Happy 4 years, Babe!

I've waited 23 years to meet the guy of my dreams, another 2 years and 8 months to marry him and a total of 3 years, 9 months to finally be with him.

Ours was a long-distance romance that culminated in marriage, and finally, togetherness.

You're the best thing that ever happened to me, babe. I love you!

Ikaw lang. Lagi.

***

Spent our anniversary weekend at the beach and at the heart of California wine country. Details next time :0)

Oh and our pic was polaroid-o-nized here (got the link from her... thanks, Maya!)

R and R 001

I heart Tootsie

Raving about...

Our afternoon walk in the park. Cruisin' around the neighborhood in a sexy new car. Three new books on my nightstand (The Virgin Suicides, The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, The Jane Austen Book Club). Buying the HP Book 6 in advance, at 40% off the SRP. Lots of gift cards to see us through our poverty-stricken days (due to sexy new car :0P).

Ranting about the frickin' prickly heat rash that I have.

Leche! Halos dalawang dekada ako sa Pilipinas na hindi tinatablan ng bungang araw! Kung kailan na nandito ako sa Amerika, saka ako nagkaroon. Labo, men.

what matters most...

It doesn't matter that I don't have a Cali license yet. Or that I probably have to wait 48 years before I get one. :0P

It doesn't matter that we'll be doing some tightening of our belts the next few months. Or that it'll be fall already before we can do Vegas.

It doesn't matter that I'll probably be turning my brains inside out to come up with new dishes to cook. Or that it'll be some time before we can eat out again.

Nope. Those things don't really matter. What matters most is the fact that...



I HAVE A NEW CAR.

Overdrive

Last Wednesday, I drove home alone :0D (This may not seem like such a big deal, but for me, it is!)

Here's the story behind that milestone in my life:

We had to take Tita Mommy's car (my MIL) to the service center for an oil change and a smog test. After Mr.A's work, we picked the car up at the Park and Ride where Tita Mommy leaves it every morning (she carpools to the city) and left the CRV in its place..

After our errand, Mr.A was wondering whether to go straight home and pick up Tita Mommy (she took the bus home that day; she doesn't like driving the CRV) so she can drive us back to the Park and Ride to get the CRV or... we could go straight to the Park and Ride and I could drive one of the cars home.

Me to myself: I could. I could? Can I? OMG. I could, couldn't I?!

I'll spare you the rest of the dialogue I had with myself. Suffice to say, I mustered enough guts to do it. Looking back, I'm not sure who was more nervous, me or my husband hehe :0P

It felt soo good and soo... I don't know... liberating?... to have that kind of freedom at your fingertips. I'm still going to wait for my Cali license before I start driving regularly but I'm glad I took that first step :0)

Grief

"I'm ashamed to admit how hard I'd worked over the years to keep from thinking about Satsu, and my father and mother, and our tipsy house on the sea cliffs. I'd been like a child with my head in a bag. All I'd seen day after day was Gion, so much so that I'd come to think Gion was everything, and that the only thing that mattered in the world was Gion. But now that I was outside Kyoto, I could see that for most people life had nothing to do with Gion at all; and of course, I couldn't stop thinking of the other life I'd once led. Grief is a most peculiar thing; we're so helpless in the face of it. It's like a window that will simply open of its own accord. The room grows cold, and we can do nothing but shiver. But it opens a little less each time, and a little less; and one day we wonder what has become of it."

- from Memoirs of a Geisha by A. Golden

Tootsie

Tootsie, our baby for the meantime :0)

Since Mr.A and I don't have any plans of having kids yet for the next 12 months, Tootsie serves as the resident 'baby' of our household. And we went through some parenting pangs this afternoon when we took Tootsie to the pet clinic.

Tootsie's been licking and licking and licking her right front paw that it turned into an angry bright red already. Since she wouldn't let Mr.A nor I touch it to see what's wrong, we deemed it necessary to go to the clinic.

Turned out that our baby had a foxtail stuck in her paw. There was also one in her right hind paw, and one in her neck. It was painful seeing her squirm and whine while she was muzzled and Mr.A was holding her down so the doctor could pull the painful culprits out. I almost cried watching her try to get loose (I'm such a sap! Just imagine when I'm a mom already :0P) while the doctor injected her with antibiotics to stop any infection that might occur.

But it's all good. The doc was thankful that we noticed it early enough. Later would have meant giving the foxtail a chance to get under her skin and she would then need sedation to take it out. We just need to give her oral antibiotics,with a clear lotion and betadine for the affected parts for the next 7 days.

Tootsie's not too happy about it though. She's not allowed to go out the backyard now since our backyard is infested with foxtails :0P This mean's she'll be stuck inside the house with me. Poor baby :0P

Past, Present, Future

10 Years Ago, I...
* was still a naive, impressionable iskolar ng bayan.
* carried a cat bag with a mangled cat inside for most of a semester.
* fell for a friend and ruined a good friendship :0P

5 Years Ago, I...
* gave up a moneyed career as a med rep to pursue my real calling.
* passed the Philippine Physical Therapy Boards.
* travelled from Pque to QC thrice a week for a low paying job that I enjoyed (go figure!)

3 Years Ago, I...
* celebrated my first year with Mr.A.
* was stuck in jockland, pampering mostly spoiled athletes who treated me as a glorified-masahista with a degree and a license :0P
* started blogging.

