Camera shy

Recently I’ve heard from two separate people that they read this blog. I don’t know why, but this surprised me. Yes, I realize that this is a blog and that anyone has access to it, that I myself told some of you about it, but the only person I knew who regularly checked my blog was Marco.

I have to admit it took me a few days to get over the thought of others reading about me and my life. Isn’t this why I started the blog? Yes, I guess. But it was more a way for me to release some stress, get my creative juices flowing, and record pieces of my life.

Once I got over the shock, I was excited to hear that I actually have an audience! So to all of my readers (all 4 of you) I hope you enjoy my posts and find a little bit of humor in my aimless musings. Enjoy the holidays, and I'll soon have more updates!

Body Guard

We have this game we play, Marco, Vinnie, and me.

Marco pretends to attack me, holds me in a bear hug or “punches” me. I start yelling in pain or calling for help. And every single time, Vinnie comes to my rescue. He rushes in, jumps up at Marco and nips at his shorts. He stands in between Marco and me, and squares off against Marco. If Marco even takes a step towards me, Vinnie immediately responds. We’re not sure why he does this, but for some reason, Vinnie feels the need to protect me.

And I love him for it. *sigh* My hero…..

Tea Time!

Lately, Marco and I have been drinking tea. We're big coffee drinkers, but we recently discovered tea. Well, Marco discovered it, I've been drinking it for awhile now.

My mom and I used to buy loose leaf tea at Cost Plus, trying different flavors each time and enjoying a nice hot cup during the winter evenings.

But in the past few years coffee took over my life. Starbucks and Coffee Bean were my favorite hang outs. My drink of choice, a nonfat latte. Sometimes I'd add some vanilla or toffee nut flavoring, but the straight stuff was what kept me going.

So a few weeks ago I was in Cost Plus browsing the coffees and came upon the tea section. I decided to buy some along with two coffee mugs. I convinced Marco to try it and he actually liked it! Now our evenings are spent in our study room, each one at our computers with our trusty cup of hot tea nearby.

No Doubt

Christmas 1995. My mom bought me one of my first cds, No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom and my brother got the latest cd from the Beastie Boys. She also bought us a cd player to share, one of those all-in-one stereos with cd, radio, and cassette. From what I remember, we were so excited to finally have our own cd player, we felt like such teenagers.

I loved listening to "Don't Speak" and feeling the anguish of lost love, and "I'm Just a Girl" was the girl power anthem with a sarcastic tone I could relate to. They combine the music, from ska to pop to rock, with read out of my diary lyrics that I love!

No Doubt is, undoubtedly, one of my most favorite groups. :)

13 years later, I’m still a big fan and have even followed the lead singer, Gwen Stefani, as she has branched out on her own. Although I have not loved all of her songs, I remain loyal to the group. So you can imagine my excitement when I heard the band was getting back together for a new cd. And, if that were not enough, I just found out they’re touring in 2009! I have never seen them live and I’m not going to miss it this time!

The Burrito

I love burritos. The soft flour tortilla holding inside a delicious blend of rice, beans, meat, cheese, and guacamole, all mixed in together, yet each flavor holding their own. At first, the burrito seems too big for you to consume in one sitting, but once you start eating it you realize you will definitely finish it. A burrito, I think, must be wrapped in foil. Not served on a plate, no sauce on top drowning the burrito, and definitely not eaten with a fork and knife.

Now what, you may ask, makes me such an expert. My only response to that is my love for the glorious burrito. And the fact that I have been eating them since I could remember. Give me a burrito over a taco or enchilada any day. I love them so much that if I were on death row and had to choose my last meal, a burrito would be among one of my top choices.

Growing up, The Super Burrito in Millbrae was my favorite. I always ordered mine with carnitas (pulled pork). The Super Burrito makes their burritos on the mushier side, which some say they don't like, but I think are amazing!
The Tapatia also makes a good burrito, but I'm not a fan of lettuce or sour cream in my burrito, so it's not one of my favorites.
Another place I recently discovered thanks to my dad is in the Mission in SF, La Taqueria. An awesome burrito! It is a little pricier, but so worth it. They use huge chunks of carne asada, yummy rice and beans, cheese, and pieces of avocado (not guacamole). Their burrito is fresh, yet simple. So good!

