Was at Benny's fund raising event tonight. Mica and I played coat check girls for the evening while we took advantage of the the night's open bar. I don't know how much Mica had but I had about 6 vodka cranberries and was a happy coat check girl. We didn't make much in terms of tips. We had enough to buy a pack of cigarettes to share so I guess the evening wasn't a total loss. Benny and his dancers performed an excerpt from their piece for the April show and it looked really good so far. I can't wait to see the whole performance. A reporter for the Asian Journal and a correspondent for TFC's Balitang America was there to cover the event so you might see it out there soon.

Mica and I got home to find Caitlin watching Lie To Me. I set to work on making a pitcher of sangria which we enjoyed while scarfing down hotdog sandwiches and watching Lie To Me. I'm inebriated enough to enjoy a good night's sleep but not so much that I can still type this before passing out. Hurray for me!
I made a drunken comment about having two hotdogs in a bun which caused an awkward silence followed by Caitlin going, WHOA there!

That would be Nam Myoho Renge Kyo...and action!

Mica and I were BORED to death last night that we started calling everyone on our contacts list for kicks. Jordan was the only one who picked up and he said he will chant for us not to get bored. Right after that, I ran downstairs to the corner convenience store, scored a pint of haagen daz and 6 bottles of Smirnoff Ice. Mica and I called for pizza and calamares and put The House Bunny on. Then Undrea and her friend Brandon came by and the party kept on rolling. Benny came home from dinner and the dead evening turned out to be not so bad after all.

It's gotten a bit chilly again lately. The sun is out but the winds are relentless. Ugh...Bring on the 60 degree weather already! I want a tan!

*****

Yesterday's AWWWWWW moment...

Background:
From my November 3, 2008 post

We had dinner at a Friendly's nearby and it was hilarious how Tita Chon was so fascinated by the restaurant, the food and the menu. I couldn't understand why she was so amused by it at first until I realized why. You see, restaurants like Chili's, Applebee's, Red Lobster, Cheesecake Factory and IHOP which are in abundance in California, are sparsely seen here.

Tita Chon left a message on my FB wall yesterday...

Stopped by F----- on our way home from Montreal - The place that serves sliders, shirley temple, extra thick milkshake, fish 'n chips, rootbeer, and ice cream galore for dessert...the same place that gave me childlike excitement the last time we were there. Wished you were with us, Kari.

Awww...

A lot of things have been happening all at once and I don't even have the luxury to sit down and tell you all about it here. Last night I think was my breaking point when I've surrendered to the fact that I'm no longer 21 and shouldn't be partying like one. My body felt like it was beaten up this morning. I had the hardest time getting out of bed. I missed my filipino SGI meeting and was unable to give/finish the presentation assigned to me.

Last night was CRAZY busy. It was probably the best night at the restaurant since I started working. From the moment I clocked in at 4pm to when I clocked out at 1am, I didn't have time to eat or even sit. I was on my feet for 9 hours straight. It would probably have been okay if I didn't just have 4 hours of sleep after having been awake 24 hours the day before! The party at Claro's stretched on until 8am and I ended up making breakfast for Eisa, Mica, Jordan and I before we all passed out. I got to Claro's a little after 2am and was semi-pleased to see that only a few people came. I was assuming it would be a melow night of just a few drinks. But a few minutes in, Claro busted out the lambanog he brought from his recent trip from Manila and made another beer run. No one was sober that night. I played DJ and every one was on their feet dancing in the kitchen. It was a night full of fun and laughs but one that I will not be making a regular habit of.

It was IKEA day today and we all went to buy the stuff we've been planning on getting for weeks. I finally have a chest of drawers, my box spring, my workstation and a few other items to organize and design my teeny room. We were on assembly frenzy as soon as we got back to the apartment. Mica cooked adobo and we devoured it like animals. I'm not finished buying everything I needed. I didn't have enough money on me so we will all go back in two weeks for round two. I have yet to buy frames for my photos, shelving and a few other items.

I'm off again tomorrow to attend my district meeting in the evening. I will finish cleaning up the room and Mica and I will do laundry. I wish I always had two days off. One day is no longer enough to do everything I need to do outside of work. Must. stay. focused.

Got home from work at 1am. Mica and Benny had Andrew over and were drinking. Andy was nowhere to be found. I still had three bottles of Stella in the fridge so I sat down and joined them. We drank, chatted (online to friends and to each other), Mica is such a chatty drunk its hilarious. I hate dried fruit but couldn't stop munching on their trail mix. We all passed out around 4am and it looks like I'm the only one up right now.

Made myself a yummy platter for lunch. Tomato, cheese and turkey sandwich with pickles on the side, carrot and celery sticks with blue cheese dressing and grapes. I've also been working on the cartons of citrus punch Rann gave us on our first day. The juice reminds me of the taste of Zesto. Louiie, I love the coffee press you gave me and I've been using it everyday. Btw, our housewarming party will be aroung the first weekend of March which means thats the weekend of our birthday. Come if you can. Although now I can't guarantee you can sleep in the house because I bet a lot of people will be crashing here after the party.

