Saturday, December 31, 2005
happy new year's from new york!
ching & i are here visiting kat in new york - here we are in front of the met! new year’s is coming up prrretty soon and we’re gonna head on down to times square. it’s a sweet deal - kat didn’t wanna go there at first and she told me, if i can find someone who lives in times square and we can camp out in their apartment up until midnight, then she’ll go with me. i asked, “what are the chances that’ll happen?” and she said, pretty much no chance.
then, yesterday, while we were wandering around town, she got a phone call from one of her co-workers and he said his brother has a times square apartment, and do we wanna be on the guest list? HELL YEAH!!!! so we now have police passes to get through the barricade and we’ll have a cozy apartment to stay warm in as it snows on those who’ve been waiting outside since 4 this afternoon. it’ll be nice =)
oh, and today i woke up to falling snow for the first time in my life! what a beautiful site! ahhhh.... shweeet!!! =)
Friday, December 30, 2005
to say hi, or not to say hi?
a few weeks ago, while hanging out with a bunch of friends, i found myself standing next to the friend of one of my friends. i’d seen this guy around all summer long and unfortunately, i still didn’t know his name. in an attempt to be friendly and take out the awkwardness of talking to someone whose name you don’t know, i said, “hey!” and then after he said hey back, i just said, “what’s your name again?” i explained that i’d seen him with one of my friends all summer long but that i couldn’t remember his name. friendly and harmless, right? well, a couple conversations later, he ended up asking if i have a boyfriend, so i told him i was seeing someone. later on, i was talking to kuya garry, and i related the story to him, and he pointed out - “but you started it!”, chastising me for being the one to approach him. apparently, because i asked him his name, i shouldn’t be surprised that he would think that i’m interested… i say whatever! i was being friendly! he asked a simple question (which i totally appreciate because some other guys will quote-on-quote-pursue you without ever making their intentions clear and then that woulda left me in an awkward situation with this guy being too friendly and i started it out by being friendly but how do you tell this guy “you’re being too friendly”!??!?! a guy who asks straight-up about relationships gives you the chance to say “yes” or “no” and that’s always appreciated. i’ve noticed that most adventist guys go the other way, the way i don’t like, so i’m really impressed that this guy in particular asked me.) and that conversation may have been slightly awkward but i think we both handled it okay.
anyways, moving forward another week… so then, it’s Christmas and i’m at my cousins’ house. i had slept over the night before and was woken up earlier than i’d’ve liked to get up so that i could start cooking my adobo. i wandered down to the kitchen in my pajamas sans shower and i started to make my food. i had just finished cooking when the guests started arriving, and i though, hmm… this is the time when i need to go upstairs and shower before i meet anyone! right then, my cousin came in the door and we started talking about important stuff, so i ended up staying downstairs to talk to him. a few minutes later this young filipino guy i don’t know came in the door, and kuya garry is there, saying hi to him. i’m still talking to my kuya ernest at the dining room table, so i just turn my head quickly, say “hi”, and then go back to my conversation. kuya garry and eugene end up sitting down at the table next to me and kuya ernest leaves the room, so i figure, it’s now time for me to shower. i leave the table and head upstairs and shower and change and get ready to meet all the guests, then i head back downstairs. i see the three guys still sitting at the table where i left them, and i joined them, continuing my conversation with my cousin. later on, after most of the people had gone home, kuya garry was like, “you didn’t talk to eugene!!” and i said, “i said hi” but no, i guess i didn’t talk to him. i included him in our poker game and invited him to play a second round, which he declined because he was playing taboo with my other cousins. but kuya garry said i shoulda been more friendly to him because he didn’t know anyone else there.
i was like, UM, NO. i mean, if i get in trouble for saying “what’s your name?” to a mutual friend, then why should kuya garry expect me to be the one to entertain this guy for the entire Christmas day. like i said, NO WAY! and then kuya garry said, yah, that’s true, but still, you coulda been friendlier. and then he admitted to using his daughter to befriend the guys who didn’t look like they talk to anyone at church. i’m thinking… hmmm… young, pretty, teenage daughter, and you’re sending her in to greet those guys without friends? making her show interest in someone who doesn’t talk to anyone else? and then he has the guts to blame me for being the one to ask the guy what his name is, when i’m just trying to be friendly!
