My original purpose of this blog was to keep track of all of my "Things To Do" before my life expires. You know... stuff to do before you kick the bucket. Well people - here's my Bucket List or shall I say "Tabo" List. You only live once, so don't think twice. In addition to my "Tabo" List, you'll find me sharing how it's like to live the life of the wonderful share-bare. Happy Reading! ENJOY!

(inspired by the 2007 movie, The Bucket List )

1.) Pet a Tiger Cub
2.) Hold and Wrap a Snake Around Me
3.) Raise Money for a Good Cause

4.) Run a Half Marathon
5.) Run a Full Marathon

6.) Attend an Oprah Winfrey Show

7.) Meet Drew Barrymore in Person

8.) Go Dog Sledding in the Colorado Mountains
9.) Get Rock Hard Abs

10.) Write My Own Book and/or Sitcom

11.) Be in a Professional Photo Shoot
12.) Compete in a Bus Surfing Contest
13.) Step Inside of Grand Central Station in New York
14.) Cross the Golden Gate Bridge by Foot
15.) Adopt a dog named him Chaw-Lee <--I mean, Bam

16.) Learn to Swim so I Can be a Surfer Chick

17.) Enjoy a Special Brownie

18.) Hale Down a Yellow Cab
19.) Lie in a Hammock with Someone Special
20.) Apply for a Library Card
21.) Get a Black Belt in Kenpo Karate
22.) Get Kissed by a Hottie on New Year's (Strike of Midnight)

23.) Learn to be a Voice Over Artist
24.) Attend a Superbowl Game
25.) Sing the Song 'Killing Me Softly' at a Karaoke Bar
26.) Go Skinny Dipping

27.) Be on T.V.

28.) Go White Water Rafting in the American River
29.) Run up the "Rocky Steps" of the Philadelphia Museum of Art
30.) Marry Mr. Right

31.) Work Out So Hard That I Puke
32.) Go Stand Up Paddle Surfing (or Hoe he'e nalu) somewhere tropical

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Keyword Search

Just recently, I decided to keep track of my blog hits and sources. Do you wanna guess what keyword searches prompt browsers to my blog? Here are my top 2 keyword phrases:
  • Turtle Frenzy
  • Tabo Porn
WTF. Top keyword phrase searches just had to be sex related, right? Yikes! Regardless, I would like to express my gratitude to my keyword search visitors who initiated this especially the ones from North Brunswick, NJ; Memphis, TN; and Ridgewood, NY. Also, I would like to give recognition to my most recent international visitors such as the ones from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; Athens, Attiki, Greece; and yes - Dubai! I'm terribly sorry you weren't able to find what you were looking for but thanks soooo much for stopping by. Hopefully, you were able to satisfy your weird and disturbing desires by now.

Win a MUNI Bus Surfing Contest

Bus surfing contest opponent was Rolsuno. Location - San Francisco. Starting point was at a MUNI bus stop on Taraval located in the Sunset District. It was about quarter until 6:00 p.m. and we were both waiting for the bus or shall I say "L" street car to arrive. Destination - Downtown. I was pumped. It was an anxious and a very determined victory for me. We finally boarded the MUNI. Rolsuno and I headed to the rear of the bus where there were less people. Game was on. I checked my blackberry to check the starting time - 5:57 p.m. Ready, set, go! First round was fairly easy. The bus was empty leaving us with tons of space to work with. An asian couple was observing us, as well as an old lady. I'm sure people were wondering why we chose the option to stand when there were several empty seats for us. Anyway, this contest seemed like a piece of cake. I even had opportunities to take pictures of our reflections on the scratched up window. Boy am I short!
All of a sudden, my right foot started to cramp up. My feet were aching. I was concentrating on keeping my toes curled inwards so that my shoes could keep a good grip with the rubber floor. I wasn't sure if that technique was actually helping but it was worth a try. I looked at my blackberry for the time. It was 6:10 p.m. We were almost at the final stop which was the Embarcadero Station. We got off and waited to board the bus to go back to Taraval. I took advantage of the waiting time to stretch out my legs and rotate my ankles. By this time, I was wishing I had worn my comfortable Nike Equalon shoes. [sigh] It was 6:25 p.m. when we boarded on a bus back to Rolsuno's hood - The Sunset. Bus was a bit more crowded than the first bus we took. I began to draw some concerns of the possibility that I would not have enough room to balance. Next stop - Montgomery station. Oh d-d-dear. There were hella people boarding. My worst fear came true. Going into this, I'd never considered that I wouldn't have any room. The primary reason we chose to bus surf during a weekend evening was to not get in the way of rush hour. We were once again standing in the back of the bus but for some reason more people entered the bus from the rear. Why?! I took a step back towards the rear window of the bus. Suddenly, I lost my balance and backed up too far into the wall. It all happened slow motion. Rolsuno turned to me and noticed my loss of balance. He had a huge grin on his face because he knew that a part of my body would hit the glass window. That it did. My stupid ass....like literally, my ass bumped it first. UGH! From there our MUNI bus surfing contest concluded. By that time, it was exactly 6:30 p.m. Unsuccessful.
After months of lagging and postponements, this what happened to be an easy Tabo list item to knock off ended up in becoming a huge disappointment. I did not win. I'm a loser. I'm a sore loser. I wish I can turn back time and do things differently. Why did I have to be so considerate to such random strangers and take that one step back to failure! [sigh]
One day, I will try again. I'm not going to give up. I want to be the champion!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Union Square Christmas Tree

