Memorial Day Weekend

Our 3-day weekend started earlier than usual. Thursday night, Jojo and I threw a backyard barbecue for some of my friends who were visiting L.A. The group was made up of folks I knew from way back in high school – Jeff (one of my best friends), Tim, and Kris. Some that I met a few years ago – Yam (Jeff’s sister). And some I just met that night, Wendy (Tim’s wife) and Cassie (Kris’ wife).

Backyard Barbecue (From left to right: Kris, Yam, Wendy, Cassie, me, Tim, and Jeff)

It was really nice seeing such familiar faces after so long (well, maybe not Jeff, since he was at our wedding!) and welcoming them to our home. It was a bit surreal though - since I’ve known these guys since I was 14, yet have not seen them in so long, and now we were sitting around a table with our spouses, well, it was kinda strange for me. Nice but strange. It was great catching up with them and also getting to know the rest better -- Yam, Wendy and Cassie are all super easy to be with. We barbecued ribs, sausages, corn and had a pitcher of Sangria to wash it all down. Kris and Cassie left that night to stay at their aunt’s place – but the rest of the group was staying with us.

Friday, they all headed for Six Flags, while Jojo and I had to go to work. But we did meet up for dinner that night. After careful deliberation, we decided to go to Red Lobster (Wendy had never been there and wanted to try it). Now, I’m not at all blaming her for choosing Red Lobster cause there was no way she could know that we would be having the worst seafood dinner ever! The food was awful! The calamari rings were tiny and overcooked, the trout was bland, the fried shrimp was lost in all that batter, and the crab legs were obviously frozen and reheated. Plus our server was so sweaty (yes, you read that right) and so out of breath all the time - doing what god only knows! The only saving grace was the lobster tail – which was ok - and the fudge cake for dessert – which was good and complimentary.

Saturday was shopping day and we (together with my brother, Jules) headed up to the Camarillo Premium Outlets. There we met up with some of my brother’s grad school friends – as well as half of LA County. The stores were very crowded, the lines were very long and parking was crazy. But the sales made up for all that. Inspite of trying to set meeting times and places that kept changing and looking for one another throughout the day, I did manage to get a couple of interesting things (Nine West sandals, Liz Claiborne sweater, Eddie Bauer shorts and shirts for my hubby, etc). After 6 hours at the outlets, we were all pretty shopped out and drove back to Torrance. We gad dinner at everyone’s favorite place – BCD Tofu House.

Now, as usual, Tofu House did not disappoint – you can’t go wrong with soon tofu, beef ribs, and pork bulgogi. We did over-order (which is usually the case when Jeff and I get together) but everyone was hungry so it worked out well. Every time we have out of town guests, Jojo ad I bring them to Tofu House, and every time we sit down to dinner, we ask them if they think franchising Tofu House in Manila would be a good idea. FYI, we have never brought anyone here (and believe me we have brought a LOT of people) who did not think it would be an awesome idea! I guess this will be Jojo's and my PLAN B.

After dinner, we headed over to the Rolling Hills Centre theaters to watch X-Men 3.

SPOILER ALERT!
It was the worst of the 3 X-Men movies I’ve seen. First of all, the title should have been “Wolverine Saves the Day” and second, they’ve killed everyone off. Anyway, suffice it to say we all left the theater quite disappointed about the way the movie ended.

Sunday was Costco shopping for pasalubong and pabilin. Later that day, our friend, Marc, from Phoenix stopped by (he was in LA with his cousins for the weekend) to attach our brand new digital thermostat thingamabob. Marc joined us for mass at St. Philomena and dinner at Hof’s Hut – where the food was so-so. The ribs were really good (we had to order a second full rack mid-way) but the Asian chicken wrap was pretty bad and so we pretty much just picked out the chicken pieces.

Monday we joined the family for a Memorial Day barbecue at Tracy and Jojo’s place in Cerritos. We are still drooling over the pot roast they served! It was the hit of the day. After quick stops at 99-Cent Store, Walmart and Island Pacific Supermarket, we dropped off the last of our guests at LAX before heading home.

That night, over bacon and tomato sandwiches, I was telling Jules and Jojo how much I enjoy having guests over. It’s like my mini-vacation without having to go anywhere. I like having people stay over. I’m proud of our home and glad when people tell us it’s charming, and cozy, and nice. I like waking up to a house full of people and having dinner conversations. I like cooking for groups. I like planning things to do and having people to do them with. I like the change in routine and getting to do things we normally don’t do. I like staying up late and talking. I like hearing laughter around the house. I like how being a tour guide allows me to play “tourist” as well. But best of all, I like being surrounded by family and friends.

Time

Why is it that time seems to stand still when you are waiting for something or stuck doing something you dislike? And why is it that time flies right by when you are doing something you enjoy? What’s up with that?

I mean think about it …

There is a huge difference between five minutes spent:
Sitting in rush hour traffic
VS.
Finishing up the last few minutes of your long distance phonecard.

There is an enormous difference between an hour spent:
Trapped in the world’s most boring staff meeting
VS.
Having lunch with a friend you haven't seen in ages.

There is a gigantic difference between a day spent:
Making a hundred cold calls for work
VS.
Shopping for the perfect pair of shoes at the mall.

There is a ginormous difference between a week spent:
Waiting for a call from a company you applied at
VS.
Bonding with your family while they are on vacation in LA.

I swear time stands still when you are stuck in traffic, in staff meetings, making cold calls, and waiting for stuff!

Belated Happy Birthday Jules!

