End of Vacation Blues

July is nearly ending, and it suddenly hit me that my three-month-long summer vacation is way more than half-over. So, I have begun to panic at the thought that my happy days are nearly over. This shows you that my perspective in life is more of the "glass is half-empty" variety. After all, I have three weeks or so left, and for other people three weeks is more vacation time than they can hope to have in a year. Nonetheless, I began to dread the end of my days of bumming around and being totally unproductive.

At the start of my California vacation in May, I had to adjust to doing ABSOLUTELY nothing. This, of course, didn't take very long (as they say... like a fish to water). At first, I felt a measure of guilt at this unproductivity. It was the first time in years (decades?) that nothing was expected of me by anyone. Not my bosses at work, not my professors in school. I didn't even have to run errands, as I had to do when I had long vacations as a student living with my parents. I was accountable to no one. It was a very strange feeling, and again, one I quickly got used to.

So, I spent my lazy days in Cali getting in touch with my inner slacker. During the day, I'm left all alone in the house until Kuya, Liz, and Aidan come home from work/pre-school. So I whiled away my time reading, watching videos, surfing the Internet, chatting with friends online, catching up on Hollywood gossip in Star magazine, or just staring at nothing and daydreaming. What surprised me about all this me-time that I was having is that I was NEVER bored, and time just flew by. I know that a lot of people would probably be itching to do something, or go somewhere, if faced with all that time on their hands. Not me, though. I discovered that I'm perfectly comfortable doing nothing and having nothing to show for my day.

I easily rationalized this sloth-like behavior by thinking that I'm not going to have another three-month long break in the foreseeable future (unless I win the lottery), so I might as well enjoy it. So, enjoy it I did. The problem now is that I'm so used to my lazy lifestyle, that I know I will find it difficult to get back into the rhythm of school (and eventually, the demands of work). Well, I do have a few weeks more to prepare for it, though I doubt that I'll do something as useful as thinking about my Master's project or anything of the sort. I'll probably just end up watching more Comedy Central and reading about why Tom Cruise is determinedly keeping baby Suri from the public. (Is she really disfigured as some have claimed? Stay tuned.)

Working Out with a Former Porn Star

When my summer break in California began, I fully intended to work out and do some amount of damage control, since I realistically anticipated some weight gain from being on vacation. So I went on the lookout for cheap workout videos. I always scoured stores for marked down workout DVDs whenever we went shopping, and purchased some when the deal was too good to pass up. Two months into my break, I realized that I had acquired NINE workout videos including bellydancing, hiphop, pilates, striptease aerobics, NONE of which I'd used. So, having those videos were a good indicator not of my commitment to fitness, but rather of my shopping savvy (I did get a $1 DVD in WalMart).

Realizing I only had a month left to burn off my excesses, I one day resolutely decided to forego my usual afternoon nap, and be a good girl by actually trying one of the videos. I chose to try the one called "Jazzthetics", which said... "specifically designed to burn cellulite, these programs features (sic) great soundtracks and are hosted by physical fitness advocate Traci Lords". TRACI LORDS! Hadn't heard that name in a while. I didn't realize she had shifted careers. But I thought, what the heck, she was a famous (underage) porn star, so she probably knows a thing or two about keeping fit.

So I popped in the DVD, and there she is, in her very yellow outfit (down to the ballet shoes). I realized soon enough that although the DVD was copyrighted in 2003, it looked like it had been shot in the 80s. Three things clued me in to this. First, the hair. Traci Lords was wearing a side ponytail, the kind that would have been favored by Kylie Minogue during her "Loco-Motion" days, or Olivia Newton-John in "Xanadu". Second, the music. The much-vaunted "great soundtrack" sounded like the instrumental version of a Sheena Easton hit. And finally, the last clue... Traci Lords STILL looked like an underage porn star.

However, I didn't let the outfits, the hair, or the music faze me. I had to give the workout a chance (after all, I did shell out $3.99 plus tax for it.) At the start of the DVD, I heard Ms. Lords say that I should focus on her words so that I get a feel of the workout, and I will know what to do. Okay... so I focused and listened carefully to her instructions. I tried to follow them, I really did. I was expecting the usual "feel the stretch up your quadriceps, etc." I didn't know I was in for a treat. Traci Lords' workout instructions actually RHYMED. Here are examples of her spiel.

