and the recap continues...
here's the first part of my trip to cali... in a way, i'm happy that i'm finding these all in installments. a LOT happened... too much to read in a sitting. i won't be able to get any comments from you all anymore... well, for a bit anyways. some dork hacked into the comment page server and made it all retarded. we'll see what happens... til then, enjoy part 1 of the cali trip...

it's been a crazy week back from the long weekend... i finally have a chance to sit down and recap how the trip to cali went. man, was that a nice weekend...

burritos, ducks and sushi, oh my!
thursday, ron's mom and brother took us out to eat at mexicali... sonder was impressing us with his extensive spanish speaking skills... but somehow i don't think that only being able to pronounce the food names makes you an advanced speaker...
afterwards, ron and i hung out with his homeboys at the basketball court. they were so happy so see him! and on top of that, they are fun to just kick it with. i hope we get to see them again...
friday, ron and i were driving out to rasputin records and lo and behold, there were ducks crossing the street! there were theses really cute signs that had the sillouette of a big duck and three little ducks following it and at first i thought it was a joke, but they really did cross the street! too bad i didn't get a shot of that... after all that excitement, we hit the great mall... and did some good shopping :o). after being in milpitas, we drove down to san mateo to meet up with my kuya and his girlfriend at sushi sam's. that has got to be the best tasting sushi i've ever tasted in the bay area. and if any of you find yourselves there (it's on third avenue west) do try the sushi sam's special. it's bomb (thank's bev!). after eating, we went to back to kuya's crib in daly city to watch donnie darko... that is one crazy movie. and the rabbit really freaks me out. definitely a movie to see.

hello?...
okay, so it's not like i haven't been trying to update my blog... i'm just forgetful to put up what i wrote... see me do a "mass may update" today. to start, here's something i wrote around may 9th... i thought i lost this one...

sonar
that's probably my most favorite wednesday night club since i turned 19. it's consistently had the best hip hop r&b and reggae music for at least the last 5 years. and usually, you could get there at 11pm and still get in within the half hour. but last night sonar disappointed me (as well as others, i'm sure). wating in line for an hour there is not acceptable. then again, that vip line was crazy huge. the only way i could've gotten in was if i were rolling with a bunch of females... which is not possible cuz the only ones i do kick it with are SO non clubbers. oh well. my homeboy nurse chris kept good company as usual. we ended up eating at the wonton house on cambie and 23rd afterwards.
i think vancouver should have a club like this one i heard about that's in montreal... there's no line up, just the rope. what people do is go up to the bouncer and he will tell you if you are good looking enough to get into the club... now, i'm not suggesting this cuz i think i'd get in. i don't think ugly people should be seen in public anyways!... i'm just saying it cuz there were just WAY too many ugly people getting into sonar last night, and that's just wrong.

(bitter am i?! ;op)

passion
i'm told i have this in everything i do, no matter how bad i am at it... that kinda makes me feel good. especially since i'm feeling particularly creative this year, what with photography and music and anything i'm considering a "hobby" going on til the end of summer at least. of course, my friend jan has this crazy passion that only a red robin's chef can have. really, it's beautiful jan. keep up your good work. ;op

california
yay! i'm so excited. only 2 more days and then i'm off for the "land of the city of the crypts and bloods"... well, hopefully my trip won't be THAT dangerous, but it'll be fun at least. thing is, i've got so much to do before i go... aiya, doesn't it always happen like that? i really don't mean to leave things til the last minute... well, maybe this time, i won't stay up the whole night before like i usually do before heading south......

