After Christmas Ketchup

Another Ketchup...

Day after Christmas

My bro dropped me off at LAX around 8:15AM. I was nervous b/c it was my second flight alone. Ever. First one was to visit Doctor Cousin in Michigan and that was an ordeal b/c when I landed, I had no way of contacting her (this was pre-cell phone days) and the airport was 3 hours away from where she lived. It was a nervewracking time for me.

This time, I couldn't check in at the kiosk (which is what I know how to do). I walked around in circles and finally got in line to check in at the counter. All the while, my bro waited in his car outside! Poor bro must have thought about how helpless I can be. I boarded with no problems, had a turbulent flight, but safely arrived in Vegas. Thankfully, I remember what BF and I did last time when we landed so I wasn't as lost. I even wandered into little gift shops before I hopped into a taxi. I got to Mandalay Bay early so I wandered some more...all the way to Shark Reef's gift shop. Eventually, I met them at Raffles Cafe and had a delicious brunch. Thereafter, we gambled until...7 PM! I have never gambled so long before! We kept hitting on Gettin' Lucky, and eventually walked away about $80-100 up. We had dinner at Red Rock's Food Court (delicious pizza) and that was about it.

December 27

Shopping day at Primm Outlets! Christmas gifts from BF included two Benetton suits, brown Ann Taylor slacks, and a BR shirt -- all work-oriented (boo! No fun!) but I could always use more of that since I'm a grown-up and all. ;) I also got my bro's birthday gift. :) We shopped for a few hours and then headed to Red Rock again. I played Bingo w/ FMIL, but didn't win for the first time. I still had tons of fun, though. Bingo's all high-tech and fancy in Vegas!

The first time I ever played Bingo, I was 10 y/o on a Carribean cruise w/ my Dad, Bro, Step-Mom, God-Father, and Ama. My bro and I played Bingo while the adults were elsewhere. To win, you had to get four corners. I had three corners and just needed 73. They called 72, which I also had, right above my 73. I leaned over to my bro and said, "Oh man, Guh, look, I needed 73, but they called 72." Then the caller called out, "73!" I whispered, "Guh, I got Bingo." Bro said, "Are you sure?" "Yes, I'm sure." Twelve year-old Bro yelled out as loud as he could from the back of the large auditorium, "Bingo!!!" The adults around us had to chime in so the announcer could hear. I remember when they came to pay us, they didn't know what to do. Were they allowed to pay us? Well, they paid us $150 in cash. Sweet.

The second time I played Bingo was when we were at Big Bear Lake for my bro's b-day. It was hilarious b/c we were playing at like the Elk's Lodge or something. I think I won like $75. Not too shabby.

December 28

BF and I went bowling with FILs. Since they've retired, they've really gotten into bowling. I had no idea how serious BF was about finding a hobby that we could both partake in and enjoy, but bowling it is! We had so much fun and got some serious tips from FILs and FFIL's League Buddy. That night, I got my buffet fix at Red Rock. I had no idea FSIL was into buffets, too!

December 29

We got our own bowling balls and bowling shoes! FFIL picked out my shoes. "Hey Cheryl. Look, they made a shoe after you. Dexter Cheryls." I couldn't pass 'em up. I mean, they made a shoe after me! BF and I picked out bowling balls. Mine is black and red and smells like black cherry. I almost got a Hello Kitty ball, but the store didn't have any. FSIL drove us back to L.A. and dropped us off at FBM, where we went bowling and got our first free lesson. Later, he dropped us off at home.

Everyone should have a turtle and everyone should go bowling. :)

Christmas Ketchup

This last week of the year whizzed by so fast! Unfortunately, I neglected to blog so here goes my infamous Ketchup Summary.

Christmas Eve Eve

Ama was sick this year (supposedly my fault) so Bro and I picked her up from Dentist Aunty's and we went straight home, meaning we missed a mini family gathering at Lake Arrowhead. :( Bro and I decorated some more, worked out, bought more decorations, and decorated some more. :) It was our first time decorating outside and man, it was hard!

Christmas Eve

Bro and I stopped by our neighbors before our family arrived. It was my first time stepping inside their house and I was blown away, not just by their regular decor, but also their Christmas decorations. I have NEVER seen a department store Christmas tree inside a home. Their tree touched their roof and was garnished with ornaments the size of "PeeWee Handballs" (well, that's what we called them in elementary school). They even had the huge, fat ribbons. We went back to Ama's and admired our dinky tree that I decorated this year (Bro decorated the rest of the house). By then, everyone had arrived: Genius Family, Medical Family, Army Family, and my family. This year, Pastor Aunty and Attorney Cousin flew over to Doctor Cousin's. We had a fabulously huge Chinese-American meal...from "Chinese burritos" to chili. Afterwards, gifts were opened and the family eventually took off.

This year, Bro and I gave our cousins, aunts, and uncles pairs of movie tickets. The Army Family received a Black Angus GC. Bro and I gave Ama a purse and Pastor Aunty's Family flowers. I gave Dad a microwave (he really needs one) and Guh a Coffee Bean GC and his watch *in thought*. FBIL got a Dutch oven. BF and I gave his dad golf balls, his mom parfum, and an Xbox 360 game to his sis. I received many wonderful gifts: my favorite parfum and some clothes from Dad, a nice purse from Guh, an ice-cream maker(!) from FBIL, much needed clothes from BF, a fun knitted scarf from Bro's neighbor, iTunes and Sbux GC from Army Cousin Family, a new cell phone from BF's family, and a C-note from Ama. I think I'm forgetting a few gifts given and received. Hm.

Christmas Day

We left Ama's and dropped her off at Dentist Aunty's and then went to FBIL's Christmas Dinner. That was a lot of fun and just as delicious. I didn't get to see FBIL's nieces, but I did get to hear the story of how the younger one discovered how Santa and the Easter Bunny weren't real. We got home kind of late and I quickly caught up with my Lil Sis (who is an occasional secret blog reader) before packing for Vegas.

I miss my Lil Sis. I sometimes get to catch up with her on the holidays, but not this time. At least we spoke, though. :) She was laughing about my Mortified entries; she probably knows who each person is, except that I encrypted it with initials and code names. Ha!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of my loved ones!

Christmas Eve Eve

FBIL asked me today if I was excited. He did this last time and I remember I was all stumped. Excited about what?
The holidays.
This year, I am very excited about the holidays because it is my first time getting to spend it both with my family and BF's family. Not together, of course. Actually, I said to FBIL that I am excited b/c my bro and I both get to spend it with our family and then our FILs family. I get to spend it with all three families. This must be what it is like to have a large family. Holiday festivities galore like it's goin' outta style.

In other sappy news, I miss the BF. I am getting a new phone for Christmas so he called me this afternoon to tell me that my cell service is about to end abruptly since the service already switched to my new phone. Since then, I have been pretty disconnected from everyone. (Thank God for the internet!) It is weird to not have the convenience of talking to him with the touch of a few buttons.

I know this will sound nutty, but I also miss my turtle! I hope she doesn't get mad at us for "abandoning" her. Well, she was forgiving last time. As a holiday treat, I gave her 3 rosy red minnows. The Aquarium Lady at Petco likes to spoil Lil F, too. She always gives Lil F more rosy red minnows than Mommy asks for, on the house.

Merry Christmas to my loved ones!

Last minute relaxation and shopping

After I dropped BF off at his sister's, I came back home, found out I'm placed in IngleWOooOod!, blasted Sarah McLachlan's Wintersong with BF's new home theatre system (mu-hahaha! I got it for him for Christmas), cleaned Lil F's tank, and then headed off to my spa pedicure.

My spa pedicure at Peponi was absolutely fabulous! The place is so chic, cozy, and lovely. I arrived early to my appointment so Kaamilyah started me 10 mins before 2. My appointment went way over (which I totally appreciated). I asked for a 40 min Rejuvinator tx, but I walked out 2 hours later! I had such a wonderful time w/ the girl, and she did a great job. Not only that, but she is also a Dexter and America's Next Top Model fan!

