Lent, but I just can't believe that the church equates me giving up using four-letter words for six weeks as "giving me an understanding" of how Christ suffered for us - JEEZ, the man was nailed to a cross in the burning sun with open wounds from being whipped all day! Somehow, I really don't see how that evens out, but oh well...you say tom-AY-to, I say tom-AH-to...

Also, if I consider that my denying myself something as repentance for the sins of those before me who put Jesus on that cross, wouldn't that be reciprocating the age-old oppression excuse? People shouldn't be rewarded for the pain their forefathers experienced nor should we be punished for their evil deeds. Punishment for our own individual acts are fair game though, don't you agree?

Can you believe what I found a particular website to say?!?!? Get this- "...indulging in the pleasure of eating to physical flabbiness and, if this is great enough, an inability to perform in physically demanding situations , indulging in pleasure in general leads to spiritual flabbiness and, if this is great enough, an inability to perform in spiritual demanding situations..." (http://www.cin.org/users/james/files/lent.htm) I'm mesmerized at people's interpretations! "Spiritual flabbiness", that's a new one... You would think with my mother's devout Catholic upbringing, and my family's obsession in believing I've gained 20lbs everytime I see them, that I would've heard of "spiritual flabbiness" by now.

Seriously though, what do I give up in my quest to withhold myself a guilty pleasure? Or should I do the modern-day-Catholic thing and inversely NOT give up something, but instead promise to try to do more of something like working out 3 times a week on a regular basis, feed the homeless, spend more time with my family, etc? Suggestions?

Wanted: Glass of pinot, a hug, and a good night's sleep

I wish I could go into detail more about what has turned my week so sour...and it's only Monday for Pete's sake! All I can say is that a lot of changes are in the cards for me and for a lot of people who I know and love. The cliche that "all things happen for a reason" is the LAST thing I want to hear from people this week. So be forewarned that utilizing this has-been phrase will probably result in the biting off of your head, the death stare that would give that Italian pairs ice-skating chick a run for her money when her partner dropped her during the Olympics, or simply me breaking down in an emotional blubbering mess. Never have I wanted to have Tourettes Syndrome so that I can blurt out a slew obscenities to unsuspecting passersby in order take my frustrations out on them and not on people who I happen to know. Although I sometimes do that when I've had a bit too much whiskey, I feel like I might feel less overwhelmed if I could just do that while I'm sober for the next couple of days. Healthy? Probably not, but it would be better than either (1) internalizing my being upset and (2) taking it out on the likes of my friends and family. Don't you think?

I'm sure I'll eventually post why I'm so hurt and upset, but I need time to let it fester and make me even crazier first...you know, the most common thing to do...

Congrats to the new Mr & Mrs

So another one bites the dust...kidding. Nathan and Susan made it official this past Saturday at lovely Jekyll Island Resort - if only it wasn't so rainy so that we could've enjoyed more of the historical sightseeing. I wish you two the absolute best!!! Now they are enjoying some much needed R&R on their honeymoon in Tahoe. I'm so jealous!

We were all fortunate enough to have atleast gotten a short visit squeezed in with Nathan on his last night of being a bachelor. We had a couple of drinks and reminisced the days gone by... if only House could've included some of the stories we talked about in his toast!

I really enjoyed getting to spend time with Nathan's little sis Emily and her boyfriend Adam again. I love those two to death!!! I can't wait til they come to visit in May or June! It was fantastic getting to spend time with Leisl and Jeff, too. They are so fun! Unfortunately, I didn't get to spend too much time with House...but luckily, I got to sit next to him at the reception and catch up about his beautiful wife Christina and his great kids.

I really wanted to include photos in this post, but my brother forgot to return my USB cable when he borrowed my camera. Until I get that, downloading my pictures will be on hold. I actually got some great shots of the event.

3 Days Left!!!

I can't believe that in 3 days Nathan is going to be married!!! So, Nate, is she taking your name or are you taking her's (nouveau chic, n'est pas?)? I'm super excited for him. I know that he's been looking forward to this event his whole life, and I'm glad that I'm getting to bear witness to it all.

To be honest, Nate, I'm surprised that you're brave enough to invite Schlobbles and Scrambles to your wedding...but, I promise we'll try to stay on our best behavior ;)

Power Shopping: Good for the Soul, Bad for the Pocketbook

So I decided that NYC was my destination afterall for this past weekend. Matt and I flew into NYC late Friday night after over two hours of delays because of strong northeasterly winds. What a waste of leaving work early, huh? When we got in, Scott met us so that we could grab a quick bite and have a couple of drinks.

We turned in sometime after 3am and was out the door by 9:30am the next morning to pick up the rental car. Scott, his friend Liz, Matt, and I were heading to Woodbury Commons (an outlet mall in upstate NY) for the day. Matt got his first experience driving in snow flurries...he was pretty excited seeing he had never seen snow before. Once we got to Woodbury Commons, it was ON! We power shopped until the stores locked up at 9pm. This outlet mall is unlike any outlet mall I've ever been...designer stores out the wazoo with serious deals. I'm not talking your typical outlet with cheesy stores like Liz Claiborne, Mikasa, and American Eagle. I'm talking Dolce&Gabbana, Versace, Gucci, Chanel, Armani, Barney's New York, BCBG, etc. I'm not a big "label queen" or anything, but when you're getting deals on such labels for the same price as non-designer wear, I couldn't really pass it up.

