The Slacker Strikes Back

Hi girls! So I've been slacking off on updating you guys about my week. My apologies. See, I ran into some problems signing into my blogger account. I don't know what happened, I just couldn't sign in. I even had trouble viewing the posts. But well, anyway, things are fine with my blogger now, so here I am.

Okay, I don't have pictures, but I do have a video to share. Not my own, but I must say, this is my YouTube vid of the week. You know how I love watching American Idol, right? Well, this week it was Lennon/McCartney theme, and this guy Casey James did an amazing job with his rendition of Lennon's Jealous Guy. Such a heartfelt, moving performance. And the cello--wow, it added such dimension to the arrangement! You'd agree with me on this, Gena: string instruments are just so dramatic, yes?

So, anyway, here it is. Enjoy, you guys. Hope you had a great week! :D

The boy

I've been mentoring a boy now for 10 months, and it is one of the most rewarding things I have done in my life. He reminds me that the important things in life are not those that cost money, but those that will make you remember and smile. We have fun just having lunch and going to the library to check out some books. He is an angel sent to save me from the mindset we automatically acquire as adults. And here he is.

As March Comes to an End...

It was another busy week, and I cannot wait for it to slow down so I can enjoy the beautiful weather we have been having! Spring is finally here (although there is truth to what they say that "April showers bring May flowers, so we will still have some rain).

In the middle of this week, we would've gone through the first quarter of 2010! I'm trying to squeeze as much experiences as possible in my days because time is so fleeting. And that's the way I see this whole year going--jam-packed with experiences that I can look back on with a smile.

And, without further ado, here was my week.

I did a lot of cooking this week. I opened up our patio door and our kitchen window to let the warmer breeze in while I listened to Regina Spektor on my iPhone and sipped my wine, stirring some food I just made up out of the blue. I enjoy these couple of hours I have to myself to unwind before Joe comes home and excitedly tells me about his day. These hours are mine alone, and I love them.

 

Gena, the GF reminded me of you.
And, don't you all just love this shade of green? I do.

Sauteeing the onions.

Mushrooms and corned beef leftovers from St. Patrick's Day.

The finished product on wheat pasta. Yum.

This week, I also spent some time happy hour-ing with my two very good amigas, Imelda and Abby. Happy hour then turned to dinner, then shopping, then dancing! The night was loooong, but super fun.

See the Capitol behind them? And yes, they were wearing shades at night. That's what many glasses of wine does to you.

Since Imelda didn't have any dancing clothes, we went to the mall for her to get an outfit. And I was a peeping Tom (ok not really).

Where I noticed how badly I needed a pedicure.

It was a fun night to be had.

Then, this weekend found us in the Bay Area--first stop was Emeryville where I walked the dogs for hours while waiting for Joe to finish up with his bike ride with his friends.

And then we were off to San Francisco.

We ate at a Peruvian cebicheria, La Mar.

The ceviche was to die for (pretty much like our native kilawin)

Of course, there was wine.

And then we were off to the theater to see a play called Vigil. This theater is not too big, and I love that it's so ornate.

And that was my week.

In other news, I bought 3 pairs of shoes this past weekend. No pictures though, but you're just gonna have to trust that they are all gorgeous. I can't wait to wear them all! They're all work shoes too, so I didn't feel too guilty. My allergies have been killing me this week too, and I just have to keep reminding myself that I only have a couple more months of this torture!

Alright ladies, until next weekend. We have Easter "lunch" with Joe's mom, and that's pretty much it. Maybe I'll be taking pictures of my laundry piles because that's what I'll be doing in the next few days!

Karissa graduated from college last March 26. I couldn't believe it. I'm so proud of her.

The morning of her graduation, i was browsing through a magazine and saw a profile of one of the models.It said birthdate: March 7,1987. Instictively, i started to compute how old this person was and then i realized I was unaware of how old I was. I guess i stopped counting at 20?

