lunch hour

Thank you to everyone who celebrated my birthday with me these past few weeks, I am so blessed to have all of you in my life. I received many wonderful gifts that I greatly appreciate and love. If any of you are interested in sharing my wealth please join me for Starbucks. Yesterday, I bought dispatch Starbucks, which was great because I didn't have to go anywhere for my Java Chip Frappucino, Richard was nice enough to pick up for everyone during his lunch hour.
This afternoon I walked to the post office with T to get my new P.O. Box. I applied online, which was really convenient, and picked up the keys during my lunch hour at work. I think the lady at the first window I went to hated my guts because she really didn't want to help me. The second time around the gentleman who helped me seemed more genuine, which made it a better experience at the post office. The architecture of the post office, both inside and out, was really quite nice to look at so my P.O. Box experience went fairly well. Plus, it's just exciting to complete a small project that will help me out in the future.

I am looking forward to watching this movie:

Maybe it's just the fact I haven't been to the movie theaters in a while, but Coraline does not seem like it would be too bad. Looking online there are not too many kid-friendly films out, but I am just really glad Aliyah did not decide to choose to watch that Jonas Brother's Movie (otherwise, I would not have agreed to take her). I love the fact that Mike is willing to join us on our movie adventure too. He makes me happy knowing he is interested in family festivites like Fun Club, and just everything in general.

fun and games

I got off work early yesterday and I was able to finish a lot of little errands that I overlooked this past weekend. I was able to get Billy washed, visit Toby Luna, finish my laundry, grocery shop, and have lunch with my brothers-- pretty good for an afternoon. Before nap time I watched the movie Step Brothers. I love Will Ferrell movies and thought this one had its funny moments, but it also contained lots of profanities and inappropriate scenes which turned me off. A couple of my favorite lines : "You have the voice of an angel. Your voice is like a combination of Fergie and Jesus." and "Why are you so sweaty? I was watching Cops." and lastly "Boats and hos."
I'm still learning to play with my PSP. I have one game that came with my PSP it's called Rachet and Clank, which I think I will learn to like as soon as I get use to playing with my PSP. I feel like Rachet and Clank is like the old Crash Bandicoot games (which I totally loved) so I know I will have great adventures with my new handheld. I am also excited that I will be able to watch movies on it too. I rented National Treasure from Blockbuster Online so when it comes time to watch National Treasure 2 on my PSP I will know what is going on in the movie.
When we were grocery shopping yesterday I thought to myself " I REALLY need to start eating at home". Seriously, I grocery shop like every week if not every other week and spend lots of money, but I always feel like there is nothing I want to eat at home. I want to convince or make myself eat at home more just so I know that I am not being so wasteful. Lately, possibly becuase I've switched shifts, I have not been bringing lunch to work as much and ordering out. I will work on that too. I love grocery shopping, I have no idea why?

welcome back

Guess who's home now? That's right, Toby Luna is now out of quarantine and resides in the City of Pasadena. Tuesday was a dog day afternoon as the dogs spent a wonderful sunny afternoon at the dog park and then a nice refreshing bath in the evening. Toby loves being at home and being about to be around everyone, I have to admit the #1 thing I miss about Toby is cuddling time.
In addition to coming back, I finally have access to a laptop. Thanks to my brother, Nomie helped me pick out which one I should get at a decent price. It wasn't the one I had my heart set on because the one I wanted had a touch screen (fancy schamncy, I know), but it was unavailable practically everywhere. However, the new one I have is still pretty nice and I love the way it looks (a stupid reason to love a laptop, I know). I haven't fully explored the computer options, but I turned it on for the first time last night and the introduction show HP utilizes was pretty amazing. There will be more to come about the laptop once it gets explored further.