Afterwards, I went last-minute shopping with my bro at the Westside Pavillion and the Century City Mall. I rather enjoy shopping with my bro b/c we get really silly and have a grand ol' time. I love the Century City Mall, except I always get lost either going there or leaving. Now, I even get lost in the Mall b/c the maps just aren't correctly oriented (IMO). My bro and I walked in so many circles. The best site was walking into the Swarovski store. I was actually looking for a turtle brooch (that shouldn't be a surprise!) and I saw something far more marvelous.
First I saw in the case some sea shells. I thought they were adorable. They were scattered along the bottom of the first display case you encounter when you walk into the store.


My eyes moved along the display and I could not believe my eyes! There to the left of the sea shells was a huge sea turtle crystal figurine. On the other side of the case were 2 hatchling sea turtles! Beautiful.

Ever since I started reading my sea turtle book, I've been spewing off random sea turtle facts to BF and Bro. I even brought my book to Peponi so Kaamilyah asked me what I was reading about. Of course I had to start off talking about Lil F. I am on a quest to convert people into turtle lovers. :)

Quick Ketchup

Break has been soOooOOoo nice. I've somehow managed to let a few days fly by me! A recap of this week's events...

Tuesday

I spent the day with Ama and Daddy. The day started off w/ Daddy and I having Taiwanese breakfast. I requested it b/c I haven't had it in at least 2 years, even though it is my favorite breakfasts! We had Yung Ho (soybean milk) and I felt like such a kid again...pouring about 1/4 a cup of sugar into my soybean milk. I felt so guilty I slipped a Splenda in at the end. Bro and FBIL tease that I always carry an "emergency supply of Splenda" wherever I go. I just happened to have a packet in my purse. Don't know how that got there. For reals.

Afterwards, we went to get my bro's gift and then we picked Ama up from Dentist Aunty's and went to the mall. Dad keeps telling me to buy my own Christmas gift and he will reimburse me for it. I keep telling him that he doesn't have to get me anything and that I don't like shopping! He keeps insisting so I finally said I would like a bottle of my fave parfum. Dad has already gotten it, but he is acting as if it is not a Christmas gift; he still wants me to get a gift. LOL We had dim sum afterwards and then dropped Ama off. All in all, I had a very fun and entertaining time with Dad and Ama.

Wednesday

I Christmas shopped a teeny bit. I can shop for others when I already know what I am getting them, but left to come up with gift ideas? I am pretty bad at it. On Monday, BSILF asked me for a gift idea, and I got quiet and had a pensive look and then said, I honestly do not know. What I was thinking during my pensive look was, "Why am I pretending to think of gift ideas? I am clearly a failure at this." How terrible. I wasn't even trying to think of gift ideas. I was thinking of what I was thinking! Sorry, BSILF, now you know the truth!

So Wednesday was not difficult. I got my dad a microwave (prompted by Tuesday's events and stories), and I got BF's dad a nice set of golf balls. Normally, I like to linger around stores, but when I walked into that sporting store, I got seriously claustrophobic, especially where the golf balls were. I had to hurry down the stairs (and envisioned myself tripping and eating it big-time). Made it out with no panic attacks. Cool beans.

Thursday

Today was spent with the BF. He finished yet another website after a total of 9 hours of sleep within 3 days. I dropped him off at a new client meeting and then Christmas shopped a little more. I picked up a gift for BF's sister and then dilly-dallied until it was time to pick him up. Later, I went on one of bro and FBIL's infamous fast beach walks. Fast as in it is extremely fast-paced. Every so often, I had to jog a few steps ahead to keep up with them! We walked from Venice to Santa Monica in 1 hr and 20 minutes. I figure that had to be at least 4 miles b/c I normally don't walk that fast on the treadmill and I walk 4.2 mph at the gym. That was fun as usual. Lots of interesting sites and good talks. Unfortunately, no celebrity sitings this time.

Now, I am waiting to drop BF off at his sister's so they can head to Vegas! :) I'm going to miss the BF. At least I have the turtle to keep my company.

Monday funzies

Today, BSILF came over to the westside and joined me for a MG lunch at the Cheesecake Factory in Marina Del Rey! I had a lovely date with her out on the patio, overlooking the marina and boats. :) I, of course, enjoyed both the company and the food. It was especially nice to just chat, instead of exchanging Q&A about school topics.

After our lunch, we tried to walk along what I thought was the Jetty, but I forgot that we were not at Charthouse. I thought I could get away with one "wrong direction" move, but then we went to the Westside Pavilion... We strolled the whole mall -- and didn't get suckered in by any kiosk salespeople. Yay us! My biggest discovery was walking into the Build-A-Bear Workshop and seeing that I could build my own Hello Kitty! =O I couldn't get over that fact! If I have a girl, that is the first animal she is building! When we left, we couldn't find her car (as if we were in Disneyland) and then I gave her the wrong directions to exit the building. I still don't know how I lost my sense of direction. It was right when I moved back to L.A. There's gotta be something in the water.

Afterwards, we came back to my place and BSILF finally met BF! I think they hit it off nicely (phew!). I gave her the dime tour of our little cozy place and told her many stories from how we moved into this place (giant ants on steroids with wings in old apartment) to why my computer armoire is not really a computer armoire. Ha! Unfortunately, I chatted her ears off until it was prime traffic time. :( So what happened?

She stayed later! :) Haha! (Sorry, BSILF, but for selfish reasons, I was quite happy.). BF coerced her into watching 1.5 episodes of "Dexter" (IMO, very interesting show with a morbid sense of humor), and then BBILF came by and BF & I got to meet him finally! The 2 boys talked shop while we talked our own shop talk...like the VitaMix! Dude, I think I may need one. It makes soup, ice-cream, and smoothies. Enough said.

We missed going to dinner with them since BF is extremely busy and I am sick (Ama called me last night to tell me that I need to stay home and rest). It just donned on me that perhaps I do only have a cold and not bronchitis!! Yeah! I just hope I don't get anybody sick. BF started Lysoling everything and says I need to Lysol everything I touch b/c he cannot afford to get sick.

Lastly, Lil F met her God Parents, Aunty K & Uncle M. She was pretty well-behaved for the most part. Unfortunately, she splooshed a drop or 2 on Uncle M when he met her.

BILsF left with a small gift and a candied caramel apple. I didn't mean to make it sound like the apple is a reject b/c it really isn't! This year, I only made two apples with Snickers: one for FBIL and one for BF. Little did I know that BF doesn't really like them (I thought he did since I've shared one with him in the past). I was quite disappointed when he didn't want it, but he said, "You should give it to [BSILF]." "Hm, that is a great idea!" Good thing she can eat Snickers. :) I would have made one for myself, but we ran out of snickers. However, both of the Snickers apples were the hugest of the batch -- a layer of caramel, a layer of milk chocolate, white chocolate drizzles, and then the Snickers! The other apples only got milk chocolate drizzle (rather than a full layer). That's what's so fun about making your own apples -- you can make them as huge and decadent as you want! :) Pity D. Fewl gave me an idea for the next time around -- Cheesecake caramel apple! MmMmMm!

This is one of the best school breaks I've had, mostly b/c I've gotten to hang out with my wonerful classmates and especially with BSILF!

Lil F's Second Birthday

Scott remarks, "It'll be so exciting to see where she goes. I've seen them do the most amazing navigational things. One came off the Flemish Cap and beelined for the Canary Islands. Now, that's what, three thousand kilometers [1864 miles] across open ocean? If you laid a straight edge over her track on the map, you couldn't have done better yourself using GPS and satellites. You look at those tracks, and their capabilities blow you away. Then you realize -- fishing off Iceland and Africa can affect the turtles on this beach."

That remark makes the world seem both oddly small and strangely large at the same time, because Iceland seems a world removed from this warm beach, with its palm shadows and tropic breeze. And it is. But to be a Leatherback is to be perpetually on the move from one world to the next.

~Voyage of the Turtle by Carl Safina~

I am slowly making waves in my book, and I am really enjoying how the author portrays sea turtles as such mysterious but magnificent sea creatures. I hope that one day, I can witness the miracle of a sea turtle nesting on the beach shore.

.·:*¨¨*:·. .·:*¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨*:·. .·:*¨¨*:·. .·:*¨¨*:·. .·:*¨¨*:·. .·:*¨¨*:·.