But all of the above mentioned places are in the Bay Area. Los Angeles, among its many flaws, has one unforgivable downside. The city could not make a decent burrito if the lives of its citizens depended on it! I'm not joking. I have tried several places and nothing comes close to a Bay Area burrito. Now, I'm not saying you can't get good Mexican food in LA, you can, just don't get the burrito.

The only decent burritos I've had here so far are from King Taco and Rubios. Yes, I said Rubios, the fast food "mexican" place you can find at your local strip mall.
I will give credit to King Taco, their burrito has good meat, rice, beans, cilantro, and onions, but it doesn't compare to my beloved burritos in the Bay.

And although I have not yet found a decent burrito in Los Angeles, I keep trying them. Maybe one day, in some small taqueria, the perfect burrito will be sitting there, waiting for me. But until then, the search continues.....

New Years came early....

As we heard the news and watched the crowds cheer in the streets, I wiped away a few tears and hugged Marco.

It felt like New Years. The hope of a new beginning, the start of something historic. I never thought I would see a black man as president and although this doesn’t mean racism and inequalities are gone, it does give us hope that change is possible.

A Change is Gonna Come
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUT1WgHat6I

I'm looking forward to what the future holds for us, and inspired to somehow play a small role.

Bulldog Play Date

Once a month, bulldogs from all around Los Angeles meet at a park in Westwood to play, run, and have fun like only bulldogs can. About 30 bullies come together, and it's quite a sight to see, and hear. Snorts and heavy breathing abound.


Vinnie always has a great time hanging out with his friends. Even though we don't attend every month, somehow Vinnie knows we're there as soon as we get out of the car. He gets so excited and starts pulling towards the other dogs. It's so much fun to see all of the bullies together.

But of course, Vinnie is the cutest, and I'm not just saying that as his mom :)

"hobbies"

If I had all the time in the world, I would take on many projects. I would learn to sew, take up painting, photography, and learn to play the guitar. But I don't have the time nor the money for all of my fantasy hobbies. So I'll take it step by step, one hobby at a time.

First, scrapbooking! Easy enough, right? Cut out some pictures, arrange colorful paper, add a few pretty stickers, and done! A scrapbook! This is so me, not too difficult, but still creative. I bought a scrapbook right after we got married, hoping to use our pictures and have lasting memories of that wonderful day. Four and a half years later, I still had the empty book. ;)

So in August, a bit after my best friend got married, we decided to start our wedding scrapbooks together. It's now the end of October, and I have a grand total of......drum role please.....3 pages! Pitiful, yes, I know. A lot has been going on, I got busy with work, school, and a million other things.

But hopefully this weekend Jessica and I will meet up again for a scrapbooking date. We have different styles. Jessica is a perfectionist, matching every color, cutting every picture perfectly straight, and contemplating each piece. I, on the other hand, cut, snip, and paste as it comes to me. Here's a sample of what I have so far:





Not bad, eh? It's really fun, even relaxing. I hope to have this scrapbook done by the end of the year! And Marco better appreciate it!

Only in Los Angeles....

I don't understand LA. Maybe that's why I still cannot call it home, even though I have spent a considerable amount of my life here, and still have a few more years to go.

For example, car chases. I don't know what is the fascination with car chases. As I write this, channel 9 has spent the last 30 minutes of news time filming the car as it's racing down one of LA's many freeways, with the police following behind. And the chase usually ends in one of 3 ways: a) the car crashes into something and the police are able to catch up to it; b) the car makes it to some resident area and the driver decides to make a run for it on foot, with the police usually catching their man; or c) the driver is able to somehow get away.

Although it is somewhat entertaining to see the grand finale, is it really worth wasting half hour of the news time? I guess some will say yes. And I wonder if car chases are only an LA phenomenon. I don't remember seeing these in SF. Maybe the lack of freeways dissuades people from hitting the gas pedal.

The best car chase I have seen was about a year ago. The car was heading down the 405 freeway, took one of the exits, and drove straight to the Fox Hills mall, which is about 4 miles from our place. The car entered the covered parking structure so the helicopter could no longer film and the police lost him! I admit, I was impressed by the driver's quick thinking. I wonder how long he had been planning that one!

iPhone

Oh yea, so I got the iPhone! That's how I took the cool picture of Royce Hall at night. I was having some issues with the phone at first. I was so used to the Blackberry and I don't do well with change (sometimes). I kept complaining about the iPhone for about the first week and I wasn't happy about switching to AT&T.

