Fred died today. Ugh. I don't know what to say. I'm so heartbroken right now. Its weird cause usually he's in the corner of my eye, sleeping on my bed... but theres nothing now. He was sick this morning, he threw up on my bed... so I moved him to the living room so that he can lay on the lining just incase he were to do it again. I called my mom and she said she would take him to the vet. 3 hours later when I got home from school, I thought she had taken him cause the apartment was quiet... but no. He was underneath the chair and gone. Ohmygosh, I miss him so much. :(

The other night I had dinner with my dad and sister... it seems that my dad has read "THE RULES" and was spouting out advice on dating. I am not supposed to accept dates for the weekend of asked after Wednesday. I am not to pay for dinner and there is no such thing as dutch. I am to play hard to get and not supposed to call a guy because *if he knows that you like him... you have no chance.* He's a funny man. Usually aren't dads supposed to be overprotective with their daughters and aren't the mom's the ones with the dating advice? My mom's one advice is NOT to get married and she would be perfectly fine with me living in sin, just as long as I'm not chained down with the bound of marriage. Occasionally she'll tell me dorky advice such as *marry rich and old... AND THEN marry for love* but that really isn't very motherly. Yeah, my family is pretty quirky... but you gotta love them!

*betcha by golly wow*
1) I'm grateful that the rest of the world is finally going back to school. :) HAHAHAHAHA!! At least I don't feel like I'm the only one missing out during these last days of summer...
2) I'm grateful for my crazy parents... sure they give me headaches, but deep inside I love them and they only give me headaches because they love me. :)
3) I'm grateful for airconditioning in classrooms... eek!! its been getting really hot! I got scared today during class cause I though the heat would get into the apartment while I was gone and poor Freddy would be baked. But when I got home, it was cool as a cucumber over here and Fred was just chillin. :)

EEK!! I've been ditzier than usual lately... I've managed to lock myself out of the apartment because my house keys weren't on my keychain for some odd reason... I though I lost my car keys, but it turned out that I had left them in the trunk of the car... thinking that there were 51 states in the US, only to be corrected by the IN & OUT guy (but at least I didn't think it was 52 like Tam)... argh.

Well, Friday night is when I got locked out of the apartment after my "date" with Jean. But luckily mom was home and let me in... too bad it was at 1:30 am and she was sleeping. :0 I had a late dinner earlier with Jean, Manny and Carrie... where Carrie spilled ALL her water on me... :( hehehhe.. its alright... It was "refreshing"?

Yesterday was night out with Tam, Lisa and Melissa. =)
Mel on the phone: What are you going to wear?
Me: I think my jean skirt with a back top..
Mel: With *come-get-me* shoes?
It was great just sitting around, chatting about *drama*... and then..Girls night at the Boogie... it was absolutely insane dancing on bars and bouncing our way through the dance floor. Some interesting characters all throughout the club *ahem crazy guy dancing by himself with the mirror...just WEIRD!* Lisa almost kicked a bouncer's ass... :) Afterwards we all just chilled here and watched infomercials (*Lisa if that epil-stop and spray works... do tell!*) and some crazy spanish variety show with girls dancing with palms, nets and pineapples while we tried to interpret it with our high school spanish ("all I got was *yes* and *with*") heheh.. just like old times... :)

*check baby check baby 1-2-3-4*
1) I'm grateful to learn that there are 50 states in the US... Thank you Lisa!
2) I'm grateful for *good times* :)
3) I'm grateful for people who know the true meaning of friendship. Oh so cheesy.. but its freaking true. :) There are people out there who have NO idea what the definition of friendship is and I consider myself lucky to have a handful of friends who I love dearly and that know "the way it is." I guess this is why we've been able to last this long even though we may see each other not as much... Its a lot of acceptance and the ability to talk and vent to each other even with the many up's and down's.