so… i’m wondering.... how does a girl who is uninterested relationship-wise be friendly towards a guy she doesn’t know without sending the wrong signal? is that even a possibility? if i am the one to approach and say hi, have i already gone too far? should i wait there for him to say hi? i try to include all people, whether guy or girls, but i’m aware that my actions could be misleading. so… in an attempt to not mislead guys, i ask you, oh all-knowing internet, what do i do??!?
Thursday, December 29, 2005
whirlwind of activity
so today i am leaving for new york. you’da thunk that i’d’ve packed early, and gone to bed early to get rest for my flight.... oh but no.
i instead stayed up late last night, not packing, mind you, but hosting tuesday night dinner and making sure everyone had enough to eat and was having fun. and then i still had to get up early this morning to have breakfast with friends. after breakfast, i went through several different stores looking for appropriate shoes/boots to wear (and in the process, i was able to find/buy perry’s Christmas gift - shhh! it’s still a secret!). i went home to unpack everything from my car and had to pretty much turn around immediately to meet up with a couple’a students to go night skiing.
can you believe we fit 1 teacher, 2 students, and 3 sets of skis/snowboards/boots/etc in my little scion xA? well believe it - we did! it’s amazing to me still that we fit comfortably, even!
ahhhh, but i digress.
after dropping the students off at home, i then proceeded to the loma linda gym where i played volleyball and basketball. i was gonna go play poker after that, but nah, it didn’t happen. i finally went home around 2am and started cleaning up the mess i had made, and i also packed. i needed to make sure the clothes i pack keep me warm, but don’t overly stuff the suitcases that my parents and kat’s parents had so generously lended to us so that i can help kathy bring back stuff to CA.
end result? i’m done packing, and i’ve also finished reading dan brown’s “angels and demons”. it’s now 7:30 thursday morning and i haven’t slept more than 3 hours since tuesday.
i’m so glad that the rest of today has me traveling so i can catch up on much needed sleep on planes, trains, and automobiles along the way!
Monday, December 26, 2005
happy boxing day to you all!
ahhh… it seems i missed the ‘merry Christmas’ post… but let me wish you all a Merry Christmas anyways, just because. who cares if it’s a day late? you might not have read my site yesterday anyways =)
so, yah, merry Christmas!
and boxing day.... i think i’ve always enjoyed this day because it’s after the stress of making the holidays but all the family is just sitting around hanging out enjoying everyone’s company. this is the stuff that life is made of! no running back to work, no worrying about cooking enough food, none of the stresses that accompany the hectic holidays but instead the actual enjoyment of it all.
as for the family that i celebrated with, it was at my cousins’ house, with their siblings and children and the matriarch of their family. my parents showed up at one point during the day and they left, and my brother wasn’t there. it’s interesting to me, because i was at kat’s house on Christmas eve and she called her brother and sister-in-law up and told them that they better spend the night there so their family could be together when they wake up on Christmas morning. their traditions are still going… while my family has grown up and moved on. there is less incentive for me to drive out and be a child again in my family traditions, and instead, i feel myself wondering when my own future family will start to grow and create traditions of our own. i don’t necessarily think i’m in a rush to create my own family right now, but i think it’s a result of being part of a family that no longer celebrates the holidays like a family. regardless of which, i love them and i’m not complaining about it (although this post and the previous one together have shown how it’s made me reflect on the changes), i’m just noting the changes that have happened and the effect they have on my life. i also love my extended family and i love that i can be part of them as if i were a sister and not a cousin. we had wonderful food and shared good times playing games (oh, that’s what was in the wrapped present! yay!!!!) and just enjoying each others company.
and today i’ve spent time with my parents helping them move and we’re gonna go out to eat later, so that’ll be fun!
