Kodaken Moments

Here's a group pic of all of us. We met up at the church parking lot anticipating a 7am departure, but of course being on Filipino time, we actually got on the road by 8:30am. Check out hubby and lil' bro B holding up the basketball...this would only be the image of what is to come as they kick ass on the court in Game 1 and 2.







Here's a pic that I took with our digital. It came out even more beautiful than I hoped. I enjoyed my time sitting out on this dock, taking in the scenery, and getting my write on. Plus, I kept hearing the theme music of the opening sequence of "Dawson's Creek"..."I don't want to wait, for our lives to be over..."






Here's hubby. Some thought he had this "outback" look with that hat he wore. Just for the record, he didn't actually go canoeing...leeches, remember? I think he was in that Dawson's Creek mentality, too! Lol!






There are only a few people who would understand the motivation behind this pic. The very first time my family went camping, I must've been 4 years old. There's a pic of my sis and two aunties hamming it up for the camera. We were all on our elbows with our heads resting on palms of our hands and lil' MnM is sticking out her tongue. Okay, okay, so 26 years later, some things never change!






Ain't that so beautiful?!






Here we are, Doh and MnM. This was taken before returning to civilization.

OFF Rocks!

Before anything else, I gotta give my props to SC Johnson and Company for inventing OFF bug spray. It totally works! I would not have survived this weekend had it not been for OFF. I would've been covered head to toe in bites from only God knows what. I don't even want to think about the different kinds of insects that were looming out there in the wilderness, waiting for the smell of my tasty blood to suck on (ang tamis!). There was one point where one of the girls asked me to braid her hair. As I was pulling strands of hair, I noticed something at the roots. It was small, it was alive, and it was imbedded in her head! If I am correct, it was a tick! Now thankfully, she didn't freak out when I told her and because I was behind her, she couldn't see the look of panic on my face as I tried (several times) to remove it. I was honestly and totally creeped out!

I was totally reminded of my 7th grade teacher, Mr. Taylor. In Science class, he told us about ticks and how they could be carriers of Lyme Disease. If you happen to find a tick, there's a proper way to remove them. You simply cannot pull them out (which I DID!). You're supposed to use tweezers or light a match, blow it out, and hold the fumes from the match as close to the tick as possible. This forces them and their stinger to disengage whole. Ticks have an affinity for warm and damp places...behind the ears, behind the knees, in your underarms, and sh*t, apparently in your hair. I distinctly remember an experiement he did when he went hiking in the woods. He tied a teddy bear to a rope and threw it among the trees and bushes. When he finally retrieved it, it was covered in ticks. How gross is that?! He also discussed the proper attire to wear in the woods. To avoid ticks and any other insects, he stressed the importance of being covered- long socks, pants, long sleeved shirts. Let's just say that thanks to my teacher (and you should always thank your teachers!), I took his advice and stayed covered the entire weekend. Despite the warm weather, I opted for running shoes and socks versus slippers; I wore running pants or overalls versus shorts; I wore a hat, a hood and I put my hair up; and although I wore sleeveless shirts to try and tan, I sprayed OFF like crazy all over my body. As a result, I came home with barely any bites! Even so, I've seen, swapped, dodged, and killed enough bugs to gross me out for a lifetime. Okay, so that's exaggerating just a bit, but when I say there were hella bugs, I totally mean HELLA!

BFE

Ya'll know what that means, yah? Well, the campgrounds for our weekend retreat was in boonyville, Wisconsin. As we crossed the state line into Wisconsin and passed what seemed to be the only town for miles, we continued down roads and roads of green. I'd say "lush" greenery, but lush seems like a word used to describe somewhere exotic like Hawaii. In any case, through the scenic greens and gravel roads that the Lexus had to endure, hubby and I came to the conclusion that there just ain't sh*t out here. We were going to be in BFE for three freakin' days...lovely.