But now I love it! It's an awesome little gadget and it's so convenient to be able to use the internet whenever you want. And having my music on there is a nice plus!

Thank you Steve Jobs. How could I ever doubt something that came from the Bay Area?

;)

Back to the grind....

A lot has happened since I last wrote. Marco’s food poisoning turned out to be a ruptured appendix. It was such a long and scary journey, but he is doing much better now and is almost back to his crazy, loving self.

School also started up again. We’re already into week 2 of the quarter. It goes by so fast! I’m liking my classes, except for the timing. I have an early 8am class and a late 5pm-9pm class. Yes, I know some of you might be rolling your eyes at my whining of an 8am class, but students will see an early class and run the other way! 10am is a more decent time to hold class. What are these professors thinking?!?

Last night I left my class at 9pm and walked to meet my personal chauffeurs, Marco and Vinnie. I ended up walking through the main quad and stopped to admire my favorite building, Royce Hall.

UCLA is awesome at night. Something about that building makes me swoon. It’s supposedly built after a building in Italy and the unique thing about it is that it’s not symmetrical. Each tower is slightly different, with 3 windows on one side and 2 on the other. I think there are a bunch of little “mistakes” built into it so at first glance it looks impeccable, but once you really look at it you can see the small differences. But that’s the beauty of it, even though it’s not perfect it’s still an awesome building.

I remember sitting in the arches as an undergrad, reading or just people watching. It seems so far away. Being a grad student is a little different. There are more responsibilities and I have to work while also taking classes. But I feel very lucky to be a student. I complain and whine about school sometimes, but I’m trying to appreciate where I am. Not everyone gets this opportunity and I feel like it’s my responsibility to appreciate it and do my best. Once school is all over I know I’m going to miss it, but I should be hopefully saving the world by then, so I’ll keep busy!

It's been awhile....

Yes, I know. It's been awhile. I haven't forgotten about you, my little blog. But life has gotten quite busy with school starting next week. And it hasn't helped that my summer job and my school year job overlap during September, which means me working on campus and East LA. I'm actually excited for classes to start because my jobs will be manageable once again.

And this past week Marco has been sick. The sickest I've ever seen him. He got some type of bacterial infection in his stomach, which has knocked him on his ass big time. But on the positive (or not so positive) side, he lost a total of 9 pounds in less than a week! I'm just glad he's finally eating something other than soup and oatmeal.

I will hopefully have some more exciting news soon and more time to write about it!

Hasta pronto....

Obama 08

Marco and I didn't watch much of the RNC. We did watch Sarah Palin's speech because as Marco said "I need a good laugh!" We DVR'd the speech and watched it later that same night. Wow....it was a feeling of shock, fear, disgust, confusion, anger....it's hard to explain what we were feeling as we heard Palin's arrogant and petty speech.

The next day, Marco did something he had never done in his life. He donated money to a political candidate. Yes, Marco and I have officially donated a whole $25 (all we could afford at this point in time as students on summer break) to Obama's campaign!

Palin really scared us. Can this person really be running to be the VP, 2nd in command of the US? I'm waiting for McCain to hold a press conference and say "Gotcha!"

I can hope....and vote!

www.barackobama.com

Labor Day Fun!!!

A lazy Saturday morning.....

Playing with water on a hot summer day!

Watching UCLA beat Tennessee. Vinnie could not attend, but Marco and I had the "pleasure" of sitting among the loud and drunk undergrads in the student section. Man, did we feel old....

A yummy late night snack at Pinkberry. Sorry Vinnie, none for you! (Don't worry, I had some of Vinnie's snacks on hand so the boy didn't starve)

Nothing like a mid-day nap!

Cafe Tacvba

Marco and I went to the Cafe Tacvba concert last night and man, can they put on a show. They played forever, well, 2.5 hours but it seemed like forever, in a good way! I haven't been to too many concerts, mostly because they're so much money so if I'm gonna buy tickets, I better love them. I saw Shakira in 2006 in San Jose and I almost cried (laugh if you may, but it's true). I have listened to her music for so long and know almost every word, so seeing her live was amazing!!! I've also seen Audioslave twice in SF, Marco is the bigger fan but I do like a lot of their songs. And last year we were at Coachella for the reunion of Rage Against the Machine, again Marco is the bigger fan, but I must say they blew me away. Those boys can rock!