Awesome! We played paper, rock, scissors today at work to see who would be able have the opportunity to go home early and I won! And because I was the winner, I'm saying good bye for now!

movies by mail

What a coincidence! Last night while Mike was looking through my dvd bin for a movie to watch he commented about my Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory dvd and today at work we decided to watch it on television. I love watching movies from my childhood, it totally takes me back to reading the book and watching the movie for the first time. Like every other kid, I wanted that opportunity to win a golden ticket and take a tour of the chocolate factory. Deep down inside I thought to myself it would be so much fun because I knew I could behave during the tour and not act like a brat like the other kids (lame, I know). When the newer version came out Aliyah and I went to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Personally, I was creeped out by Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. The scenes in the newer versions seemed darker and contained or implied more violence than the original (Veruca gets jumped by a million squirrels, of course that's not good for children to watch). I love the original movies that make me smile.
Speaking of movies, I finally got Blockbuster Total Access Online. I'm suuuper excited as I can catch up on my movies. I love the idea of getting everything by mail and being able to exchange it at the store whenever its convenient to do so. My first picks include: Sweeney Todd, Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, and Step Brothers.

change

It has definitely been an interesting work week, new way of thinking sort of deal. Proud to say that within the past couple days I've officially learned lessons, gave my heart out, realized things that I have the capacity to do, and joined a club. Life makes me happy when we take the time to appreciate the things in life we usually take for granted. On to other news, Toby comes home Tuesday and I could not be any happier. I love my boy, sad that he won't be able to live with me, but happy he will still be happy with familiar people and those who love him too.
Last night we had Fun Club dinner and it was Mike's first appearance. He's not on the roster yet, but it was a good night. Birthday pizookie (Cookies and Cream, of course) came to me this time around, but really it was actually my birthday. Someday we'll have an album of Fun Club birthdays at Bj's, it will be just as exciting as our events. Speaking of events, I will have to rest easy on not attending Fun Club events because I now work weekend day schedule. I will miss playing basketball or volleyball, but I guess I will have to settle for dinners for the next few months. Oh well, Disneyland this coming week makes me happy right now! :)

vacation

Due to shift change I was on my mini vacation. The week kicked off with the Toby incident and ended with birthday dinner, all in all, a memorable week. Valentine's was amazing. I got a really cool gift and I thought I gave a really lame one, but hopefully he still loves me. I had many Valentine's as we had a mini cousin dinner at Dave & Buster's, which is always good times and lots of laughs. It was totally girlfriend/bff's time as we got some serious shopping done and went on crazy missions. The birthday was spent relaxing the whole day and having fun times at dinner.
I got many presents this weekend, many I bought for myself when we went shopping, but nonetheless many presents I am very thankful for. Out of the whole weekend I have three favorite gifts, not in any particular order. #1 Valentine mini heart cake from Porto's Bakery. This adorable gift came from my godson Noah, it was a small red heart shaped mini cake with "Be Mine" written on it, suuuper cute! #2 Ocean's 11 and Pirates of the Caribbean boxed blu ray gift sets. Basically choose and bought for myself, but these will keep me entertained for the next couple weeks. Plus, it will be played on my other favorite gift my new fancy schamncy blu ray player that is in my bedroom now. #3 Lastly, of my favorite gifts is my Jacob Maarse flowers. They make my room smell amazing and just make me melt every time I see them. I hate that flowers don't last forever, but that's part of their beauty.

quarantine

Toby Luna's mugshot because he is now locked up:
The worst disaster happened yesterday when I got off work. Toby got off leash, scared the crap out of the gardener, and ended up injuring the poor guy. Toby is now locked up, under quarantine, and is no longer allowed to live with me at my apartment. I'm not sure what my deal was, I know I handled things in the correct manner, but my emotions were off the wall once I started thinking about his consequences. Before Animal Control even got to my apartment I knew what was ultimately going to happen and I just could not stop freaking out. I have to thank Mike for handling himself very well and trying to calm me down because I know that I was a big mess. I just could not wrap my mind around the accident and kept thinking to myself how horrible of a dog owner I was. The event totally ruined the day yesterday, not to mention the date we had planned, but I have to be thankful for the way things went down because it could have been worse. The incident really felt surreal and I know at least twice yesterday, when I was finally able to get some sleep, I woke up thinking everything is just a really bad dream.