Well, in usual mom fashion, she spent her Birthday being a kid and frolicking at the happiest place on Earth, Disneyland, with her best friend from the 7th grade, Tita Julie, whom she hasn't seen in 20 years. Unfortunately, I had class... but my sister and I were able to meet them over at Downtown Disney for dinner at the Jazz Kitchen. :) The two of them were all Disney-ed out and told me that they had saw Steven Tyler from Aerosmith frolicking in the park as well with his bodyguard. Weird huh,. no kids, no family, no posse, just him and his bodyguard. Anyhoo, after our fill of jambalaya pasta and bread, mom and tita julie went back into the park to check out Fantasmic and the Indiana Jones ride, while Carlene and I went window shopping...

*mmmmbop*
(as Melissa would say.. OH HELLLL NO!)
1) I'm grateful for my mom... Happy Birthday! She has sacraficed so much for my sister and I... she truly is amazing, even when she nags. :) I love her so much.
2) I'm grateful for my classes... I'm really loving them. (I know I've only been in school not even 2 weeks now, but I'm really feeling it and understanding all of it. And I feel that I'm learing skills that are really going to benifit me in the future. :) YAY!
3) I'm grateful to for the discovery of some good books out there. :) There's a collection of short stories out there by Aimee Bender called "The Girl in the Flammable Skirt" that were simply amazing... Also "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" by David Eggers was a kick ass read. AHHHH... I'm a nerd... :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE!! I hope you feel alright in the morning... :) He had his birthday dinner tonight and it was very cool... I got to meet Terry, some of his Barkada friends, and his TKE brothers, .. and all had one main goal: GET JOE DRUNK. I think they reached it... and in usual Joe fashion, he was very happy and telling everyone that he loved them. It was beautiful.

Speaking of birthdays, my mom's old friend from high school is visiting from Austrailia... :) I guess she's had a lot on her mind, so it might just explain the following conversation:
Mom: So where should i take Tita Julie? Wheres a cool place to take her tomorrow?
Me: I dunno mom.. where do you feel like spending your birthday at?
Mom: Its my birthday?
Me: umm.. yeah.. Aug 21... thats tomorrow..
Mom: shoot.. I forgot.. already?

Silly silly mom... :) Gotta love her.


a lil something to be grateful for: extra fine ballpoint pens... I love them! Writing is smoother and my handwriting looks much neater with it. :) Make them colored, ohhhhh my gosh I'm in heaven! :)

:D it was a GREAT weekend!!

It all started off Thursday afternoon when Kathy came up from SD for the Board Meeting... we met up with Ryan and Beth to go to Gameworks since it was LADIES NIGHT (all games free!) So we all took advantage of playing games we normally wouldn't play... virtual fighter and that one Pirate Game where you get strapped in the seat and it makes you fly up and down... that was very interesting. :) Kathy and I horded STAR WARS for a good hour and we managed to FINISH the game... :)

Friday, Kathy and I drove to South Coast in hopes of finding her a CRAB mascot... but there were NONE! Weird... FAO Shwartz has Praying Mantis plush, but no Crabs. ummmm.. yeah. Then it was off to Beth's to meet up with her and Ryan... off to the Cheesecake Factory for a dinner with Manny, Sukhyung, Armando, Kenny... and then mini golf! Kathy made up the teams, and since I haven't played mini golf for the longest time, I think was the weakest link for our team. :( NAH.. its alright.. our team kept the game very "INTERESTING"... (um...we sorta kinda cheated.) Manny kept on loosing his balls.. the first time I was *this close* to wading into the pond to get him a new ball but luckily he found his in the bushes. (*this close* means jacket and shoes were kicked off and I was a toe away from wading). The second time, Kathy and Manny were using their clubs as chopsticks and I had to stick my hand into the pond to fish it out, as our other team member Armando looked on. Crashing umbrellas, skeeball, army men, and bouncy balls later.. we were all back at Beth's where Jimmy and Ellie met up with us and we had preboard meeting and late night kinkos run for last minute xeroxing of agendas, proposals,and board reports.

