By here, I mean at Tita Chon's. Why? because this place never seems to run out of food. Spent the past two days hanging out here since I didn't want to roam (and spend) like I have been the past few weeks. I also didn't feel like being home alone so as soon as I was done cleaning the house yesterday, I called Tita Chon and invited myself over. As soon as I arrived I was offered chicken adobo for dinner. I was hungry from all the cleaning that I piled my plate high. Soon after that while watching tv, Omar looks at me and asks if I wanted ice cream. I asked him what hey had and Tita Chon answers, "Chocolate, strawberry, coffee, vanilla and sugar-free vanilla." OMG. I stood up and went straight for the kitchen with Omar at my heels followed by Tita Chon. As Omar and I scooped mounds of ice cream into our tall glasses, Tita Chon brings out jars and bottles of ice cream fudge, strawberry syrup and whipped cream. I look at Omar and say, "OMG Omee, I love your house." He smiles and says, "Imagine how better it would be if we had apple pie!"

That kid reads minds.


I woke up the next day with everyone gone. I put on pants, brushed my teeth and walked on over to Jackson Hole Diner where I had a monstrous mushroom and bacon cheeseburger.
I was hoping for pancakes, eggs ad bacon bu they only served that until 11am so I ended up with this monster. They serve burgers with 7 oz. patties! Did they actually expect me to finish this whole thing? Of course I didn't. I needed room for the chocolate milkshake I was planning to take home with me after this. Ha!


The diner looked exactly as you would imagine a diner to look, minus waitresses in short uniforms.

Although the table jukebox did have an odd song in the playlist.

I walked back and found a notice posted around the corner saying parking along the side streets in the area are unavailable until Friday due to a film shoot for Son of No One. I quickly googled to find that it's an Al Pacino, Channing Tatum, Katie Holmes flick. I contemplated heading back there later in the afternoon to star spy but later decided against it. I went back to Tita Chon's place and watched Sita Sings the Blues online. The creator of the film is a regular at the veggie place and after years of struggling with copyright issues from the film's soundtrack, she finally got her film released and it's available for free for everyone to see. It took me a while to finally decide to see it. I was aware of it's availability for a while now. I'm not the biggest fan of Bollywood type films but if I had known it was a wickedly witty animated flick for adults, I would had seen it sooner. The plot follows the usual basic plot of the Ramayana but includes hilarious commentaries from shadow puppets trying to make sense of the stories themselves. The creator, Nina Paley, also manages to inject her own life experience that inspired her to make the film. She was married and her husband got offered a temporary job in India which forced them to live apart for a while. A few months later, she flies out to see him but her husband was cold and distant. She is offered a chance to attend a workshop in New York for a week and she jumps at the chance. In New York, she receives an email from her husband telling her not to come back and that the marriage is over. She moves to Brooklyn leaving everything in San Francisco, including their cat.

Marriage. San Francisco. Separation. Distance. Break-up. Email. New York. Brooklyn.

Sound familiar?

I know. If I didn't personally know this woman, I would have thought someone was playing a prank on me.

Anyway, I finished the movie and picked Omar up from school. Made him do his homework then took him and his bike out back to school grounds where he can ride his bike in circles. We played basketball with a friend of his or rather, they played basketball, while I embarrassed myself in front of two 9-year old kids.

We went home a few minutes before tita Chon did and I started making salpicao for dinner. I decided to no go home tonight thinking Mica would be spending another night at her parent's place (I was wrong and later got about 6 missed calls and a voice mail from her asking where the hell I was). I will need to be up early tomorrow for me to be able to get back home and get ready again to go back out to work.

I've been wearing the same shirt for three days. Been sleeping in at Tita Chon's the past couple of nights since Tito Ans, Joe and Nana are here for the kid's winter break. I try to make time to see them whenever they are here since I don't get to see enough of Joe lately. When they picked me up on our way to watch Percy Jackson, tito ans told me that Joe told Omar that I was his favorite cousin. **blush-aww-trying-to-act-cool-moment**

Meeting them for lunch one last time tomorrow before they head back up to Syracuse on Sunday. I must make it a point to go to Syracuse to see them. Tito Ans says there's a place he can take me outside Syracuse where I can go sky diving. YEHE-HEY! It shall be one of my summer plans.