The Day after Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the Christmas season for me. What a better way to start my favorite holiday season than to go see the Tree Lighting ceremony at Union Square of San Francisco. It sounded like a good plan but I came too late. A friend and I drove up to the city to see it as I never really got to see it up close and personal. Yeah, I'd drive pass it maybe once every couple years. It's not the same. The night was crispy cold. Ahh Christmas was in the air. I wanted to go ice skating but the Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square was closed. We came across Bubble lady in her well decorative bicycle as she was circling around the Christmas tree spreading love and joy with her bubbles! There was even an in-line skating crew rolling around with old school boom box in a baby stroller. They randomly performed their version of the Thriller dance routine onstage. It was cute. A few standbyers danced along. Happiness and laughter was all around. It was a wonderful feeling. Everyone around me were all in smiles. Of course, there had to be an immature teenager on scene. He decided to seek attention from his so-called cool friends by stealing one of the basketball sized ornaments from the huge Christmas tree. He hid it under his sweater and jogged away giggling with the rest of his friends. I wonder if security caught him. I hope so. Another biker dude decided to use Union Square as a pit stop. He dropped his bike behind us and pee'd into the corner. Gross! His urine trail was slowly making its way down the steps. Hey - that's what happens when public restrooms are not available late in the evening. People gots to improvise! A lot of people were out taking pictures with the beautiful background. My friend and I did also thanks to some random photographer who was charging pictures taken by him for 2 for $10. He sweet talked us with his sales charm though and sold us 3 photos for $10. A buy 2 get one free deal! Now who could refuse? One of the bubbles from Bubble Lady came my way. I was so tempted to pop it like how every kid loves to. My laziness got in the way and ended up just watching it fly. Anyway, it was a good night of people watching. San Francisco is always so unpredictable. Gotta Love it! The scenery made my night complete.

Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving Day was awesome - as usual. What can be more better than eating, kicking it with the family and eating! The day was also a birthday celebration for my uncle who is pretty much my second father - Happy Birthday Tito Boy! Good Times! The aunts and grandmas were laughing and capping on my laugh randomly. Thanks for the love, I think. Is it really that bad?! =/ The day at Tito Boy's house would not be complete without the whipping tail of Kaela. She got me good this time. Kaela totally flicked my finger out of no where quick-style. Ouch! We cousins were also bonding... via Blackberry Messenger. Retarded right? Thanks to Joey aka Notorious Lothario, we learned how to group chat! Can I say, it's the best thing EVER! Soon to be added to the Blackberry family are MJ and Nate. I'm pretty jealous that they are getting the Storm BTW. I'll stick with AT&T thank you very much. During the whole family gathering, all I heard was Edward this, Jacob that, Bella this. Total Twilight Craze. It was obnoxious! MJ was talking about her recent psycho conversation incident at Target with a complete STRANGER. Poor chick must be traumatized. MJ is starting to scare me. I'm worried and I think she needs help. LOL! Anyway, the hype about Twilight book and 3 other books following that were never going to die. I was outnumbered and the obsessed girl cousins decided to go watch Twilight AGAIN! Jenny, Julz and I tagged along because there was really not much to do back at the house other than play Rated M video games with the dudes. No thanks!
The "Infamous Ménage à Four"...
...the "Happy Two-Timers"
and then the "Curious Virgins"

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Tiny Bubbles

Woke up at 7:36 a.m. I didn't have time to shower because I didn't want Eli to be late for school. I have bed head. I have no contacts so I ended up wearing my J-Lo eye glasses. I don't like wearing eye glasses because my ears aren't symmetrical. Therefore, my eye glasses look crooked on me. As I was pouring Santa Cruz Roasting Company's Heart of Darkness blend coffee into my gigantic mug, I began to wonder...
Why does my coffee have foam bubbles on the top? Did I not wash my mug thoroughly? Should I empty and waste a cupful of coffee and refill my mug? Hmm
Nah - I'm just going to take the chance because Thanksgiving is tomorrow. I should be thankful for what I have. Some people in this world have it to deal far worse than sipping a cup of soap infused coffee.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Happy Birthday Donovan!

...I love you! He says, "I love you too, #2!" <-- #2 = me! ...hence the 2 fingers in the air. We communicate in code! p.s. Thanks reegsta for the friendly reminder. Now I know you're an official #5 fan on the DL! ;)

Man Hunt or Accident?

[11:49 A.M.] There are 3 helicopters hovering in the sky outside my window. They've been out there for over 30 minutes now. I'm nosey. What's going on? They've been circling around San Mateo for quite sometime. In the beginning, it was just one. Now, it's up to three. Perhaps four is next? Hmmm....it's getting pretty loud outside though. I will continue to browse the local news websites and sigalert until my question is answered. Accident? Man Hunt? People held Hostage? Bank Robbery? I will continue my investigation efforts until then. While this mysterious occurance is currently under investigation, I would like to announce that my 24 hour hotline is NOW available. If you think you have any information or clues leading to this incident, please let me know. For your safety, commenters have the option to remain anonymous. Thank you and please stand by as I provide you with live updates! p.s. I sooo can be a newscaster, right? I knew it! [12:16 PM] This is share-bare reporting to you live at Blogger. As promised, we have breaking news here in San Mateo. According to the San Mateo Journal staff report....
San Mateo police shot and killed a man suspected of a home invasion robbery on the first block of Hobart Street in San Mateo today. At approximately 9:30 a.m., police received a cell phone call that there was a home invasion robbery at the home involving a mom and two young children. Approximately two hours later, police rescued the two children, ages 1 and 3. The mother was taken to Stanford Hospital with undisclosed injuries, according to police.

