LONG PICTURE POST AHEAD

We've officially moved in!

Tita Chon and Tito Mo were amazingly generous to lend both cars to haul my and Mica's stuff and drive us to Brooklyn. Tita Chon was laughing at the fact that despite me having only been in New York for a few months, I have more stuff than Mica does. We spent the rest of the afternoon fixing our rooms and whatever we can fix in the house. We were supposed to have a small gathering with fellow roommates and just a few friends, but what was meant to be a quiet dinner with chinese take-out and wine became an all out dancing party!

We had quite a few people come over and we breezed through 4 bottles of wine (not enough!). Tom later came with a few cans of beer and we all spent the night laughing and dancing to whatever music I had on my iPod and iTunes. We also enshrined Andy, Mica, and my gohonzon so we all had a gongyo marathon. Benny has yet to purchase his butsudan and we shall enshrine his when he does. An apartment full of drunk buddhists is so much fun. Later in the night, Jordan busted out balloons and started making ballon animals and hats for everyone and began juggling for everyone's entertainment. I haven't danced like that in a house party and I was soo glad that I didn't have to take a train home after. Rann has officially called the apartment Casa Cuadro de filipino (or some sh!t like that) also considered as the filipino buddhist center. Ha!

I handed my camera over to Rann who took 90% of last night's photos. He did an excellent job! I only saw the photos today and loved them! Galeng tsong! The rest were taken by everyone else who had their hands on the camera.

It was a fun night of music, dancing and laughter. At one point, Eisa graced us with her dancing and taught me and Mica a few moves. Eisa even gave me a lap dance which was more hilarious than erotic.

Rann's very rare appearance in a photo

Benny and Andy
I love how this reminds me of an 80's movie poster
Some Kind of Wonderful?
my butsudan

Left is Mica's, right is Andy's



Eisa, moi and Mica


The rest of the chaos may be viewed here.

I can't believe I have my own apartment. I woke up this morning and was like "OOOOMMMMGGGG."

I'm so happy I can't contain it. Tom, Eisa and Jordan slept over while everyone else left for the night. I walked to the grocery 4 blocks up to get breakfast food and coffee. It's almost 1pm and as I type this, Tom and Eisa are still passed out on the couch. Good thing I don't have work till 4.

Everyone's welcome to visit ok?

Mmmmm...cheerios...

Will have to go grocery shopping for food first thing Monday morning to stock the new kitchen. I'm moving tomorrow!!!

Kari: "tangina lilipat na ko bukas. nauutot ako sa excitement."
Niki: "hahahaha! Sama ako!"

Good thing I don't own a lot of stuff and will simply have to worry about my clothes. Tita Chon has generously donated the mattress I'm currently sleeping on so that's one thing I can cross off my list of stuff to buy.

In typical Kari fashion, I lost my metrocard (yet again) this morning on my way to work. Good thing it's expiring tomorrow anyway so I didn't lose much. The bad thing was that I realized I didn't have it on me when I was already on the bus. I was searching through my bag and all my pockets trying to figure out where it was. When I realized I had lost it, I started to rummage through my purse for quarters to pay for the bus fare when a kind man handed me his metrocard to use. I graciously thanked him for the free ride. Good samaritans are all around!

I'm shamefully addicted to Facebook now. I attribute my always running late for repeatedly refreshing my browser to see new status updates and comments. Kari is a big dork.

Did I mention I scored good, cheap bed linens the other day? On my way home from chanting at the center during my one hour break, I passed by a store on 14th st that was closing out and selling all their stuff for half off. I got decent egyptian cotton sheets, mattress pad, curtain, towel for a very good deal. Score!

I have to do my last batch of laundry here before moving day. I won't have time to do laundry anymore until next week since I'll be busy sorting out my shizzle in the new place. Andy says the laundromat is just around the corner from the building so at least I won't have to carry stuff too far unlike when I used to be in SF and had to walk 7 blocks for laundry. Ugh.

Ok, bed time.

By the way, until we get our own internet connection set up in the new place, I will be incommunicado (unless I can steal free wifi from the neighbors).

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!

Taken by Jammi on my last day in Manila.
Packing clothes in my old room and (I think)
talking to Fort Girls on the phone as they said goodbye.

You write beautifully and your photos ROCK. I never like candid photos of myself but I haven't seen anything you took of me that I didn't like.

Everyone, you have got to CLICK THIS.

Please come to New York. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. We can still food trip here. There are a sh!tload of places I want to share with you already. Smoking won't be a problem, I've been wasting dollars on expensive packs already. Damn New York cigarette prices.

Please do come. I know it won't be soon but I will never forgive you if you never set foot in NY while I'm here. I think I miss you more than I will ever admit.

My Calvin Klein down jacket was waiting for me when I got home today!

40% off at Nordstrom.com
A ShopItToMe find

I'm such a dork because I'm wearing it as I type this. It's sooooo comfy I want to sleep in it!