IDIOSYNCRACIES

Hmm. . . been tagged by good ol' Mia to list my idiosyncracies. This list can go on and on . . but I can start working on it . . .

id·i·o·syn·cra·sy n. pl. id·i·o·syn·cra·sies:1. A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group. 2. A physiological or temperamental peculiarity. 3. An unusual individual reaction to food or a drug.

1) I have to smell my food before eating it.

2) I have a lot of gas, that even I myself have to vacate the room sometimes. It's the silent but deadly kind. I can't help it - its part of my 'fast' metabolism. I eat a lot so where do you seriously think it goes - my system doesn't poop it out it converts it to gas. I can be a millionaire if farts can be used to energy. It's especially bad the day after I have spaghetti or brocolli.

3) I love thrift stores - almost half of my wardrobe/closet is from thrift stores - hey you truly come around when you discover never been worn manolo blahniks for 8 bucks - unfortunately they were size 8 and I was planning to sell them on ebay but I ended up giving them to a friend. Plus not to mention I live 40 minutes away from the closest mall and the only thing we have around here is JC Penney.

4) I still use a "tabo" - the water bucket filipinos are known to use after urinating and/or pooping. Seriously before I came to the states, I used to think "eww, americans just wipe? they don't wash?" coz think of it after we pee, we pour - its the rinse cycle and when we poo, there's the pre-rinse, then we involve soap and lather up, and then rinse again, and of course we wash our hands after. But really its coz we're too poor to afford toilet paper. My husband discovered this when he went to shoemart mall in the philippines and realized we have the holders but no toilet paper in the stalls. I'm like honey that's why i carry tissue all the time in my purse. But hey other cultures have a "bedet" did i spell that right?

5) I love eating w/ my hands, especially when I eat fish and seafood. My dad's side of the family thinks its only necessary if we're eating w/ seafood and its not very civilized. But I think they're trying to be snooty and all uppity because I know its part of the filipino culture to eat w/ their hands along side w/ eating w/ a spoon and a fork. I seriously eat more when I eat w/ my hands.

6) I set the table w/ spoon on the right and fork on the left - no need for knives unless you're like eating steak or you really need to saw something. Otherwise, filipinos have the skills to pry their food apart. Come to think of it - I think its the smartest way to eat coz you can scoop the sauce/soup w/ your food. When I spoon feed my husband he thinks its the best coz he describes how I just mix the perfect amount of rice, meat, veggies, and sauce in a spoonfool. Honestly spoon and fork rules - I mean how hard is it to eat w/ chopsticks?! Although I do enjoy eating w/ chopsticks every now and then - it's like a challenge. But yah filipinos are the only asians that don't eat w/ chopstix.

7) I love vinegar - especially datu puti sugar cane vinegar - you can't make adobo right without it. I used to drink it when I was little, that my lips turned white. White people's vinegar just doesn't cut it - I use that for disinfecting/cleaning purposes. To clean the house that is - I don't "douch" like some people might imply - never tried it and I hope never need it. Regular soap and water cleans that "down there"

8) I love green mangoes and bagoong. I love avocado ice cream and corn and cheese ice cream - whenever I can find it. Magnolia carries those flavors.

9) I can still do a back bend - thanks to yoga, but unfortunately I've lost the talent for doing the splits ever since 6th grade. I hope to be able to do a back flip - u know like how the gymnast do it.

10) I can dance at the club or anywhere for hours and hours as long as there's good music and good company.

11) I do feel the need to accesorize - whether it be shoes, purses, hats, and/or jewelry. Although in the winter time I don't wear that much jewelry coz the "metals" get cold but I compensate with hats, scarves, and gloves.

12) When I get home from work or I've been away from my dog Kodi I exclaim "yay!" and jump up and down with my dog. Now whenever you say "Yay!" around my dog his ears perk up and he gets excited.

13) When I cook a dish I almost always have to have all the ingredients - if I'm missing one, especially a crucial one like tamarind powder - forget it I might as well try cooking a different dish. Coz what good is 'sinigang' or 'pad thai' without it.