100% Stoneground Rocks

It's literally been months since I could find my favorite wheat bread: Earthgrains Whole Wheat 100% Stone Ground Bread. When I found it at Lucky's (yeah, I'm a trader...sorry Safeway), I bought two loaves. One for home and one for the office. The home one is still left unopened. Note to self: Buy a freakin toaster! I just opened the office one and decided to treat myself with 2 slices rather than 1. I guess I might as well get a jump start on my calorie intake today. It's so yummy with my Skippy Roasted Honey Nut Creamy Peanut Butter. Gosh..why do I buy food products with such descriptive names? Can it be any longer?? I love Skippy! [me smiling!]

Friday, November 21, 2008

Duffy

I returned to work today even though I still had the flu. I had a whole lots of catching up to do. During work, I decided to listen to my Duffy: Rockferry CD. You might be familiar with her hit single, "Mercy". Duffy has other good songs, too. She's a Welsh singer-songwriter from the UK but she's slowly making it big here in the States. Duffy just completed a concert tour opening up for Cold Play. Too bad I missed it. I wish I can see her perform live. Anyway - I've had this CD for like months and just NOW really got to listen to ALL the songs and lyrics. Some are pretty deep. I love her song writing skills. She is like my female Ne-Yo with a very distinct soulful voice with a touch of blues. "Warwick Avenue" is one of those break up type songs. It's touching and yet very sad, but it's my favorite so far. Totally on repeat. Check her out LIVE performance of"Warwick Avenue": Her official video of this song real gets to you. YouTube won't allow me to embed it (boo) so here's the link. It's a must see. It's very emotional especially for those who can relate. She ain't faking it here, that's for sure! Duffy - Warwick Avenue - Official Video Here's another song called "Syrup & Honey". Basically, it's about a girl that wants her man to spend more time with her. In this video, you'll get to really listen to the blues side of her. It's amazing. I LOVE her voice! Her last song of her album is called "Distant Dreamer". Now this is the story of my life. LOL! Seriously. I also like "Serious". I'm looking forward to seeing her videos for these. I highly recommend you listen to her CD. Let me know if you want a burned copy.

D!

After months of trying to convince Jolene to teach us to swear in Vietnamese, Jason finally found a website that that does it in ALL languages. Awesome. Jolene is quite upset though. I really don't get why. She always refused to say a bad word in Vietnamese. She won't even try to correct my pronunciation when I tried to say - F your mother! She must have good ass morals or maybe it's just part of her custom. Oh well, we don't share the same custom so Jason and I are gonna go all out with it. Now that we know, she's looks genuinely disappointed. One easy word is "d" which mean the 'f' word. Nice.... So our goal for today at work is to irritate the hell out of Jolene.
"Oh D!"
"WTD!"
LMAO....yeah, we're dorks. But it's an invigorating feeling to know after over a year of curiosity.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Odd Craving That Comes Along w/Sickness

2 of my favorite things when I'm sick: Raspberry-filled Krispy Kreme Doughnuts & Milk
I don't normally have a sweet tooth (minus chocolate)! Strange as it may seem, but every time I catch a cold, fever, and/or flu I tend to crave this. Not sure when this began. I'm guesstimating perhaps more than 5 years but less than 10 years ago. Anyway, when I'm sick...I usually fend for myself. I'll run to the local Walgreens/Longs Drugs/Target. Get my box of Kleenex tissue w/Aloe & Lotion and if there is a convenient Krispy Kreme....I'll get my ever so yummy raspberry-filled donuts. Today was unfortunate. I caught the bug that was going around. It hit me quick-style. I got into work at 8am and started sneezing and feeling achy and dizzy an hour later. Crazy, right? Anyway, I tried to get through my work day but it did not happen. I ended up leaving work around 2ish. When I finally got home, I was surprised by a friend who dropped off some goodies - nope! Not donuts...even better. Chocolate-covered strawberries from Godiva!! Fantastic! Yea yeah, I devoured that in less than a minute. I stood next to the trash can in my kitchen and killed it. Juices from the strawberries left a mess on my shirt. Oh well. And in mid-bite with one in my mouth, a big ass piece of chocolate cracked OUTSIDE of my mouth and fell into the trash. I wanted soooooooo badly to dive into it (since I just emptied the trash) and get it. But that was just plain sad! Back to the donuts... So after I scarfed down the chocolate berries, I finally realized that I forgot to purchase my donuts. I texted my older sister to buy me some. It was worth a try. I waited and waited and waited. It was long after 6pm and she still wasn't home. I started to worry....did she get my donuts? Haha! You thought I was worried something bad happened, huh? Well that was my 2nd worry. Yeah, I'm horrible! Blame it on the sickness. I later find out that she's chillin' at my cousins house. Boo! I call her up and asked when she was coming home. She said don't worry, I got the donuts. Then I asked, "Did you get the raspberry ones????". She didn't know I wanted those! My fault! Ugh! Right then and there, I gave up. There's no way I'll get my raspberry donuts today. I'll just have to man up and deal with it. Stop whining. She finally gets home around a little before 10pm. She walks through the front door with 2 boxes of Krispy Kreme filled with only original glaze. She left it on the dining table waiting for me to rush to it. I didn't budge. 10 minutes pass and she says, "You're not gonna have any?". "Eh, maybe later", I said. Big sis says, "But there is a surprise in there for you". I reply,"Yeah, yeah whatever". I was curious to see what she was talking about. When she went to her room, I took a peek. LOL! To my surprise, there laid like literally - 3 Jelly filled donuts!! All I gotta say is that my fam is hilarious! I ended my day complete with joy! They improvised and used strawberry jam in place of my raspberry filling. I still ate it though. It wasn't the same tarty flavor but it was good enough for me. I spooned that sucker out and shoved it in my mouth! Yummy! Thanks MJ, Irene, and MA for the creativity! Anyway, back to getting some rest. Just thought this was a blogworthy post. Good Night world. I hate being sick [sigh]