We postponed the housewarming until after our Ikea trip so we can properly furnish the house before we invite guests over. They were just discussing how we will need at least 2-3 seperate housewarming parties since all their friends won't fit in the apartment at one time. I don't have a lot to invite since the people I know are the people they know too. We're going to make an event out of it and I have assigned myself to make invites. I will even have to shoot for it! Yey! I love having such creative roommies!

Gusto ko lang i-share yung masayang araw ko. Hahaha!

It's almost 5am and I got home just a while ago after a fun fun night hanging out with Eisa, Mica and Tom at Tom's apartment in Bushwick. Wine + leftover asian food + drunken conversation made for a fun fun night! Mica and I checked out a really great apartment in Brooklyn. We're hoping Andy agrees to share the 3 bedroom pad with us. I'm checking out another place on Thursday but Mica and I already loved the one we saw today! It's a newly renovated apartment so everything's new! It's close to the trains and close to stores too. If we decide to take it (and if the landlord chooses us) we move in on January 15! YES!

Eisa met up with us later then we had dinner at Republic in Union Square, did a bit of window shopping then headed to Tom's after we scored a couple of bottles of wine from Trader Joe's. Eisa and Tom have this really great painting of them up in their apartment (which Eisa painted btw). Mica and I were so enamored by it that we both asked Eisa to paint us too! We talked a lot about our art (Mica is a dancer, both Tom and Eisa are visual artists, and I'm, well...) and we brainstormed on possible future collaborations which got me really excited. I'm so excited to be rooming with Mica (and maybe Eisa too). I'm just so glad to find such a great group of people to hang out with. Yey for me!

I'd like to share with everyone an essay that Tom sent me. It's pretty long but I hope you all take the time to read it. It's very insightful.

"A Sense of Purpose"

"We realize our purpose in life by doing our very best where we are right at this moment, by thinking about what we can do to improve the lives of those right around us."

"Why was I born into this world?" is a question which everyone asks themselves at least once in their life. I believe that having a deep sense of purpose - knowing in the depths of one's being what one was born for, is a great source of happiness. A successful entrepreneur once remarked that even among the world's wealthiest people, those who lack a real sense of purpose in life often spend their final years in lonely solitude. Sometimes, having amassed great wealth and realized all their worldly ambitions, he found that they were left with a sense of emptiness and meaninglessness.

On the other hand, to be filled each day with a rewarding sense of exhilaration and purpose, a sense of tasks accomplished and deep fulfillment - people who feel this way are happy. Those who have this sense of satisfaction, even if they are extremely busy, are much happier than those who enjoy great ease and leisure but feel empty inside.

A clear sense of purpose gives birth to courage and wisdom. It enables you to look beyond the victory or defeat of the moment and see things in their true perspective, it can fill each instant of life with joy, even in the midst of trying circumstances. Whatever their occupation - mother, company employee, artist, fisherman or farmer, I believe that each person has their own path in life; a unique mission that only they can fulfill.

Discovering this purpose or mission is a lifelong task. It is not something that someone can tell you or that comes upon you all of a sudden. You, yourself, must find the reasons for living, the unique contribution that is yours and yours alone to make. Buddhism uses the example of flowering fruit trees - cherry, plum, pear, etc - to illustrate how each person has a unique mission in life. A cherry tree fulfils its purpose by blooming and bearing fruit as a cherry tree. It never tries to be anything other than itself. It never imitates the blossoms of other flowering trees or wastes time being jealous of them. Rather, it patiently bears the frosts and snows of winter, drawing energy from the earth itself, pushing its roots deeper into the soil. Then, with the arrival of spring, in a burst it unleashes all the life force that it had been storing up, sending forth countless blossoms.

Everyone has some kind of gift. Being talented does not mean just being a good musician, writer or athlete. There are many kinds of talent. You may be a great conversationalist, or make friends easily, or be able to put others at ease. Or you may have a gift for telling jokes, selling things or living economically. You may be punctual, patient, reliable, kind or optimistic. Or you may love taking on new challenges, be strongly committed to helping others, or have an ability to bring them joy. Without doubt, you possess your special jewel, your own unique talent.

In the same way, each of us has a mission that only we can fulfill. That mission will not be found somewhere far away, in doing something special or extraordinary. Even those people who seem to have led great lives have really only done what they felt they had to do in order to truly be themselves.

We realize our purpose in life by doing our very best where we are right at this moment, by thinking about what we can do to improve the lives of those right around us.

I often think of the life of Rosa Parks, an ordinary African American woman returning home after a hard day's work in the tailoring section of a department store by bus one evening in December 1955. Although the bus driver ordered her to give up her seat to a white passenger, as the discriminatory laws of the times required, she refused. Her single word, "No." - the courage of this one ordinary woman - changed history, and her ordinary day took on an eternal significance. Rosa Parks was arrested for her resistance and this set off an explosion of righteous anger among the African American population, largely because of the regard in which she was held - she was respected in her community as a cheerful, warm and intelligent woman. A boycott of the bus service was organized, and within a year segregated busing had been declared illegal throughout the United States.

