thanksgiving 2010

this past weekend everyone celebrated thanksgiving...yeay for family fun times and food!



this year we had to switch it up a bit. ususally, thanksgiving brunch is spent with my dad's side of the family at my aunt's house in hayward, but my grandparents didn't come back home until friday, so we postponed this until saturday.



dinner, was spent like always with my mom's side, at my grandma's house, in south city. there was of course, turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes and another type of gravy, steak, crab, tambo-tambo (ginataan to others), and for the first time ever stuffing. check out this conversation:



grandma: "what's that?" *looking at the stuffing

auntie p: "stuffing"

grandma: "stuffing for WHAT!"



we all laughed so hard. no one every brings stuffing on my mom's side, and i don't know if it will ever make an appearance again.



the cousin's chatted on the couch laughing. and afterward, my sister, jason, jonboy, mae and i ventured over to cream of beat. as always the music never fails me. we had a blast dancing the night away and even contemplated on making it over to kohl's since it opened at 3am. mae and janice had work, so we called it a night.



thanksgiving round 2 was on saturday in newark. i don't even remember seeing any turkey. lol. but there was ham, crab, gumbo, pinapaitan (sp?)...idk what else. i kept eating the crab and gumbo. (side note: i'm noticing just how much i LOVE seafood...i never really get sick of it)



after eating ... and eating ... and eating ... the cousins started playing taboo. if you've never played this...go buy and box and play. this has got to be a game that i never get sick of. this and catch phrase. so the object of the game is to make your team say the word on the top of the card, but you can't say the 5 related words on the bottom...you have to think out of the box. definitley a crowd pleaser every time. by the end of the night, we got through the EVERY card.



and in the middle of playing all our rounds of taboo, we played NINJA! this game was new to me...but it is sooo much fun. basically everyone is in a circle and you try to chop of the another person's hand, but you only have one move. apparently, we were getting a little excited and were too loud for the parents, so we took the game outside in the dark for a couple of rounds. and then we brought it back in and played some more. this was one of the most fun physical games i've played in so long. every cousin played except for janice who had to go to work. this will be a must at xmas time.



here's a picture that jackie took. i think she was out already. and monica took some video so hopefully i can post that soon.

Joel Orille

i find myslef thinking more and more about joel this time of year every year. with his birthday in october and the anniversary of his passing just after thanksgiving, i guess it's understandable.

tonight i just finished the book LOVELY BONES, by alice sebold. and after reading it, i can't help but think that there was a reason that HE recommended the book to me. if you read it, you might guess what i'm eluding to.

in the time that i got to spend with jo, we bonded. we bonded so much that he didn't call me by name, he called me sis. when i got off of work, it was he and i who spent the most time together. i would walk up the stairs to his house, and knowing the sound of my heels, he would yell out "SISSS!!" with his arms already out to greet me with a hug. i loved how he came to me for advice or help regardless of how big or small the dilemma. whether it be about love or school, it was an honor to help this guy. he would call or text me at night needing help with a paper that he was finishing or just starting but was due the next day. and taking the "big sis" role, i would take over the computer and fix the syntax errors and lengthen sentances where i could. and i even helped him write a paper on Lovely Bones, even though i had yet to read the book. this was when he told me that i should read it. when his class was over, he was supposed to lend it to me for a good read. unfortunately, he was never given the chance to finish his class or any of the classes that enrolled in that year.

i finally got my hands on a copy of the book a couple of months ago, but i was still reading the alchemist, so this was next in my que. it's funny how i would start reading the book as this time of year has come upon us. but to me it just makes it so much more special. maybe he was willing for me to read it and i can feel him even more b/c he wants me to. you'd have to read the book to understand that last comment.

ok so if you don't know...i do have ghost/spirit encounters...i know you may think i'm weird or crazy but whatever they happen. when seeing the book, i would always think of Joel. but when reading it, i felt so much more. i felt like his spirit was there with me and after reading the book, i don't think i'm wrong.

he was sooo excited when i threw him what would be his last birthday party, his 18th. he was so thankful and happy in his new birthday shirt (a present he was reluctant to accept b/c he was a person that didn't want to intrude on anyone in any way, but i wouldn't take no for an answer and he seen that i made me happy buying it for him), he didn't even have to say a word, his demeanor and the smile in his eyes, said it all. but i sit here now as the thankful one. i'm grateful for having him bless my life, for me to know such a pure soul. he never wanted to dissappoint anyone and was never hateful. and although dissappointed at times, he was NEVER resentful. he has to be one of the most gentle and caring people i have ever met in my life. and i'm glad that i had a chance for him to bless my life. i am so thankful that he and i spent every day that we could together, and trust me it was almost everyday. his meer presence with his smile and laughter were enough to make my long and daunting day dissappear so much so i was energized when i seen him.

he is a person that left his mark with everyone that he met and will always be missed. Your big sis loves you brah!

today i run...

i haven't been out on a run in a long time. and today was the day that i actually had enough will to get my lazy ass out and hit the pavement. and today was a great day to be out there. it was HOTTT about 2 weeks ago and then like our typical bipolar weather, it was rained. but, today, it was perfect. the sun was out, but there was still a cool breeze in the air. perfect running weather for me. and, btw, it rained last night...i love running after a fresh rain. the air just seems so much cleaner after it rains.

i decided to run what i thought was called the "crystal springs trail" and thought i was going out for a easy 3 mile run. i have never run this trail and was told that it was a 1.5 mile trail, 3 miles out and back. as i was running, i thought to myself, "when am i going to hit the turn around, this seems kindda long?" but, i never really like to look at my clock as i run. i just like to see the time when i finish. so, i just kept one going.

as i coming up on my last couple of steps to the trail, i watched my phone's stopwatch come to 54:18. all i could think was this trail HAS to be longer than 3 miles, i wasn't running that slow. even at 15 minute miles i would be done in 45 mins. so i took a look at the sign that was posted and realized that i just ran a trail called "san andreas" that's actually 2.6 miles, 5.2 miles out and back. i did the math and i avergaed about 10:38 minute/mile!

after not having run since the nike marathon and having one of the worst runs that day, i was quite pleased with myself. and i have to say i was and still am impressed with my time.

while on my run, i got to take in some scenery that i didn't even notice on the way out to the turn around point and that i would have never seen without taking this trail. it was so still, so beautiful, so serene. it's runs like these where i can take in the my surroundings and clear my mind that make me glad that i willed myself out to the trail. and like i always tell myself, the hardest part is showing up. today...i am ever so glad that i showed up.