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

USSD NorCal Tournament - 11.16.08

That's me in the Men and Women (White,Yellow, Orange Belt) Kata Competiton. I did my version of the Pinan 1. Unfortunately, I didn't place:
Eli in Boys/Girls Weapon Competition. He performed Dragon Set 1:
Eli is Yellow Belt Sparring Competition (Part I):
Eli in Yellow Belt Sparring Competition (Part II). He got 4th place:

California Layoff Notices

To put it short - the economy sucks major ass right now. Not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing but SFgate.com now has an online database of California Job Cut Warnings. Per the WARN Act, employees are required to be provided with a 60-day notice if their company plans to lay off. Don't quote me on that though.... If you're interested to see what companies have been affected so far, take a glimpse. I'm thankful everyday that I have a job that helps me pay the bills. I pray each day, that I don't end up on this database. We gots to keep our head up!

Monday, November 17, 2008

JT & Beyonce Skit from SNL

I can't attached the video so please just click on my blog title STRAIGHT HILARIOUS!!

Who Are My True Friends?

Seriously. I'd really like to know. I'm like on fire for some reason. Partly, because I alway seem to brush things off and hold it all in. Another part is yes - PMS! It's all gonna come out RIGHT now. Feel my wrath! I'm turning 30 in 2 weeks and 1 day. So, my immediate family and I planned a trip to Vegas for the weekend. Some other family members are going, as well. I invited my friends. Are any of them going? NAH! I can understand a few reasons why, but for others, it's like WTF! Thanks for showing the love. I'm obviously not as much of a friend to your ass. Strangers have been more down than you so-called friends. I'm fed up. I'm furious. I'm overly emotional right now. But I ain't gonna cry. It's not worth it. Those that know me, know that I'm always down for whatever. I don't dare use me child obligations as a freakin excuse because really there's such a thing as a babysitter. I don't dare use a bullcrap excuse about not giving enough notice? I don't dare say I had prior engagements. F You! Yeah, obviously it's all about you. Yeah, obviously prior engagements is top priority of a childhood friends birthday. Yeah, its a tough economy but did my birthday (especially my 30th) come unexpectedly? Umm, it's really been the same for the past 29 years people. As far as I know it's always been the 2nd day of December. Nothing's changed. Don't get me wrong. I'm not selfish in anyway! I don't even like celebrating my birthday. My main reason to even bother to have a special 30th birthday celebration is because it's a huge milestone for me. I'm already down that I feel like I haven't accomplished much during these past 29 years, let alone have people that say they are there for me flake on me. I want my 30th to be memorable and all I ask is to share it with people that mean alot to me. Is that really too hard? Apparently, it is for some. UGH! p.s. - When someone is going through very tough times, do you ask THAT person how their schedule is like so you can spend time with them? Uh no. Do you say, I'm not free right now but I'm free tomorrow, is that cool with you? Uh no. A true friend would drop whatever that is they are doing and come to that person in need. Do you honestly think that person will ask for your company or advice? It shouldn't even be necessary for that person to ASK! Common sense people. HONESTLY - YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES RIGHT NOW!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Breakfast @ Shareej: 11.15.08

We woke up bright and early to make our overnight guests some good breakfast. What was on the menu? We decided to keep it simple...
Elvis French Toast Sammies!!! Waitresses were acting a bit crooked. Hence the weird placemat settings
One guest got too anxious and simply could not wait for me to take a picture. Yummy to her Tummy!!

Friday, November 14, 2008

Dinner @ Shareej: 11.14.08

Welcome to Shareej!!
Staff is setting up the table for their 1st customer
Main Course: Meatloaf Muffin with Broccoli and Steam Rice
Co-Owner, EJ cooking it up in the Kitchen.
Dessert: Burping Cow (Grape Soda, Low-Fat Vanilla Ice Cream, Marshmallows)

Shareej Grand Opening TONIGHT (Invite Only)

Good afternoon - The chefs of Shareej would like to cordially invite you to our grand opening tonight. We will start off your 3-course meal with ham & cheese no-wich rolls as an appetizer. Main course will be Meatloaf muffins with brocolli. For dessert, our sous chef will be creating his specialty, Burping Cow which consists of grape soda, low-fat vanilla ice cream topped with pillowy marshmallows. Please RSVP for this event if you wish to attend.
- yeah...I'm pretty bored right now

I Need to Stop Dreaming - Literally!

I just finished reading Joh's blog post about her dream from last night making her tired. I can so relate. Can I vent? I've just been frustrated. I've literally had a dream every night for 2 weeks straight. I realize the average human has multiple dreams every night. I realize that most of us forget about our dreams by the time we wake up. My question is - why can't I be part of that majority! Dreams are exhausting! Not only are they tiring, they are outrageous! I've been meaning to write them down first thing after I wake up but it just drains all of the energy out of me. Here are some of the things I can think of:
  • 2 dreams I was pregnant with a due date of 9/15 (Now that is freaky!) - WTF?!
  • 1 dream, my friend Rich moved from New Jersey to be with me. We ended up having drama because he didn't pay attention to me - WTF?!
  • 2 dreams were in this beautiful house (apparently was mine during the 2nd episode). I was locked out of it in the 1st episode due to a house party. During the 2nd episode, I was tripping out off the chandelier in the dining room and the back entrance to the house. The chandelier was huge but had poor lighting! The back entrance had two doors ways with an mini L-shaped hallway in between making it too compact - WTF?!
  • Another dream, I was hanging out with body boarder dude from Kona - WTF?!
  • Here's another good one - I gave birth to another child. It was a girl and I did not recognize the baby daddy - WTF?!