Sea turtles are amazing, but so is Lil Fawker! Today is her second birthday! Lil F received a wonderful e-card from her newly-deemed God-Parents, BILsF, that read:

Happy birthday, Lil F! We wish you a happy day and a happy year! We hope you get a yummy treat today! Enjoy your special day, M... and K...

Lil F actually got 6 yummy treats, which is more than enough. She will get a whole leaf of lettuce after the Lakers game (we have been very curious to see how much of a whole leaf of romaine lettuce she can eat. We may, however, intervene the lettuce binge). Last year, Uncles B&B, gave Lil F a dozen+ fish, which was waaaay too much. That's what she gets for being the first turtle in this family. :)

This is Lil F when she was two months old and 1.25 inches in Daddy's hand. This is also when we thought that she was a he.






Here she is two months ago at 5.25 inches in Mommy's hand. Today, she is 5.5 inches!

In the past year, she has been deemed runner-up for a RES photo contest and winner of the RES photo contest.


Happy, happy birthday Lil F!

It's up!

BF has gotten about 2 to 3 hours of sleep since Sunday night, except for last night...when he didn't get any sleep until 2 PM today.

Why? Because it's up! :)

BF completed DJ Ron Rockswell's website! BF's feeling blase about it, like all the websites that he creates, but I like it. Maybe b/c I'm always into all the cool Flash FX and designs that he does.
In other free promo BF news, I have worn my baby tank top several times this week (i.e., Yoga, working out with Pity D. Fewl*, working out solo today). It's a double promo: 1) BF designed it (I like the font on the back) and 2) Roscoe is the hype! (That was a double-double free promo for Roscoe b/c 1) I wore the tank top and 2) I am mentioning that he is "the hype").

That paragraph just signifies that I am officially delirious.

P.S. If I take out Pity D. Fewl's "middle initial," it sounds like Pitiful. Ha! No, she is not pitiful. She is wonderful!

Good Friday

Today was a very nice Friday. :)

This AM, Rat B picked me up to meet Bruce Lee's Cousin (a.k.a. Dim Sum) and BSILF at the Santa Monica Pier for a romantic walk along the beach. Along the way, the 3 girls saw John Travolta shooting a movie scene! Unfortunately, I walked past it all and didn't see John. Figures; my brother always teases that I NEVER see anything. Whenever he tells me to look, I look too late! I guess it doesn't just happen when I'm around him. It happens when I'm with everyone. Phooey.

We walked all the way down to Venice (or close to) and then U-turned and "dropped off" BSILF around Ocean and Main, so she could head to her school placement for a visit. We 3 continued back to the SM Pier and got a nice cup of java from Coffee Bean. Strange that the Coffee Bean at the Pier only serves drinks in one size. We hung outside for about an hour just chatting and people-watching. I broke it up b/c I had to get a move on my commute to Ama's.

Before I left for Ama's, I stopped by home. Turns out tmrw is BF's second cousins once removed birthday party so he asked me to run out to get gifts for the two girls. I was on the road by 2:30, just in time for the beginning of traffic. Since traffic had already begun, I figured any stops I made wouldn't matter. So, my first stop was the book mart for my hospital placement manual. Nope, it wasn't printed yet. I took a detour to get onto campus (main entrance was closed) and stopped by the Health Center for TB clearance. Nope, closed at 12:15 (odd time). Went over to the bookstore to pick up next quarter's textbook. Closed at noon. What a waste of time! Adding insult to injury, I couldn't get off campus b/c of that detour...so I ended up going the back way and getting back onto the freeway at Hellman.

After another half hour of traffic, I called Ama to let her know that I would stop by the gym by Dad's to work out. I was literally falling asleep at the wheel from 1.5 hours of traffic. I worked out for about an hour and would have stopped by Dad's but he was napping. As I left the gym, I had to U-turn to get back onto the freeway. It was as if a light was shining down from Heaven onto the corner facility.

So instead of U-turning, I made a pit stop at Discount Tires and finally got Elsa's tires rotated! To top it off, the manager was so nice and honest. He has convinced me to become a regular patron. :D

I finally got to gramma's about 4.5 hours later. Now, I'm just relaxing and trying to not feel miserable with bronchitis or allergies. I think it's both b/c I am sneezing and my eyes are irritated. I have bronchitis symptoms. It's about time, though. I typically get bronchitis around Winter every year. :( At least I am not yet breathing like Darth Vader.

Hump Day

Vacation is still coming along nicely, except I think I am getting sick! :( I am currently drinking Airborne. I hope it works.

I am proud to say I was a teeny bit more productive today. I finally recycled (third attempt in 3 days), then I did a little Christmas shopping for others, as in I went to the Century City Mall and got a Coach GC for my bro for his assistant and got a bottle of Chanel No. 5 for BF's Mom from us. Dad asked me to shop for my first cousin once removed, but I couldn't find anything. I tried to shop for myself, too (gift from Dad), but I couldn't find anything either. I am just terrible at shopping when I am given no direction.

Afterwards, I went to my bro's to finish up the apples. This year, we used Nestle milk chocolate and caramel swirl morsels for the extra layer just for kicks. When we finally finished the layer, drizzles, and toppings, Masta Knitta Pity D. Fewl picked me up to go to the gym. Yeah! It was a pretty weak start for me, but at least I got there and at least my nano didn't die on me. I can't stand working out without music. I have literally left the gym when the battery ran out. My "First Day" back is usually really pathetic, so I doubt I'll be sore or anything. I'll probably "practice" working out over the weekend when I go to gramma's, so that the next time PDF and I work-out, I can better match her endurance.

I finished up wrapping all the apples all by myself. :) I felt like such a big girl b/c I always need my bro around to help me! However, he attended a Toys for Tots event tonight so I didn't see him for the rest of the day. I think that's neat that every year, he goes to this event regardless of what company he is with.

I just got back from dropping off two apples at my baking neighbor's. She invited me in and I was in awe of her place. We always peek through her windows b/c it is beyond model-home-esque. Everything is perfect. She gave me a tour and we chatted for a while about what flowers to plant (i.e., azaleas, geraniums, and snapdragons). I've wanted to ask her for some time since her flowers live all year long when she is barely home, whereas I am home all the time and my flowers just don't live. Dude, she had an azalea plant that has lived for 20 years and a Thai lemon tree for 14 years! Crazy!

She was so sweet. She said my apples looked better than Neiman Marcus and Williams-Sonoma's. LOL She knows her candied apples, though (I won't go into details).

Well, I'm off to bed. Gmail has taken a dump on me for the first time and I think I'm getting sick so I might as well call it a night. I've got a big day of cleaning ahead!

Candied Caramel Apples

"Poet laureate Billy Collins says poetry should displace silence, so that before the poem there is silence, and afterward, silence again. A sea turtle, suddenly appearing at the surface for a sip of air, displaces water. And afterward, water still. This is the turtle's poetry, a wordless eloquence stated in silence and, in a moment, gone."

~Voyage of the Turtle by Carl Safina

I started reading my book from BSILF and I found that quote so profound and beautiful. Isn't it?

ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø

Today, I attempted to do some more things on my Winter Break To-Do List, but didn't get around to too much. I ran some more errands and then finally wrote evaluations for both my Dx and Tx supervisors. Afterwards, I headed over to my bro's to start on our candied caramel apples. After we coated the caramel on, we ran out to Target and stopped by Honey's (?) for delicious fried chicken. We got back and globbed on a layer of semi-sweet chocolate and put on nuts and called it a night.

Every time we make these apples, we tell ourselves to take notes b/c something always goes wrong, and we forget how we managed the previous times! This year, our apples got stuck to the wax paper. My bro ended up having to blow dry underneath the wax paper to get it heated up enough to pull off. Hopefully, we'll remember to Pam everything well enough the next time.

I really enjoy making these apples with my bro. A part of it is because I LOVE eating them! I love giving them away, too. :) I am not great at baking nor cooking so when the recipient thinks it is store-bought, it is a great compliment for me! Above all, I feel like it is me and my bro's thing (and sometimes FBIL, except that he has finals this week). I have secretly been trying to make it a tradition between us. This will be our 3rd time in 4 years. I also really enjoy making them because I can make mine however I want. One year, I made a mother huge one for myself. It had like 5 layers of chocolates and caramel and then some more candies. It was ridiculous. I think my stomach did somersaults every time I ate just one slice. I may be inspired to make a mother huge one tmrw. :D

The case of the Mondays

How nice was it to hang out with classmates and have nothing school-related (except gossip) looming? So mofo'n nice!!