I woke up today feeling much better about what happened with Toby. Today I am more confident that everything is going to be okay and things happen for a reason. Even if others have their doubts, I have trust in the Pasadena Humane Society and know that Toby will be fine at the shelter for the next 9 days (it's probably because I use to work at the shelter that I am giving them so much credit). Trust me, Toby's stay at the shelter is the least of my worries. Yesterday my mind and my heart were totally broken over what happened, but I just have to be really thankful that my family truly does love having Toby around and do not mind taking him in as their new dog of the house. I have to admit, it was hard being at the apartment yesterday thinking of all the little things Toby does that he will never get to do (like sit his chair and look out the window). I just need to stop searching for the answers of why this happened and continue to accept that it happened and learn from it.

adventures

We, my cousins on my mom’s side of the family, have this thing called Fun Club. Fun Club is essentially like a fraternity, where members have official nicknames, are recruited into the group, and attend social events together. At one point it got a little out of hand, with plans to make t-shirts, design a crest, and have a mascot for the club; however, we finally realized how insane we were acting and have toned it down a notch and now we just plan and attend social events together. A few weeks ago someone had the bright idea that doing the exercise video for P90X would be an exciting Fun Club event, and so we spent a Sunday afternoon working out together. Of course, as one of the Fun Club (high ranking) members I was there in attendance.
Personally, I am not a huge fan of exercising for fun, but I felt it would still be an interesting afternoon if we did the P90X video together. After the 1st work out disc I was done, but here are pictures of my cousins doing the P90X disc for abdominals. I was obviously sitting on the couch watching them exercise and waiting for them to finish so we could get lunch. Don't get me wrong, I exercise and try to stay fit, but I am not a fan of going overboard (protein shakes, supplements, and diets are just not for me). Just thought I’d finally talk about that FC adventure since I mentioned it a while back.

Speaking of adventures, today was one of the most memorable days I have had in a long time. This afternoon I attended “Dispatcher Range Day” and was officially introduced to a few new friends. I was really hesitant about attending today because, to be frank, I was just plain scared, but after today’s experience it lessened my fear a little bit. I really did not have any expectations about how the afternoon at the range would be, but I was totally impressed by everything that was presented to us. I totally appreciate the effort they put into fulfilling our afternoon. It surprised me what were being introduced to and allowed to do, it was so much fun!

I can’t wait to share my stories about this afternoon, and if you come talk to me I have "show and tell" for you. Trust me it’s super cool, at least it was for me because it was my first time. And, because my face isn't being shown, don’t these pictures look like I am super brave and confident (really, I was freaking out)? An afternoon like this is totally out of my safety net and personality norm, but it just shows that I can have adventures too. Oh, and as interesting and exciting as today's adventures were and even after learning and experiencing all the things that was introduced to us today I still hold the same opinions about civilians and firearms.

glory

We were lucky with the television schedule tonight as we got to watch American Idol, Biggest Loser, Without a Trace and Cold Case (the last two are our favorite late night shows). Blades of Glory was the movie choice for the night. Like many Will Ferrell movies it was non stop laughs with a list of many favorite movie quotes:
*I totally want to cut off your skin and wear it to my birthday... It's coming up.
*I see you still look like a fifteen year old girl, but not hot.
*I'll get inside your face.
*Not only did we embarrass Mary Mark, we let down the Funky Bunch.
*This may be solid gold, but to us its lighter than air, because dreams never weigh you down. No. Dreams are in your sleep.
Stump, a Sussex Spaniel, became the oldest dog to win best in show at this year's Westminster Kennel Club dog show. This 10 year old wonder has shown that his age does not slow him down, his ears are still as floppy as ever and his gait still plodding strong. This snazzy dog stands to take in all the glory of his win as he poses with his trophy.

Birthday dinner was so yummy from Wokcano, thanks guys! Here was my fortune from the cookie: Good news will be coming your way it will be here any day! I can't wait to see what will be coming my way, I am hopeful and anxious for the good news. The countdown shows only a few days away, 6 days left for me (5 days left for Jessica). Lucky duck!