We were squashed in the living room once again and Joe and Omar had to share one couch between the two of them. Omar is notorious for hogging spaces so I'm surprised they lasted two nights like this.

my boyfriends are so cute

How's that for entertainment?

Omee's party was held at the place where he has his tae kwon do classes. The student instructors along with the master instructor gave all the kids a trial class. They of course had so much fun with all the running, yelling and kicking.

I took waaaay too many photos so I will not subject any of you to go through all of them. Some sample photos below. The rest can be viewed on my multiply as soon as it's finished uploading. If you can't see it yet, check back in a few hours. I may have fallen asleep as it was uploading and failed to publish it.

I really didn't want to spend another day off alone at home with no will to do anything else so I called tita Chon up the day before saying I will pick up Omee from school the next day. I slept late the night of 4.20 but woke up the next morning at 8:30am. I did laundry and washed my sheets. I had tuyo, eggs and rice for lunch (YUM!) and I was off to Queens to see my bebe. He ran and gave me a slamming hug the second he saw me from the school gates. We watched Cartoon Network at home while he scarfed down the box of donuts I bought him.

I took him to his Tae Kwon Do class after that where Tita Chon and Tito Mo met up with us. We watched him in class and we all headed to a greek place nearby for dinner. We had a LOT of food and they were all VERY VERY good! I specially enjoyed this dip called Tirokafteri which is like a spicy version of cheese pimiento only with feta cheese (how can you go wrong with feta cheese?). Tita Chon ordered me another side of it to take home and I may very well have that thing for lunch along with the leftover chicken souvlaki.

I promised to take him out when the weather gets better. I will take him to the restaurant so he can taekwondo the asses out of my mean workmates. I told him they were mean to me and he said he will take care of it. I will take him out for pizza and ice cream and we can play games in the park. Maybe I should buy a frisbee or a football or something. Tita Chon is planning a big barbeque picnic when the weather gets real warm and she said I could invite all my friends. Yahew!

Mama's in SFO until tomorrow and we were on the phone last night until I don't know what time. I was trying to convince her to come to NY next month. She said she will check her "finances" pfft! I found another item on ShopItToMe today and I just bought a Micheal Kors trench coat for $90 (hehehe) down from $200! S.C.O.R.E.

Okay enough shopping. I did say I was supposed to save up for lights. Ugh.

Update!

Halatang wala akong alam. Troy pala is Zac Efron in High School Musical. Louiie just corrected me. The Jonas brother dude is someone else entirely. Jeezuz, I am such a doofus. Anyway, Zac Efron still looks like a girl. The kid wears too much make-up anyway.

A little background:

A couple of months back, I was home alone with Omee and he was on the Disney Channel. (as always) I sat through CAMP ROCK while he sang along with every song. I kept making smart ass comments the entire time.

"Why are you making me watch this?"
"This is a horrible movie!"
"You've seen this so many times! Why see it again?"
"This is really a horrible movie."

When it got to this scene, I said,

"OMG, that Jonas dude (who's character is named Troy) looks like a girl. Why is he wearing super tight white pants?!?!?"

Fast forward to today. Tita Chon just wrote on my Facebook wall.

"Omee made a girl classmate mad because he said Troy looks like a girl. Well, he defended himself and said that his cousin Kari said so."

UH-OH.

Had the day off and Kelly was in NY so she dropped by for lunch. She got lost and got a traffic violation but she managed to find her way over here. We enjoyed Mica's adobo for lunch and chatted. She dropped me off at Ana's to pick up the pasalubong nana brought for me from Manila then I decided to head over to Queens to pay the Elabdouni's a visit. Tita Chon and Nana were at a salon and Roosevelt and Tita Chon treated me to a shampoo + head and shoulder massage. It was so good I wish we had something like that around here. I will have to scout for cheap salons near my place as I will want to have that regularly. We picked up Omee from school and since I had my hair blown straight, he didn't recognize me at first which was funny. He stared at me for a couple of seconds before he realized it was me and ran for a hug. We headed back to the salon so he can finally get a haircut.