Yesterday, I ran a few errands and arrived late at Momma Normita's just down the street. Everyone was already there: BSILF, Rat B, Yoymega, NB, Pity D. Fewl, & Kangaroo. I finally learned how to knit! :) BSILF and PDF (hm, what a nerdy acronym for my cool friend!) taught me how and I did about ten stitches and two rows. That was very sweet of them to be patient with retarded me. BSILF also taught me a poem to help me remember:

In through the front door,
Once around the back,
Peek through the window
Off jumps Jack.

Of course I cheated just now to recall the poem; I had to look it up. Dude, I could barely remember yesterday! Anywho, the ADD kicked in and I just vegged out, played with CJ, and chatted until it was time for me to meet my bro.

I met up with my bro and his friend V for Yoga. It was my second experience and I am pretty convinced Yoga is not for me. First off, it was 90 minutes. I can barely work-out for 90 minutes! Second, it was hard! I am pretty flexible, but I do not balance well on one foot with my chest parallel to the ground w/ one leg and the opposite arm stretched out as far as possible. The thing that cracked me up this time (as opposed to my first experience) was how the instructor made me think of my neuro teacher. She said things like, "breathe in and let your heart touch your scapula...exhale until your intercostals are relaxed." I'm like, dude, who talks like that unless you are a doctor or have a background in neuroanatomy? I had flashbacks of my neuro classes. I can't remember what other neuro terms she used. Too bad she didn't give me a review session on aphasia and brain injuries to prep me for my hospital interview.

After that, we stopped by Pinkberry for some trendy fro-yo. I got a "fun" one -- plain yogurt with Cocoa Pebbles, yogurt chips, and granola. :)

In recap, I feel like I was such a stereotypical Los Angelean woman -- didn't work, met up with gal-pals, went to Yoga, and had frozen yogurt to end the day. What a great day!

God Son's (by association) 3rd Birthday Party

Today was BF's God Son's birthday party (a.k.a. FBM's son, "Keenan," and BBN). It was tons of fun! When we got there, I looked for the birthday boy but he was supposedly at his Grandma's next door. As I went to the Lady's Room, I glanced into his room, where he was sitting alone on the floor eating Skittles. I just about melted after I cracked up. That kid is so much fun and he is super adorable. BF said I had to be "nice" to him today (he thinks that I crack a lot of jokes about/to Keenan -- which I totally don't!) so I made sure I was super-nice to him. I asked if he wanted to say hello to Nino (a.k.a. BF), and he said yes, so I stretched my hand out to lead him. Instead, he gestured that he wanted me to pick him up. LOL I've never picked him up, not even when he was a baby! So up he went, and I carried him out to greet his Godfather. :)

We hung around for a bit and BF taught me how to play "ghetto Dice." Something about rolling a 7 or 11 means you lose and/or snake eyes and 12 means they lose. After, him and the boys played Dominos, and I realized how pathetic my arithmetic skills are. As the scorer, I was pretty slow on adding up the numbers. We ate a lot of good Filipino food and barbeque. After the birthday singing, most of the group left shortly after. The only people left were us and FBM's other FBM and his wifey. That was really nice and cozy.

I had a great time hanging out. FBM made popcorn and Cadillacs -- his coffee creation, which was actually pretty good! My guess is that he mixed Hershey's syrup with coffee and added a marshmallow for good measure. I also got to hold LBN for a little bit. The biggest compliment I got was, "You're a natural!" I tend to secretly get really nervous holding babies because I don't have much experience. I get paranoid that parents will see right through me and bum-rush to grab their babies from me. That has not happened yet, and I hope to keep it that way.

They could have also been saying that b/c they started teasing that BF and I should pop a baby out soon. Um, not until I get this carrying/holding-a-baby-confidently down packed, amongst other important mommy responsibilities. At least LBN didn't cry with me, today. :) He just pulled my hair a few times.

Before we left, BBN opened his gifts which consisted of a bunch of Superman toys and two outfits. BF and I got him a 10-inch action figure and a smaller action figure where Clark Kent doubled as Superman (or vice-versa). He seemed pretty interested in Clark Kent so at least he liked one of his two toys. Woohoo!

We all got a nice little hug and beso from BBN before we left. Happy big 3rd birthday, BBN!

Last Day

Today was my last:

• day of work (until further notice)
• day of on-campus clinic
• day with 2T
• day of the quarter!
• Whining re: 2T for the quarter!

Today, I arrived on time for my meeting w/ 2T…just to sit there for an hour and 15 before she was ready for me. Imagine Rat B’s surprise when she saw me sitting in the next room over, waiting for my meeting. We both sat there lacing our miming with “real” convo b/c we knew she was eavesdropping.

A written dramatization of our “conversation”:

Rat A: Hi [Rat B]!
Rat A & Rat B mime: WTH! You haven’t met w/ her yet? What time is it!! I know! It’s been an hour!
Rat B: Hi [Rat A]! How are you?
Rat A: Cool, cool. I’m just burning a holiday CD for myself.
Rat A mime: as I wait for her! I’ve been waiting over an hour!
Rat B mime: Dang! That sucks!
Rat B: Hey, maybe u can help me w/ my hospital placement application.
Rat B mime: R U for reals?? Wasn’t your meeting set for 4:30?
Rat A mime: Yeah! And it’s 5:30 right now and I still haven’t met w/ her!
Rat A: Sure, I’ll help you. That sucks you have to fill out an application.

Finally, 1.25 hours later, she was ready for me. I got my grade – disappointing, but not surprising. I didn’t bother to defend myself b/c if I did, it would have started off with, “Well, YOU told me to…” which would not have been very nice and mature. However, she did give me very nice verbal and written comments. She was "initially" "impressed" at how observant and analytical I am. The numerical eval is where it went downhill. Dude, I regressed from my midterm evaluation on some components, according to the numerical grading scale. How sad is that? I didn't even know that was possible.

Anywho, I waited for Rat B to finish her meeting and then we quickly walked out. I had a fun date set to meet Younger Genius Cousin for the Damien Rice concert at the Orpheum. Dude, it was totally rad!

First of all, I was really happy to spend time w/ YGC. The last time we had a “date,” I was babysitting him for the weekend. Now, he’s like a foot taller than me and chaperoning me. LOL I had a great time w/ YGC. He's really down to earth, and it's easy to talk with him because he is open, verbal, and honest. It's funny b/c he is such a genius, but sometimes, he asks naive questions. It's adorable. ;) I.e., when we got in line for a cocktail, he was like, "You mean, you can just tell them what you want and they'll make it?" Well, it is a GOOD thing that he doesn't know, actually. :) Damien Rice also hit a switch and did some cool vocal effects and YGC looked at me and asked, "Hey, how is he doing that with his voice?"

We both thoroughly enjoyed the concert (and we both want to play the cello). The opening band was so good that we got the CD during intermission. I tried to get a shirt for my cousin, but he wasn't as impressed with them. After the intermission, Damien and his band began. It was 2.5 hours of awesome music. I love his music b/c it’s soulful and mellow (i.e., coffee-shop music). So I was surprised when he totally rocked out (b/c the day before was his b-day and two friends bought him an electric guitar) – but even that was great b/c it was so full of emotion. I loved that with some of the songs, they totally rocked on with the endings. I'm into songs that kinda switch tempo and build up or rock out (sorta) at some point. Plus, I love watching musicians who get so into their music. It’s like nothing else in the world matters – not the thousands of people watching them – they and their music are one and that’s all that they need to know and feel at that moment in time. You gotta love what you do for yourself. Kudos when others appreciate what you do.