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Christmas gifts
so… Christmas is only a few days away, but i’m still required to work at my school till tomorrow. today was the last day of instruction, though, since we’re doing an all-skate Christmas party tomorrow! i’m looking forward to it, that should be a lot of fun!
since today was the last day of seeing the students in class, some students chose to pass out gifts to the teachers today. i received a couple’a gifts, and i one of them was a candle with a bow on it, and another was a bottle of sparkling juice dressed in a chinese shirt. yup, y’know, like this:
so far, i’ve only received one wrapped package.
the students have been bugging me all day to open this package so they can see what i received, but i’ve adamantly refused!!!! i told them, “dude, this is the only gift i have to open on Christmas day!!!”
yes. it’s true. not an exaggeration, not a lie. now, while i know the true meaning of Christmas is not centered around gift-giving, part of the fun of the celebration is being surprised with gifts or wondering what is in that beautifully wrapped package lying under the tree. and while i’ve received a few gifts, i also know what each one of them is - a bottle of martinelli’s, a blue candle, or even the bag that shelia brought over this week. i won’t see my brother for Christmas cuz he’s taking a trip, and he’ll probably just ask me to buy something and charge it to him, and i know my parents didn’t know what to get… i’m okay with it all because i don’t really want much more stuff to clutter up my room, but all the same, i think it’d be fun to have stuff to open on Christmas day. especially since i’ll be at my cousins’ house and they’ll have tons of gifts for everyone to open!
while telling my students this, i realized, they think i’m trying to guilt-trip them into giving me more gifts. no.... i wasn’t. i’m really just trying to save my one gift so i can open it.
and boy, when Christmas comes, i’ll have this one cherished gift to open, and i’ll have lotsa fun tearing the wrapping paper open =)
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
vandalism sucks
over the weekend, some vandals took bricks from the design on the patio and used them to smash in the windows at the school where i teach. they broke 10 windows, which sounds like a lot, but looks like a whole heckuvalot more when you think how small our school actually is, and that there were about 2 windows broken in each room (kitchen, art, science lab, staff lounge, and entranceway). the only rooms that weren’t hit were mine and bio-kim’s. the weird thing is, the bricks were picked up from the patio RIGHT OUTSIDE my classroom. yet, my classroom remains untouched.
i ended up spending the majority of my sunday cleaning up broken glass and wiping down counters 20+ times just to discover that there was more glass dust, so right now we don’t trust the kitchen to produce any food for lunch.
and last night i had a dream (or more accurately, a nightmare, i suppose) thinking that someone would launch bricks into our classrooms while i have students in it.
the stupid thing is, it seems like it’s done outta pure spite. they left the laptop there, in plain view of the door which was broken so thoroughly that there was absolutely no glass left in it - the shards were all in a pile at the bottom of the door, right next to the music keyboard, etc. they weren’t looking to steal anything - it was simply pure vandalism.
it is very appalling to think that some people would get thrills off creating such a mess… that they’d think that whatever feelings they have towards ‘the grove’ justify their destructive actions. i wonder if they’ve thought about the cost to the school that they’ve incurred - not just the money for the new windows but the grief and agony they’ve put teachers, students, and parents through - plus all the labor that everyone put in to clean up the mess. there was a big donation box in front of the window full of children’s toys - rainbow brites, my little ponies, legos, bouncy balls, etc - and they’ll all have to be thrown away because all the little pieces of glass are there, and who knows how safe the toys are now. can you imagine if a small child sticks it in their mouth and there’s some broken glass in it?
