Oh My....

I have two days left to pack. First for NYC, then for the Philippines trip. Agggghh! Procrastination! I did get somethings done, I shopped for the necessary items: Shampoo, comfortable pj's, a travel neck pillow...okay, maybe they are not so necessary. But it's fun to shop whatever the reason.

I'll be gone for a while so I have to make sure my bills are paid. I will bring my laptop and whenever I'm at my cousin's house, I'll have Internet (yea!) so I'll be able to update my blog and keep you updated with pictures and stories. It's not like the old days where we go away and completely drop off the map. Oh, and I got DVDs for my video camera. Should be fun. A real culture shock!

Good Book, Just Ignore Martha Stewart

Just got this book from Costco: Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home

It has EVERYTHING you need to know about everyday practical things. I especially appreciate the cleaning checklists, the refrigerator life for foods, average make up life (good to know) and answers to those annoying problems like how to fold fitted sheets. It has great organizing tips, tips for upkeep of general appliances, proper cleaning instructions, and even how to do some small fixing jobs around the house. Really good to have whether you own a house or live in an apartment.

Some Quizzes I Took...

You Are Wolverine

Small but fierce, you're a great fighter.Watch out! You are often you're own greatest enemy. Powers: Adamantium claws, keen senses, the ability to heal quickly

Which of the X-Men Are You?

Your Personality Is

Guardian (SJ) You are sensible, down to earth, and goal oriented. Bottom line, you are good at playing by the rules. You tend to be dominant - and you are a natural leader. You are interested in rules and order. Morals are important to you. A hard worker, you give your all at whatever you do. You're very serious, and people often tell you to lighten up. In love, you tend to take things carefully and slowly. At work, you are suited to almost any career - but you excel in leadership positions. With others, you tend to be polite and formal. As far as looks go, you are traditionally attractive. You take good care of yourself. On weekends, you tend to like to do organized activities. In fact, you often organize them!

The Three Question Personality Test

As Promised! (Cheesy-Smile Picture)

Found it! You'd never believe where? After tearing up the house & frantically searching, I decided to make the best of my search by putting things away and organizing. As I was in my underwear drawer, I brushed aside some unmentionables to reveal: Ta da! My Passport!!! I was never an "underwear drawer stasher" so I was puzzled...but only for a moment because I was overcome with giddy delight! What a relief! Now it's time to have a bubble bath with a glass of wine and book that massage I've been needing so badly! It's too late for a nap (I'm exhausted), but tonight's sleep is going to be good! :)

Lost Passport

It's something I always keep in the same place. But while making preparations for my trip, I discovered that it was missing. The last time I had used it was on my cruise back in September, and a lot has happened since then. First of all, I remember taking a long time to unpack...but I checked my luggage and it's not there. Also, we moved everything out of the bedroom while painting so I have NO idea where it could have went. I've checked every obvious place and not so obvious places. Did I drop it after passing customs? UGH.

Like Gata, I'm hoping I find it right after I blog about it. I have already passed my deadline today for filing for an emergency one. I'm going to keep on searching...if I don't find it in the next couple of hours I'm going to go to the Post office and get the forms to file tomorrow morning. I can have it sent to NY worst case scenario. But until I get it, I'm going to feel anxious. @!#$%

Alone Time

I've always been surrounded by people - I'm not saying it's a bad thing...but when I get a chance to be alone for a while, I savor it.

SO Excited

I'm going away to the Philippines for 3 weeks in March. I have never gone, so I'm really looking forward to it. My mom is coming also, and my aunt and grandmother. She's acting blaze about it, and it's kind of annoying since I feel so differently I guess. I can't believe I'm going to be in Asia! I'm going to meet family, see the house my grandfather built, see where my mom and aunts and uncles grew up. I'm going to be filming, taking pictures like crazy and just trying to soak everything in. I hope to see some tourist spots like the Chocolate Hills and the Rice fields. I bet it's going to be so lush, green and tropical. It really stinks that my cousin Saskia can't make it, but I'm going to get to bond with my two cousins who live there. I'll try to blog when I'm over there, I'm sure I'll have lots of cool National Geographic-like pictures to share.

(Chocolate Hills)

It's Been A While...

Had a few guests over this past month, first were the D'Amato's...it was fun, we managed to visit the Galarza's for the first time also. The baby's a cutie. Then we met up with Steph & JP who are in town. We went to the Everglades one day and had a great time, despite my camera battery dying after seeing the first alligator. Next time people come over, it's definitely a must-do, seeing wildlife is just the most relaxing thing. We saw over 45 alligators (I know because my mom kept count-ha ha) and we got pretty darn close to them too. We did the trails where you walk on an elevated pier, but next time I'm definitely going to do the boat ride. After that, we hit this winery (Schnebly Winery) that makes wine from tropical fruits - no grapes. Taste testing was fun, and my favorite turned out to be the Mango one (surprise surprise). It's smooth and the taste of alcohol is almost undetectable. (Uh-oh). We didn't have time to do the Orchid farm or the Bonsai farm, but it's definitely a spot to hit next time as I LOVE orchids.

Grey Heron (above)

We got even closer than this, after this shot, my camera died.

Mindless Ramblings...

I bought a book to teach myself crochet. When I was younger, Miledy gave me a blue needle and taught me how to do the chain stitch. So I decided to pick it up again and try to advance to the point where I can actually make something! My goal is to make a baby blanket for Flora, but I'm not going to say anything in case I turn out to be really bad at it. I tend to lose patience. Remember our knitting classes with Karin? Those were really nice, however I don't know if I retained much...I do remember it was nice spending time with the ladies.

I've been having a pretty bad skin week...and I buckled down and bought Proactiv on eBay. I'm going to try to sell my old ipod on eBay but haven't gotten around to posting it.

BTW, I love Gwen Stefani's new song "The Sweet Escape" although I do still miss her ND days. She did sell out big time...although I like a few of her new songs. Way better than LoveBabyLambCrap. I still think she could have done similar stuff with ND (Rock Steady album had a dance-vibe). Whatever. I want to go to her concert in May; she's a great performer. Anyone down?