Anyway, it's really been driving me kookoo nutso! What do I do before I lay myself to bed, I end up talking to myself. REALLY! As if I'm pleading desperately for a resolution! I say, "This has got to stop like seriously, I'm so tired..." or "No more dreams, please!" or I'll say to myself repeatedly "I'm not going to dream, I'm not going to dream, I'm not going to dream". I'm going crazy, right? Yeah, I thought so.

So, I'm chatting with Joh this morning about our non-stop episode of dreams. I said that we're soul sisters. What does she respond with?

"I think it means we're being socially deprived. LMAO"

Thanks Joh! THANKS!

USSD NorCal's 2008 Championships

Get ready! Mother (that's me) & son will be competing this Sunday in USSD's Martial Arts Tournament. Here's our busy line up:

09:00 a.m. - Women's Sparring 10:00 a.m. - Men & Women's Kata 11:00 a.m. - Weapons Competition (Ages 10-12) 01:30 p.m. - Boys & Girls Kata 03:30 p.m. - Boy's Sparring

This is my first competition ever so I'm pretty stoked. For my Kata, I'll be performing Pinan 1. For EJ, he'll be doing Kata 1. EJ's choice of weapon is the sword. Wish us luck! I'll post pictures and possibly videos clips of all the action on Sunday so check back soon! Have a great weekend!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

$20 Book

Took forever to find, but the oh so very helpful Barnes & Noble employees found He's Just Not That Into You book. No, it was not under sections 'Self Help' nor 'Relationships'. It was in the section called 'On Screen'. Great, I guess I'm not the only that's been itching to read the book before it hits theatres. Get this, its a fairly small book. Tell me why did I pay almost $20 for it? That's with my Barnes & Noble Membership card. I got 20% off. (Don't ask why I have a discount card at a bookstore. Yeah I know....I don't read) Geez. It's getting all hyped up already. FYI - I rushed after work to get it but when I got home, I just threw it on the couch. I fell asleep for a quick minute and woke up to 2 kids wanting milk. I ended up making chocolate milk for myself. Afterwards, I decided to take the book with me to my room to read. What did I really do though? Ummm, I updated my blog's layout instead. My book is probably really sad that she has a lagger owner who is too lazy to read her. Why do I do this?! Perhaps, knowing that I have until February to read it....DUH!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

He's Just Not That Into You

4 years ago, I was in a relationship with my best friend. Exactly this time 4 years ago, I was planning my boyfriend's surprise 30th birthday party (which was no longer a surprise thanks to Larry McNeil). I thought we were in a happy place for a moment. 6 months go by and everything went bye-bye. My cousin, MJ was there when it was finally official. We went mad crazy on retail therapy. Well, I did at least. I never spent so much money on freakin nonsense items. It felt good though. But after the shopping spree, I was back in a condo that my ex-boyfriend and I shared. It was no longer a home for me. Long story short, I rented our unit out to awesome tenants Angela & Brian. When their year lease was up, it was time to sell. There was really no need to preserve the good and bad memories. My goal was to move on and move forward. Leave it all behind me. One day during my healing process, my cousin and I were at Barnes & Noble. She was stuck on a book she wanted me to read. Her co-worker at the time recommended it for all woman to read especially if they were going through tough times relationship-wise. I guess she wanted to give me a whole new perspective on men so I can start feeling good about myself and get over my ex. I took it into consideration. She finally found it and showed it to me. The title of the book pissed me off. It was called He's Just Not That Into You. I immediately took back my consideration and changed my mind. I turned to my cousin and was like... great! Thanks for the self confidence boost! That makes me feel so much better (sarcastically, of course). Talk about kicking me when I'm already down. I was mad at the author for choosing such an unattractive title. Anyway, she tried and tried to get me to read it and I refused. She even offered to buy it for me. I simply did not budge. Umm, I kinda know already that he's just not that into me. Duh! Hence, the break-up. So now back to the present. I was reading a snippet of Jennifer Aniston's interview with Vogue magazin online. You're wondering what she has to do with the book, right? Well towards the end of the article they mention her current upcoming roles. One of the movies to be released in theatres on February 6, 2009 is called He's Just Not That Into You. WHAT?! Is that what I think it is? I google'd it and yes - they are currently working on a movie based on that self-help book that my cousin wanted to purchase for me almost 4 years ago. So, now I'm thinking if there is a movie based on this book, it must be really good. Should I read it? YES! What's next? Well, I'm making history people. I'm official going to join my sisters' and cousins' reading club. I feel left out anyways. LOL! After work, I am going to rush over to Barnes & Nobles and purchase a hard cover of this book. Then, I'm going to read it to its entirety (176 pages - wow that's alot!). Finally come February 6th, 2009, I'm going to watch the movie so that I can participate in an intellectual conversation amongst us family members (Me, Irene, MA, MJ, and Jen). We will stand in the parking lot of the theatre and compare our thoughts about the book vs. the movie. Can't wait!!! Ladies - get ready! I'm predicting this movie will be awesome! 5 stars! Here's a sneak peak of the movie:

Oh Sway...