so yah… even if their intention was not to take anything, they’ve robbed several children of Christmas gifts. they’ve robbed me (and a bunch of students, parents, and other staff) of my sunday. i wonder if that will sate their desires or if they’re planning on coming back for more. *sigh*
Sunday, December 18, 2005
the joys of filipino dating
when i was growing up, i remember watching all of my older cousins bring their dates around on Sabbath afternoons to family potluck. i would watch as my uncles and aunties would “conchow” and tease these girls. in fact, i remember my kuya chester, when he got engaged to ate gemma, dropped her off in a chair in front of my aunties/uncles, wished her good luck, and then took off with the guy cousins to hang out, and he just left her to fend for herself during her veritable interview into our family! it just seemed like a rite of passage that anyone who hangs out with our family is given a hard time, and you have to be able to hang with it or else we pretty much never saw you again, although that was probably cuz they were scared of us, cuz we accepted anyone in. in fact, the more we liked you, the more teasing you got. it was our special way of letting you know that we liked you =)
when i started dating, i remember the first time my friend (more accurately, my first boyfriend, pre-boyfriend stage...) came over during potluck to pick me up. he stayed for at least 20 minutes before we left, and i remember waiting during all those 20 minutes for my uncles to start their teasing… but it never came! i was so incredibly disappointed, especially cuz i had hyped it up before he came over, and told him to be prepared, and then… nothing! i wondered why they didn’t tease him… did they not like him? or perhaps… maybe i was just too young (my cousins are on average 15+ years older than me) and the novelty of scaring away potential in-laws had worn off. either way i remember waiting for the interrogation period to begin. it never really happened with any of my boyfriends.
i think i just figured out why it never happened.
see, i only remember our family grilling the girls who dated into the family, and i don’t remember the guys ever having to do that. since i’ve dated only guys… well… they never got the special treatment. i remember bringing friends home, like christina or ching or kat, and they were given a hard time. so my grand conclusion is that only girls get this treatment.
how’d i figure this out? well… being a girl dating a filipino guy, i was on the receiving end of this treatment today. nothing too harsh, no pressing interview like when you get into my family, but still - the aunties dragged me outta the room where all us “kids” were sitting and introduced me to all the aunties and told me that they were ‘his’ aunties, just like that, without saying his name, cuz they didn’t wanna specify who ‘he’ was. they asked me who i was and i gave the great filipino introduction that always makes me feel like i’m from the Bible times or the olden days of kings, queens, and lords - “i’m kimberly, daughter of ray and leni, granddaughter of pastor banaag. i come in peace” while they were all staring at me. that was pretty much it. i felt like a sheep or other barnyard animal because they were all assessing me and looking me over, they joked around with me for a little bit, and then they sent me on my way back to the herd, telling me to return back to the other room before anyone suspected what was up.
and silly me… because that’s how my family was, i knew how to handle myself while they were looking me over, and while it may have been slightly awkward, it made me feel totally at home.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
the return of the volleyball
after a self-imposed hiatus due to injury (i’ve been outta commission since the end of summer trying to get my ankle to stop hurting) i’ve decided to come back - but stop playing basketball this time. i think the running and changing directions quickly, etc, stresses out my ankle too much. at least on the volleyball court there’s not that much running.
although there was a heckuva lot of diving going on yesterday. i don’t wear kneepads (hello! i’m from glendale! we don’t do girly stuff like protect our knees… we make fun of those who do. what weirdos, huh?) so i don’t do a lot of falling on my knees so if the ball is further away than i can reach i’m usually diving on the floor to get to it, and i sure was hustling out there yesterday, making some great saves.
i’m slightly sore from the inactivity of the past few months, but man… it’s good to be back!
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
i'm gettin' set in my ways
so this living alone thing… it isn’t that bad anymore. i think when i first moved into this apartment it drove me crazy to come home to an empty apartment knowing it would stay empty the rest of the night. this is the first time i’m living alone, y’know? i mean, i had a room all to myself in college in the honors dorm, but there were always people around and i hardly stayed in my room anyways, and even if i was there my door was wide open and i could talk to my friends down the hall. living in the other house i was home alone alot but shelia was always around, even if she was on call and at the hospital, and rita was home thurs-sun. but here, in my apartment now, i’m the only one here during the week. i can leave all my shtuff lying around if i want to, i can watch tv at whatever volume i want to, i can sleep out in the living room (and i do - my couch is so comfy!), and pretty much i have the run of the place. while only 4 months ago i didn’t like the thought of living alone, now, i can’t imagine having more roommates.