But anyways, we saw Cafe Tacvba at the Greek Theatre, which was a wonderful experience. Parking was super simple, the outdoor venue was perfect, and our seats were great. I was able to get the first row towards the middle front section, which meant that no one was in front of us! There were several rowdy guys behind us and 2 crazy female fans to our left, but it somehow added to the experience. I definitely left a bigger fan, which is what a concert should do for you. Their music is so unique, so creative, so high energy and contagious, that even Marco couldn't resist la experiencia musical que es el Cafe Tacvba!

Strawberry Fields Forever

My mom’s favorite Beatles song. She told me that when she first came to the US, she liked to listen to music in English. At first not knowing what the words meant, but eventually singing along, pronouncing the words and understanding some. Strawberry Fields forever.
Why this song? I think it’s because of the images it invokes. Green rolling hills with bright, juicy red strawberries everywhere. But now that I listen to the song, the melancholy sounds take on a new meaning.

She loved strawberries. She would tell me the story of when she was pregnant with me, she would come home from work and eat strawberries in the summer. She craved them. Or maybe I craved them. Either way, she passed on to me her love for the fruit.
As a child of the 80s, I was in love with Strawberry Shortcake (come on, you remember her). I have an old doll of strawberry shortcake as a baby, wearing a pink outfit, red hair, with a sweet scent of strawberry. I had the comforter, sheets, dolls, VHS movies we had recorded from the tv. Anything strawberry I loved. I still love strawberries, maybe even more now….

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.
It's getting hard to be someone but it all works out, it doesn't matter much to me.
Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields.
Nothing is real and nothing to get hungabout.
Strawberry Fields forever.

http://www.beatleslyricsarchive.com/viewSong.php?songID=215

Vinnie

We were sitting in downtown Culver City tonight, enjoying our gelato; mine was mango, Marco had tiramisu. Vinnie was sitting, chin near our knees, waiting for another piece of his doggie treats I brought for him. A lady stopped to pet Vinnie and asked us his name and age. "What is the best part of having a dog?" she then asked. Marco and I stopped for a second, never being asked this by a stranger before. People stop us all the time to pet Vinnie and ask questions like, "how much does he weigh?" "does he snore/fart/drool?" stuff like that, but never what WE liked about Vinnie. Marco answered "the companionship, he just wants to be with you."

And how true that is. When I come home from work or school, Vinnie is always excited to see me and the first to greet me at the door. If Marco and I are excited or laughing, Vinnie joins in, shaking his little butt, running aound like crazy. If I'm not feeling well or sad for some reason, Vinnie sits by me to console me.

Marco and I spend a lot of time in our study room, each sitting at our desks. Vinnie's always in the room with us. If he's not sleeping, he will sit next to one of our chairs. And it's not enough to be next to us, he'll scoot himself as close as possible, like in the picture. This is what I love about Vinnie.

He is wonderful beyond words.

City by the Bay

I miss the Bay Area. I grew up in San Bruno, a city about 15 miles south of San Francisco. I guess it's mainly known for being the home of the SF airport. Even now when I visit, I'll hear the roar of the plane passing overhead and I catch myself looking up to see the plane break through the fog. Growing up, the noise of the airplanes was somehow reassuring, something I could count on(after 9/11, the silence of the planes was an eerie reminder of the day's tragedy).

Marco and I lived on the Peninsula for almost 3 years after getting married, first in San Mateo and then in Foster City. I didn't want to leave, but UCLA beckoned. When Marco first moved to the Bay he would constantly complain about the cold, having spent most of his years in San Diego. During our first summer in the Bay, he would try to sleep with the windows open. I would say "are you crazy? you'll freeze! this is not southern california!" After catching a cold, he thought twice about opening that window at night. Marco eventually got used to the weather and realized how wonderful the crisp breeze feels in the evenings. Now we both miss the windy nights in Foster City. Vinnie especially misses the coolness of the Bay Area, bulldogs do not do well in the LA heat.

We dream and plan to move back to SF, but this time buying a home and living in the City. Every time we visit, we drive to the top of the golden gate bridge and wish this was our home. I wish it were sooner, but I can be patient (well not really, but I have no choice at this point!)