Campgrounds

Our camping area was on the shore of a leech infested lake. Leeches. As in blood-sucking. As in what sucked on the privates of Wil Wheaton's character in "Stand By Me." What I didn't know is that they come in two colors: black and white. Compared to the black ones, the white are the ones that haven't sucked up enough blood yet. So am I to assume that the black ones have had their fill? I think not! I'm all for the learning of something new each day thang- "If you don't know, now you know." But when it comes to leeches, only one thing comes to mind: don't go taking a dip anywhere that'll result in having lil' bloodsuckers on you. *shudder, shudder*

The grounds actually had a cabin that could house up to 15 people. The cabin itself didn't have any electricity. It did have a hand pump for water for the sink though. It had gas stove and gas fridge (?)and 'twas a good size for a meeting place for the 13 kids. Most of the kids, though, opted to sleep under the stars. As mentioned before, hubby went all out on camping gear and I felt bad in some ways because our tent was the biggest. Here we were, two people, in this huge tent while the kids were packed in 4's or 5's in tents that should've only fit a couple comfortably. Ah well, the joys of camping and bonding...

As far as the bathrooms, it was a walk. Nothing drastically far, but as night rolls near and everything is pitch black, 'tis far. With the exception of bugs, it surprisingly had clean toilets, sinks, and showers. The showers reminded me of the Philippines. While you're trying to wash yourself, you're keeping an eye on the bugs on the wall making sure they don't move any closer than they have to. Still, I think I got bit in some places where the sun don't shine. Lovely.

Communing....or not

Most of the devotional activities were held outside under the trees or at the bonfire. The kids were given lots of free recreation time: canoeing (in mentioned leech infested lake...and btw: a couple girls fell in. Ewwwww.), basketball, hiking, swimming (in a different, swimmable lake), volleyball, turtle hunting, and just plain chillin.

But the purpose of this trip wasn't to play games. It's a retreat after all...a spiritual retreat set out in the wilderness to get away from the chaos of our everyday lives, to be without our cell phones, TV's, computers, and if you're one of the typical kids on this trip, to be away from their parents. I believe that some of the kids misunderstood the nature of this retreat and because of their self-centeredness, obnoxiousness, and sheer stupidity, didn't give this weekend a chance at all. This may sound harsh because well, I remember how it was to be in their shoes. I was at that point where I felt I was alone in the world and no one understood me, but we keep saying that today's youth are a totally different breed from when we were kids. The kids nowadays have a major problem with respect and common courtesy; they talk back and curse, and let's just say that they would've NEVER gotten away with such behavior "in my time." I realize that everyone has their own drama and these kids are no exception. Many come from broken homes, dysfunctional families, single parents and yes, it's understandable that their lives are far from normal, BUT...it's not an excuse for these kids to act the way they do. It's funny 'cuz it's really about applying psychology here and understanding why they do what they do because of their homelife drama. But at the same time, some of these kids reinforce the reason why I simply cannot teach at the high school level.

I'm a true believer that there's a reason for everything that happens and me going on this retreat weekend wasn't a coincidence. I'm not the totally out-going type where I can just hang with these kids right away and bond...hubby can and I'm glad that they have him as a Kuya and role model. Me, I'm there, I'll listen, I'll say what I gotta say, but I know that they can't talk to me like they talk to hubby. It's all good. I can be there for them in other ways. It was a good experience to be there with them and to see them out of their element and away from the church environment. It gave me a chance to get to know them a little bit more. I did get to facilitate an activity that I thought was something the group really needed and I'll take that as my contribution to this retreat.

I expected a little more depth to the retreat itself. I felt that the kids weren't so into it as I thought they would be and many times, it was a countdown to when they could escape to do something else besides connect with God. At the same time, it could've been due to the nature of the activities. Although there were 6 chaperones, only 2 planned the weekend out. I felt that hubby and I personally could've added our much needed input to have made the activities more meaningful and something that these kids could better relate to. The leaders of the retreat are parents of one of the kids and perhaps because of this reason, they still hold back in sharing and letting anyone in. Hubby and I haven't stopped talking about it and I believe that we are being called to be more active in this youth ministry. I feel that because of the experiences that we have between the both of us, we could help make a difference. I was telling hubby that I could see him being the Youth Minister for them and plus, it all works out because he's already bonded with the kids, they trust him and can talk to him in ways that they can't talk to the other leaders.

I knew that there were other reasons unknown to us why Minnesota was the place where we'd end up living. I now know that we were meant to join this church- hubby was meant to help the praise band grow and develop, he was meant to be a blessing to these kids, and we were meant to be the "new blood" that in some ways, helped (re)ignite the fire of many projects and activities that they've been praying for. The church has so many needs and is in this continual growth process and I feel that we were meant to be here for that.

