I am not sure if you forgot or you just failed to notice..

whenever we go to mcdonald's for breakfast, I most of the time order the egg omelet with fried rice, hashbrowns on the side and coffee or pink lemonade.

I think we still have a long way to go. *sigh*

First week of November and it is already snowing. I am off my job but going outside would probably not be a good idea especially when we haven't started unpacking our winter jackets. I stayed in most of the day and try to go over my hard disk. I found a couple of personal photographs I can send as postcards so I will be mailing them in this Monday. 

Here are some of the things that happened some few weeks back.

* My good friend asked me to go to a wake of someone dear to him. It's my first time to go to a wake here in America and my mom says that it is sort of formal. I was not really prepared for the whole thing because I was working in between days and could hardly find the time to go buy clothes to wear. I decided to do everything last minute. I've got the flowers, the pictures and the outfit but I was not expecting how far the place was. It was quite a drive, it was cold and I am starting to feel sick. When I got there, the placewas packed with relative and friends and I was clueless. I have no idea what was going on and I do not know anybody. After giving my sincerest condolences to the wife of the deceased, I've decided to leave thinking that the whole ceremony was over. Even if I do not know the person who passed away, he seems like a nice person and judging from the people who were there, i can tell that he is a good man and may he rest in peace.


* I was looking forward to celebrating Halloween this year and the scariest thought dawned to me when my manager put me on schedule. I had to work the whole day shift. Of course I got tired after so I stayed home and waited for kids to come by and get their treats. Since we were not into putting costumes and make-ups, my mom decided to get ridiculous outfits for the dogs which worked out perfectly cute. Our dogs changed their costumes twice or thrice for the whole night and the kids adored them. We can't stop showing off our little dogs but I guess Pepe scared them away whenever he gives a loud bark every time the doorbell rings. I should say my favorite costume for that night would be the kid joker. I never had the chance to take his picture but he cracked me up. He's got the whole purple outfit and that creepy smile across his face. Kids here are really imaginative and artistic. I wish I turn into a child every Halloween so I could go put on a costume and ask for candies.


* Some time this week I got a postcard from my friend Shari, who now lives in Christchurch, New Zealand. I was surprised and touched by her message. I miss my friends already. I can't believe we are now living our lives and some of us are in other parts of the world. I used to think about the days we were still in high school or college. Those were the easy days and my favorite. Receiving mails from my friends never fail to draw a smile on my face. Thanks Sha! I hope things will get better.


* Last Sunday, my beautiful sister and I went to Mitsuwa (the jap place). We were going to the Sweet's fair she was telling me about. I ended up buying two pens, one notebook, a set of stationery and none of the pastries sold in the fair. I tried to order the Beef Soba for lunch and it quenched my thirst more than my hunger. There was too much broth for me to handle in one meal that I barely touched my pork siomai.boo..I'm thinking of ordering the katsudon next time.



* Today, I got another mail. You just warmed up my first Friday snow..my heart too (in every second it beats..).

-.-

Yesterday was a truly remarkable day for America. The never-ending presidential campaign was finally put to an end after Barack Obama was announced to be the winner. I remembered yesterday afternoon, I heard our nurse talk about going to Grant Park (in Chicago) to watch Obama live as he gives his most promising speech of hope and victory. Hearing the people at work having a conversation about Obama gave all of us the chills. I never got the chance to vote but I am thankful enough to be living in a nation where hope brightly soars over the gray sky and we could all say 'YES WE CAN!"


Let's all vote for dreams, love and happiness.

Off from work, I headed to check out Bacci, home of the jumbo pizza. I first had a bite of Bacci's pizza months ago with friends when we went clubbing. That was my first night out in Chicago and my first jumbo pizza. It was a crazy night but the best part (for me at least) was the pizza. =P I could not remember though which street the pizzeria is located and later found out that it's all over Chicago so finding one would not be a hassel. I just can not afford to go to Chicago on my day-off because it's far and too cold for this time of the year. Luckily, we also have Bacci's here in McHenry, it's closer from work than home, so hooray!