For a moment i couldn't believe how fast the years went by (mushy and cliche i know) and today my sister has finished college. And 2 years from now Klaudine would too.

And then March Comes to an End...

So I finally delivered that graduation speech for the class of 2010 in Mother Goose elementary.


It was held in CSI Stadia, which is, like, ten notches higher than what we had when we graduated from elementary 14 years ago. The place was posh, totally decked out and airconditioned. I envied the kids a bit. Remember when we had ours in the quadrangle, and we were all sweating under the hot summer evening?

Anyway, the speech went by smoothly naman--thank God. I finished writing my speech the morning of the event. Haha. Talk about procrastination!

* * *

And then Christian and I went to Hundred Islands last Saturday.



My family used to go here every summer. This was my grandfather's favorite beach. I believe you guys have been here at least once before. Gorgeous place, isn't it?


Christian was pretty much content sleeping under the overhanging rocks. Haha! Typical.


Beautiful as Hundred Islands may be, Christian and I still both agree that Tondol Beach is the prettiest that Pangasinan has to offer. For me, I say it's the best beach I've ever been to. Tondol for the win, baby! :) Gena and Kim--that's definitely going to be on our to-do list for the summer! Can't wait!

The Week That Was

Graduation galore would be the phrase to describe the past week. Three in a row, plus post-birthday dinner by Kaye and me.

Here's the week in pictures:

St. Scholastica's College Grade School Unit Graduation, March 19

With the blackboard behind us--how appropriately teacher-y

My Prep Family

Post-Birthday Dinner with the Gang at Romulo Cafe, March 22

The Katherines grace us with their presence, as the boys take this shot

Prep Moving-up Ceremony, March 23

With all the hurry and scurry, this is the only shot I got to take.
Nadine and Nicole all set up to dance 'Animal Boogie'. There's 28 more behind them.

Renz's High School Graduation, March 26

Mama's hand fixing him up


Sibs

Feet: mine and Mona's--one of the few times I get to wear flats. I loved the look. :)

* * *

Now, I'm back in the province, and downtime has officially started.

Looking forward to a lazy, laidback Lent.

Whirlwind week!

The past week was pretty crazy for me. I didn't realize just how much I did until I uploaded all my photos!

Sunday found me hanging out with a very good friend of mine, Sharelle. She is moving back home to Utah, so I don't know when I'm gonna see her again! I will miss her so...

The Monday, my cousin came with her beau Phil to visit. They are a really good couple, and I hope things work out! Phil is about to leave for the military, and I can't even imagine how hard it must be to know you're going to be apart for so long!

We went to one of my favorite Thai food places, Bangkok Garden.

This was also the week my allergies completely flared up, thanks to these blooms.

And the week Vinny got his sutures removed. He was very happy on the way to the vet.

The week we said good-bye to a coworker, Yuriy. We went to one of my FAVORITE Italian pizza place, Hot Italian. Yum.

Rita and Yuriy:

And me:

Igor and the girls:

Such a ladies' man!

I just absolutely love all the details in this place. It feels to me like a truly cultural experience to come and dine here

The espresso machine

Gelato

What a fun evening with friends!

Then on Thursday I went to see Chicago the musical. This theatre is absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, I couldn't take photos of the performance because of copyright reasons.

Friday evening was spent around citronella bonfires, wine, and friendly neighbors.

And Saturday was baby shower day for a dear friend, who also happens to be the HOTTEST mama I have ever seen pregnant! It's been such a long road for them to get pregnant, and she is radiant. Pregnancy suits her well. And, I get to take her maternity photos ina few weeks!

Here she is from the back. She is 7 months along!

This isn't even a maternity dress.

She still runs about 5-6 miles every other day or so, hence the nice toned legs! I wish.

Of course, some drinks :)

The dad-to-be

After the shower, we all went to the Sierra Nevada Brewery for some beer and dinner.

The sampler

And lastly, one of Vinny, who is patiently waiting for me to go play fetch with him.

I hope everyone had a great week!