BEFORE

he messed it up for the purpose of this "before" photo

Omee's killer line:
(while waiting to get called for his cut, he touched his hair)
"My hair is a challenge for these people."

AFTER

ang guwapo ng bebe ko

He wanted to style his hair like a mohawk so he asked the lady to gel it up. It didn't quite look like a hawk because of his curly hair. His mom said he looked more like a rooster.

OMG. I look like my mom.

I had chicken and beans dinner c/o nana and watched Omee play Halo a bit before I hopped on a train back to Brooklyn. I fell asleep on the train as usual and woke up just in time for my transfer. I will have to wake up early tomorrow to do laundry since I'm running out of socks. Nyt now...

Ang sarap kurutin shet.

Big snow storm today. A lot of people were given the day off including me. Only I managed to read Lily's text telling me to stay home when I was already on the train to the city. I jumped off just before the doors closed and walked back home. I took the opportunity to go to Queens to visit Omee. We went sledding in Astoria Park! FUN FUN! I would have gone for more rounds if my toes weren't suffering from frost bite.

We had Vietnamese dinner and I did a quick round of shopping at the asian grocery next door to the restaurant. I hauled my goodies back to Brooklyn...an hour and a half trip by train! I took a quick nap in the train and was pleased to see a lot of people didn't have work so the train was not cramped as it always is.

We've finally set the date for the housewarming party and I even made a facebook event page for it. Cinareer ba naman ang invite?!?

How I wish you all could come!

My baby boy turned 8 years old today!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY OMEE!!!I kept kissing him all night and pinching his belly.

Treated Ana, Poy, Tita Chon and family at Sri Pra Phai. Awesome awesome thai food. I ate so much I'm going to burst. Omee was so cute when we left the restaurant asking me if I was going home with them. Tita Chon also had a moment when she told us to not forget about them now that we all live in Brooklyn. Ana and Poy once stayed with Tita Chon before they eventually relocated to Brooklyn.

Got the day off today and went to Target to buy some stuff I needed (laundry detergent, hangers, etc.), shopped for a few groceries and did laundry before I headed out to Queens for dinner. I was so kalat today and kept running back and forth from the laundromat to the apartment because I kept forgetting stuff. I almost fell down the stairs running to the subway station in my haste to make it to dinner.

I got home to the smell of dinner cooking. Benny and Matt made dinner for them and Mica and Andy and we all sat down together. It felt wonderful having a home of my own that I can share with great people. Mica and I bought stuff online at Urban Outfitters that were on sale. Man, I spent so much today. I will need to tighten my belt the next few weeks since I will need to go on that Ikea shopping trip in two weeks.

I'm packing for the nth time in the last several months. This will hopefully be my last for a very long time. I keep thinking about Omar and how I haven't been able to make time for him since I started work. I feel really horrible everytime he asks me to play a game of crazy eights or on his Xbox and I respond with a weary "Not now, Omee..." I'm moving out on Sunday and I don't have enough time to make up for lost time. I planned on taking them out to dinner last Sunday but moving day took much much longer than I had anticipated. I feel like a mom who can't make time for her son. This almost makes me want to stay here a bit longer just so I can have a chance to make up for all the "maybe later(s)" I kept giving him. I've packed up all my stuff and kept only the ones I will be needing until Sunday. With my work schedule and moving, will I even be able to come visit them on my only day off? I will need to make a conscious effort to try. I do owe this family a LOT. They took me in without question and made me as comfortable as possible. I haven't even given Tita Chon her christmas present (I know! how horrible!). I wanted to give her framed photos of Omar from the ones I took the last few months but I don't have the time to sit and process photos, let alone go to a photo lab to have them printed. Ugh! This is such a mess... I will be chanting for social balance for the next few weeks. All I've had time for is work and looking for apartments then the moving happened. I need to balance my time. I don't even have time for my photos anymore. Focus, Kari, focus!