Are you familiar with Sway Boogie? If not, he used to be a DJ for 106.1 KMEL back in the day. He upgraded as a host for MTV 8 years ago. From time to time, he'll be on KMEL as a guest. This morning, he was broadcasted in Chuey in the Morning on 106.1 KMEL. I used to listen to Bill and Marla on MIX 106.5 (a San Jose radio station) but I stopped during my Danity Kane phase for some reason. Anyway, back to Sway. He was promoting MTV TRL's finale show. So he was all telling the listeners that the final TRL show will air on November 16th at 8 pm eastern time. Then he says,
"What is that, Chuey? 5 pm western time for you guys?" Wow! Western Time, he says! And here I thought he was the more educated one. It's pacific time, my dear. Haha! Western time.....

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Son Highly Preferred

Funny as it may seem...I so don't know how to take care of little girls. Well it's not like I don't know how. I just forgot how much more work there is tending to a toddler/preschooler. This morning my sister left her 2 girls with me. EJ has no school today so it was an opportunity for my nieces to sleep in today. Imagine having to wake up at 5am in the morning. Insane! Especially for a 3 and 4 year old girl. Anyway, I cracked myself up. Tates woke up with no problem. I was getting ready for work. EJ was in the shower. I told Tates to go brush her teeth. She quietly got her little footstool. Stepped onto it. Picked up her toothbrush and was able to squeeze toothpaste neatly onto the bristles. I was pretty amazed. She was far neater than me! She stood there for like a full minute just looking at her toothbrush. . Like, why is she waiting, I thought. Dumb me assumed she knew how to brush her teeth. But, it was pretty obvious that she didn't because she would glance at me numerous times while I was fixing my hair. I witnessed her as she picked up her toothbrush and attempted to insert it in her mouth via gag-style. I quickly took it away from her and ended up brushing her teeth for her. HAHA! Gag-style... I said. You should've seen it. Hysterical but scary at the same time. Janelle on the other hand was super independent girl. She brushed her teeth and washed her face. Dressed herself and assisted her younger sister with putting on her jacket. I was like cool. I instructed the girls to wait patiently in the living room while EJ and I finish up. Janelle started wandering in her mom's bathroom. I gave her a hard time for not listening to me. Then she reminded me of something. "Tita Share. What about my hair? My mommy always fixes me and Caitlin's hair." "Oh yeah!", I laughed to myself. "Combing your hair would be a good idea..." LOL! Talk about no parental skills whatsoever and hello! I have a son! "I am sooo not allowed to have daughters, Janelle. I'm sorry". "It's OK, Tita Share...".Janelle goes through the drawers and finds matching clips for both her and her sister. "Mine is the yellow and Caitlin's is the green ones". I clipped Janelle's long locks to the side like how I would do it if it was my hair. As for Tates, I did a horrific job. Her hair was too short and slippery. I tried to part it and put one clip on the right and another on the left. It looked hideous! Then I got frustrated and pulled it back into a loose, crooked ponytail. Not to mention hella bumpiness. After 4 attempts of trying to make it look all smooth, I just went with it. It'll get messy once she starts playing anyways. LOL! So there, so much for trying to get girls ready. Sons are so much better. No need to comb their hair. No need for fancy clips and hair ties. You're probably thinking - well you're a chick! How hard could it possibly be? Think hard. If you know me, you know I have no skills with dolling myself up. I'm practically 75% dude living with a female anatomy. All I can say - thank goodness I didn't end up with a daughter 10 years ago. Whew!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Decaf?

Before I got to work today, I decided to stop for a double tall pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks. As usual, the line was long. Dreadful Mondays lead to a packed Starbucks cafe full of random people in need of a caffeine fix to get their morning started. So the chick before me ordered a decaf nonfat mocha. I probably had my full animated face on and had a shocking stare screaming, Why?! inside my head. Like really, what's the point. Chick might as well have just ordered a kids cocoa! Its such a pet peeve of mine. Just as someone who would order an Extra Value meal from McD's and then order a Diet Coke to go along with it! Do you honestly think that getting a Diet Coke will make you less guilty of committing a junk food sin!? I seriously wanted to tell the chick unless you are ordering a caffeine beverage, please stop going to Starbucks! Really...especially on a busy rush hour Monday morning. There are far more people who are in need of caffeine in order to get through their work day. Obviously, you aren't suffering from that kind of problem. You must be one of those rare working individuals that love their career. Just do us all a favor and just skip Starbucks on your way to work. It's really not necessary for you until you decide to finally upgrade your drink of choice to an actual coffee or espresso drink. So, I'm patiently waiting for my name to be called. I remember to grab a straw and just stare aimlessly into nothing. But, the fact that the chick ordered a decaf drink became extremely bothersome. I then start questioning myself while staring at a bag of coffee beans
How the hell do you decaffeinate a coffee bean?!
Have you ever thought of that? Don't all coffee beans contain some sort of caffeine? I don't get it. Do the coffee bean factories tear up the beans and remove the caffeine from the beans individually? Do they reconstruct the bean afterwards to make it seem like it was untouched? OR are there seeds that are specifically 'defects' and get planted elsewhere such as ummm the reject coffee bean field? What's the deal?