They played many songs from “O” and his recently released album“9,” as well as unreleased ones. Even his celloist played and sang a solo (sorta) that was great! I just love music and I love loving music (that was not a typo)! Watching the celloist reminded me that I once said I’d like to learn to play the cello. I still want to. J I hope I don't become one of those crazy moms that vicariously live through their kids (i.e., my daughter will play the cello). I'll just pick up lessons with her. ;) J/K

As former musicians and avid music-lovers, YGC and I kept exchanging expressions of shock and admiration for Damien and his band. My appreciation for music is increased tenfold when I see live performances. I can’t wait to go to another concert. I hope Sarah McLachlan starts touring soon.

It’s been a long week, but Winter Break has officially begun in an awesome way!

Late Night Thoughts

I don't know what's sadder:

• That I consider 1 AM "early"?
  
• It is 2:30 A.M. and I have finally finished revising all of the objectives for my first goal of three.
  
• I have been sleeping around 4 or 5 A.M. and getting on average 3.5 hrs of sleep.
• I will be happy/settle for a B in clinic.

Happy thoughts:

• Only a few more days of 2T!
• I've been listening to Christmas music and was very nerdily excited to see that Sarah McLachlan's Wintersong was the #1 Album on iTunes. I love her new CD and I love her music! Other favorites are from my old "Holidaze" CD that includes Christina Aguilera's "Silent Night" and "Have Yourself a Merry Christmas" and a piano rendition of "Silver Bells" (artist unknown).
• I had lots of fun at BSILF's fake knitting party today (it was really a study session with frequent comedic breaks and home-made-from-scrach chicken noodle soup!).
• I sent FMIL a nice birthday card today with movie tickets. That made me smile thinking of how she will be very happy to receive a card (and tickets).
• I received a nice e-mail from my brother who is currently in AZ for work.
  
• I received a nice card and gift from my Fave Clinic Partner and a Christmas card for me, BF, & our green baby from BSILF and hubby. Christmas card is on our fireplace mantle and new gift of a Hello Kitty notepad is on our refrigerator. :)
  
• I ordered a 1GB Kingston Flash Drive for $10!
  
• Our organization really pulled together and bought amazing gifts and gift cards for the family we adopted for the holiday! It was soOOOooOOoOoo exciting to gather around the gifts and just imagine how happy our "family" will be. I am surrounded by amazing classmates. We are rapping and wrapping on Thursday.
• For a little comfort, I am having my favorite herbal tea -- Tazo Tea's Passion with a little honey. I usually add a lemon wedge/juice, but we don't have any at home. This stuff is so good. It is delicious when you order it from Starbucks iced with a pump or two of Valencia syrup. A trick of the trade. :)
  

It is 4:12 A.M. and this one needs her beauty rest. In fact, this one needs lots of beauty rests!

Last day of on-campus clinic

I just e-mailed my last two session evaluations. Yeah!
This has been an extremely interesting, fun, and agonizing quarter of clinic. Although it is not completely over yet (FCS due Monday), sessions are officially over. It couldn't've gone any better. :)

First off, I truly feel like it was a blessing from above how my classmate just happened to "be there at the right place at the right time." She was gracious enough interpret for my final meeting with Miracle's Mom. Even though I had met with Miracle's Mom a few times this quarter, she continues to amaze me with how wise she is and how invested she is in her daughter. I say this every quarter, but I always mean it -- it touches my heart to see how involved all of my clients' parents are in their child. Mom wrote me a wonderful card and enclosed a small amber pendant. Miracle cut out a heart and wrote, "I love my teacher" in it. The part that surprised me is when she wrote on the board, "-d" and "-ing." It was somewhat random, but significant since we had been working on those verb forms for half of the quarter. As a parting gift, I gave Miracle a 4-pack of sparkly Play-Doh (to get her to express herself more and in the present progressive form) and an advent calendar from Trader Joe's. :)

Random: I LOVE using parentheses when I write. I think it is b/c I like to make sassy comments in a passive-aggressive way. I.e., when I'm at school, I'm the passive-aggressive one adding in my two-cents under my breath, with my head hunched over as if I am bisy taking notes, and/or hiding behind another classmate so that the prof doesn't know who made the crazy comment. In writing, parentheses are like those verbal comments. However, ever since my last ISR Revision Massacre meeting with 2T, I am almost too traumatized to compulsively use parentheses. She said in a not so pleasant tone/way that certain things I put in ( ) should not be in ( ) b/c they are a core part of the objective. I put them in ( ) as clarification examples. I see her point, but I am still a tiny bit traumatized.

The Riddler's last session also went well. He was quite animated today and still as goofy as ever. When there was 15 minutes left, I presented him his parting gifts. I opened the book up and the first page had his Speech Rules. His expression was priceless. Those rules will prolly haunt him forever. Ha! Past the T.O.C. were the Queen lyrics. When we got to "We are the Champions," he just had to sing the chorus...so I sang with him. :) I showed him the rest of the book (biographies of famous musical artists) and he seemed genuinely thrilled. I also gave him two gel pens, and he snagged a third pen from me (he was using it today and asked, "can I keep this?" I figure, what the hey, why not.). Lastly, I gave him an advent calendar. He asked where it was from him so when I told him, he dutifully reported that Trader Joe's has really good frozen bananas in the Cold Section. I dutifully responded that I will have to try them next time I go. Before he left, we had the following conversation:

C: Do you want to come back next quarter?
R: Yeah.
C: Why is that?
R: I duno. It's fun.
C: Really?
R: I'm going to miss.
C: Miss what?
[Silence]
R: Well, [R], I'm going to miss you!

I know, I know, I am pretty presumtuous to think that he is going to miss me but was just too embarrassed to admit it. =P I am going to miss both of my kiddos.

This quarter, I realized how important it is to keep encouraging these kiddos. I can imagine how much slack they catch from other people in their lives. A little verbal praise and encouragement can go a long way. In addition to both families reporting that both kiddos have improved in their language, they also reported that they saw a change in the child's confidence, too. Talk about the best 2fer "deal"! :) I am so proud of my kiddos.

I left the clinic at 5:55 P.M. Totally a record! BF and I went to Ikea to pick up a shelf for his early Christmas gift that arrived today, along with Lil Fawker's new huge net. We also stopped by Home Depot to pick up a Christmas tree and wreath. When I got home, I called my bro to tell him that I won't borrow Dad's car from him tonight for the tree. He said, "Good thing I didn't surprise you with a Christmas tree then!" Just the thought of him thinking about surprising BF & I with a Christmas tree in Dad's trunk when I was supposed to borrow the car made me overwhelmingly warm and fuzzy.

24 more days until Christmas, 16 days until Lil F's b-day, and 7 more days until this quarter is officially over!

An Inefficient but Fun Day

Rat B thinks that I am the most efficient Rat b/c I am always on my computer...whether I'm at school or at home. So when she e-mailed today and got no (immediate) response, she started panicking and e-mailed, "You haven't been as efficient in terms of responding to emails this weekend..whats up?"

I cracked up about that!

Today, I was AFK from about 2 PM (and I woke up at 12 PM). I went to Costco, and it was a hectic and crowded as usual. I have to admit that I'm the type that will find an empty aisle (i.e., electronic toothbrush aisle or dishware) and ditch my cart there....but at least I don't leave it in the middle of a busy aisle! Now that drives me bonkers.

Anywho, I got most of the stuff on my list and continued to shop for Holidays from the Heart. I walked past a dude that was older but looked kinda young for his age (possbily b/c he was dressed all trendy) and I happened to make eye contact w/ him b/c he was in my line of sight as I looked at products at my eye level.

A few minutes later, I was back in the clothes area, shopping for Holidays from the Heart again when I looked up to cross an "intersection" and he was there and he said, "hello." I rudely ignored him (I tend to rudely ignore people who have no good business saying 'hello' to me, especially in a store) and kept walking past him.

A few minutes later, I saw him again while I was checking out the books section! I was pretty creeped out by then.

I went to the candy aisle and called my brother up and said, "I think there's a guy following me." As I walked down the candy aisle, I looked towards the end of the aisle, where it's one of the 2 HUGE aisles leading to the open area of cashiers, and The Stalker was looking down the candy aisle, but I don't think he saw me b/c I ducked behind a person.

I quickly rushed to check-out and left. Few, no abductions here. I'm safe.

