myLent: no facebook

no facebooking for 40 days. if im looking at the calendar correctly, ill be back sept 10.

im not a hardcore facebooker but i think it skews your relationship with others. e-relationships doesnt come close to the real thing. i remember joining in sept08. the main/only reason was to reconnect with my classmates from highschool prior to seeing them all again at my 10-year highschool reunion. fb did its job. but now? its adding no value to the relationships that i already cherish. that reminds me of the college research paper that i wrote about information overload.

anywho...lets see what happens for the next 40 days and 40 nights.

work anniversary...

today is my 7-year work anniversary: 7/29/2002.

am i excited? maybe
am i looking forward to retirement? haha
am i happy with my career? of course.

3rd time <> a charm...

...my gut tells me its happening again but my guy tells me otherwise.

welcome home, patring...

my mom is coming home tomorrow. its bittersweet. she left exactly 2 months ago to spend time with her mom before she passed. im so excited for her to finally come back home. the person thats been waiting for her to come home the most is my dad. so im happy for him that he gets his wife back. its been a challenging 2 months without her but id do it all over again just so she can spend time with her family. if i could move mountains, id move the philippines and push it closer to the states. right now, im just praying for a safe flight and safe arrival.

world's largest block party...

this was my 2nd year of volunteering at Old St. Pat's World's Largest Block Party. i was one of three that had the food certification for the tent. i had a great time throwing the meat on the grill; keeping the frozen meats iced; telling volunteers to wash their hands; listening to the fri cover band; eating dogs; drinking beer. i do feel guilty about one thing. i caught myself wishing that ray were next to me to experience this event since last year i did it all alone. im not a needy girlfriend but i guess it'd be nice to share experiences with someone. dont get me wrong, i do spend quality time with my parents and my family. then i thought about it again. im actually okay...im okay. toughen up, buttercup. i have to remember to keep doing what i love (i.e.: volunteering, playing sports, reaching long-term goals) regardless of who is in my life or not. i think a majority of what i was feeling was a combination of (a) wanting ray to experience/see for himself that his girlfriend is a huge volunteering dork and (b) something else that i just can't describe right now. its not neediness but its having that person with you, by your side, supporting you. im not saying that ray doesnt support me. the only way i can explain is sharing examples.
...its like how my dad has my mom.
...its like how archie has myra.
...its like how the stars have the moon.

they don't supplement one another, rather they complement one another.
each object is beautiful and complete on its own.
bleh...now im just rambling. someone beer me, please.

myLondon vacation 2009

fri july 3rd
bus23 w/ a&g
paddington station
heathrow connect
LHR =(

thu july 2nd
lunch w/ archie @ the witness box (guinness extra cold, fish & chips)
tower bridge
tower of london
harrod's
portobello market
dinner w/ A&M @ cha cha moon

wed july 1st
tennis w/ archie @ hyde park
dinner: automat

tue june 30th
viator guided bus tour via evans evans
...leeds castle
...canterbury cathedral
...white cliffs @ dover

mon june 29th
british museum

sun june 28th @ amsterdam
van gogh museum
I amsterdam
lunch: kantjil (indonesian)
amsterdam airport schiphol
london airport heathrow

sat june 27th @ amsterdam
anne frank huis
dam square
nationaal monument
coffee house
sexmuseum amsterdam
verse vlaamse frites @ manneken pis
begijnhof
bloemenmarkt
red light district
dinner: haesje claes (traditional dutch)
canal walk w/ brother

fri june 26th
drop-off gus @ vet/kennel
amsterdam airport schiphol w/ A&M + R
centraal station
renaissance amsterdam hotel
holland international canal cruise: 100 highlights cruise
dinner: dragon corner chinese indonesian restaurant

thu june 25th
walk gus @ kensington gardens
bus23
happy hour @ the last

wed june 24th
wimbledon

tue june 23rd
arrival @ London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
heathrow connect to paddington station
paddington bear magnet
wait @ burger king
HI KUYA!!!
arrival @ newton road
HI GUS!!!
walk gus @ kensington gardens
nap
HI MYRA!!!
dinner w/ A&M @ cha cha moon (salt/lemon sprite, beef noodle)

mon june 22nd
BYE BODE =(
check-in @ ORD
dinner w/ RDC
BYE RDC =(
upgrade to Business Class