Overall, aside from the drama and disappointment, it was a good experience. It was nowhere near as unbearable as I originally feared and yet, it could've done without all the bugs. Seriously. I even got a chance to write. Being way out there in the woods, sitting on the dock of the lake, and seeing all the surrounding beauty is so inspiring that you can't help but feel God's presence. I did not anticipate how I would end up feeling and how this weekend would affect me, but it did in many ways. It gave me the opportunity to reflect about my life and to feel God's power and love working within me. The Holy Spirit was truly present and I'm thankful that I was there to open my heart and mind to the experience.

Once again, much thanks and appreciation to the makers of OFF bug spray!!!

Leaving Civilization

We're off on our first camping trip.

Camping?! But MnM doesn't even like the outdoors!

Yes, I realize that. But since it's a retreat for the youth at our church, I'm making the sacrifice.

Being the anti-outdoorsy person that you are, I'm certain that MnM will be sleepin' in the nice confines of a cabin, yes?

WRONG! Hubby and I went all out on camping gear. Tent. Bug spray. Sleeping bags. Bug spray. Foam mattress. Bug spray. Grill. Bug spray. Flashlights. Did I mention bug spray? Egads...what am I getting myself into???

You mean to say, MnM is going to be completely one with nature for an entire weekend?!

Well, not entirely. There ain't any electricity, that's for sure. Geez, no Internet access for three freakin' days...wtf?! BUT, thank the good Lord that there IS a bathroom with running water on the grounds. People, if there wasn't one, there'd be now way I was going! Ain't no way MnM is going #1 or #2 out in the woods....EWWW!

What's the one thing you're looking forward to during this lil' excursion?

Does coming back home to sleep in my own comfy bed without the fear of mosquitoes attacking me left and right count?

What's the one thing that you're NOT looking forward to?

Besides mosquitoes, "chiggers" and "no-see-ums." Up until yesterday, I had no idea what the hell these were. Hubby and I were at Target buying bug repellent and the bottle said it protects from these things. A nice old man heard my "What the hell is a chigger and no-see-um?!" and was kind enough to explain. "Chiggers" are tiny spiders that imbed themselves under your skin and makes you itch like crazy. "No-see-ums" are exactly that...bugs so teeny tiny that you can't see. Lovely. So lovely that I'm feeling itchy just thinking about them. Arrrgggh!

Any last thoughts or comments before leaving the comfort of civilized living?

Yes. Ya'll gotta pray for me that I survive this trip! Pray that the bugs will be kind and that they don't suck out all my blood. Pray that there ain't any bears in the vicinity. Pray that the bathrooms DO indeed have running water. And oh yah, pray for all the kids on the retreat. It should be an interesting weekend...

MN Stops

Just because hubby and I have been here a year (egads, a year in July!) doesn't necessarily mean that we're helpful tour guides. Besides Mall of America and St. Anthony Falls at the Mississippi River, there really isn't many places that we know of and how to get around. Sad, I know. But like I said before, with my sis and her family here, it gave us a chance to play tourist ourselves. Here is a list of places we saw and restaurants we ate at during their stay:

- Mall of America. After they got settled in their hotel, we took the hop, skip, and a jump to MOA. As expected, they were overwhelmed. We walked around a bit and the kids got totally excited when they saw all the rides and games. But hunger took over and we headed to the Rainforest Cafe. But in order to get there, we had to pass the main attraction in the center, Camp Snoopy. Click here to see a cool pic of the famous indoor theme park, then click on the link to see what it all entails. Honestly, it's all very cool. Dinner was eventful to say the least. I remember eating at the Rainforest Cafe once, but I don't remember all the creatures, thunder, lightning, etc. Poor Nico got all freaked out everytime the lights would dim strobelight style simulating lightning. It made for a cute picture, though, with him grabbing hold of his mom. Then there was our waiter Charlie. Ate was commenting on what a cutie he was and that he kept winking at her! Lol! The food was okay, nothing spectacular. I think more people go for the whole atmosphere thang. Plus, it's fun for the kids...for Bina anyways.