As I pushed my cart to my car, I noticed a cart behind a car, and I thought about BSILF and her husband. I mean, for reals, how annoying is that and how annoyed would I be if that was my car, right?? Anywho, I walked past it -- with the intention of picking it up when I returned my cart. A lady across the way walked her cart off.....and stashed it with the lone one. When it was my turn, there was a man returning his cart...who just walked right past the THREE (duno where the 3rd one came from). Fine, I stashed my cart (the fourth) and by now, the car owners were back so I politely said to the two older ladies, "These carts aren't mine" DUH! Sometimes I say the stupidest things. "But I'm going to move them out of your way."

I must have forgotten how weak I am b/c goodness gracious, 4 stupid carts were soOOooOO heavy!!! I swear I had to like back off, get a running start to gain some momentum, and then push w/ my whole body!!! I duno how those guys really do it. Even when there's two guys.

I pushed it past about 7 cars -- and had to kind of push them out towards the middle a little and then back closer to the cars b/c one car was really sticking out -- when a parking lot cleaner guy saw me and said, "Here, I'll take care of that." "Thanks." I think the couple sitting in their car in the handicapped spot was like laughing at me, too. =P

I'm sure I was a funny sight. That was my work-out for the day.

I rushed back home to meet my bro, and we visited our Genius relatives and had tons of fun. :) Older Genius Cousin got accepted into Harvard Law! The last I heard from him, he was only toying w/ the idea of applying. Next thing I know (like a month or two later?), he's already accepted. He is applying for a joint JD-MBA program so if all goes according to plans, he'll be back in school next Fall. Younger Genius Cousin is also in the midst of finishing up his college applications. I was so thrilled that he IMd me the other night to ask about UCSD; thrilled that I could actually talk to him as if I actually know something. Heehee. :) I told him to go to Revelle b/c that's where all the nerds go. Hahaha! He didn't like that, but he still put Revelle as his #1 choice. Good boy.

Their doggy Cookie is 9 years old and recently showed signs of arthritis in her hind leg. :( I didn't realize how adorable she is. I guess it's because I don't see her enough. She has the nicest, softest fur, too. I secretly think that Genius Uncle must use super expensive doggy shampoo or something. Haha!

All in all, it was a really nice Sunday evening with the Genius Relatives and Cookie. It will be nice to see them again around Christmas.

Post-Thanksgiving

I pretty much have a six-day long weekend. Yah!
Thanksgiving was a blast. I got to spend it with my Dad and bro and BF! This year was a little different since Pastor Aunty just moved up North, Dentist Aunty just got a vacation house in Lake Arrowhead, and Ama is up North with Pastor Aunty. So, Dad invited us over for a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

First, BF and I stopped by Future Best Man's house, and then my bro picked me up to go to Dad's for our Thanksgiving dinner. His roomie and my dad cooked a fabulous Chinese dinner with lots of seafood, which I absolutely love (and Dad knows that). We also had a Chinese Turkey.

The first time I ever had a Chinese Turkey was when I was 7 and we lived in Temple City, two blocks away from FBM's current house. I remember the few days before Thanksgiving, my dad had me sit on his lap (as usual) and he explained to me that this year, we would have a Chinese Turkey.

"Dad, what's a Chinese Turkey?"
"You've never had one?"
"No."
"Well, you're in for a surprise!"

When Thanksgiving came, he revealed the Chinese Turkey. It was a roasted duck from Sam Woo. LOL Dad is forever the family prankster, from when he was a little kid, putting frogs in his sisters' shoes...all the way to today.

So, we had a Chinese Turkey this year, too. :) We had a special treat from FBIL; he sent along a casserole dish of his yummy yummy mac & cheese! That was such a nice surprise b/c I told FBM before I left his house that he didn't have to save me a whole plate of food, just save me some of his mac & cheese.

Afterwards, Bro dropped me back off at FBM's where we hung out a bit and then I got a platter of traditional Thanksgiving food: turkey, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, corn, etc.

Many years ago, when Pastor Aunty still lived in SM, she had us sit around in a circle and say what we were most thankful for that year. Although she only made us do that once, I always think about that time. Even though we didn't have the usual huge family gathering, I am still thinking about all of my family members. I am thankful for the love and support I have from all of my loved ones.

This Thanksgiving was also the first time I got to (kind of) spend it with BF. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Refresh: Pixillated Rebirth

BF completely re-designed his website today. This time, he went for a clean black and white motif. Although I liked his first version (simple and clean), I like this one even more because it exudes a little more of his personality (in the design border)...and it gives him more credit (i.e., lists more of his clients). ;)

Check it out and leave comments here. www.pixillated.com

As his Executive Personal Assistant, I (begged him to let me) proofread his site b/c it was laced w/ bad grammar...only b/c he pulled his 4th all-nighter in less than 7 days. Utterly insane and he's not even on street Rx. I'm not sure I made the "About" spiel better; it was tough keeping it balanced between preserving his personality and still giving off the impression that he is a professional and takes his career seriously. I don't think he's read it yet, but my changes are published anyways. Ha!

The other 3 all-nighters were spent creating a bangin' site for Op. He's waiting for the final word before it goes live, but as soon as he gets the green light, y'know I'll be bragging about it for him! I'll also have a random tidbit -- that totally caught my interest (one of those, "What a small world!" phenomenons).

P.S. This AM, as I showered, I thought about creating a blog for BF to talk about his work. I think that idea is spawned off of my anticipated separation anxiety from not getting to update the NSSLHA website any more (not that I want to do it forever). Speaking of that, I better go finally post for Holidays from the Hearts!

Lil F is a Winner!!!

I just checked my e-mail and got a private message from redearslider.com. It's official! Lil F is a winner!!

From www.redearslider.com~

We have a new winner! This was easily our best collection of submissions. I would like to express my thanks to the judges and photographers. As you will see, it was a very hard decision and Chanel No. 13 came through, with X3Shift right behind. GPRenegade also received well-deserved attention, but we have always limited ourselves to one winner.


The Gallery page is updated here @ http://www.redearslider.com/index_gallery.html.

.·:*¨¨*:·. .·:*¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨*:·. .·:*¨¨*:·. .·:*¨¨*:·. .·:*¨¨*:·. .·:*¨¨*:·.

The last time she was a Finalist, I told BF that our turtle is a celebrity, but he didn't believe me. Here's proof. Ha! :) I am so proud of my baby. (I am such the crazy beauty pageant mommy.)

The National Anthem

I'm (slowly) working away on my AAC project while BF is slaving away on his work, too. Despite the intense production taking place, we have the Pacquiao -v- Morales match blaring from our screen. (As a former boxer, BF is a big boxing fan). I'm not so much a big fan of potential TBIs and BF potentially getting a voice disorder. I'm not sure which one he's louder at -- Lakers games or Pacquiao matches.

Anywho, the match got my attention when I suddenly heard a male singing the National Anthem. I even took my earphones off (blaring loud Incubus), turned around, and watched the rest of the rendition. It was a Marine singing and wow, his performance floored me.

It made me realize how much I love hearing the National Anthem sang by a talented singer. It also reminded me of the last time I went to the Dodgers game w/ my family and a 12 y/o sang it absolutely beautifully. I think the National Anthem is the #1 song that makes me tear up (or at least gives me chills) when it's sang just perfectly.

I know, it's Thanksgiving this week, not the 4th of July. I don't care; I was listening to Christmas music last month! :)

Back to work...

P.S. Y'know how it is at the end of the quarter ~ the randomest, sappiest, and funkiest thoughts come out.

Can-do Tude

For the very first time, I went into clinic with a lot of confidence. I'm not sure why, but I will say that for the first time this quarter, I did NOT have a meeting with 2T. Perhaps my can-do attitude of "I don't care what she thinks any more" was a contributing factor, too. Whatever the reason, I felt really good about today's sessions. For the question,"What are one or two things you learned about yourself?" on both of my session evals, I simply wrote, "I can enjoy my clients while still working hard with them."

Both of my sessions went well (IMHO). Miracle was so motivated today b/c her "reward" was making a real PB & J sandwich. :) She also drew me a picture. On top, it says, "Dear teacher | I wish you can be a mice" (Don't ask b/c I don't know what that means either.) Then below the drawing of me with 3 fingers between two flowers encased in a huge heart with some "Chinese characters" is "I love my teacher." That is so sweet! I told her that next time, I'll get her candy canes. She has supposedly never seen/had a candy cane. I don't know if I believe her, but I already bought a dozen strawberry flavored candy canes tonight.