There's an episode of House Hunters about a couple buying a home in SF, Bernal Heights to be exact. For those of you who have never seen the show or are deprived of cable (poor souls), House Hunters follows a couple in their search for their perfect home. They are shown 3 homes and choose one in the end. Well, Marco and I have seen the SF episode a million times, and every time I see it I get so jealous. I wish we were on the show looking for our home in Bernal Heights! The home they choose is a remodeled Victorian, which I would buy in a heartbeat. It has the views of the city, a backyard, and all the true character of a Victorian home in SF. Oh, it's so beautiful....I can't wait to be reunited with my City....

For those who come to San Francisco, Be sure to wear
some flowers in your hair.

If you come to San Francisco, Summertime will be a
love-in there...

Privileged people

Today for work I had a meeting at LA County-USC hospital. I had seen the big concrete building before driving on the freeway, but had never actually been there. I do remember seeing the front of the hospital in a movie, Blood in Blood Out. If anyone's ever seen this movie, there's a scene where one of the guy gets hurt and goes to the County Hospital. The whole family is walking down the long concrete steps. I thought of this scene as I walked up the steps and, contrary to what the movie shows, I saw no homeboys there. ;)

Anyways, I first had to find parking and this was no small feat. The visitor and patient parking was nowhere to be seen, but I did find a small parking lot and decided to take my chances. I found a spot all the way in the back, after checking for any signs that might indicate I could not park there. There weren't any.

So I'm walking through the lot, running a bit late, and this lady in a white car with a big Avon sticker on the side of the door starts yelling at me. "You need to move your car and give me your space!" I was speechless! Who did this lady think she was!!! I told her that there were other spots (I actually think I got the last one), and she kept insisting that I move my car because she worked here and had a right to park here. I moved around her car and continued to make my way through the lot.

I'm almost to the street when she comes around again, yelling that I move my car. She threatened that the parking attendant would give me a ticket. I again told her I was not going to move my car and ignored her insane request.

I was so pissed that this lady thought she could intimidate me and make me give up my spot. I knew for a fact she had not seen me get out of my car, so she had no idea if I had a right to park there or not. Later, Marco said some people have this crazy sense of privilege and this woman thought I owed her the parking spot. It just amazes me that people can be so rude and willing to walk all over others. I was proud of myself for standing my ground and not letting this crazy woman get away with her demands. I'm a goody-two-shoes and don't like getting in trouble. But this lady was just too much, even for me.

My best friend's wedding

Saturday my good friend Jessica became Mrs. Jessica Quan. The ceremony was beautiful and the couple was beaming! I was the maid of honor and had a blast helping Jess with some of the planning and during the actual wedding.

I felt so important, walking down the aisle by myself, holding the bride's bouquet, and fixing her train during the ceremony ;) I also said a few words during the reception. I had it all typed out and had spent a considerable amount of time writing it. When it came time to stand on stage, with the microphone and say my speech, I was so nervous my hands were shaking! But as I got into it I felt calmer, and seeing Jessica's tears was all worth it (not that I made her cry, but that my words were special to her)

The wedding took place on the roof garden of the Sheraton in Universal City. It's actually all enclosed, so it's not really a garden, but you get an almost 360 degree view of the area from the floor to ceiling windows. It was awesome! The MC did a great job at getting people to dance and it all went by too fast. Before I knew it, most of the guests had left, leaving the couple's closest friends on the dance floor :)

Being at the wedding got me thinking of my wedding. The vows we made to each other and the sacred promise of making the other person happy. Every morning I wake up next to Marco (well, sometimes Vinnie) and every night I go home to my hubby, and it's a beautiful feeling.

I love weddings, especially when I know the couple is truly happy and meant for each other. I'm such a sucker for this stuff!

Something new...

So I finally did it, I'm going out of my comfort zone and trying something new. Blogging.
Why? I'm not sure.
I guess I really enjoy reading what's going on with others and thought it would be cool to share my thoughts and experiences.
I'm not sure what I'm going to write about, but I figure it'll come to me.
Knowing me, I will probably spend my time writing about the things I love, my husband, my bulldog, my family and friends, music, and school. I will probably also write about the stuff I don't like so much, but we'll see ;)

So I ask for your patience while I get the hang of this and welcome to my life, through purple colored glasses....