I thought my favorite food was lasagna but after a while, I grew tired of it but spaghetti would always be comforting. I think I like pizza more than pasta and every week or two I see to it that I always grab a slice of pizza just to satisfy my taste buds. I know ketchup, tomato, salt is all bad for me but what the hell, I love to eat and I can't help myself. 

Anyway, back to the jumbo pizza, each slice is not overwhelming to look at and the taste is just okay. It's pizza made simple, only bigger (like way bigger). I, most of the time, order cheese pizza. I really don't like my pizza to be all meaty, oily and thick (except for Pizza Hut's cheesy crust..yum!). I don't want too many stuffing and definitely no olives please. I can live with green pepper, mushroom, white onions, and tons of mozzarella, dip it in ranch or garlic sauce or ketchup. So I won't complain if i'd get heavier and heavier each year. All the good foods are sinfully caloric and I am still not in that state of mind to eat right and healthy. I would rather die happily ginormous. =P

The other night, I was looking at my stuffs and realized that I have a lot of pens and notebooks already. I am so fun of papers and pens and colors. If you take me to a department store, I don't think I would be interested to look around unless I really need something but if you take me to a bookstore, I'd get all excited and my hands can't wait to grab a new set of fresh pen or a nicely bounded journal. I feel like a kid at toy's r us. I never get out of the bookstore empty handed.

I tried all my pens if they are all in good writing conditions and most of them are. I think i will go back to writing letters to friends. I want to say hi with letters and postcards hoping they would write back and holler back. But no expectations, it's getting really harder to squeeze things in one's busy schedule so this one I'll have to work on. I am hoping that I will be able to organize my time and do more.


As to snail mails, I am excited.

So friend, check your mail boxes and may you all have a cheesy day!

Exercise was never really my thing. I've tried enrolling myself to a gym (back in davao) and doing all the crunches, stretches and whatsoever but I never really liked it. I was not trying to lose weight that time, i just wanted to enjoy the free access of the swimming pool anytime of the day and perhaps the free wifi connection you get from inside the building. But I really love swimming and i think that is the only exercise that i know i can perform well plus you don't come out of the pool all sticky and sweaty and that is swell.

Just this evening when I arrived from work, I was doing my usual routine: watch pinoy dramas, go down to my 'lungga' (the basement) and sit some more and do nothing. Something different happened. I finally decided to move my butt and step on the treadmill. I am aware that I've been gaining extra pounds since i got here but losing some of it was not the main reason why i started running..or walking even when a lot of people close to me are already asking me to do something about my weight.

I figured running would take my mind off the many things that's been bothering me. I run till my legs start to hurt and when this happens i only think of the pain in my leg. I forget all about the others, the heartache. Maybe you can only cure a pain when you inflict another.

All i know is afterwards, i felt good. I started to feel less dead. I may not be able to think clearly as of now, but i know that i will soon be fine even if i ran out of breath most of the time. I will continue running until i can catch up with the bitter reality..with life itself.

sometimes it's not just about living healthy..it's about LIVING.


p.s.

Today, I learned how a garbage disposal works. Garbage disposal, by the way, is a device found under your sink used to grind your leftovers to tiny little pieces or you simply see one of these as a prop in horror movies used to butcher a moronic character;s hand when he tries to get a piece of jewelry or a key. It was months ago when our own garbage disposal just stopped working and no one even dared to put their hands inside to check out what's wrong. Call me a sissy, but I can not afford to lose an entire hand in my early twenties.