Belated Happy Birthday, Jules! This is a double celebration for you. First, graduating with an MBA from Marshal Business School. And now, turning 28 :) Am so glad I got to be part of both. Wishing you the best and hoping that you land the job of your dreams real soon. I have faith in you and know that there are only good things in store. Am so proud of you too :)

Scenes from Jules' barbecue party last Friday.

My brother, the host!

My brother, the bartender!

My brother, the karaoke singer!

My brother, the ladies man!

Not So Happy

When my brother was much younger, my mom would often ask him how his day at school went, and there would be some days when he'd say he was "not so happy". Today, I kinda felt that way. Marc, Mark, Jojo, Jules and I saw off both my sisters who were heading home to Manila.

To Atsi and Cubby, my sisters and best friends, I'll miss you guys. The last few weeks were awesome having you both around. Thanks for helping me out around the house so much and for taking the time to share your joys, worries, and hopes with me. I know I'll see you both real soon.


Since I am feeling a tad low, I thought I'd cheer myself up by posting two pictures of two of my favorite days.

The first was our evening picnic at the Redondo Beach Pier. In the picture are Atsi, Mark, Joy, dad, mom, me, and Booy. Not in the picture, but somewhere nearby - Jojo, Marc, and Jules.

Here are the original 7 J's in Disneyland. (Jim, dad, me, Joy, mom, Atsi and Jules)
I just loved this day.

Saving Rave

Yesterday was a TERRIBLE day for me. It started out pretty innocently. Woke up, went to work with my hubby, returned phone calls and finished some letters that had to go out by noon. Joy came over around 1 and we had sushi in my office. Then things kinda/sorta went downhill from there.

Joy and I headed for FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandise). My sister is interested in enrolling in their Merchandise Marketing / Product Development program and I was accompanying her to meet with the school’s Admissions Rep. As we circled the block, I found an empty parking spot on the south side of the campus (Olympic St). What luck to find parking, right in front of the school, in downtown LA, in the middle of the day! Joy and I were quite proud of ourselves.

We dropped coins in the meter and I double-checked the sign, which read “2-Hour Parking”. All set. Joy’s meeting went well. We took a tour of the school, which although on the small side was quite impressive. We met some students, discussed the program, and got our questions answered. The program my sister is interested in sounds perfect for her and I just know it’ll be awesome for her. I was so proud too since my baby sister really impressed the Admissions Rep. Joy had to take an English test – a formality since she is an international student. While she was being tested, I decided to go drop some more coins in the meter – even if I had over half an hour left - just to make sure.

When I walk out to where we parked, my car was gone! At first I thought I must have parked on the wrong side of the building. But I see the Asian Fusion café at the corner and know I was at the right spot. My second thought was that my car was stolen. So I walk up to the security guard and ask him if he saw anything strange. He smiles and points to the sign, which I thought I read earlier. It did say “2-Hour Parking” but beneath it, it read “Between 10:00 am – 3:00 pm”. I look at my watch and it’s 3:15 pm. What’s worse the last line of the sign reads “Tow Away Zone”. Rave, (Jojo and I have named my car “Rave” -- cause I drive a Toyota Rav-4) has been towed away!

After I meet up with my sister, we end up calling a cab to drop us off at the lot where my car has been impounded. The taxi arrived in 15 minutes. And our funky Jamaican driver takes us to this seedy part of LA where the lot is located. You know you are in a bad neighborhood when the streets are deserted, there is graffiti everywhere, there are make-shift tents set up by homeless people in the alleys, and the properties are locked behind 12-foot steel gates.

Once inside, I talk to this unfriendly and good-hygiene-challenged man, who informs us he needs my ID and car registration. We walk inside the lot to get the registration from my car and I feel really terrible about seeing Rave in the middle of the lot of unclaimed, towed-away cars. I search the glove compartment and pull out my registration. We walk back to the office and hand it over. Same unfriendly man says this is the old registration and he needs the new one. Now, call me dumb, but as far as I know this was the only registration I had. In Manila it’s referred to as “rehistro” and this is what we kept in our cars. After going back and forth from the lot to the office and searching every nook and cranny of my car, I turn up with nothing. The guy said it was the piece of paper that comes with the annual sticker that the DMV mails to us. I call Jojo who says that it is most likely at home. So we’re stuck. I can’t take Rave out of the lot without the registration. The registration is at home. I can’t go home to get the registration without Rave. ARGH! Luckily Joy is there to help me get a grip, we call the cab company again and take another cab home. It’s now 5:30 pm and traffic is awful so there’s no way I can get the registration and drive back to the lot to free my car. I call my brother who was in a meeting in USC and ask him to pick Jojo up (since we drove to work together and I was suppose to pick him up after the FIDM meeting).

I felt really awful and frustrated. First, I was 15 minutes (15 MINUTES!) late and I get a parking ticket, not only that, my car gets towed away. All in 15 minutes! Last time I locked my car keys in the car, I couldn’t get a cop, a parking attendant or a tow truck out to help me for over an hour! Second, without my car registration, Rave was spending the night in an impound lot in the worst part of LA. Third, Joy and I had gotten ripped off by cab companies that had meters that were running even as we were stuck in traffic.

This morning, Jojo and I headed over to the same lot – got lost on our way to and from there – paid the ungodly amount and finally freed Rave. As I was computing how much I spent yesterday and today, I almost had a nervous breakdown. The only things that helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel throughout this horrible ordeal were my hubby’s calm, level-headedness and my sister’s sunny optimism and sense of humor. Thank God for them! But really, the total cost comes to this:

Cab fare to the lot - $11.00
Cab fare from the lot to the house - $48.00
Towing fee and overnight costs - $170.00
L.A. City Parking ticket - $65.00

Saving Rave – Priceless!