"Turn turn, feel it burn!" (which was ok, I guess.)

"Roll your hips round and round
a perfect circle should be found!" (hmmm...)

"Look this way and then that,
turn again and then go back!" (getting a little complicated...)

"16 more, I gotta say,
your self-esteem will want to stay!" (as opposed to "my self esteem has run away"?)

"Bend down, stretch your back,
you don't want to hear no crack!" (starting to sound like rapping)

"Move your thighs you will see,
cellulite will no doubt flee!"

After that one, I just couldn't go on. The visual image of my celllulite fleeing after moving my thighs (not to mention the sheer impossibility of it) was just too much for me. Also, I didn't actually do the whole workout because I ended up being hypnotized into immobility by all that rhyming.

So I ejected the DVD. To my credit, I did 5 minutes and 48 seconds of stretching with Traci before I got distracted. That's a start, right? I have all those other DVDs to try anyway. (Though I'm now almost afraid of what I'll see in the dollar DVD I got at WalMart.)

The OC Fair

Aidan had been excited for a week, since Kuya told him that we were going to the Orange County fair. Actually, we were ALL excited to go to the fair. For the "big people", as Aidan likes to call his parents and myself, the attraction lay primarily in the prospect of eating LOTS of fair food. I was particularly excited to have some funnel cake, which is the treat I've learned to associate with fairs.


On the day of the fair, the weather was sunny, so when Kuya and Aidan went off to enjoy the rides, Liz and I were glad of the chance to work on a tan. (Our desire to have a tan stems not from wanting to have the look of summer; we are just after the overall slimming effect that having darker skin brings.)


Aidan did have a great time getting on all the rides he wanted to try. Some rides were really lame, others were a bit more exciting and worth the dollar you shelled out. The ride we all enjoyed was the ski lift. Being at such a height freaked out Liz a bit, but we just imagined that we were on our way to go skiing (despite the oppressive heat), and all was well.


The big people as expected had a field day trying the different food booths. We had to pay for our excesses though. Liz and I felt a bit queasy at the end of the day because all of the food we had was fried (funnel cake included). On Aidan's part, the overstimulation of the fair (so many colors, so much to see and experience!) resulted in a meltdown. It started when he said he wanted a balloon just as we were on our way out of the fairgrounds. (He was probably trying to find a way to delay leaving the fair.) When his request was denied, he started sniffling, then whining, then finally he bawled his head out all the way home.

Which brings us to the lesson to be gleaned from spending the day at a county fair. You CAN have too much of a good thing.

Two Things I Dislike About Children's Parties


No, no, this is not some rant by a single childless woman about how horrid children's parties are (though some of them CAN be pretty terrible). It IS possible for me to have a good time at these events. However, there are two things that prevent me from being a great fan of these occasions.

But first, some details of the party which brought these thoughts about. Last Saturday, my childhood friend Toytoy, now more fashionably known as Corina, held a party as her baby Nicole celebrated her first birthday. Nicole is super cute (she's the baby in the background) and already has a bag of dog tricks that she readily performs for anyone her rightly-proud mom wants to show her off to. Nicole is good-natured, fresh-smelling, pink-and-chubby-cheeked, and all those good things that make babies adorable.

It was nice to see Toy again, especially since she is now based in the US. Toy is very artistic, and she certainly made a production number out of the party. It was a garden party, with a pink-and-green-and-ladybugs-everywhere theme. She even asked Liz and I if we could wear either pink or green in keeping with the theme. As I would say; "Career!" But being an old friend of hers, Liz and I complied with the dress code.

Anyway, on to what I don't like about children's parties (things which I encountered in this one). First, they make me VERY sweaty. Since these parties are usually held outdoors (if the weather permits), to make room for the kiddies' games, it is usually very hot. Always hot in the Philippines, and hot here as well in sunny Cali. I am not usually one to whine about the weather; I guess last Saturday was just particularly humid and uncomfortable. (Rabidly cheering my nephew on during the games probably didn't help, either.)

Second, and more importantly, I often end up having nothing to eat. Children's parties usually have a menu composed of spaghetti and meatballs, hotdogs, chicken lollipop, and the like. Things which I don't eat. It's a good thing I was already well aware of standard children's party grub before I came to this particular party, and so I had some fish for lunch. (Kuya asked me why I was eating before going to the party, and I told him I probably wouldn't have anything to eat there.) The party had a great menu (there was even a taco station!), except it was not so great for me.