Hopefully on February 8, I will have a productive day in terms of my pursuing photography. I have been asked to volunteer my services to cover an event for Quaad (Queens Academy of Arts and Dance). They will be holding an event for Breast Cancer Awareness through a dance concert and health fair. Mica and Leo will be performing and I will be documenting the day's event. Leo asked me to do it just from looking at my photos on Facebook and Pbase. I hope my event coverage skills do not disappoint. This will be the first event I will cover and I'm both nervous and excited. Pursuing my photography as a career is one of my goals for 2009. This may be a step to building a better portfolio and client base.

Speaking of goals, I have had my SGI 2009 determination card since receiving my gohonzon but I have yet to fill it up. I haven't made the time to sit and ponder what I want out of this year yet. I will have to write on it real soon so I know exactly what to chant for. I remember hearing something from one of the meetings that went like, "Chanting without a goal is like shooting an arrow without a target." I have been so swept by the series of events that's transpired in the last few weeks that I have forgotten to remind myself why I'm doing all of this. I cannot allow myself to revert back to a purposeless existence, always going with the flow of things, waiting for things to happen to me. I have to make them happen for myself. Sensei says that "Those who wake up each morning with work to accomplish and a mission to fulfill are the happiest people of all."

I've been using my one hour breaks to go to the center and chant for 30 minutes. So far, it hasn't failed from leaving me feeling better, and ready for the rest of my work day. I've always had trouble answering with more than a smile when asked what the practice has done for me. It's quite difficult for me to describe it at the moment. I don't know if simply saying "I'm much happier" will suffice. It's a different kind of happiness. One that involves a sense of contentment and pride in your own life. Basta! Masaya ako. Yung pakiramdam na kahit anong problema at sakit ng ulo na dadating sa buhay mo, alam mong kayang-kaya mong labanan. I don't overstress about most of the stuff that I used to worry about. Life is good. And even if sh!t happens, it's usually through the climb that we find a sense of achievement. We can conquer all. WIN AGAIN TODAY!

Finally got the snowman pictures from Tita Chon's camera. The snow has since, melted and we're currently enjoying a warm(er) 47 degree weather. It's sunny out and the sky is a clear blue. From my bedroom window, I can see there's a slight breeze blowing through the branches of the naked trees.

Omar scolding Steve about smoking

Our quiet street on an icy night

Today was morbidly slow. As in MORBID tsong. I think we only had 5 dine-in customers by 8pm. It was pathetic. At first I didn't want to believe that we were slow because everyone was doing last minute xmas shopping but during my break, I decided to take the subway to Union Square and found it to be overflowing with people! The holiday market was sardine packed with Christmas shoppers. The surrounding stores were also overflowing with people! I wanted to buy a winter hat but I couldnt find one in a color and fabric I wanted. I also wanted to buy a shirt from Forever 21 but the line at the register was ridiculous and I only had one hour for break.

By 8pm, Paul asked me if I wanted to go home early. He offered to stay till closing if I wanted to go ahead. I told him he could go instead and I was willing to stay since I was already given an off day yesterday and will be off again tomorrow. I couldn't stand the idea of missing the money I will lose by working less hours today after having lost hours yesterday. I need all the money I can save up now if I'm to ever find an apartment. Then Lily pointed out that today was a Saturday and therefore trains and busses will be less frequent than usual by the time I'm off by 12:30am. I also remembered I have to be up early tomorrow because, ahem, I have to be at the SGI center by 10pm for the Filipino meeting, hehe. So I took Paul up on his offer and went home. It was a quick ride back to Astoria and I didn't have to wait too long for the bus. Since I saved $8 by not taking a cab this time, I decided to spend it on two slices of pepperoni pizza for dinner. I walked the rest of the 12 blocks home, plodding through the cold sludge. My toes felt swollen and cold and I could no longer feel my feet. My legs and knees were frozen and my ears stung from the wind. I relished in the suffering and even preffered digging my boots into the snowy part of the sidewalk rather than walk on the shovelled pavement. It was horrible and I loved it...because I AM LIVING LIFE.

They're no good in the cold but they keep my feet dry.
Good enough for now.

I checked to see if Steve the snowman was still alive but was sad to see that he was gone. I got home and tried catching Omar's attention by throwing snow balls at the living room window. I spent the rest of the night grooming my little boy's toe and fingernails and watching cartoons.