FTC and Board Meeting on Saturday... big big hugs for the members who came to the FTC meeting... Mike, you must be a parking ticket, cause you have FINE written all over you!!! Stephanie YOU KICK ASS!! Board meeting went well and not as long as I expected! :) Back to Beth's for MAFIA and EITHER/OR... and off KARAOKING! :D Let me say, that Ryan, Jimmy, and Shaym's rendition of Meriditth Brook's BITCH was the most disturbing thing I have ever heard, none the less freaking entertaining. Jimmy never got to sing his song, but at least we got to him croon *STAYING ALIVE* :) Beth and I were shocked to learn that Armando is just as dorky as we were.. :) and I think everyone had plenty-o-fun. Ice Cream and frech fries at Rocky Cola where Kathy drank a teaspoon of Tabasco sauce for $.35. Family thought I was MIA, so Kathy and I had to leave, but not before taking some pictures next to a sign that was too interesting to ignore. :)

Now, I gotta hit the books. :( Sad sad sad....
ta da!
1) I'm grateful for the opportunity to bond with the board... it was so much fun! :) Kathy and Armando are going to get married and Beth captured a lot of quotes for her site. YAY!
2) I'm grateful that the Board meeting went well and that Beth got the theme she wanted. :) Yeah she would have done a kick ass job with any of the other themes, but she's really going to shine with this one... also NOT go crazy with it during the next 8 months.
3) I'm grateful that Melissa is back home for a good week. :)

*ppssst. HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY JOE! (its tomorrow actually... so everyone go tell Joe that you love him.) *MUAH* Love ya!

I know I always make my "if I had a nickle" anology... but seriously. If I had a nickle for everytime this crappy computer crashed/froze/slapped me around... I'd have a MILLION DOLLARS! I get freaked when it makes that sad, pathetic grinding noise like.. "ooooo.. this is too much for me to handle... im old... ooooo... im soooo old.... what?? you want to open WORD? mmm.. i'm not too sure about that but let me try...." and then it just stops. Poor poor old computer.

Hmmm... 3 things I could do without.
1) RICK DEES. Talk about a waste of airtime. He doesn't play music in the morning when you REALLY need it to wake you up on the morning ... AND his jokes aren't even funny. Ok.. I'm being a brat... but he really irritates me. He could be on the radio for an HOUR and not play one song... yes I know I could change the station, but reception here is sometimes so crappy that its the only thing I get. *awwww*
2) Really obnoxious people in my classes... they change the subject, speak out loud at any random moment, and they think they know everything! But I do get a guilty pleasure when the professor points out that they are wrong and they look foolish. Yes... I'm being a brat again... I know that all they are doing is expressing their opinions and all, but do we really have to hear ALL OF THEM? I guess that if I had a superior cocky mentality about school, (and at least I don't think that I do), I'd be like that too... and people would constantly think to themself.. "why doesn't she shutup already!"
3) Cramps. Cramps are a bitch.

That was cleansing. :)

Don't you think that Joey Lawerence doing his "BLOSSOM" days sorta kinda looked like Ricky Martin? I was watching a bit of E! Celebrity Profile on Joey Lawerence and it sorta stuck me that that him and everyone's favorite hip-shakin latin crooner look alike. Or maybe it could just be me. Its kinda like Mandy Moore and Lisa Loeb. They don't look alike, but they have the same kind of soothing voice. And they both sing to mellow sorta kinda rock/light alternative songs. Well, not CANDY, but with Mandy Moore's new cd... yeah.

OK... well, one thing's for sure. Prince Eric from the Little Mermaid and David Seville from Alvin and the Chipmunks... ARE THE SAME PERSON!!

;)
1) I'm grateful I only got a "warning" than a "parking ticket" today at school. But the parking lot was crowded, no one was leaving, and I was already late for class... so of course I'll sneak into the staff parking when the opportunity comes my way. And its not like I took away precious parking from the teachers... there were other spaces! But yay!! It was only a WARNING!! :D
2) I'm grateful that I'm loving my classes so far. :) Even though I feel that I'm the only one who doesn't have any hands on child care experiences cause it seems like EVERYONE and their moms have a BABY in my classes. Oh well, I don't need to go to the sperm bank to get an A, I just need a TB test so that I can do some observation at the school childrens center. Plus with the TB test I get results in 2 days... not 9 months.
3) I'm grateful for change... and discovering that it's never too late for change.