As for the Riddler, he was floored when he saw my Queen CD. I made him "sign" a contract that said, "I, [the Riddler], will: bring the CD back next Tuesday (or give her $2), talk sing-songy and with lots of expression at home and at school, and bring back my homework on Tuesday. 2T came in and busted up my contract-composition (we were past our 50 minute session), so I forgot to write, "Will say, 'it HAS.'"

(BTW, it was his idea to bring it back next Tuesday and to give me $2 if he doesn't.) Honestly, I really did have a lot of fun with both of my kiddos today and for the first time, I really feel like I have made progress with my kids over the course of this quarter (even though my report will say, "goal not met but significant progress was made"). For the first time, I really feel like I did things my way. It's a good feeling. I am still so proud of my kiddos, too.

Limited Vocabulary

Today, I made up a session with Miracle. It's so much more fun (and less stressful) when it's unsupervised. She actually made me proud, recalling words that I (think I) taught her over the previous sessions. That gave me hope for her limited vocabulary. When I say "limited," I mean, extremely limited (I taught her "knife" last session). I think she needs massive exposure to English b/c she seems to try really hard to pick up new words when I work with her.

At one point, I turned around to pick up some material and she said, "You have something on your back."

Crap!

I thought that I could just ignore it (the way she ignores my questions when she doesn't want to answer).

M: You have a tattoo.

Hm, maybe she really doesn't have an expressive language delay...!

C: How do you know what a tatoo is?
M: I have a tattoo too.
C: Oh really? Where?
M: I had one on my arm but now it's gone.

I wonder if she thinks mine will be gone tomorrow. I hope she doesn't ask to see it tomorrow. I also hope she doesn't go home and ask Mom to find her a HUGE tattoo from a 25 cent vending machine or Cracker Jack box.

Thank goodness my make-up session with Miracle was "unsupervised" today.

Pumpkin Pie

I am realizing more and more how much people love pumpkin pie. Today was another roller coaster day. Everybody - sans 2T - made me smile, laugh, and feel warm and fuzzy inside...even strangers.

So today, BSILF was such a cherry-saver. I tried to not be such a baby when I e-mailed her this AM about what a funk I've been in since I checked my e-mail. She immediatley insisted that she help me find/make material for today. I really haven't met anyone who was more than eager to help me out, but she not only offered, but insisted and proceeded before I could even respond! I was so touched!

The funny thing is that we are both great at working on something that we don't really need to work on. So, while she made "categories by function" cards for me, I rushed over to Costco to grab a fresh pumpkin pie to surprise her. The lady had only laid down 6 when I got one. Yeah! So I showed up at BSILF's doorstep w/ the pie. I've been waiting to get her and BF one since they both LOVE pumpkin pie. I got one for BF yesterday, too. Luckily, they both like their pies. OoOOoh, I even got a double-haiku from her! I also got a nice mini-therapy session with the added bonus of a pep talk from her, before I rushed to school to meet with 2T.

Today was the first time I really defended myself. I just didn't care any more. As BF always says, "Everyone has a breaking point," and I reached mine this morning.

My sessions with my kiddos were interesting (but I won't divulge in my observations). The Riddler had me busting up all session though. He can be such a brat at times (but not uncontrollable; just a typical goofy 10 y/o kiddo). One of the paragraphs I had him read aloud said:

For Thanksgiving, my whooooole family is getting together. We will have a biiiiiiiiig turkey. I'm going to eat soooooooooooo much.

Before he read it aloud, he said, "I don't really like turkey." I said, 'Fine, let's change it. What do you like?' He thought about it and said, "Pumpkin pie!" He asked me to bust my laptop out again to play Queen so I let him pull my laptop out and set himself up...while I finished writing instructions on his homework. It was the least I could do. I feel guilty giving him hmwk since he already has so much from school and extra classes.

I have to admit that letting him listen to "We are the Champions" is also for my own enjoyment...b/c then he sings along. Today, he discovered that the lyrics are not, "Good times for losing," but "no time for losers." LOL

Lastly, I couldn't believe that I totally forgot that I had a surprise from BSILF in my school mailbox!! I was soOOooo looking fwd to it since she e-mailed me on Sunday, but then I forgot! When I reached in, I was ecstatic!

BSILF and hubby got me a Finding Nemo Squirt Jiggly light-up pen! It is the coolest pen I have ever received! Thank you BSILF!

World's Best Cream Puffs

This has been a nice Sunday.

I got about 8 hours of sleep, but as usual, I woke up a lot. The weird part is that I had so many random dreams or thoughts upon awakening. At one point, I woke up and suddenly had the rest of the objectives for my 3rd goal for the Riddler somewhat figured out! I'm surprised I didn't just get up to type it out for fear that I'd forget. When I finally woke up, I did remember and hammered that portion out. I am such a slow-poke so I'm still not done yet. I also dreamt that we had Honey Nut Cheerios in our cereal stash, so when I woke up, I was sad to see that it was just a dream. I've been really craving cereal other than Raisin Bran and Special K, which is all we have right now.

The only annoying part of today is that the turtle has been eating the dock all day, despite me feeding her a lot. She made me so upset that I woke her daddy up to deal with her. I hardly ever wake the BF up, but today, I had to.

I also had a late lunch/early dinner and dessert with bro and FBIL. We went to Yashima and then across the street to Beard Papa's for the most delicious cream puffs I have ever had! Oh, whadya know? Their website claims "World's best cream puffs"!

I just had to take a moment and blog about the nice time I had with bro and FBIL and the delicious cream puffs. I have to admit that I get a secret sense of joy in talking to FBIL about school...like we totally identify with each other (i.e., the stress, the strong dislike for group projects, lack of sleep, etc.). I just feel sorry for my bro who now has two students in his life to sympathize with and counsel. ;)

Baby Melanie's 1st Birthday

Not having clinic on Friday has thrown my whole weekend off, but in a good way! I'm in disbelief that I still have another day "off." I totally need it since I haven't gotten much schoolwork done (as usual) but for good reasons.

Last night, I drove to Dad's to spend some time with him and get some work done, since BF's friends were over for a play date. I didn't get too much done since I was so sleepy (but I did get some good rest). BF called me in the middle of the night (like good ol' times when we weren't living together) and gave a re-cap of his night with his homies. He's kind of sad, yet happy that everyone is "moving on." At the end, he said half-jokingly, "Now, it's just you and me against the world." Haha. :) Of course I had to correct him with, "It's you, me, and the turtle." Man I love our turtle.

This AM, Dad cooked a ridiculously huge brunch for me. I was deliriously full when he insisted I eat a small scoop of ice-cream to feel less full. I didn't get the logic, but I sure didn't turn it down. Afterwards, I rushed over to my HS friend's parents' house for her baby girl's first birthday party.

As I approached her house, I had such a rush down memory lane and the good ol' HS days. I finally met baby Mel who is such an adorable little doll! I also reconnected with some HS friends. I was quite excited to find out that DY is an OT (who said her school is looking for an SLP). Our other buddy, PL, showed up, too. I really duno how Jac, PL, and I became buddies, but back in HS, PL kinda thought of us as the sisters he never had. Ten years later, I'm still getting a kick out of Jac regulating on PL like an older sister.

Shortly after I got there, baby Mel had to take a nap b/c Dad jacked up her schedule, so we got pushed into the house for a "cooking show." Actually, it was a full-on Saladmaster demo right there in the kitchen. Man, I was sold within 15 mins. An hour later, I was getting antsy to hear the price. (Un)fortunately, the price was way too high for my unemployed self so I had to walk away. It's a good thing I don't watch infomercials.

I shot the breeze with Jac and PL and oggled at Melanie a little more before we had cake. The weirdest moment was when I stood with them in the backyard, and I had the strongest deja vu. It was one of those deja vus that I swore had happened at least 3 times if not more. I had to leave after cake and before presents so I hope she/they liked what we got her.