thrills

I finally went to briefing tonight at work! It's been, what, about a month since I last attended briefing- that's a long time. I've been dispatching first and unable to attend briefing at 2200, but I went today and it reminded me that I need to keep updated with what's going on around me. It makes me feel more part of the team when I go to briefing and it allows me to know what is being discussed or going on outside the dragon lair.
Domestic Disturbance was the choice film of the night. Ale and I had already seen the film, or at least parts of the film, but we were still interested enough to have it play while working. It is an interesting movie when you watch it for the first time, but, sad to admit, watching it over again makes it less dramatic. I've also been trying to catch up on Heroes, one of my favorite shows. I refuse to watch an episode of Heroes Season 4 without following up on the previous seasons. I'm almost there, but thanks to the internet revolution I will not be able to miss out on Heroes Season 4 or any episode prior. The other day, I finished Heroes Season 2 in essentially one afternoon. I noticed an inconsistency with the Maya character, seriously, her Spanish accent nearly disappears between Heroes Season 2 and Heroes Season 3 (awkward!). I wonder how television companies make their money these days when the internet offers replays of shows for free? I am such a big fan that I purchase the sets, but not everyone does the same.

My favorite past time at home is cuddling. I think its the sense of comfort it provides that makes me love it so much. If I had to choose, I would definitely choose to stay at home and cuddle with my dogs doing nothing over getting dolled up to go out to a club or bar with a group of friends. I am such a homebody sometimes, it's nice to just sit back and take it your surroundings. Today it was nice spending all afternoon in bed cuddling, listening to the wind blow outside, and feeling the sunshine through the window. It also doesn't hurt if you have an amazing cuddling partner to keep you company.

My horoscope for today: Romance takes a front seat in your concerns today, dear Aquarius, as you're probably feeling especially passionate. This is definitely a great day to plan an intimate evening with a lover! Make use of candles, muted lights, and soft music! You're also apt to be feeling especially passionate about your other interests, whether they be intellectual, creative, or business-oriented. Therefore, you can expect to spend a lot of time pursuing your passions - whatever they are! (I'm not too sure about the romance part, but I like the last part about pursuing my passions that sounds interesting.)

movie marathon

All weekend my body has not been feeling 100%. It definitely started when I ate tacos Thursday night, they were no bueno! I think the bad meat, plus my dot, lowered my immune system so I have been having to take it easy. Feeling nauseated has not stopped me from doing anything this weekend, I still had the luxury of enjoying dinner with friends and family, but I just don't feel like I should exhaust my body in any way.

Changeling was the movie we watched at work this evening, after the Grammys of course. Thanks to Lara for keeping me informed and Maria for responding to me every time I missed something. The movie was really good and had an intriguing storyline, especially since it was based on a true story. I am not too fond of the information provided under wikipedia so I tried to find the actual legal case of Christine Collins v California, but was not really successful (I probably should sign into Lexis Nexis). It's pretty nerdy of me I know, but I just like to get my information from reliable sources. And I agree with Diana, there really isn't a movie that Angelina Jolie stars in that I do not like.

hate mail

People are not enjoying my Blue Planet or Planet Earth blogs. I should try to see if I could file a hate crime report towards them. Kidding! They are lucky I'm getting done with those sets, it's just too bad they don't know I have a new discovery channel set being sent to me right now. :) (evil laugh)

Last night was fabulous! Dinner at California Pizza Kitchen and then a trip to the local gay bar, great times! Look forward to a video post of Karaoke and lots of weekend pictures.

looking up

I am just about done with my Blue Planet and Planet Earth sets. On Blue Planet I think I only have 1 episode left to watch to complete the set. For Planet Earth I need to finish watching the last disc, which holds about 4 episodes. I am a little saddened by the completion of these sets, even though I know I can watch these episodes whenever I want, I will lose the fascination of learning or seeing something for the first time. Oh well, maybe I will invest in another discovery channel series, in the mean time I finish my two sets.

My new Blue Planet episode for the day was Seasonal Seas. For some reason I thought I had already seen this episode, but once the disc was playing I realized everything I was seeing was new. It might be my favorite, if not second favorite, episode of the set. Seasonal seas featured many animals of the ocean and did not include staff interviews/commentary. The California Sea Otter, as pictured above, is an animal that I truly adore. Yes, it's because the animal utilizes his hands, but it's just so amazing to watch this critter float on its back with a rock on his belly for opening up clams to eat (such a smartie!). From the Seasonal Seas episode I learned that it take an Atlantic Lobster 5years to mature into a full adult. And when it's time for the female to find a nest, they will travel about 150km to reach warm waters to speed up the fertilization of its eggs. It is so amazing the things we learn about animals and life on this planet.