Because we do not have a functional insinkerator to dispose perishable food, the best we can think of is put leftovers inside the fridge and wait for the garbage men on Mondays. After doing this for several months, my mom finally realized that this must end before our fridge actually stores more frozen leftover than frozen food. so of we went to Home Depot to look around and buy a new one once we figured out how much one of these things cost. The price might be half of the problem, installing would be another. Finding someone to do it would be more costly than the machine itself. So i tried to ask around, we were at the right place because Home Depot always encourages their customers to 'do-it-themselves'. A guy was kind enough to help us find what we were looking for and tried to show us their displays. While he was explaining horsepowers, I was more impressed with the sound each garbage disposal makes as the blades turn. I realized the lesser the noise the more money. If I were to choose, I would rather have my hand chopped silently into pieces but my mother was already giving me that piercing look so I asked the guy if he could show me how to put a new one, which surprisingly is not that hard. He was patient enough to give me a little return demonstration or was it because not a lot of people were really coming in and he was not even that busy. I asked a lot of questions and one of which is how do you fix it when it's stuck? He showed me one of those wretch (sold separately) used to manually turn the blades from underneath. Then there it was, a 6.99 dollar solution that could fix the whole thing minus the effort of putting your hand inside. That works for me so that's what we got.

I gave it a try when we arrived home. I found out that something was stuck so the inevitable had to happen. I put my hand in there after saying a prayer and checking many times that the power was switched off. I took out a piece of black plastic thing that got stuck and tada! my hands are still in tack and the best part, our insinkerator is fully operational. I got irritated though that my hand now smells like grease so I will be spending the whole night washing my hands with every hand soap i could possible find.


Overall, I feel more accomplished than dirty.

=)

On a tuesday night, we decided to go downtown and watch coldplay in concert. Last night at United Center was a blast. I was surprised by the number of people who went to see Coldplay (yes..'the coldplay') live. Hands down to Chris Martin and his stunningly flawless voice that still plays over and over in head. They delivered a performance with full of energy. These guys owned the stage the moment the first note was played. The stage was illuminated by laser nights enough to cause you a grandmal seizure. This is my first time to watch a concert with a very big production and my first time also to see international artists which is kind of amazing. I am a fan of the group ever since and being able to sing along with familiar tunes that i used to listen over the radio was incredible. I respect the groups music. Some say the group can be compared to the legendary U2 but i totally believe that the group has proven themselves through the years and have successfully made their own mark in the music industry. My brother has their new album, viva la vida. when i listened to it, i was blown away by the new style of how every song was written and played. Unlike their past albums, the new one was heavy on strings, electronics, percussions and was surprisingly light with the lyrics. I totally recommend this album and I suggest to get the original copy. This is something that not just coldplay fans should own but also to those who wanted and are expecting moooore in music.

i've had my holga for almost a year now but i have to say that i haven't really used it as much as i can. probably because i really got myself preoccupied with work. i remembered using my holga first with a 120 film and i know in myself that 120 films are not readily available anywhere you go so i have to use more 35mm films. later did i realize that from the place that i live (woodstock-illinois), nobody from around really knows how to develop the 35mm film used in a 120 body. they would always say that they're not getting images because it was out of the frame. this got me disappointed for a while then i bought the 35mm film adapter that didn't really helped as much as i hoped it would. things were really starting to get expensive. these kind of things got me off my camera for quite a bit. finally i've decided to order some 120 films online and used them. i found out that walmart accepts 120 films for processing but they need to send it away and you need to wait for a week. it's cheap and i am really fascinated with the little box prints. now i can say that i am ready for my holga..err, again!

here's a few of my favorite holga shots and the link to my lomography website that i'm still trying to work on. =)

Summer in Illinois is filled with fun things to do. County fairs are local favorites but I've never been to one (well, not yet). You could always find something to do anytime and anywhere..even if you're not staying in the breezy city of Chicago. But over the weekend, we decided to drive the extra mile just to watch cirque du soleil. My mom and sister told me that cirque was also on tour last year but they presented a different show. I was never a big fan of circus. I guess the only time that I've been to one was way back when i was a child. If memory serves me best, the London Circus had a show in Davao City (correct me please if i'm wrong) which featured different animals, stunts and clowns. I've heard about Cirque from my mom. She always tells me how amazing the shows were and they're a must-see. You see, my mom is (kind of) hard to please so hearing it from her convinced me to watch it..err.. as long as she pays..hehe.