I've decided from here on that I will give babies language-enhancing gifts (and something fun/cute on the side). I know, I will forever be the aunty that gives boring gifts. I've never bought a b-day gift for a baby before (I don't count baby shower registries), so that was tons of fun looking at all the cool toys and books out. I ended up getting her a Baby Einstein Animal Discovery box set. To desperately spruce it up, I got her Hello Kitty hair accessories. C'mon, every girl should have a Hello Kitty accessory! ;)

I rushed back home to hang out with BF and his sister. Actually, I worked on reports while they played Xbox 360. Now, I'm taking a break before I start on my 2nd ISR revision. It's been a fun and exciting weekend so far. :)

I wish I was in Texas

A month ago, bro asked me to go with him to Texas. I told him I couldn't since school has been utterly and ridiculously insane for me this quarter and I anticipated having to work on lots of assignments. Sadly, bro flew out to Texas on Wednesday morning without me.

Actually, bro flew out there for work, but he wanted me to go with him to visit Mom. Dang! I guess I could have gone since I had no school today! Well, a month ago, I didn't think it was practical nor feasible since I couldn't imagine missing clinic. I also anticipated a busy weekend of projects and assignments. So, I wish I was in Texas, having fun with my bro and Mom.

I can't remember what year we went on Memorial Day weekend to visit Mom. We did a few touristy things with Mom, but it was mostly a vacation for us two, since Mom was quite busy as usual. I just remember we ate a lot, since we didn't know what else to do. Oh yeah, it was ridiculously hot.

I spoke with bro today who said he visited Mom yesterday. I tried to imagine what happened b/c it was such a great story (well, something that my bro and I would/could/did laugh about). Since Mom already had dinner, bro picked her up for dessert.

Mom said, Let's go get ice-cream.
(Interjection: great choice of dessert, Mom, GREAT choice. :)
Mom continued, I know exactly where to go. There's this place with delicious ice-cream. It's soOoOOOOoo good. I'll tell you how to get there.
Bro said, Alright, let's go!
So bro drove while Mom navigated. Finally, they took one last turn.
Mom says, See it? It's right there!
Bro looked and said.........Sonic??

LOL

I thought that was the end of the funny story, but no. Mom said, No, no; it's the place right next door!

I imagine Mom probably laughed at my bro or something. Bro reported back that the ice-cream was good. I didn't get to talk to him long today b/c we've been on bad cell connection all day. The connection on my part was bad b/c I had a horrendous bus day (we tried to talk while I stood on a busy corner of Wilshire Blvd.).
I took the bus to work this morning, with the intention of maximizing schoolwork production. I actually got half of my Dx report done, but it was with great effort. First, I missed TWO buses in the AM. When I got on the 3rd one, the bus driver thought I was an idiot b/c I was jamming my slightly crumpled dollar bill into the slot, so she snatched it and said, "I'll do it. You have to straighten it and then slip it in like this!" Next, she yelled at me for stepping in front of the yellow line. Despite having to transfer, I got to work without any more incidents. Work was work. Once I get into my zone, I just keep going so I ended up staying until 4, which was such a bad idea.

I hate traffic...and I don't like people traffic. (Sometimes, I have a mild bout of claustrophobia.) The Metro 20 came late, but once I got on, I started hammering out more Dx results. At Wilshire/Westwood, the bus driver yells out, "last stop!" I look up to see him looking at me saying again, "last stop!" I'm confused b/c there are 3+ people still seated; why is he singling me out? I guess he knew that I needed to get farther than the Federal Building, since I asked him for a transfer.

Little did I know that there are TWO Metro 20s that have different routes. How retardedly confusing is that? When the "real" 20 came, it was already packed with the 4 o'clockers. I was lucky I got a seat. When we got to my stop, a girl and I booked it b/c we saw the 14 at the light. I almost dropped my presentation papers in the intersection. Come to think of it, I'm surprised they didn't drop, knowing how Murphy's Law hardly gives me a break. I got to the bus on time, but the bus was just chillin' there and not taking passengers. Oh, no wonder there were like 15-20 people just standing there. So the working 14 comes along and it's already packed of course. I pushed and shoved my way to the very back corner and wedged myself in between two dudes. I noticed, though, that they totally scooted away to give me lots of room (did I smell funny or something?). I was in such a funk that I vowed to never take the bus to VR again.

Of course I'm totally thinking of how I can make it work on Monday. As long as I beat the afternoon crowd, it's okay. Today wasn't my first day taking this route, but it was certainly the worst bus trip ever. I seriously thought I was stranded in Westwood. I was too embarrassed to call BF since he insisted I drive, but out of my stubborness, I didn't and told him that I didn't have enough gas.

Well, I sort of didn't. He insists that I have to fill up when I only have 1/4 of a tank left, and I only had 1/4. Truth be told, I usually drive my car until there is literally 5-20 miles left. I mean, 1/4 of a tank with Elsa is almost 100 miles! I went to Costco and filled her up anyways and got her oil changed. Unfortunately, that didn't take away the "Service now!" message that comes on my MFD when I start the engine. Boo. :( Another thing to add onto my Winter Break To-Do List.

No Clinic Tomorrow!

This week in review~

On Monday, BF and I figured out/decided that our turtle is left-handed. Today, BF figured out that the turtle keeps eating the dock (and making me mad!) is really b/c she is just hungry, despite us feeding her the typical "adult" amount. Although the simple solution is to feed her more, it also contradicts what we know we should be doing -- feeding her less! Adult turtles are supposed to be fed once every other day...not twice a day. Hm. Maybe she is still a baby or adolescent? She's not even two years old yet. She is 5.25 inches, though, which makes her legal and an adult. Man, if height was a predictor of our age, then I'd still be considered a teenager then.

On Tuesday, I got my midterm grade for clinic. That was disappointing but not a surprise nor fun. I think my sessions are also supposed to be no fun. I believe 2T does not like any/much laughter. She was observing Rat B while talking to me and both Rat B and her client erupted in laughter 3 times. Each time, she did not look happy. Last time, she left me and interrupted the session and asked Rat B, "Is this speech therapy??" Anywho, it made me think about how much I really enjoy laughing with my kids and hearing kids laugh. One challenge in therapy is keeping the child motivated (and not bored). Sometimes being a little silly or making the activity a little more fun can go a long way.

Yesterday, I made up a session with the Riddler. He came in wearing his pajamas b/c it was Pajama Day at school. That was great. I promised I'd bring my Queen single CD of "We are the Champions" for him to borrow next week. It's like his all-time fave song, which still cracks me up. I also observed a few more curious habits of his, but none that I will mention in my session evaluation...which I have not turned in yet (the rebel that I am).

Last night, our neighbor gave us a little baggy of yummy mini-mini-M&M-cookies that she baked! That was so nice of her. She's so festive and fun. She even offered to feed our turtle when we are away.

Tonight, we had a dinner midterm b/c our professor is so rad! First of all, he hates giving exams and grades. Second, he is such a nice professor. Third, he likes to cook. Fourth, he likes (to remind us) to have fun. Tonight, he made/brought soul food! Mac & cheese (my fave), collard greens, and corn bread. After the exam, I gave a horrible inservice; "horrible" strictly for bad reasons -- the shorter the presentations were, the sooner we'd get to leave (I think mine was 1.5 minutes) and it wasn't graded (I am quite externally motivated by grades). I feel kind of bad about giving such a bad presentation but my classmates have received at least 10 inservices by now. I'm planning to put more effort into next week's presentation. For reals.

Since today is burger day, I stopped by Jack-in-the-Crack for BF. Of course I had to use my coupon, so I got myself a chicken bruschetta sandwich. It was soOOOOoooOoo good. I was also retardedly impressed with how fast I ate it (half hour? I think that's a record for me!).

Lastly, I am going to bed like right now (or after I fold laundry sitting on the bed). Talk about being tired (which I am), BF hasn't slept since yesterday AM AND he cleaned our place inside out from 6AM to 6PM. I swear our place has not been this clean ever since we moved in. It wasn't even this clean when we moved in. He really puts me to shame when it comes to cleaning...although I would never admit that! I am tired, though...and soOoOOo happy that I don't have clinic tomorrow! Instead, I am going to work and then running some errands.

Busy day tomorrow, too!