- Albertville Outlet. Ah yes...the shopping. I must remind you all that Minnesota has no tax on clothes. None. Zilch. Nada. To look at it another way, just think that it's like a sale everyday! Plus, when you're making a big purchase (like Ate did at Banana Republic!), it makes a big difference. There's this big hoopla about this particular outlet mall. Apparently there are many others, but this one is the best. Think Gilroy and Vacaville, but in our opinion, better. As my sis and family were preparing for their trip, they already told me that they were going to pack lightly. They wanted to take advantage of the "no sales tax on clothes" deal and wouldn't you know it? They arrived with one piece of luggage! One luggage for a family of four. Wow. Needless to say, they bought another piece of luggage here, on sale of course, to stuff all their purchases in for the trip back. And take advantage they did...wow. Oh, and all the Mervyn's stores in MN are closing down, too, and they're having major sales! I think that it's safe to say that they got their money's worth...or as Nico would say, their "nomey's" worth! Lol!

- Famous Dave's. Can I just say YUM?! This has got to be THE best place to get ribs over here. FD's is a chain reminds us of Armadillo Willy's, but better. It's funny 'cuz there's one right near our apartment, but we've never been there. 'Twas always crowded..and now we know why. If we knew just how finger lickin' good it was, we probably would've eaten there ages ago! Hubby and I are constantly complaining how there's not too many good places to eat over here. We seriously miss the different cuisine of the Bay, that's no joke. If ya'll ever take a trip to visit us, count on a trip to Famous Dave's. It'll knock you out of your socks, don't cha know? You betcha'!

- Fort Snelling. Located about a mile from the airport and sandwiched in between the Mississippi and the freeway lies this very historic site. The history behind it is really fascinating, especially for history buffs like my brutha man and hubby. When I heard fort, I automatically thought of Fort Point at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. Fort Snelling ain't nothing like it. Fort Snelling is huge. There's so many trails to wander about, different buildings that have been modeled to depict life back in the 1800's, and the best part of all, all the people who work there are costumed guides dressed in pioneer style clothes who surprisingly, stay in character. We wandered on our own, were greeted "Good Day" by various "characters," met a blacksmith who explained his trade, and even watched a canon demonstration. The "kaboom" of the canon was HELLA loud! The place wasn't completely busy with visitors and it made me wonder if the people who work there go about their pioneer life even when no one visits. There were a couple buildings that I know for a fact that we were the only ones there and yet, here were people behind a rope doing their thang. 'Twas like a living museum. They'll talk to you if you ask them questions and they'll always say, "In our time..." I never realized how rich the historical background of Minnesota was until this visit. Plus, we got to see a 15-minute film about the whole expansion project...you know, taking the land that rightfully belonged to the Native Americans and taking over. Same old sh*t from the white man's world. But it was cool because many of the towns over here have maintained the Indian names: Owatonna, Mendota, Minehaha, White Bear are just a few examples. Overall, it's definitely a place worth visiting again.

Of course, we did a lot of hanging out and catching up. Watching the kids be kids is always fun...watching them laugh, run, get in trouble, cry, whine, whine, whine...Lol! According to my sis, lil' Nico has gotten into a whining phase and she kept joking that this was how I was going to remember their visit. Nah, not at all. I'll remember playing tourist, going shopping, eating out every night (oh boy, did we eat out or what?!), but most of all, the hugs, the kisses, the smiles, the talks, and everything in between. I loved that they were here and I dreaded the day they would leave. It felt perfect to be all together again and not have to worry about long distance phone calls. Hopefully it won't be too long til I see them again. Perhaps August timeframe, I may make a trip back to the Bay for a bit. Having them here made me realize how much I really miss them all and I'm just grateful for the time that we had.

La Famille

That's French for "my family." My Ate and her family flew in from CA last Saturday. It was so great of them to come. I got to play tourist and see the many parts of MN that hubby and I have yet to discover. As fun as it was to pasyal-pasyal, it was even better to chill and catch up with them. I haven't seen them since my last trip back to da city in March and it always amazes me how fast the kids are growing!

My niece and nephew are THE cutest kids, but being Ninang to both, I am a tad biased. The image that will forever be etched in my memory is when I picked them up from the airport. Turns out that I was waiting at the wrong end of the terminal. It wasn't until Ate called my cell that I figured that out. Sometimes my sis and I have the wackiest conversations, but through it all, we completely understand each other...most of the time anyways. Our conversation is as follows:

MnM: "Are you here?"
Ate: "We're here. Are YOU here?"
MnM: "I've been here. Where ARE you?
Ate: "We just got out."
MnM: "Where ARE you?"
Ate: "Where we came out, Gate 7- we're in baggage claim."
MnM: "I'm in baggage claim."
Ate: "We've been here for about 15 minutes."
MnM: "Hold up. Is that you down there?"
Ate: "Where ARE you? Down where?"
MnM" "Okay, I see you guys. I'ma coming."
Ate: "Um, okay. I still don't see you though."

