Bits and Pieces

So many things have been going on lately that it’s been a struggle to post anything on my blog. It’s too bad though cause there are so many things I would like to write about. To start off, my parents left for Manila exactly one week ago. And I think it’s taken me roughly this long to get over their leaving :(

On our last night in Torrance, my mom outdid herself and created a special dinner (lamb chops with a rosemary-garlic-breadcrumb crust, grilled salmon with melted butter, and her special Caesar salad). But what was extra special that night was the bonding my dad and I had over … furniture assembly. Yes, you read that right. Furniture assembly!

My dad who is a brilliant financial guru, an exceptional business master, a self-made man is a lot of things – but mechanically inclined I’m afraid he is not. And of course, me, being his daughter, well, I’m pretty mechanically-challenged as well. But earlier that day we purchased a coffeetable and a half-moon console table. Both tables are made with a combination of mahogany wood, wrought iron, and a stone/slate tabletop. Very beautiful in the showroom, quite heavy in the box, and a little bit daunting when we emptied the contents in our garage.

But let me brag about this for a moment, after about an hour’s work, with only our positive attitude, sheer determination and an electric screwdriver, we put together both tables – best of all – they were standing and we didn’t have any screws left over! My mom, brother and hubby were suitably impressed.

Right now, with my parents back home, I still feel like they are with us in Torrance – there’s a freezer full of prepared food care of my mom, and of course, both tables my dad and I put together in our living room :)

In other news, may I also brag about my hubby landing a job with a new company? He has not wanted me to post about it sooner since he wanted to make sure he was all settled in before I made any major announcements. It’s been two weeks – I think that’s way enough time.

As I’ve posted a number of times, my hubby is an IT genius (and it’s not just my wifely pride talking here). Anyway, he is now working as an IT Specialist (a.k.a. the main “go-to” guy for anything computer related!) for a company that produces Japanese manga and anime. Talk about a match made in heaven! Jojo is so passionate about IT and his number one interest would have to be anime comics, cartoons and video games. It’s perfect for him. Imagine doing what you like to do and what you are good at for a company that produces products you really enjoy. It would be like my getting a job as a personal shopper at Macy’s or becoming a food critic for major restaurants or doing corporate training at Disney. I just keep hoping that everything continues to work out for him.

In still other news, my auntie Julie and uncle Raniel are visiting us right now and will be staying till Monday. So we’re playing host and hostess once again. That’s always fun.

The one sad note is my brother (who lives with us) is on Xmas break and is heading home to Manila for the holidays. It’ll be a great vacation for him especially since he’s really been burning the midnight oil with all his studying lately. Of course, we will definitely miss him! The house will definitely be a little quieter and a lot emptier, there won’t be any delicious home-baked brownies for a while, but it’ll also mean no old newspapers lying around for the next three weeks. Bon voyage Jules!

Today is also my BIL’s birthday. Best birthday wishes to you too. We’ll see you tomorrow and really do some celebrating! :)

And on Monday and Tuesday, I will be flying off to Redding (north of Sacramento) to do two days of training for a casino/hotel up there. Looking forward to it and hoping that maybe I'll get to see some snow. Does it snow over in Redding???

Happy weekend everyone!