It was absolutely FREEZING while we were out there, too! I think it was about 15 degrees in the evenings and the days were in the the mid- to high-20's...low 30's if we were lucky. At some point, I lost feeling on my right thumb because I wasn't wearing gloves, and left it exposed while holding shopping bags Saturday evening....jeez! I hope there isn't any extensive damage...lol.

So the moral of the story for this weekend is that Jacky is on financial groundation until April...hehehe. That means that Nathan's wedding will be my last big blowout for awhile :( Of course, I say that now...

Where oh where will my next vacation be?

This weekend, I have the whole weekend off....and even Monday from both jobs (can you believe it?!?!?!?) My original game plan was to high-tail it to NYC and mooch off of a free place to stay with the good doctor, but the record blizzard this past weekend is putting a bit of a damper on that idea. Flights are backed up and weather conditions are still a little sketchy. Don't know if I want to take that risk. My other option is to go shopping like a mad woman in order to make up for my lack of travel...hehe.

Next weekend, I have Nathan's wedding. Although, I believe Jekyll Island will be gorgeous, my trip is too short to really enjoy it...plus, I think it will be a bit chilly, so I really won't get to enjoy the beach/summer resort appeal it's reknowned for. Oh, well... a trip out of Houston is still a trip out of Houston. And, it's a place I've never been, so it will be interesting. You know I love my adventures into the unknown. And, OF COURSE, I wouldn't miss Nathan's official exit out of the single life for the world. I'm thinking the night before we should hold a wake for his days of bachelorhood where all of Nathan's friends stand over him staring at him shaking their heads and signing the holy cross over their chests...kidding!!!

These are the rest of my tentative travel plans so far...can you believe I'm booked up virtually through the summer already?!?!

March-

• Let's Everybody Get Trashed For Chris' B-day at a Casino in Louisiana Trip

April-

• MJ's Hitting the BIG 3-0! To Austin we go...
• Scott's celebrating his third annual 28th bday (he says me stating his real age is merely allegation)
• I celebrate the last of my 20's

May-

• Barcelona and Southern France...how does that sound Dr. P? What about Norway? I think we fly into Olso, huh?

July-

• Spain - More time in Barcelona this time around...maybe do more of the surrounding areas

Thanks Matt, MJ, Chris, Paula, and Lindsay!

Paula, Chris, Lindsay, and MJ

For those of you who actually made it to the Young Professionals in Energy HH last Friday, I wanted to thank you. I know that it was such a mish mash of people (mainly finance guys), but I appreciate the turnout. Stephen appreciates you being there as well. Otherwise, I would've been there all by my lonesome :( However, I'm seeing that the promise of good Italian food is always a good way to bribe you folks into doing stuff for me. I'll make note of that...lol






Chris, Lindsay, MJ, Matt, and some guys from DXP Enterprise

In a new place

I sent this to post some time last week, but for some reason it never made it on...hmmm...well, here it goes again then...

First off, my great-uncle passed away last Friday morning. Seeing that my family is all my great-aunt has here in the U.S., my parents have been in a tailspin trying to figure out when and where to schedule the wake, the cremation, and moving my 87-year old great-aunt to live with my folks once all her personal business is in order in Florida. It's been hectic to say the least...

So I had a change of heart the day before moving into my parents' place. With the news of my parents taking on another family member and my absolute anxiety of moving back to Channelview, I decided to move to the Greenway Plaza area instead. So there you have it...my stint in Midtown is officially over, and I'm about to wreak havoc on another part of Houston...at least for the duration of my year lease. Haha.

There are some downsides to my new place though - (1) I'm close to the freeway and 59 NEVER stops...good thing I'm not a light sleeper (2) I gave up my phenomenal balcony view of the beautiful pool at the last place for prime viewing of people filling up at a gas station or using the drive-up ATM at Washington Mutual (3) Lastly, I have no clue whatsoever where to take my trash on my floor yet....hmmm...not good.

The upside - (1) I have dry cleaning on the property, (2) I have a two-story workout facility, and (3) I'm close to a grocery store and a number of restaurants...you all know how much the accessibility of food is important to me :)

That's my update for now. Hope everyone is doing well...

How cute is this?!?!

My niece got her first bangs haircut. Although she looks a bit wedged in that pillow, isn't she absolutely adorable????

The Countdown Begins

Ok, folks, I've got two weekends to get my apartment packed up and ready for the movers. For those unaware, I'm moving out of the good ole Camden Midtown Apartments after a story-filled, 3-year stint at the end of this month. Seeing that my rent at my shoebox is going up about $200 and I already spend way too much for what I have as it is, I couldn't justify paying so much more for a 660 sq ft place no matter how good the location is or moving into a smaller unit at my complex for more than my current rent. Therefore, I've decided to take a hiatus from paying rent altogether and make a pilgrimage back to my country roots of Channelview to Chez Lantaco. I figure what better way to pay off the rest of my debt and rebuild my practically nonexistent savings. It's a tough decision (not to mention a stab at my pride) but probably the smartest thing since I prefer my next move to be into my very own casa rather than another apartment...jeez, this trying to be responsible thing really sucks! And anyway, seeing that this whole "temporarily living with the parents to get ahead" thing is a craze going on with a number of my friends, I figure I'm just participating in the latest fad...hehe.