i just wanna love you...
i am going to bite someone's style. this person i know is doing what i shoulda done a while ago... she's taking a "sabbatical," as she likes to call it, from any sort of commited relationships. she's got herself all set, putting her foot down against any guy that wants anything more than being just friends, and at the same time meeting any "needs" needed to be met... she's got some skill. actually, she's just avoiding having a boyfriend.
i feel a bit more like cameron diaz in the sweetest thing... i'm just tired of "the game." yes my friends, the hat and cane will soon be hung up on the wall, once and for all... i don't know when, but hopefully i'll be able to retire from being the pimp that some of you like to call me.
don't get me wrong, i still like meeting people. some guys fall under the "he's so cute but so stupid" category, but there are a few guys i meet who are awesome quality people. it's just too hard to meet a guy and try to be their friend when all they got is dating on the brain (or worse!). and on top of that, you're the one who'd have to eventually break it to them (sometimes repeatedly) that you don't want them, so you're ultimately breaking it up. ooh, but it's the worst when they hear exactly what they want to hear, even though what you said wasn't even remotely close... you say "i'm not looking for a boyfriend right now" or "i don't have time for a relationship" or even "i'm not interested" and all they hear is "wow, you could possibly be the man of my dreams... i want to be your girlfriend, no doubt about it!!". and suddenly no matter what you do, it's interpreted the wrong way. like if you make any sort of physical contact, it's taken as a "sign"... be it you accidentally knocking his foot at dinner, or your arms sharing the same rest at the theatre, or even you feeling the sleeve of his shirt because you like the material (after asking permission of course). and don't even get me started on the non-physical contact! like if you look at him at all, he'll think "yeah, she doesn't know it yet, but she wants me."
after i handle this, i'll be rid of all of them (although i wish i could just get rid of the bad parts and keep all the good parts). then i'll have a fresh start and be able to have a "normal" life where nobody will notice me or ever ask me for my number or anything... maybe even have a few things go my way. right now, the only thing i'm happy about is that i can go into hiding (none of those guys read my blog... wonder how many would care?.. wonder how many can read?..) so i can spend some quality me time.

dammit, guys suck.

like woah...
it's 1:14am and i am SO full... i think i have succeeded in eating 3 square meals a day since thursday!.. i've had bistik, sushi, bagels, more bistik, grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza, sinigang (with lotsa hipon), ravioli, scrambled eggs, sweet and sour prawns, and some pho... and on top of that, i've snacked a LOT as well! what is wrong with me? my homeboy nurse chris tells me it stems from someone teasing me at the dinner table one day a while back. he said "someone said to you "marion you can't finish all that food" and you were all "yeah i can! watch me!" and you haven't stopped eating since." that was 2 summers ago! dang... as my ate winnie would say "ang sarap mag kumain si marion!" (loosely translated: "dang! that marion can eat!!").

so ron likes buying things online and addressing them to me. and the cool part is i always get these packages when i least expect anything. there were a couple mix cds from radio stations in the bay... a tshirt, tuque and apron with the words got adobo? on them (it's like got milk? pinoy style)... and today was the latest installment of things addressed to me... a couple books of sheet music! and not just ANY sheet music.. one was alicia keys and the other was the tupac shakur collection. yes, the tupac makes for an interesting sound... especially on the piano. but hey, music is music right?.. but yeah, thanks ron for brightening up my day. i swear he can read my mind ;o)

full moon
ever heard that song?.. it's funny how when you hear a song (especially one you like) you automatically try to relate it to your life, just to see how close it comes... kinda like horoscopes or psychic "predictions," even though the only predictions they predict are things that already happened.

dang
i just had one of them "reality realizations"... it's about my job (but i guess it could be for any job). well, in my case, i figure i am too inexperienced (or rather too nice) to do it properly. i get too tied up in the fact (or should i say dream) that i could make a change in the world... you know, help kids wanna get smarter. dammit, i wish i didn't worry about the children i tutor. but that'd be like saying i'd be fine if they grew up to be rude and impolite and close-minded... maybe head down the path that leads straight to everything their parents don't want them to grow up to be. if my sister or dad got a chance at doing my job, they would be quitting more than educating. i think that's where both of them are alike. they'd both say "if you don't like it get out" and not give two shits about what could happen to anyone else if you quit. not like i carry my job on my shoulders that severely, but it's hard to be in a line of work where you're just supposed to help little kids, but their other "parental figures" just seem to be countering all your efforts... wait have i complained about this before?...

choclair
this is one canadian rap artist that really needed to grow on me. he's got some good beats on this latest album of his (the memoirs of blake savage), but i still have a special place in my heart for let's ride from his last album. and that's all i have to say about that...

poppin' collars
yeah so my weekend was crazy busy... i really need to just learn how to sit back and chillax... well, it'll happen one day but not today.. or this weekend. the weather just started picking up today so, despite my allergies or any other medical conditions, i'm gonna go out and enjoy it. more about my weekend in a little while... yeah i'm just THAT busy ;op

this blog was especially updated for my kuya... happy?... ;o)

yay!!
now i have a comment system! now all of you who read this blog can identify yourselves to me!!

props out to kuya, randell and uigui :o)

k... let's see if this works...