The first cirque du soleil show i've seen was La Nouba at Orlando Florida. I was totally blown away by the whole performance and i instantly fell in love with it. So when we heard that they are on tour and they're having a different show in Chicago, we were all excited and told ourselves that we should find time (from work) to see Kooza. I don't mind driving through heavy traffic for at least two hours. It was my first time driving to the city so i really had no idea what to do if ever we get lost. Luckily, we arrived there in one piece and my heart was racing when i saw the special tent they had to put up just for the show.


Kooza is part circus and part theater. They have a live band and singers playing their music that gets through your vibe. Their set was crazy. Everything was moving and the show was inspired by Hindu and African cultures and the artist Gustav Klimt. My jaws literally dropped because everything was meticulously designed (from the lights, costumes, props, makeup..etc) and the acrobatic stunts were flawless and precisely executed .

No cameras, video cams, cellphones were allowed inside so i didn't really had the chance to take pictures of the performance.. sorry guys. instead we bought the souvenir program and here are some pictures to share.

          the clowns                             the set                               skeleton dance                            teeterboard

Cirque du Soleil never fails to take my breath away and move me to tears. Kooza got a well-deserved standing ovation from the audience. I highly recommend this show and i assure you it will be worth every penny. =)

one thing that surprises me today is the fact that i came in early to work this morning. i usually punch in at 7:07 or later than that. waking up early is my least favorite and driving to work sucks. i am just glad that the day is finally over. it is always comforting to go home to a nice home-made supper after a hard day's work. my mom happens to cook some food that would pretty much feed her starving kids for the next few days. (thanks ma..)
i tend to eat a lot when i work a lot and i am not a great fan of exercising, so in a few years now, expect the extra weight i would be putting on.

after dinner, we got bored. mom and i decided to try out the new dance pad for dance revo (ps2). i taught her how to use the pad and the next thing i know, she is already hogging the entire game.



i got to try my new pens i ordered online. they're called popcorn pens by dong-a. i really love the puffy effect the ink makes after you use a hairdryer to dry it.


i got carried away that i did not realize that i was overusing the hairdryer. the next thing i know, i saw a spark and the hairdryer ( which by the way, belongs to my mom) went off.. forever.

oops..

looks like i have tons of explaining to do in the morning.



T.T
ma, sorry.

gather my thoughts and write something. sabi dito sa lj, 9 weeks since your last update. deymit!

T.T

My last post was almost three weeks ago and I tell you, a lot has been going on. We went on vacation to see the Caribbean and it was really a breathtaking experience. It was like living in a dream wishing you never wake up but too bad reality doesn't work that way. Seven days of cruising the Caribbean sea was awesome! I can say that it was the best vacation I've ever had in my life so mom thank you so much for taking us with you. We went to St. Thomas, St. Martin, Antigua, Sta. Lucia, Barbados and Puerto Rico. If you guys want to see the photos that I took please click this link.

Oh by the way, I already quit my job at the store because my new job requires me to do more hours. I really felt bad about it because I love all the people there even if they don't pay that much. I am very grateful to my supervisor because she is very kind and understanding to let me leave in such short notice. My new job as a caregiver, is easy. I work in a retirement community which is totally different from a nursing home. In our institution, there is no lifting and most of our residents are able to do their own activities of daily living. So basically what we do is give medications to some residents and assist them with some their adl. It's not really that stressful and the good thing is that job pays you well. I really thought that I'll be working for the morning shift (7am-330pm) but unfortunately, our manager needs more people to work in the night shift (11pm-730am) so she asked me if I could switch my hours and I said yes. Maybe I wasn't thinking clearly that time. I just thought that since I am a new employee, I should be able to show my manager how flexible and willing I am but my mom of course did not totally agree with me. I already started my night shift last week and tonight I will be coming to work at 11pm.