In fairness to children's parties, they do have one thing that consistently saves the day. Birthday cake.

These are observations I've made in many children's parties I've gone to. I don't expect my friends to accommodate my whining (it's your party and you can sweat if you want to), I just hope they understand if I am less than enthusiastic about going to their little darlings' birthday shindigs. Now... when their kids are old enough to drink and serve alcohol during their birthday parties, that's a different matter altogether...

Bye, Biljana!

Last Sunday, I was very fortunate to have another chance to see Biljana, my Serbian (party girl!) friend. I was very sad when I said goodbye to her in Columbia in May, right before I left for California. It occurred to me then that I had no idea when I'd ever see her again. Luckily, she had a reason (wink wink, nudge nudge) to go to LA last weekend, and so I was able to meet up with her one last time before she heads off to Serbia in less than two weeks. We picked her and Temi up in the afternoon, then proceeded to the boardwalk of Santa Monica Beach.

We had a late lunch at Bubba Gump, where we all had to help Biljana eat her huge mudpie dessert (with pleasure!). We walked around the boardwalk to burn off what we ate, and of course, Biljana and I updated each other with what had been happening in our lives. The boardwalk was a great place to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. The sun was out, the wind kept the place cool (a little TOO cool at times), and the smell of the sea and the sound of the waves were relaxing. Time flew by so quickly, and before I knew it, it was time to bring Biljana back to the hotel, since her flight was at midnight. It was once again time to say goodbye to her, and just like before, a wave of sadness washed over me. I don't know when I'll see her again, but I'm so glad we met in Columbia. I had so much fun with her, and I'll definitely think of her each time we have all-you-can-drink $5 cups at Deja Vu. I'll miss you, Biljana! Take care, and I'll see you again!

Five Pounds in Five Days

Kuya, Liz, Aidan & I drove to San Francisco from LA (a 7-hour drive non-stop) for the long weekend of the July 4th holiday. Our plan was, leave Friday early morning, visit some relatives and friends, then start the drive back home Tuesday whenever we woke up. We ended up following that schedule. We also ended up gaining tons of weight in the process. When we arrived Friday, we visited Tito Alex (Mama's brother) and Tita Thelma. They prepared enough food for a Filipino fiesta for each meal we had at their house.

Saturday morning, we drove off to Ferdie, Kuya's high school classmate. He brought us around Pier 39 (which was PACKED with tourists); then we had the usual photo-op at the Golden Gate Bridge; then he brought us to look at the redwood trees at Muir Woods, which is a National Monument. The highlight of the day for me, however, was dinner, which we had at Patio Filipino. EVERYTHING we ate there was good- the Crispy Tilapia, Bangus Sisig, Coco Loco Shrimp (something like Ginataang Hipon), super garlicky rice, and the desserts! There was some variant of halo-halo in buko, ice cream on a sylvana with mango balls in syrup, etc, etc. I think I personally ate enough for five normal people that night.


Sunday, we were off to visit Ate Agnes in Daly City. She brought us to Gerry's Grill for dinner. Gerry's just opened in the Bay Area a few months ago, and is set to open in the LA area in August, which has Kuya and Liz excited. We ordered the dishes we usually did back home, and though they were a bit Americanized to appeal to a larger market, we still enjoyed them. Again, I polished off a meal that would have been enough for the average Filipino family of six. Our gluttony seemed endless that evening, because we immediately hied off to Ghirardelli, where we did not content ourselves with a mere scoop of ice cream. Each of us had an ice cream concoction with at least three scoops of ice cream. At this point I had to unbutton my pants since my stomach was very much overextended.

The next day, we had another big dinner at Tribu, yet another newly-opened Filipino restaurant, where we had another meal that we really shouldn't have. I won't give you the gory details, but I do have to mention the bagoong rice, which was topped with scrambled eggs, tomatoes, mangoes, and some pork (which I removed). It was sooo good, I intend to replicate this (sans pork) when I get back to the Philippines since it's easy to prepare.

So, we said our goodbyes to beautiful San Francisco, and drove back to Southern California the next day, which was the 4th of July. We saw some fireworks on the way home, because we ended up arriving home around midnight. People have been asking me what I did for the 4th of July weekend. I tell them I went to the Bay Area, not for sightseeing, but for weightgaining.