I'm hurrying through the crowds of people to get to them. They're easy to spot. I'm waving like crazy and they finally see me. Bina and Nico have these huge smiles on their face and they break into a run. It's like a scene in a movie. They both yell, "Ninang!" I stop and brace myself for the two little bodies to tackle me into a bear hug. I watch them in slow motion as brother and sister race each other to me. People turn their heads to check out the commotion and before they continue on their way, they smile as they see the scene before them. I notice how tall the kids have gotten, the new haircut, the new backpacks they bought especialy for this trip, and in the background, I see my sis and her hubby. In that few seconds, I took them all in and I felt a happiness in my heart. They came. One grabs my waist while the other hugs my leg. They're here. My family.

Ages and Ages Hence

'Tis not quite a Shakespearean quote, but it's how I feel about not blogging for the past two weeks. Honestly, there hasn't been much to blog about. There's been tons on my mind, but sometimes my muddled thoughts seem so obscure that I somehow subconsciously back them up in a corner somewhere with the intention of coming back to figure it all out later. The problem is, later never comes. As a result, those thoughts remain there...lurking, probing, fermenting...keeping me up in the wee hours of the morning because my mind refuses to give it a rest.

I've often thought that perhaps I divulge too much information that anyone would have no business caring about. Other times, I feel that I'm not being totally honest with my feelings and that I censor my words knowing that this person or that will be reading this blog. Most times, I say SCREW IT! For that brief moment when I seem to stumble in my need to express myself, good or bad, those hidden thoughts often reveal themselves. Sometimes decipherable, sometimes not. Sometimes worth sharing, sometimes not. Ultimately, what we are most passionate about is shared freely to anyone who listens, but tonight, they remain unspoken. "The rest is silence." (And that, my friends, IS a Shakespearean quote taken from Hamlet).

What's with Shakespeare tonight? Hey people, whatever and whoever inspires...

***Hey Eastbay, don't unsubscribe just yet! You may be one of the few faithful ones we have...be a pal. =)

What A Week

I've been temporarily glued to the TV this past week to watch all the Reagan memorials and funeral coverage. It eerily reminded me of 9/11 and how time seemed to stop for a bit...for some, anyways. There's a lot of Reagan haters out there, but I'd like to think that even though I was too young to really understand his political agendas, it's just fitting to acknowledge the life of this accomplished world leader. I was disappointed that I didn't wake up early enough yesterday to watch the funeral service begin in Washington D.C. and continue on to Simi Valley, CA live. I was thankful that CNN decided to broadcast the entire day again. I just felt that this was history in the making that I wanted to be a part of, even though it was just watching it on TV.

Yesterday, we also found that Ray Charles Jr. passed away as well. An icon and legend that the music community will no doubt miss.

Some people may be surprised that people of my generation are affected by these deaths. Sure we may have been too young to understand Reaganomics, but I'll bet that we all remember hearing about the president being shot by that Jodie Foster fanatic. We may have been too naive to appreciate Ray Charles' music, but after "We Are The World", we knew him. Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that these individuals were at their height while we were growing up in the 80's. We are connected by time. If anything, I've learned more about Reagan's presidency now than I did back in high school. Now that I'm older, I have a greater appreciation and understanding of things that I never took the time to bend an ear to. As unfortunate as some may say that is, to me, it's better late than never.

June 12- Philippine Independence

Happy Philippine Independence Day!!!

For those of you who don't know much about how the Philippines gained their independence, read on and be schooled...

July 4 vs. June 12

PI History

Be proud, wave our flag, dance the Tinikling, eat bibingka...celebrate our independence ya'll! Reflect and be thankful of your Philippine roots.

Summer Is Here

If I'm not mistaken, summer technically starts on June 21. Well, not here in MN, my friends. It arrived in full force yesterday that brought temps up in the 90's! We're safe in the confines of our a/c'd out apartment, but once you step over that threshold into the hallway, BLAM! Hot, humid, muggy air.