i'm not normal. i thought i just had a breathing problem, but the doctor needed to check and see if there was anything else that could be contributing to it. so he took my blood to test, and luckily i don't have anemia. but now he doesn't know what the deal is with my breathing. tune in next week when i fill you in on the new prognosis!

going back to cali
yeah, i think so. in may. i'm so excited!! and my kuya had better not be out of town when i get there...

it's friday (hey!) and i'm ready to swing...
sabby and i got our nails done wednesday after work and talk about claws! damn our nails look good! my esthetician is awesome. but what a chore it was to get used to them. wednesday night i couldn't type faster than a 2nd grader, but now i'm back to par... tonight sabby and i are going to a dragon boat fundraiser. i think the team's called m-power... yeah, they got a bmw dealership to sponsor them. anyways it's at that infamous club purple onion that i'm always complaining about. well, at least the company is going to be good. tomorrow i'm going to take my little cousin rafael to watch ice age. we're both the last of our friends who hasn't seen it yet (funny, his friends and my friends are like 14 years apart!). then we'll eat lunch, then play some ps2... woohoo! talk about some good fun... and i just love that i don't work on fridays!

dammit
i can't find a working reblogger! i'm going to bed.

how come you don't call me?...
friday, i was doing my usual thing, trying to figure out which lakad* i should do first... i had the option of going to the arts county fair at ubc to watch swollen members, baby blue soundcrew and choclair perform, or to purple onion where dj jazzy jeff (yes, as in the one with "the fresh prince") was spinning, or to legends for the grand opening of this hiphop night (fabulous fridays). the arts county fair i couldn't attend cuz i ended up having to work in the afternoon... poo. and the peeps i thought i'd hit purple onion with ended up being too inebriated from the fair that they couldn't make it out. so my super crazy friday ended up with me relaxing and dressing nice so i could go to legends with sabz, rick and biggie. it wasn't too bad for the first night. it's a bit classier than the old starfish gig we used to always hit (good times, good times!). but even before that, palladium was the place to be... ahhh, now those were the days.
anyways, after the club, i pulled out my phone to check the time and what happened? the tip of the antenna broke off. i don't have to tell you that i own a startac. yes the antenna's crap, but i have to say that mine is one that lasted for almost 2 years. funny, i think it's just on the first couple digital startacs that the antenna is not as solid. at least i still have an antenna... now it's just stuck inside my phone. other than that, i really don't have any big complaints. i'll just have a harder time getting reception in those "barely there" reception areas.

(*lakad litterally means walk... in this case, it means plans ex. "anong lakad mo?" translates to "what are your plans?"... dig it?)

troubles...
i think i'm going to take voice classes. i've found that with my hopefully temporary lung problem i get short of breath most after i'm running or talking. yeah yeah, laugh if you will, but it's true. i just talk that much. the thing is, i want to have the right breathing technique so when i sing, i won't get so short of breath too. i came to this conclusion after i went to karaoke last night with the usual crew. yeah, my singing was pretty hurt for someone who doesn't usually sound so bad. argh, it looks like a long road for me... a.k.a. the girl who was built like a ford...

i g-g-g-got it...
k, i think that's the name of that jagged edge, jd and nas song... but yeah that is one good song. it's got that infectious beat that makes you wanna just dance. i was rereading my last blog entry and you know, the way i wrote it really reflected how my weekend felt. now that i got some music on, i think i can write a bit more enthusiastically. it's real weird how music can just influence your emotions so easily. well, it does that to me...
so yeah, i'm in the middle of discussing with ron about going to cali in may. well, i've actually had to discuss with several people about that... lots of us want to go, but we just can't get in synch (woah, i used the term "in synch" without having to refer to the boy band!). hopefully everything works out... we'll see. all i know is that i gotta visit my kuya out there. i haven't seen him since august and that's already been too long! i used to go down there all the time, but now time is a lot less free for me than it was last year. it's kinda sucky but i guess it balances out in other ways...