I had this four days off from work and besides sleeping, I was able to do a lot of things. Me and my sister went to that Japanese store again at Schaumburg called Mitsuwa. We grabbed some lunch and did a little bit of grocery. I bought a lot of candy, orange juice and some japanese notebooks and papers. I can't help but spend when it comes to papers, pens and coloring materials. I just love to hoard these things.



My sister and I went to Woodfield mall and looked around Nordstrom. Everything is expensive so we didn't really buy any stuffs. We went home after a couple of minutes. haha..

After realizing that I spent most of my money with food and things-that-i-don't-really-need, I remembered that I was suppose to do laundry and clean my room. I only have twenty dollars and I am not sure if that is enough to wash my bed linens and two comforters. So there, I drove to this laundry shop near our house. This will be my first time to do laundry outside so I brought with me tons of coins but the laundryshop that i went to uses a card where you can load money on it so you don't really need that much change. The lady working there was kind enough to show me what to do. The place was really very nice and quiet and to my surprise, there were only few people around when I came in. I like the place and will be back soon.


Yesterday, my mom and I went to Chicago for her citizenship interview. We took the 11 o'clock- train from Crystal Lake and arrived in Chicago at about 12:23pm. We then took a cab to the Immigration and Citizenship building and arrived there on time. My mom passed her interview and felt that we should get lunch. We went to the water tower to eat and look around. Whenever we go to Chicago, I always convince my mom to stop by Godiva chocolatier to get some sumptuous chocolates. I am not really a chocolate lover but my mouth waters over truffles. We didn't really walked around Chicago because my mom was having problems with her feet. Her shoes were giving her blisters and from the looks of it, they we're not her most comfortable pair. Immediately, we had to go back home but that is okay besides it's hard to move around coz' it's cold. hehe. maybe next time..again.



Again, mom congrats! =)

 

okay, so during my one week vacation, i got this message in our answering machine for a job interview at a retirement home. i thought that they are not interested to set up an interview with me coz' i was gone for a week but after some persistent calls i've made, their manager called me up 20 minutes ago and told me if i could come in at 1pm. that's like 2 hours from now. i'm freaking out. in a good way.. =)



if i do get this job. ill buy pizza. =)


(bargaining ba ito?)


update: i bought a family size tuscan six cheese pizza at papa john's.yum!



so everyone grab a slice. =)

yes! one week off from work and getting the chance to see other places. how exciting could this get, right?

but really i just wanted to hit the sheets and catch up with sleep.

i will be online in a week so bye for now cyberspace. =)

Saturday night, I was not feeling well. My mom had this bad flu and thanks to her and thanks to my very low immune system, I happen to catch it in a blink..err.. in a sneeze. I did not go to work last Monday because my mom insisted that we visit the doctor's office and ask which medicines are safe to take because as advised I just can not buy medicines over-the-counter. After the doctor's visit, me and my mom drove around McHenry County and decided to grab something to bite at Burger King. I wanted to feast over a delicious meal before my sense of taste disappears so I ordered the Double Stacker..yum. My mom got a whopper. I was surprised that she ordered a burger. I know for a fact that she hates eating at fast-food restaurants and she is not a big fan of pizzas or burgers. She even told me that afternoon that the last time she remembered she ate a burger was two years ago when we were still in the Philippines so I decided to pay for her meal too.

Until now, I'm still confined in bed with some tissues and water. I do hope that in the next days to come, I will be able to get rid of this cold and feel much better. I don't know if this is the right thing to say but I sort of miss working already and I need to earn some money if I want to go back to the Philippines (haha). For now I have to stay in bed and get some rest.


Good night everyone.

T.T