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Child Labor

After waking up from little sleep (due to the Get Em High party), my mom and sister decided to plan a field trip out to Ikea in Palo Alto. I tried to avoid going since I was pooped. They both said it was important that I come with them. One - I knew the measurements for the shelving unit we needed for the living room. Two - I'm the picky one. They did not want to chance me not liking the purchase. So... obviously me staying home was not an option no longer. Even worse, they volunteered me to drive. That is one of the disadvantages of owning a SUV - more space! Similar to going Target, going to Ikea is a death wish. You plan to buy one thing and end up buying more than expected. So, I ended up purchasing EJ a desk and chair for his room. On top of that another hamper and randomly a lint brush per EJ's request. I hope he's not turning into a pretty boy...Anyway, we left Ikea withOUT a shelving unit for our living room. UGH! Long story short, my mom and sister disagreed with my choice. Apparently, it was too high and too expensive. Afterwards, we headed back home. I was quite disappointed and irked. Once we got home, I was determined to find a freakin' shelving unit. I hopped online and browsed once again in the Ikea website. Thankfully, I found something. I told my sister about it and she was like - WTF?! We were just there! But she agreed to go with me on a Part II field trip to Ikea. We were in and out like a quick-style. We got home and my sister hurried me to get the shelf assembled quick so she can finally get back the laundry hamper. Yeah, we ghetto like that. When we moved in a couple months ago, we had to improvise. Originally, we had a nice entertainment center BUT this stupid thing called the fireplace was in the way. So, we pretty much had no choice but to eliminate and trash the nice entertainment center and use the hamper as a stand for our DVD player. Hilarious, right? OK. I'm finally getting to the real juicy stuff. EJ plans on building his desk and chair on his own. (BTW - he gets that building trait from his mommy) I was shocked when he finished assembling it. Being the lazy person that I am, I asked him (yes asked!) if he was interested in building the shelf also. He answered with a quick "Sure!". As I was supervising my son with the help of my lovely nieces, I was also watch Sunday Night Football - Eagles vs. Giants. I'm very grateful to have such a wonderful son. He's always there for me in time of need and laziness. It's such a great feeling to be able to sit back and watch your boy slowly transform into a miniature "beefy man boy" and take matters in his own hands with no parental guidance. I absolutely love when an unexpected situation leads to a joyful moment full of appreciation for parenthood. Maybe one day, you'll have a bomb diggity son like mine. Job well done, EJ! Muah!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Barack Obama Elected President

It's 8:01pm here in California and we just got news that's Obama is our new President with 297 Electoral votes (and still counting!). Yay! Congratulations Obama! I'm definitely looking forward to having you as our 44th President of the United States. I can't wait to see his Inauguration on January 20th, 2009! YES!!!! Couple hours later... I'm still sitting in front of the television watching CNN:

2008 Presidential Election

California is minutes away from closing the polls. My prediction is this - Barack Obama is going to win with 300+ Electoral Votes tonight. I'm proud of myself for voting earlier today. My precinct was #2223 which is in Foster City. I kind of wanted to go across the way where precinct #2222's casting box was located. #2 is my favorite number so I was hoping for all the good luck I can get during this Presidential Election. Why? Well 4 years ago, I casted my vote for John Kerry. I think my son EJ jinx me cause when I voted, I took him along with me. Back then he was 6 years old and yelled outloud at the San Mateo precinct, "Mommy, can you vote for George Washington?". After telling him that he was dead, he said, "Mommy, vote for George W. Bush!!!" Yeah, it was a 4 year long jinx for me....LOL! After watching a couple hours of CNN this evening, it's quite clear that Obama is going to become President of the United States by a landslide! Talk about being a part of great American history! I'm so for "Change". Let's do this America. We will shortly witness the victory of Barack Obama, our very FIRST African American to be elected as President of the United States. WOW! Random - but if Tupac Shakur were around, he'd be so proud of us who have contributed in making a "Change". Earlier today, I was listening to his song called Changes. Very inspirational!! Keep in mind this song was made over a decade ago. The words, "I see no changes" was said repeatedly in the song. I agree with him that some things will never change. He may be right, but that doesn't mean everything! Guess what, though? We are finally ready to see a Black President. How's that for you, Tupac!? Tupac lyrics that we should live by:
We gotta make a change... It's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes. Let's change the way we eat Let's change the way we live And let's change the way we treat each other. You see the old way wasn't working So it's on us to do what we gotta do to survive.
This very day will mark the beginning of the Change Movement. Rock on!

Post-It Notes

Note to self: Stop using post-it notes at work! This is the hundredth time, I've lost a post-it note with either Accounting task instructions from my Field Offices or a To-Do checklist for my month-end close. I hate when this happens. To make matters worse, my cubicle is a pig sty! White papers everywhere. share-bare, (yes, I speak in 3rd person all the time...), Only use post-it notes for personal use such as, jotting down a song to upload via iTunes, or for writing my grocery/Target list, or to write someone's phone number or a website to look at when i get home or to list reminders that eventually I know I will forget. It might actually be a good idea to utilize my Blackberry's Memo application more often. Can I say lazy and old-fashioned? 3x5 Yellow Post-It Note - Where are you!? :/