A Year Ago, I...
* got married in a civil ceremony.
* went to Boracay and Sagada for the first time.
* was still in grad school.

This Year, I...
* went through the nightmare of immigration and lived to tell the tale.
* moved to another country.
* am finally living the good life with the one I love :0)

Yesterday, I...
* watched Episode 1: The Phantom Menace on DVD, just to freshen up my memory for Episode II and finally, Episode III.
* got my chika fix of the month when I called up Ate Jo in Manila.
* started reading Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire.

Today, I...
* woke up at 11am.
* spent most of the day surfing the net at Mr.A's office.
* tried a new dish for dinner (calamari and prawns sauteed with mushrooms, bell peppers, onions and sweet Thai basil) and loved it!

Tomorrow, I will...
* drive up to Sacramento with my husband.
* finally meet up with a former grade-school classmate.
* attend my first Filipino Fiesta here in California.

Still with my hubby at his office (actually, a laboratory). He's catching up on work that piled up this week... quite possibly because he always goes home early to take me to my appointments :0P Thus, I'm returning the favor and keeping him company.

Plus, it's easier staying here, surfing the net and having him within my view rather than staying at home, surfing the net and having to worry about his not being home yet.

Sigh. I am such a wife hehe :0P

Survey Five

Five Things You May Not Know About My Time In School:
* The only time I ever got called to the principal's office during HS was when I spearheaded the school's JS Prom.
* I cut class only twice in my entire school life... both instances in college. (Hay. Patapon na ako nung college :0P)
* I took up ARNIS in PE and got a 2.75 for my efforts :0P
* I was a college scholar during my first semester as a full-time post-grad student.
* During my AS days, I used to come to class wearing a loose shirt, boxers, white socks and sneakers.

Five Things You May Not Know About The Jobs I Had:
* I've had a mother demonstrate to me how strong her breastmilk flow was.
* I saw stars when I was struck, hard, on the chest, by a much taller and much heavier, 14-yr. old boy with behavioral problems.
* I've played the patient, kind listener when that's the last thing I can think of being.
* I've had an 80-year old man hit on me.
* I've been cursed, clawed, pinched and shouted at more than once.

Five Things You May Not Know About My Online Life:
* I have 4 e-mail accounts, one gmail and three hotmails.
* I've had, to count, five blogs, since 2002.
* I used to frequent chatrooms and make up new identities.
* I'm a blog lurker.
* Nowadays, I get my Pinoy chismis fix from abs-cbn.com

Five Things You May Not Know About Where I Live:
* The sun sets here at around 9 in the evening.
* About a 5-min drive east, you'll find rolling hills. A 5-min drive west, you'll find the glistening bay.
* We have a very pretty, warm and cozy yellow kitchen.
* There's an apple tree, a peach tree, a perssimon tree and a grape vine in our backyard.
* We have a mirrored headboard ;0)

Five Things You May Not Know About My Home Life:
* For most of the weekdays, I only have a dog for company.
* I have lunch with my husband every single day.
* I rarely spend time in the living room.
* I try, as much as possible, to always have fresh flowers on the dining room table.
* I still don't know how to use the washer and dryer.

Five Things You May Not Know That I Desperately Want:
* A job that pays well.
* To pass the State Boards.
* To never fail my husband and family.
* A Coach bag and wallet.
* A red Benz.

Five Embarassing Fannish Admissions I Have That You May Not Know:
* For a while, in my young and tender years (hehe!), I was obsessed about Parokya Ni Edgar's bassist, Buwi.
* While in Sanrio Puroland, I (gently) shoved a few Japanese kids off Hello Kitty so that I can have my picture taken with her.
* I try to watch every Aga Muhlach movie that I can.
* I find Nicolas Cage sexy.
* I watch even the reruns of CSI just to get my weekly Grissom fix.

Five Things You May Not know About What I Do In A Typical Day:
* I call my husband at work just to flirt with him ;0)
* Watch HGTV or the Lifetime channel.
* Allot time to fold the plastic grocery bags into small, neat, triangular packages.
* Keep the TV on the whole day (until my hubby gets home) for background noise.
* Spend the an hour or two surfing the web.


Why the survey? I'm currently keeping my hubby company at his office as he finishes some work. Yup. On a lovely Saturday afternoon. But I'd rather be here with him than out somewhere with anyone else.

Looking forward

Got an e-mail from my Dad today. It made me a lil sad coz the tone of his e-mail was a lil sad. Seems like my family is missing me badly.

I miss them too. I just try not to dwell on it too much. Thinking about the life I left behind in Manila makes me lonely and afraid. Lonely for the family and all the friends I've left behind. Afraid of literally starting again from scratch. Looking back makes me realize how far I've come before and how much I had.

That's why I resolutely focus forward. I take each day as they come and try not to be too overwhelmed. I really am excited about the future and all it has to offer. And knowing myself, I value the journey to that future more than the actual destination :0) I'm just so thankful I found the perfect partner to travel with.

I guess it's hard for parents to see their kids leave the nest and start a life of their own. What more if that new life is half-way across the world from them.

Life's little pleasures

Went to the Filipino Supermarket in Vallejo last night. And look what I found!!!

Really happy about finding the Century Tuna Hot and Spicy. Sayang nga lang 'coz there was only one left. Would have wanted at least 6 cans:0P