I usually am not too fond of the rain, but when you don't have to be outside where it's wet and cold the rain is so soothing. After picking up the dogs from Petsmart, I spent my whole afternoon on the couch of my apartment with the blinds wide open. I watched as the city and clouds passed by and listened to the rain, it was really nice. The view was amazing and made me feel relaxed as I napped and watched Blue Planet all day. And even though the forecast of rain is not often seen as good news, I still feel things are looking up because I have my a lot to look forward to.

x

My roommate got a new television yesterday, and today it was really nice watching television on a 52" screen. I thought my television was too big, but I guess it's difficult to for someone refuse a gift? I'm still not over that $2,500 gift, a little ridiculous. We watched the movie X-Men (2000) today, or at least the beginning of the movie. One of my favorite lines from the film: "There's not many people that'll understand what you're going through. But I think this guy, Xavier, is one of them. He seems to genuinely want to help you. And that's a rare thing, for people like us." Wolverine basically defining the X-Men. I look forward to finishing the movie series.

Blue Planet Open Ocean was my episode today. Like the X-Men movie, I only watched the beginning, but caught enough to include into my blog. Krill are shrimp-like crustaceans that live in the ocean in shoals by the millions,as pictured below. These little creatures are an essential source of food for many whales in our ocean. While watching Open Oceans Mike asked,"How many different whales are there?" That question totally brought me back to my elementary school memories, being in 4th grade and doing our reports for our whale watching trip. In Mrs. Calvert's class there was this chart or poster with pictures of different whale species, that's exactly what I thought about when he asked that question. Anyhow, I had to google it, but the answer is 79 recognized whale species from around the world.

One more work day left and then it's my weekend! I have many plans, especially to catch up on sleep, but a majority of my time will be spent with family and friends. Andre is coming to Pasadena Friday night to have dinner with the Fab 4 minus 1. I love catching up with friends that I have not seen in a while, I just wish we all had the time to see or talk to each other more frequently so we wouldn't have to catch up. There are so many birthday celebrations this weekend too, I just can't wait!

fever

February is here and that means Valentine's Day is coming soon, 10 days left to be exact. Love is in the air and people are catching the fever. Like most girly girls I am a fanatic for this commercial holiday, however, its not the dates, gifts, or flowers that excites me. I love Valentine's Day because of its affect on morality. People are reminded once again about love and start acting out of love. Trust me, as a people watcher, the communication and socialization between individuals are much more kind and endearing during the Valentine season as compared with the Christmas season. During Christmas time people are driven by greed and politeness and common courtesy go out the door. Around Valentine's Day people are friendly and kind to one another because they #1 want to feel loved or #2 they are blissfully happy because of love. I love watching people hold hands as they walk, open doors for complete strangers, holding elevators for their neighbors, pick up liter that wasn't theirs, help kids reach items on the top shelf, and most of all hear people exchange politeness and friendly greetings.
I was such a goof today. I woke up in the afternoon really hungry and discovered I did not have anymore of my breakfast cereal. Instead of being a lazy jane, I decided I would get dressed and make a trip to the nearest grocery store. Still hungry, I tried to make my trip fast and short, but, like always, I end up browsing the store for things that I think I need. I make it back home and start to unload my groceries, eager to have breakfast, when I discovered that I totally forgot to grab my cereal. I was probably distracted by other things at the store, but I felt like such a

twit. Imagine this is dress in teal or turquoise:

I solved my dress dilemma.

not much sleep,but still satisfied

Let's just say that overtime yesterday was pretty surreal. I don't want to say that it haunted me throughout my afternoon, but I couldn't stop thinking about what happened I just didn't get a lot of sleep. Like my dad tells me, "you sleep like a chicken" and that's exactly what I did today because all I did was take short naps. It was just one of those days where your body and subconscious is telling you you're tired, but your mind is totally active. The lack of adjusting to a regular sleep routine is one of the minor defaults that balance out having such an amazing career. Routine is boring, I'd choose the thrill of unexpected excitement and fast paced confident decision making anyday.