14) I love spam and rice - eat it w/ vinegar (and bagoong if I have it). If I have eggs over easy w/ my rice - i have to have tomatoes and 'patis' - fish sauce. If I don't have that then I'll just have ketchup. and I love banana ketchup if its available.

15) Incompetent, Inefficent, UnProductive, Pessimistic People Bug the Hell out of me. People that can't be optimistic - then they're just asking for it. If you're so negative, then bad shit happens to you. It's a frame of mind people! You can truly change and affect your life for the better. No Excuses. I cannot be around you if you're such a downer - Life is way too short for me to be hanging around and wasting my time with those kind of people. Unfortunately in the work place and in the real world - these people do exist and you can't avoid them but I try as much as I can.

16) I'm friends w/ you B'coz its either 1) I like you & truly honor my relationship w/ you or 2) I benefit or get something out of our friendship {connections, hook ups, networking, etc.} Otherwise I really don't care. My husband told me once - "most of the time I don't really like people and don't care for anybody - I'm just happy hanging out w/ my wife and my doggie." And I'm like "how can you say that?" - coz I was always the type of person to want to please everyone and have everyone like me - but as you live on and mature, you get to the point where you have a handful of your good friends and that's all you really need. F**k the rest of the people. Hehe. but I'm still nice most of the time - we just have to be careful w/ who our friends are and who we associate with. But sad that it is a fact of life, we still have to go through life and have our pretend "reallys?" and "uh-huhs" - all the conversation fillers we have to use to be "polite, nice, and tactful" to others because in our heads we're like "F**k off, or "You're so full of shit." and yada yada right.

17) Sometimes I like to smell my farts and sometimes I can't stand them. Hey you have to like your own "brand" right?

Ashley - R.I.P

Last night, Jim was very bummed. Ashley our grey kitty passed away. She was 14 years old. It was very sad. We knew she was going coz she couldn't handle her bowel movement anymore and on her last day she pissed all over herself. It was pretty heart breaking coz 2 nights ago she was crying all night. Her meow sounded like she was saying "Aww, aww" poor thing. Jim had to close our bedroom door b'coz we couldn't stand to hear her in pain. Yesterday morning, before Jim went to work, he petted her and she did not even open her eyes. He "knew" and so he said his goodbye and told her she lived a full life and that its okay if she goes and that we'll miss her. She just had the shakes, and Jim called me at work and warned me that when I get home from work that she might not have made it through the day. I was hoping b'coz I did not want to have to take her to the vet to put her down or much else Jim would have had to shoot her to take her out of her misery. I came home late that night coz I was scared to discover her by myself. Jim got home before me with our friend Chris and they took care of her.

We buried her on the green belt of our property above the creek. She was survived by loving parents Jim & Shy, her brother Kodi (our dog), and her sister Titleist (our white kitty). I'm hoping her sister would not get too depressed in her absence. Just like Nona she lived a good life. May she rest in peace. We'll miss you Ashley Grey.

Reminiscing about the good old Mckay Roommates

So I was just thinking about my old Mckay roommates Andrea "Dre" Rios and Cathy "Cookie" Do. I miss them a lot and I do honestly say they were the best roommates. Cathy was even my roommate in Hannon in Junior Year and I do admit those Hannon Block parties made history at LMU campus. Who would have thought 9 apartments would have been written up that night. We had the shot room upstairs, we had the dance room in our apt, we had the smoke room next door, we had the drum n bass room, and we even had a stripper in one of the rooms as I would quote our public safety officers "uhh sir, can I ask you to put on some plants please" HYSTERICAL.

Well I do want to CONGRATULATE Ms. Dre Rios to her engagement to Jime Salcedo-Malo. Dre I'm so happy for you!!


I miss you two crazy nuts and I do thank you for making the college years memorable - by the way I unearthed a photo of us standing on "someone's bed" w/ our pants down one night we were bored and pissed off at someone in Mckay - but of course our faces were covered and I guess I won't post that in the blog hehe. I hope you two are doing great.

"Mary Jane - I love her just the same . . . mary jane" sing along w/ me now!

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY JANE!