i was telling this to gary - that i’m getting used to this living single business - and he told me that as i grow older i’m just gonna get more set in my ways. and especially when talking relationships… where i’m not so young and hopeful as i might have once been =) hahaha… it’s true though, i think, that when people are younger, they have this grand idea of finding “the one” and making this perfect life together, whereas, someone who’s used to living alone and has been doing things their way a lot longer will be a little more reticent to change their ways. i guess what i mean (or at least what i understood gary to be telling me) is that it becomes less of finding the perfect person to meld with as it becomes more of a who-will-put-up-with-my-quirks, or even a who-will-i-put-up-with, since i’ve grown more picky. instead of who can i find to make the perfect life with, it becomes a who can i enjoy my time with that will let me be me.
i don’t think it’s necessarily that bad, either. i mean, if i can look at it realistically, then i’ll have less expectations and more chances of being happy. i mean, if i got into marriage when i was younger and more hopeful that we’d complete each other, i could’ve been horribly disappointed by now. but if i think, hey, here’s someone who’s company i can enjoy for the rest of my life, then that would be a much more realistic goal.
but then that’s an interesting concept - maybe if i had looked at my previous relationships through these lenses i would’ve been married by now - after all, i did enjoy their company. but we didn’t share the same goal… or our lives were headed in different directions… or what have you. i dunno… it just didn’t work out.
so here i am, hearing what gary has to say to me. if he’s right, and i’m getting more set in my ways, then that just means that it will be just that much harder to find the right match for me. and if i was that hard to please in my youth, you can imagine just how much harder it is to match me when i’m older. anyways, if he’s right, living alone in this apartment will be the reason why i will be single for the rest of my life. =)
Sunday, December 11, 2005
new years in new york!
way back in february/march when i first got offered a job in japan for this school year, i was excited cuz i was gonna spend my 4-week Christmas-and-new-years-break in the philippines, and i thought that would’ve been awesome. i was all bummed out when i didn’t go to japan because that meant no 4-week vacation to the “homeland”, and then i was bummed out even more because my cousins and friends are gonna be there for Christmas and i’m not gonna go… especially too cuz perry’s gonna be there for Christmas, new year’s, AND his 30th birthday, and i don’t get to celebrate any of those with him.
but… the good news is, new years is looking up!!! ching called me up some time last week and suggested we go to new york for new year’s, and i was like, YEEEAAHHH!!! of course! but it took forever for us to figure out when we wanted to go, what days off she had from work, where we’d fly into (she has to hit up maryland for someone’s wedding...), and some other details, but finally, FINALLY, we got it all together and we were still able to buy discount tickets out to the big apple. it’s pretty cool cuz i got the best price i could find anywhere, even with all my special preferences (i’m flying outta SNA with ching on dec 29 but returning two days later than her to ONT on jan 06) so technically it’s not even a round trip but my ticket was $4 cheaper than hers =) and it’s a great price, i thought i’d have to pay way extra since it’s holiday season but i had flexible dates, so it all worked out wonderfully!
we’ve also bought knicks tickets, they’re playing the phoenix suns on january 2, so kat, ching, and i will get to see the game! nice, eh? plus, i was able to get $11 off each ticket because i bought with my american express =) ain’t that nifty? =)
anyways, that’ll be fun being with my girls out there, and getting to see susan again (but not blackredyellownyc who said we’d go out to eat - booo!! i wanna get my grub on! =P). i am SOOO looking forward to my vacation. this’ll be a good one =) it’s my last trip out there to visit kat cuz she’s moving home soon, and i’ll get to experience nyc for the third time, this time in the middle o’ winter with snow! yehey!!!