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY MELISSA!! *MUAH*
We'll go party in a week when you get back down. =) pinky swear!

Who built the batcave? I mean, there's Batman, Robin, and Alfred... and Alfred is usually the tech guy who makes the suits and put everything together, but I highly doubt that he built the batcave by himself. So I'm thinking they probably hired people to build it... but what did they do? Blindfold them and take them to the site? Wouldn't people go... "I have to build this underground layer that just so happens to be under Bruce Wayne's manor?" Wouldn't they put one and one together? Just a lil something that was bothering me today.

Well, ICON is done, and I start school on Monday. What the...? Where did the time go?? Well my final moments of freedom have been so far so good. Kathy stayed over after ICON and Jean sorta kinda ran away and took shelter on my futon. :) The next day Ryan came and picked us up and we went out to lunch at THE LOFT in Torrance. (I've heard Manny and JR rave about this place and it was pretty good. Nice atmosphere... felt like I was in an episode Gidget.) Afterwards kicked it at the mall and waited for Beth to get out of work... Kathy missed her bus so instead we met up with Beth, watched RUSH HOUR 2 (which was ok... some parts were HILARIOUS.... but I really loved the outtakes in the end.) and had some crazy conversations in the parking lot. So once again Kathy stayed the night and on Friday she made her bus. :) Heheheh, I'm telling you, people complain that Pomona is soooo far away and in the BOONIES... but if they need a place to stay, where do they go. POMONA. :P Nah.. I love having people over.. its lke a slumber party all the time.. except without the outrageous dares.

Hmmmm... life is good. Life is change. Change is good. Right?

My mom told me that while I was gone, Fred was ansy at night and was going in and out of my room. *awww* isnt that the cutest? I love my Freddy.

Was a homebody today and baked. :) Yes I will become a domesticated diva just yet. I also learned how to properly fold the fitted bedsheet from Martha Stewart. She 's one obsessive compulsive genius.

*why do you build me up... buttercup*
1) I'm grateful for washing machines and dryers... can you imagine how hard it would be to wash clothes without them? Yes, I know our ancestors had to do with a a bucket and a washboard and there are still people today who have to do that... I guess our society is just spoiled with the conviences of modern technology. Imagine if we still had to churn our own butter? People would have arms of steel and Fabio wouldn't belive that it was butter.
2) I'm grateful for friends who put in the effort to stay in touch. *MUAH* I love you guys!
3) I'm grateful for a GREAT summer. *sniff* Why did it have to end so fast!?!

Hello Loves!! Home never looked so good. I was clicking my heels 3 times and whispering "Theres no place like home" over and over again while at the airport today. :) Its not that I DIDN'T have fun at ICON... I did!! I just wanted to go home already...

Hmmm.. where do I begin... OK.. its going to be pretty RANDOM.

On the way to the hotel, our Cabbie pointed out a hooker to Carrie and me on the street.

On our first day, Beth, Cynch, Marlo, Ruby and I were walking down to the mall for something to eat... when we were attacked by a MASSIVE SWARM of GNATS. I'm not KIDDING. The whole city was bombarded with GNATS. SO we were all running down the street waving our arms like we were insane and took refuge in a store.. where we discovered that little gnats sprinkled our hair, arms, legs, and clothes. It was horrible. Beth and I lost our appetite and braved the gnats and ran back to the hotel. When we got inside, it looked like a volcano erupted outside and ashes were just floating in the air... the hotel folks said that it was probably the humidity.

I ran into Jim from Wisconsin who gave me the BIGGEST hug I've ever had in my life.. *I SWEAR!* :D It was really kick ass seeing all the people that we met last year in San Diego... as well as making new buddies.. Kathy, Beth, and I went with Jean to a La-Miss-Tenn party where we had the greatest conversation on steryotypes with one guy, Jeremy. He told Beth that he had NEVER met a Japanese person before and was suprised that she didn't talk like she was *Japanese*.