*Jane is the reason I believe I'm a stronger woman
*Jane makes ME feel beautiful
*Jane MAKES things beautiful
*Jane makes ME happy.
*Jane makes me laugh.
*Jane makes me cry. . . fucking bawling crying man . . .fucking "Emilio!!!"somebody's dying in my arms crying, kind of bawling"
*Jane influenced me to have more steelo - and i do admit i bite her stylesometimes but it just shows that
*Jane is not selfish - she'll give and she'll share.
*Jane is wise. and I learn from listening to her stories.
*Jane is a great story teller.
*I would want to be reincarnated into Jane.
*WE adorE jANE.
*wE LOVE jANE
*wE MISS JANE.
* shit I'll freaking vote for Jane - if she runs for anything. . . I'm in the campaign.

So I've been meaning to do this blog to greet happy birthday to one of the most influential women in my life but the damn blog spot keeps telling me there's "an error in uploading my photo" so here it is finally. Jane you know I love you and I'M SO EXCITED FOR 2006 coz it just seems like a Great Year NO? so much goodness in the horizon coming up ahead of us. . .

Heaven gets another angel

Nona Justine Frank (1913-2006)


Our Nona to the Left our Lola to the Right


Nona with her sons and her beautiful big 1st grandchild - my husband Jim at our wedding last May 2004 :)


Nona turned 92 this past December 28, 2005. This photo taken at wedding rehearsal May 14, 2005.


My mom-in-law Patt, Nona, My tita Bessie, My Lola, and my Tita Cora.

This past Saturday we attended Nona's funeral service. It was in Redwood City (3 hours from Lake Wildwood) it was only a short 15 minute service. We paid our respects, said the Lord's prayer and went our separate ways. Dad went to a chinese restaurant, we went to Jim's favorite childhood deli sandwich place near Nona's house where he first discovered his favorite hot copa sandwich. Nona outlived most of her friends so it was just family and a couple of family friends, Jim's Dad and his family, the 2 sons and their family. Uncle Joe's family from Sonoma. And Jeff lives in Lake Wildwood as well. Nona wanted it to be simple. She had a simple pine box/coffin. We laid red roses over it and said our goodbyes. I left her one of my rosaries, since she gave me one of hers.

She was a great sweet woman - lived life to the fullest. She was hospitalized during the holiday season because of a bleeding ulcer but you can just tell she wasn't the same. We were hoping to take her home recovered, but even she said "she wanted to good lord to come and take her." It's just hard to imagine just a week before thanksgiving she was taking walks everyday. She's a funny lady too, even the last time I visited her at the hospital she was witty and funny. She was pulling her IVs out in the middle of the night coz they were hurting her she said and the nurse had to put these big glove mitts on her to prevent her from doing so. And they look like these big white boxing gloves. And she was so cute she would say I promise I won't pull them out if you take them off, and when the nurse walked away, she goes to Jim and said "I'm bad huh? w/ a smile".

My last visit I cut her finger nails and brushed her hair and she was oh so thankful, she's cute she still had earrings on even if she was hospitalized she was always a classy lady. I asked her how she met Grandpa Curly, and she said she was 18, a waitress, and he came to the counter and ate and she waited on him. He asked her out and she told me she said no coz "she was playing hard to get" She's funny. And then I mentioned I was going out to mexican food w/ Dad and the family and she's like "do you want some red wine?" and I'm like "Oh nona, I'm fine, and I asked her if she wanted any?" and she's like "oh no not right now." Classic Italian Lady - her and her red "vino" - that woman drank at least a glass of red wine everyday and she lived up 'til age 92. She was always so sweet to me and I remember when Jim first introduced me as his girlfriend she thought my name was "Shanghai" - that was funny for the rest of the family for a while.

She would tell me stories of how Jim (being her first grandchild) that she remembers when she used to hold him in her arms when he was a tiny baby. But boy look at him now Nona - he ain't so tiny anymore - 6'2" feet tall and 220 lbs. heavy.

Everyone loved and adored her and always talked of how sweet she was. Jim and I are bummed that she won't be around to see our baby born. But we know she's in a better place now. We'll have another angel/spirit watching over our soon to be born child. She made it to 2006 and died peacefully new year's day morning. We will always remember her and forever have her in our hearts. We love you Nona.