Thursday, December 08, 2005
like brad pitt in ocean's eleven
i’m sure it’s not news for most of you, but i’m ALWAYS EATING! yeah… it’s like in ocean’s eleven, how every scene has brad pitt eating some type of food. my students will pass by my room, and i’m eating ramen, or peanut butter crackers, or brownies, or cupcakes, or i’m visiting the kitchen to see what they’re cooking and trying to snag some for myself.
the rule in my classroom is: if you wanna eat in my classroom, you gotta bring enough to share with me =)
my students also know not to throw away their leftovers if eating in my classroom. they’ll offer anything and everything to me, whether it’s half a pizza or just their leftover ramen. yah, so yesterday, one of my students, TJ, stood across the classroom from me, and then told me that he was aiming for the trashcan right next to me. i said, ok, go for it! and he proceeded to throw a perfectly good uneaten gala apple towards the trashcan. i stuck my hand out and caught it before it dropped in, then i put it on my desk. after i finished my pasta and garlic bread, i started eating the apple right before geometry class.
JH walked in the classroom and then asked me if i ever exercise. i wasn’t sure where she was going with that, but i said “no”. and then she was like, “AMAZING! how are you always eating and not gaining weight?!?!” hahhahaha.... yeah, i guess that is pretty amazing. i’m always stuffing my face with some type of food… and i’m always hungry. what is that about?!?!!
Monday, December 05, 2005
similar minds
yesterday perry and i spent alotta time just browsing online and taking personality quizzes and surveys like the one that mandy took. we just answered that one out loud to each other, but this particular website had a bunch of personality tests and intelligence tests that we ‘competed’ on. and yeah… according to the Number Pattern Intelligence Test, he’s more intelligent than me. =( he scored in the 88th percentile or something like that, while i was only in the 46th. =) that’s ok, i took the Visual Pattern Intelligence Test, and i scored in the 90’s.
another interesting test is the compatibility test on that same website, where you answer 45 questions about your personality and then it tells you how similar the two of you are, and then it tells you how compatible you two are together (no, those aren’t the same things. we could be 100% similar but not compatible with each other). you can check your compatibility as friends, relationships, or both… anyways, here are our results - 2/3 similar, 2/3 compatible:
| SimilarMinds.com Compatibility Test |
Your match with you are 67% similar you are 66% complementary |
if you click on that link, you can take the test and see how similar/compatible you are to me. but hey, if you take the test, make sure you post your results, ok? or at least email me and let me know how we did =)
i have a PhD
apparently gregiskhan is a student of men, while i have apparently logged in enough hours with the guys in my life to earn my PhD.
|
You Have Your PhD in Men |
 You understand men almost better than anyone. You accept that guys are very different, and you read signals well. Work what you know about men, and your relationships will be blissful. |
i think this is awesome… look, all my relationships will be blissful! =) i just need to work it! =) hahahahah… so… how well’d you do?
Sunday, December 04, 2005
the nba is wacky this year
so… check out the pacific division. clippers are still #2 in the conference, first in their division! yehey!!! they are followed by the golden state warriors, while sacramento and the lakers are contending for last place. well… ok, so there are a few teams in other divisions that have lower percentages than the lakers, but still.... last in the division? kings not to far ahead? golden state has a better record than them? clippers leading the california teams? this doesn’t look like the typical nba year.... but it’s good news, and i’m sooo happy for the clippers. i hated their loss in overtime this past week but i gotta say i am enjoying their lead… end of last season, i called this the year of the clippers. looks like it might be true after all!
Friday, December 02, 2005
snowboarding pics
click on the pics to see ‘em full size
jade taking a jump…
and almost eating it!
alex
i didn’t take very many pictures so i don’t have one of matt, and i don’t have one of me, either…
and it was pretty funny… jade rode up the mountain a few times with this one guy, and matt had to comment on it: “i’m not gay or anything, but there are like 100 sexier guys on this mountain” we were laughing hard at that one… but at least the dude was nice =) hahhah… too bad he couldn’t beat jade down the mountain! neither could i, though… and her goal was to hit the rails… which i avoided this time around =/ but that’s okay, i had a lotta fun with the students, even though the snow wasn’t in the best condition, it was still nice. i was a little timid at first and didn’t even try any jumps for the first 3-4 runs or so, but by the end of the day, on my 20th run, i attempted all the jumps on the run, and i landed all of ‘em =) and i think i done good =)