When I first met Rosa Parks I was struck by her warm personality. She was humble and yet I could see that she was a person of unbending conviction. Now in her eighties, Rosa Parks remains an untiring champion of civil rights, working especially to share hope and a vision of the future with the young people she loves so dearly. Through her sense of conviction, this solitary individual became a leader who transformed the world. One moment of bravery opened the path of her mission in life.

You cannot discover and realize your purpose in life with half-hearted efforts. To follow the dream in your heart and fulfill your mission requires true courage. Not the courage of battlefield heroes, but a courage much closer to home. Most of us, before being defeated by a problem, are first defeated by ourselves. A weak-spirited or cowardly person, before hesitating at the wall of an obstacle, will shrink before his own shadow, frightened by his own imagination, and will be ultimately undone by the coward in his own heart.

Courageous people are first masters of their own heart. I firmly believe that courage is the key that opens the door to happiness.

To create value and contribute to the world, what do you need? You need to develop and polish your character until it shines. The ultimate strengths in life are not a clever tongue or wealth; nor fame or power. The real 'weapon' or 'tool' for living a successful life is what is left over when all empty artifice has been stripped away - the quality of your character as an individual. And small, steady efforts to develop yourself are what will lead you to the greatest happiness in the end.

You will not find your mission by standing still. The way to find it is by challenging yourself in something - I would almost say it does not matter what. Then by making consistent effort, the direction you should take will open up before you quite naturally, just as wide, new horizons open up before someone walking up a hill. Little by little you will come to understand your mission. That is why it is so important to have the courage to ask yourself what it is that you should really be doing now, at this very moment.

It is likewise important to set your sights high. The greater the tasks you choose to take on - one step at a time - the more rewarding and joyful your life will be. If you decide to dedicate your life to a truly noble objective, such as the work of creating a peaceful world for future generations, then you will be able to savor a truly deep sense of satisfaction and happiness.

A person with a strong sense of mission is a source of light. For such a person, there is no darkness in the world. And just as a single lighthouse can guide many ships through dangerous waters, a single person shining with the light of genuine happiness can help friends and family - their entire society - find the smooth open waters of peace and fulfillment.

-Daisaku Ikeda
President, SGI

Ok, matutulog na ko at may trabaho pa ako mamaya.

My last night in her garage.
Fun! Fun! More here.

Apparently, Saturday evening's event was not the last of my nights out. For my last night, Chris, David and I went back to the Lariat for more drinks+shuffleboard+pool. There were a couple girls there who were seriously wasted. They were more fun to watch than anything else. It being a Sunday, the bar closed early so we took a shot of tequila each and headed back home for my last Guitar Hero marathon. I didn't know I'd have so much fun with Chriselle here. I had such a blast and I'm going to miss her dearly. She has taken the liberty of giving me new music so I can finally update my iPod. Her songs will be the soundtrack of my stay here.

We took a lot of photos last night. Will post them as soon as Chris puts them up on her multiply. Now I got to go pack and shower. I need to be heading to the airport in 4 hours.

Chriselle, David and I just got home from a fun night out. Went to Palo Alto to hit the Stanford college bars which were a far cry from the one we go to in Belmont. There were fewer cute guys than we expected. Chris and I got a couple of free drinks from a few guys, one of which was totally hot but he had a girlfriend. Pfft. He gave us free beers anyway. :) I told Chris he was hot and she actually came up to him and asked him to hang with us! I don't have the balls to do that at all! Not yet anyway...Weee! I'm so horrible with remembering names and I can't remember the names of any of the people I met today. I was in a dancing mood and I can't remember the last time I lost myself on the dance floor. David and Chris were total saviors and knew exactly when to save me when a creepy dude would dance with me. According to them, I got hit on a couple of times but I can't remember them at all. Hahaha! Currently sobering up and enjoying leftover pizza from dinner earlier.

It's the perfect ending to my weekend in NorthCal. Heading back south on Monday. Have to start packing tomorrow. It's back to babyland with Joann. I miss her so much! She's going to get lots of kisses from me when I see her! Expect more photos of her soon!

Went to the library today to write a long detailed post of my last few days of drunken fun. But I've been chatting with Jad on YM for two hours now and I'm too tired to think or type anything remotely coherent.

Had a bit of a long day yesterday. Cleaned the garage a bit, fixed more of my boxes to send home, went to the pre-school Chris works to help her decorate the classroom, had an early dinner at Goldilocks in Mountain View then babysat Leo, got home and drew more stuff for Chris' classroom, her friend Crissy came over and the three of us got really drunk while playing Guitar Hero. One of us mentioned we had gourmet tuyo in the house. Crissy started shrieking so loud with excitement that Chris and I were in tears laughing. We ran upstairs and made rice, got cherry tomatoes and the tuyo and finished the entire rice cooker of kanin within minutes. I haven't laughed like I did last night in so long.

More photos of the weirdness can be seen here.