I had to run errands yesterday and when I saw the sun shining through the blinds, I told hubby that I should just walk...he laughed. I was serious, I mean, the weather was definitely improving and I've been making too many damn excuses to get my ass outta the house. I've been saying, "If only we lived near a Lake Merced, I'd walk all the time." Shiet...we live near what, a thousand Lake Merceds! Okay, call is laziness, but if you see some of these lakes out here, not only are they HUGE, but some of them are so heavily wooded...y'know, as in it's a good place to hide a dead body heavily wooded. Hey man, call me paranoid, but I ain't trying to become a statistic or anything. Yes, yes, this CA minded gal has yet to adjust to the ever so trusting Midwest lifestyle, yet something tells me, I don't think I ever will.

ANYWAYS, I decided to drive and boy, was I glad I did! The walk alone from the complex to my car parked outside was hotter than a mutha!

Another reason for me to believe that summer is here is due to the overabundance of s.c.b..."scantily clothed bodies." Let's just say that after enduring the length of this past winter, I understand peoples' needs to shed their skins and get some sun. Now it being mostly putis over here, us brown folk would shudder at exactly how RED they get...I'm talking lobtser red! SUNBLOCK PEOPLE! I saw so many s.c.b's that scared me 'cuz they were whiter than my car (MnM's Honda: white). Plus, there's also all the s.c.b's that SHOULD NOT be, if you know what I mean. I'm all about being confident in your skin and being comfortable in what you wear, but some people (myself included!) should not be wearing certain things regardless of what the weather is. Sure I'll risk wearing sleeveless tanks, but some ladies just shouldn't wear ones that show their tummies (notice the plural form)! Now I know what my weight should be, but compared to the Viking-esque bodies over here, I feel tiny! Still, still...I've got a long ways to slimming down to my desired weight and hopefully this summer, it'll happen. In the meantime, stay tuned to the many fashion faux pas of the s.c.b. to come...

Crappy Days

Burgers ain't sh*t without the buns.

Yesterday:
In terms of blogging, you ever have those days where nothing majorly eventful happens and all these bloggable moments come to mind that you believe would make good reading material, BUT then one stupid lil' incident happens and all is forgotten and all you want to do is vent about that 'cuz it's ruined the entire blogging experience? Ha! Well, that was yesterday for me..and oh yes, this morning as well.

Yesterday evening, the Tony Awards were on. I love watching these because in a way, you can say that I grew up hearing and attending Broadway shows. I had this idea for a blog post that had to do with thanking my parents for giving me some "culture" growing up- how many other 8 year-olds can seriously say that they got to see "Cats" or "The King and I?" Not that many. Now hubby had been unfortunately hit with a case of hives and he's been so kawa-wa ever since and I've been running here and there to get medicine and food, which I totally don't mind. Last night, we decide we're gong to eat burgers and have ourselves a mini-picnic. I make a list of things we need and head to the grocery. 'Course at this time, the Tony Awards and the Lakers/Pistons game was goin' on and I'm thinking that if I hurry, I can still catch most of the performances.

I zoom to Rainbow, the name of our grocery, and am in and out. I head back home and hubby says that he'll take care of the food. Cool. Then he gives me this look and asks, "Um, did you get any burger buns?" Aw for crying out loud! The one thing I forget to add to the list! At that moment, I exclaim that "I ain't goin' back." But the memory of yesterday's disaster dinner comes back to haunt me (just say my salmon didn't come out as I planned....shaddup!) and I reluctantly grab my keys and head out once again. Now we could've easily eaten the burgers ghetto style with sandwich bread, but after having a bogus dinner the night before, I was desperate for the burgers to taste bomb.

The burgers did taste bomb, thanks to hubby, but it's not after my mood becoming foul as I drove. ARGH!

Burgers ain't sh*t without the buns.

Today:
I woke up late, as usual. Hubby says that I got a phone message from a friend and still being groggy, I forced myself to the kitchen to play it back. Now I don't know about ya'll, but I LOVE to save messages. That's why you'll never see our answering machine with zero 'cuz it's very likely that I've saved a message (or 3!) from hubby and one from my niece back in CA. Knowing this, it's normal to just press the "skip" button to hear the latest, yes? Well not today! As I was quickly scrolling thru the messages, I was literally horrified when I realized that it wasn't the skip button that I was pressing, but the DELETE button!

MnM is not a happy camper right now. Boo!

And Finally...

Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, the "Great Communicator," passed away on Saturday. There's always this sense of sadness when someone well-known dies. Just like with any other huge and news worthy event, I found myself glued to the tv to watch all these "Remembering Ronald Reagan" bits. It covered his childhood days, his presidential times and what he accomplished, up to his final days as he battled Alzheimer's. I got all teary-eyed when they talked about this, knowing that people with this disease can lose their memory altogether. They fail to recognize their loved ones, they fail to recognize even themselves, and in my opinion, is such a sad way to live the rest of your life...what's worse is that there is no cure.

I will admit that politics doesn't interest me as much as it should be. When Reagan began his term in office, I was only in 1st grade! Now I do remember when he got shot, but his political agendas and what he accomplished as president were never really understood. In 5th grade, I chose him for my president report and it surprised me that I remembered some facts about him as the newscasters recalled his life. And then it struck me that Reagan is the first president of MY time. To many, this may seem insignificant, but to me, it's worthy. From the newspaper clipping that my sister has on the day that I was born, I'll always remember reading that Nixon was impeached and removed from office on that day. I don't remember anything after him, but yes, I do remember knowing Ronald Reagan.

I'm saddened by his death and am moved to read about what he did as president. A few hours after his death was announced, I headed to Borders and sure enough, there were all these books about him already displayed. I'll probably save the newspaper clippings for safe keeping and how many years from now, I'll take it out and remember him. It's funny, isn't it, how someone whom you never meet and never get to know, can touch and influence people's lives so deeply.

Rest in peace Mr. President...

I'm So Stoked

The new installment of the Harry Potter series, Prisoner of Azkaban, opens up in theaters tomorrow. Just last night, I finished reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire...all 734 pages of it. I honestly can't see lil' kids as young as 3rd grade reading it. The sheer weight of the book would be enough to turn off some people. Plus, if the images created in my mind are as realistic as I make them, these kids wouldn't be able to sleep at night. As for me, the thicker the book, the better. The book was so intense that while I was reading in bed last night, I must've been so engrossed in the last few chapters that I didn't even hear hubby come into the room. I had the book sitting on my chest ('cuz it's so darn heavy to hold up) close up when I supposed that hubby was going to give me a good night's kiss. I suddenly felt something near me and not being able to see anything else 'cuz the book was so close, my body jerked. My insides screamed, my body went tense, and before I knew it, I had clocked hubby on the side of his face! He had this dumbstruck look as if he couldn't believe what just happened. While I was totally relieved that it wasn't He-who-must-not-be-named coming after me, I felt so bad that hubby had to pay for my lack of body control. Lesson to be learned here? Don't sneak up on anyone reading any known intense books, especially when they're in the last few chapters. Sorry hubby!

My goal before my next online class started was to finish reading the entire Harry Potter series. Well, I didn't quite succeed, but I did manage to get through #1-4. That's 1,819 pages! I just started on The Order of the Phoenix and I'm so stoked 'cuz it's over 800 pages. And just to keep with the spirit of the movie coming out tomorrow, I watched The Sorcerer's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets on dvd today. Now when we watch Prisoner of Azkaban tomorrow, it'll all be fresh in my mind. What a nerd, eh???

School is In, School is Out

I started up on my new online class today. 'Tis a Math and Science class for 8 weeks. Ugh. Not that this'll matter to anyone else, but my assignments are due at midnight Eastern time. That means, I have to have my work done by 11pm my time. Boo! Of course if I was preparing my crap ahead of time, this wouldn't be an issue, but experience has told me that I tend to work well under pressure.

While school is in for me, school is out for the rest of the country. By tomorrow or next week, all these kids will be out free, roaming the streets, crowding the malls, acting like the knuckle-headed kids that they are to celebrate the end of yet another school year. But it's official now though. It's been a full school year that I've been unemployed. Wow. And have I found a position for the next school year? That would be a no. Aiya. Well, we'll have to see how the summer search goes and perhaps, just maybe, I'll be lucky. In any case, cheers to all my teacher friends who are ridding themselves of their classes for a hopefully relaxed summer break.

Shout-Out

Just want to give an anniversary shout out to my Pinay sista Sharon and her hubby, Vic on their 4th wedding anniversary. What a great way to celebrate than on the last day of the school year, too! Much love to you both and wishing ya'll many many more years together...