Sunday, November 2, 2008

30 Until 30

Oh my gracious! The big 3-0 is quickly approaching. In 30 days to be exact! YIKES! I'm not really depressed as I thought I would be. The whole new decade is just getting me to think a lot now. One of the things that I've been trying to stress about is probably going to crack you up. Do you really want to know? OK, fine. I told myself that I need to start dressing my age and start looking like I have a 10 year old son. I need to start wearing make-up to work every day, too! I need to look like I care about how I look even though I don't. I guess I just need to look presentable, yeah? Oh well. Something along that line. I need to stop buying stupid graphic tees like my Captain Planet and Transformers vintage shirt. Like seriously - is that something a 30 year old single mother would wear? I also need to stop wearing Victoria's Secret "PINK" sweats because I'm not a teenager and I'm not trying to be. Realizing that females that are half my age wear the same type of lounge/pajama wear freak me out! Basically, I have to stop looking all sloth. Other goals for my third decade of being alive:
  • Stop Looking for The One. Per my sister, it will come when the time is right
  • Find a new face & bikini waxer. I've been literally burned three times in the face!
  • Invest in skirts and dresses for work. Thanks Lipstick Jungle for the fashion tips!
  • Stop buying/reading Shape & Self magazines on how to lose weight. Instead, just do it!
  • Start taking action rather than whining like a baby.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Ross From Friends: Top 5 List

Remember that one episode where Ross created his "Top 5" List? Remember how he even laminated it? Well, I for one won't go that far. The farthest I'd go is publishing my "Top 5" list on my blog. That's good enough for me. Many of those that know me already know that I'm obsessed with the male species physically! It was a tough decision. I based my Top 5 mainly on longevity and logic. Short-term crushes are not applicable. You will also not see Wentworth Miller on this list. Why? Because umm, let's just say he's a big supporter of Prop 8. Yup. Sorry ladies this man is unfortunately playing for the same team we're on. Please note that I do realize that all these men are happily married and it's morally wrong for me to list them as men I would like to do. But c'mon! All I'm asking is for one night! Wifey does not need to know! So here we go in no particular order:  
1. MARK-PAUL GOSSELAAR (First Sighting: Television Series, Saved by the Bell) Why? He's my first celebrity crush. Everyone in my generation, I mean everyone has watched Saved by the Bell. His character Zach Morris had that charm especially with the ladies. I so wished that I was in Kelly Kapowski's shoes. He's now back with his own new television series on TNT called Raising the Bar. I still have to take a peak and see if it's worth watching. At the present time, he's sporting a long hair do. I'm totally not feeling it but I still love him with all my heart. Please chop it off, honey.
"Pretty please, with sugar on top, and cereal because it's healthy for me!" - Caitlin
Thank my niece/goddaughter for that phrase - It's undeniably cute! Will it work for Mark, though? We'll see. p.s. Did you know he's a quarter Indonesian?  
2. DEAN CAIN (First Sighting: Television Series, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) Why? Everyone loves a Superhero! He played the role of Clark Kent, an editor for the Daily Planet. Behind that geeky disguise was a big big surprise! LOL! Do I have to even tell you that he had one of the best bodies? Not every guy can pull off the man in tights thing. You can either look hella moded or hella HOT! Now who would turn down brains and a body!? In real life he attended Princeton. Even yummier, right? Dude, but get this! I sooo could have been a huge fan of the Buffalo Bills. After college, he was a free agent of the team UNTIL he injured his knee during training camp. Sucks that I was never able to see him in his tight football uniform. Who cares if I was like only 10 years old during that time! LOL! Boooo!! p.s. I want to carry his last name- share-bare Tanaka. Sounds nice when you say it right? Dean Tanaka, marry me!! 
3. BEN AFFLECK (First Sighting: Entertainment Tonight) Why? He seems like a plain normal guy. In the late 1990's, I recall watching ET (Entertainment Tonight). There was a segment on the recap of Academy Awards. There I saw two young and good looking individuals named Ben Affleck and Matt Damon side by side holding their awards for Good Will Hunting, which I still have not watched. I thought, wow, this guy is cute! I later fell in love when he starred in one of my favorite movies of all time, Armageddon. I was turned off when him and Jennifer Lopez hooked up. But now he's with Jennifer Garner. I forgive you now, Ben. Jen is truly a good catch! p.s. I think we were meant to be. Did you know he was in The Voyage of the Mimi back in the Channel 9 days!? Trippy right? He played character C.T. No wonder I was immediately drawn to him on ET
4. JASON STATHAM (First Sighting: Movie, Italian Job) Why? Tough guy with an English accent! I first spotted Jason watching the DVD of Italian Job . He had a small role as Handsome Rob, but my eyes were still all on him. Sorry Mark Wahlberg. I then coincidentally saw in some random movies, The Transporter and Crank. For those that know me, I'm a sucker for accents: East Coast, English, Irish, Scottish, Australian, etc. I'm also into a guy that knows how to fight. Jason has a background in Martial Arts so he usually does in own stunts in his action movies. That's major points for me! My cousin's friend actually worked with him very recently on some stunts for this upcoming movie, Crank 2. Talk about six degrees of separation, right? p.s. Calvin - if you're reading this...please hook it up! Tell him, he's on my "Top 5"!  
5. DONOVAN McNABB (First Sighting: 2002 NFL Season ) Why? Football players are hot! After the huge disappointment of Superbowl XXXVI, I said to myself I need to find me a new man. Kurt Warner ain't cutting it for me anymore. The St. Louis Rams' loss to the New England Patriots (I hate them!) led me to my new favorite QB, Donovan McNabb of the Philadelphia Eagles. I kind of met him by accident. It was during the 2002 NFC Championship game against my ex-boyfriend's favorite team, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As always, I went against his pick and therefore discovered McNabb. My pick lost, but I still had hope. As Warner did in the past, McNabb led his team to Superbowl XXIX. But my oh my! Once again, my team was playing the freakin' Patriots (UGH!). WTF! Despite what haters said, I stood by my man. I believed. I'm still disappointed with the loss. p.s. I truly HATE New England Patriots!!!