In lieu of sleep I kept my mind and body functioning by feeding my face. Not really, but I was totally craving sushi or pad thai. And at 2000 on a Monday night there really only is one place that pops into mind, Wokcano. Laugh all you want, I probably do order from there about once a week or every two weeks, but it is always worth it. Tonight I ordered the pad thai and it was yummy to my tummy, just like always. There really are only 3 places that I would consistently order pad thai from, one of them being Wokcano. I also recommend pad thai from Pei Wei and from Chandra's (both can be found in Pasadena, luckily). We won't get into the topic of favorite sushi places, but, oh Annie, I wish Full Moon Sushi was just down the street again.

My Blue Planet episode of today is Coastal Seas. Out of the majority of episodes I've been watching, this was not a very interesting episode. I feel like it summarizes what is seen in other episodes and relates them to the coasts, but overall I just feel that I was not learning enough to be mentally stimulated by the episode. Nonetheless, I still retained some knowledgeable information and learned about vicious ocean waves and this pink walrus. This walrus looks pretty unappealing, I will admit that, but when walrus' sun bathe the heat turns their skin pink. The blood vessels in their skin dilate as walrus' sit around absorbing heat from the sun, also known as sun bathing, as a result of the amount of blood flowing thru the vessels their skin starts taking on a pink or red color. On the other hand, when walrus' are swimming in the cold ocean water, in order to conserve heat, their blood vessels constrict and because the blood flow is minimal the walrus's skin to appears white in color. I personally am fond of the appearance of a walrus in cold weather.

Watched the movie Troy today also, which was a nice movie pick. Although it was naptime during most of the film, it is always nice to review movies you haven't seen in a long time (and dust them off because they've been just sitting on the bookself). To be honest, in high school when we were learning about mytholgy I never really developed a real interest in the subject. It's probably the same reason people love mythology, there are so many different twists and tales and most stories cross paths, I was just plumb confused. Troy is still an great movie, trying to portray mythology on film is tough and the cast is not too shabby.

<3>

*************************Update, bff: Jessica****************

I finally checked out your website this past weekend! It was so much fun reading up on your Atlanta adventures and seeing the pictures you've posted. Really, clicking thru everything totally made me want to send both of you mail just because it was posted on the website (oh, and visit you in Atlanta). I am so jealous of your amazing talent to put all that together, you're such a smartie! I look forward to any updates you guys may have in the future. Let me know how Danny's birthday went and P-Cakes' visit out there!

bonus

I'm working overtime today so my readers are lucky and get an extra post this week. Here is what has been going on with me:
I just need to get this off my chest. First of all, I totally wear my sorority like a heart on my sleeve. I feel that Gamma Phi Beta is an intergral part of my life, and although I do not consistently participate in alumna events my sorority still plays a major role in my life. When I meet someone new in life who has shared the sorority experience, even if its not a Gamma Phi experience, there is just an instant bond and feeling of excitement because there are values, traditions, and a love for sisterhood that you both have in common. It saddens me when you find someone who does not have that mutual feeling of sisterhood, especially if its from a person who actually shared your sisterhood experience. It was just a slap in the face to realize that not everyone comes away with the same feelings or respect towards sisterhood, but I guess you make what you want out of four years of your life.

My most recent episode of Blue Planet is Tidal Seas. In that episode the most interesting thing I learned is that there are many tides in the Vancouver area of Canada and that raccoons eat seafood from the tides when it is low tide. Mother nature and the camera crew of Blue Planet made fascinating the scene of a mother raccoon and her two babies feasting on rock crabs. Depending on the situation, I usually am not a big fan of raccoons, but knowing how smart these critters are it was interesting to watch them fish for food in the low tide. Plus, I love when animals utilize their paws so to watch them hunt then eat the crabs with their hands it was so adorable.

Fun Club ate at Shogun this weekend. Aside from the yummyness of the food, we kept smiling throughout the night because this couple is apparently expecting a baby (not really). Shogun was so excited about the baby news they gave them the birthday song, a couple picture, and a coupon for a free meal on their next birthday. It's always fun times with Fun Club, except when it involves exercising, hence my Fun Club name FCM#217nOeXerciSepLeaSe.