Weekend Recap

Friday:
Actually woke up semi-early. My "To Do" lists have been making a comeback and what better day than Friday to get all these things done before the long weekend. I had a ton of things to do- household chores like laundry and vacuuming, running to the bank, goin' to the cleaners, getting hubby's prescriptions, buying stamps, etc. Before I even get a chance to attack my list, hubby calls from the Santelices' house near a client site saying that they want to have lunch. I decline because I really want to start my errands, but hubby says that they won't take no for an answer and will be on their way to our place soon. Great. This is where I hear my mom's ever-nagging voice like when we were younger to constantly clean up around the house because "you never know when you'll have guests come over to visit." Honestly, it is because of my mom that I have this compulsive and anal desire to have a kalat-free house...hubby, did you hear that? hint! hint!

So here I am forced to do a rush job of making our place look decent during which I'm watching the clock to make sure I've got time to shower. Don't get me wrong- our place isn't a pig sty or anything, but it just has a habit of being easily cluttered.

Our guests come and we head to Applebee's for lunch. It was cool. These friends of ours are actually the first people who welcomed us when we first got to MN. We met them at the Filipino church and they made sure our transition went well. After lunch, we decide that we're going to watch a movie- Day After Tomorrow.

Day After Tomorrow:
Ya'll have to see this movie-it's so intense! It's a freaky, yet disturbing theory of what could actually happen (although not in the near future)to our Earth if we do not take care of it. We even had some environmental activists outside the theater handing out flyers for some "light reading material." From the beginning to the end, it's just one thing after another and your nerves really don't have time to calm down. Ya'll must've seen the previews and commercials by now- the major wall of water coming down onto New York City, the Statue of Liberty frozen over, huge hail killing people left and right in Japan... In the movie, we see half the world being destroyed by Mother Nature and let's just say that if you live anywhere within the northern states of the U.S., you're totally screwed. Forget Canada, too. It's eerie to think that anything like that could ever happen. After the movie, you're left with that dumb, awestruck feeling of "whoa." In any case, go out and see it for yourself.

Saturday:
We've been hearing so much of the Albertville outlets that we were persuaded to spend the night over the Santelices home. It was cool, although a tad bit uncomfy to not sleep in our own bed. The outlets were like any other outlets, but they actually had some good stores: Banana Republic, Gap, Nike to name a few. Hubby and I did our fair share of shopping...c'mon, we had to...NO TAX!

Sunday:
Church. I don't even want to get into detail of how I felt during service, but the sermon topic of gay marriage got me so infuriated that I actually had to leave the room so I can take a breather. I honestly couldn't believe all the bullshit that was coming out of these people's mouths. Abomination this, abomination that. Let's pray for the evils of our country and our people. How about we pray for all of your closed-minded asses and pray that tolerance and acceptance will find a place in your heart? Who are YOU to pass judgement on others?! I actually felt nauseous, angry, frustrated, and shocked all at the same time. Ugh, I don't even want to go there right now. I'm still sick to my stomach about their whole stance.

Flores de Mayo and Santacruzan celebrations:
Leaving church right after, I had to head home and get ready for two performances. I honestly wasn't in a right state of mind after church, but hanging out with the "different" crowd other than the church crowd was definitely nice. These two church celebrations totally brought me back to way back when. Growing up, my parents were very involved at church and us kids were always there participating, too. May, as some of you may not know, is the month of the rosary. There'd be one statue of the Virgin Mary who'd travel from one house to another each day and the host family would be responsible for "merienda" afterwards. To us kids, this meant hanging out every night and getting free food for the entire month. This is what we did...this is how we grew up.

The end of May basically ends with the big Santacruzan. Usually, some of the young teenage gals are chosen with an escort, get to dress up all fancy, and walk around in a procession around the church, or as they did back in the Philippines, around the town or barrio. It's a huge customary thing and yes, I was part of it at one time or another. I'm probably not giving the event any justice with my meager descriptions, but if you're Catholic (and Pinoy!), I'm POSITIVE that you know what I'm talking about. Sunday was no different. The performances went well, although MnM did mess up..my bad. The first time, I faced the wrong way near the ending and the second time, I exited the wrong way. Aiya. I'll get it next time.

Monday:
Originally, hubby and I planned to go out and perhaps hit a mall. But we didn't. In fact, I stayed in my pj's the entire day- watched some tv, read my book (still on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, book #4), and napped. 'Twas a lazy, lazy day and with the rain falling outside, we took advantage to just relax. We were thinking of watching the Memorial Day fireworks, but by evening time, we were just too tired of not doing anything. And so goes the three-day weekend...

Thanks to all the soldiers and veterans who do what they do on a daily basis. We remember you and salute you.