...
so this past long weekend was pretty sedate. i guess it being the holy-est part of "holy week" is the only explanation i got. i almost forgot that fun was supposed to be a big no-no for the whole week, not just from thursday til saturday. see, waaay back in the day, the thursday before good friday (a.k.a. holy thursday) was when jesus had his last supper, so we (as in catholics) have to be real solemn that day, cuz jesus knew he was going to die the next day... that being good friday, where we are supposed to not have any fun, cuz we gotta think about jesus dying for the sins of man. as my friend aimee put it "it's a day when you think about what you've done, and what you're gonna do about it." well, either way, those two days are the most unexciting, unfun days of the whole year for a catholic. i don't really mind it cuz it ain't so bad that we gotta just stay at home and chill... everyone lives such fast-paced lives nowadays, that taking a day or two out really doesn't hurt at all. besides, sunday was easter so we all partied it up. i got to hide eggs for a little easter egg hunt for my little cousins and some other family friends' children, then we all ate a big dinner. as for today, i went shopping with my friend ivan... i just bought a plain white gap t-shirt. i figure if i want to go clubbing, i usually just want to wear comfy clothing anyways. add some blue jeans and my cortezes and ta-da... another classic outfit!

YAY!
one night a while back, the family was just sitting around in the kitchen after dinner, watching some show. nothing too exciting. anyhow, we (the daughters) were getting a bit restless and were wondering when our friends would be calling to ask us to go out. just before we all decided to get up and leave, a hallmark card commercial came on that caught our attention. a boy went up to a girl in the playground and recited a poem to her. it went like this:

i place a kiss in both my palms
and hold them to the wind
in hopes that someday you'll think of me
because the kiss has made its way to you.

she told the boy that it was a nice poem, and gave him a kiss on his cheek... he then proceeded to another girl and started reciting the same poem.

my sisters and i laughed and laughed. we all wanted to use this poem for our valentine's day cards... but in our enjoyment, we completely blanked on the poem. so our dad said "i'll get for you." and tonight, just 5 minutes ago, dad came up to me and recited the poem. hehehe... my dad is awesome.

ooh ooh!..
so it's not quite saturday but it's close enough. i just read my kuya's blog and his girlfriend's blog too... you know, from what i've read, she sounds pretty cool (yes kuya, i approve). and i know some might think this as anal but i love that she has no grammar or spelling mistakes like my kuya sometimes does! it's so nice on the eyes. yes, the teacher in me is shining through ;op. but yeah, she seems to be having a good influence on him ;o).

anyhow, i just wanted all 5 of my faithful readers (wait... do i have that many?..) to know that i'll be off to the sunshine coast this weekend... a little bit of rest and relaxation and partying before heading back to school. *sigh* spring break is over so fast! and i am so disappointed in myself... i wanted to hang out with my ate winnie this week. sorry ate!!! i'm slacking off on my chismis (sp?) time with her!! i'll make it up to her next week i promise.

and to all of my pirates, i miss you guys already! come back soon!!!

i gotta make the song cry...
i decided to get back to listening to the unmarked cds... ron, if you're reading this, i just want you to know that despite needing to do some real work, i'm going to avoid it (yes, i aspire to be like you!! ;op hehehe) just so i can label these cds! yeah, i'm not complaining... i love listening to music ;o). i could sit indoors and listen to music all day... of course, the weather helps too. it's been hella snowing here for the last 2 days, so i really wouldn't be able to do much else anyways. and i guess me possibly developing asthma doesn't help either. yeah i'm pretty choked (no pun intended). i went to a doctor at a clinic last week and he said i might have a sort of asthma, but not like a real asthmatic's type of asthma. so this week i went to my family doctor and he was more sure that i "may have developped asthma" after the last virus or cold i got. boohoo. at least hockey won't be too hard on me anymore since it ended last sunday... but there's still dragon boating (maybe)... and dancing... and karaoke! man, all them activities that require me breathing easily are really making me want to cry...

mr.cheeks
i'm listening to a song by him... "mamma said mamma said mamma said mamma said mamma said..." yeah it's pretty chill. ron brought me like 8 unmarked mix cds this weekend so now i get to listen to them so i can label them somehow. i'm on my 3rd one, and i'm getting all into it now... the first ones were actually from the last time he gave me unmarked ones so it wasn't too hard to get through them... but now i'm listening to this one and i'm all "what? jay-z? then some nas?!" for real, if these guys were all together on tour it'd be harsh "song fighting." you know, kinda like j.Lo (in her ain't it funny remix) and p.diddy (in his i need a girl). for those who don't already know, check out the lyrics to them songs... it almost brings tears to your eyes... almost. but yeah, i wonder how ruthless it could get. wonder if it'd be like eddy and neo talkin bout mike... oooh, and neo, i still think your "plan" is pretty tight ;op.

you three boys take care...