Trip to Niagara Falls was a LOT of fun! :) We all went on this "MAIDS OF THE MIST" boatride, where we donned on garbagebag ponchos and rode on this boat that sat near the base of the falls. The boat was swaying, water was crashing, and everyone was pretty much soaked. Like Beth said *Now I know how our FOBBY ancecestors felt when they came over here* Afterwards, we walked over the bridge into Canada (as Ryan says The MEXICO OF THE NORTH) where I won a WHOLE $1.25 at the casino. I thought I left Kathy at the border, so Jean and I ran back and luckily she had her wallet with her.

The usual CKI politics and serveral LOOOOONNNNNGGG House of Delegates...

There was a scary fake piano guy playing in the lobby of the hotel.

The city of Buffalo is pretty DEAD. During the day.. its DEAD. At night, its DEAD... with the exception of Saturday night where Chippawa (the street that's filled with clubs and bars) was FILLED with people and cars like those crazy GIRLS GONE WILD videos... it was very weird. Other than that... the wind was blowing and I'm suprised that tumbleweeds didn't roll by in the ghost town of BUFFALO.

1200 CKIers... 16 floors... and 3 elevators. Is that really a GOOD IDEA?

I know have offical *SEXY VOICE* from all the screaming and cheering... Call me if you wanna hear! :)

Lots of crazy times and laughs. Yes... it was a *good time* :) Soooo.. who wants to come to FLORIDA!?!

Well, I'm sleep deprived and lacking proper nutients, so I better finish.

*I feel good.. oh I feel so good. I feel fine.. all of the time. Arrooga... Arrooga.. Arrooga-arrooga-arrooga!*
1) I'm grateful for a REALLY GREAT time in NY.. yes it was BUFFALO... but it was AWESOME! A lot of bonding time and you actually get a sense of the impact we are making in the world. *YES OH SO CHEESY* There was a service fair there were we got to see what other districts are doing and share some ideas. You hear about how everyone does service, but seeing it in the thousands of pictures made me feel all happy and gushy inside.
2) I'm grateful that everyone arrived safely getting there and getting back home. Although for some it was quite stressful, but at least they got there and had a good time.
3) I'm grateful for our KICK ASS district. You guys ROCK! :)

Carrie Says

*Start spreading the news....* yup I'm all packed and ready to go. I think I may have overpacked, but you never know if you'll need something but you dont have it and then your're screwed!! I'm kinda nervous cause I'll be flying alone. I don't mind flying alone, but it would be comforting to have someone with me for this 7 hour flight. Orginally, I was supposed to fly with Carrie but she couldnt get on my flight and I tried to change it to hers... but no such luck. Oh well, I have my copy of *Rebecca* as well as my discman and cds in my bookbag...

Well, I'm at Carries at the moment watching her pack her stuff. Shes getting excited cause she gets to put her new garment bag to use. She keeps on whispering *this is sooo cool* to herself while caressing the bag. :) Silly girl.

Hmmm... other than my ICON anticipation, I've been looking up job openings and calling nearby school districts... and so far so good. :) I'm really crossing my fingers that something works out especially since it will help me train for working in the classroom with kids...

OK... I can't think anymore of anything interesting. Did that even make any sense? NOOO.. that was so gramatically incorrect. Carrie says it should be *I can't think of anything interesting anymore.* That looks right... oh well... you get the point.

salamat!
1) I'm grateful for crazy friends... my life would be oh so dull without them. Like Big Brother 2.
2) Carrie says... *be grateful for luggage* specifically *suitcases that expand.* I guess I can agree on that... actually.. I do. =) Thank God for Luggage!! It beats trekking cross country with my clothes balled up in a bandanna attached to a stick!
3) I'm grateful for the opportunity to go to NY... yes its only Buffalo and I won't be visiting Conan or dropping by the TRL window with a TAKE ME CARSON sign down in the city... but its an adventure!! =) And hey... get to go to Niagara Falls baby!! I remember watching that one David Copperfield special when he went down the falls in a barrel....

Fred stinks.

Went last minute shopping for the completion of ICON wardrobe yesterday with Beth... hit scary downtown Pomona and went to some discount/thrift shops. Didn't find any hidden treasures there ...so we went over to San Dimas TJ Maxx. I ran into Stephanie from church, whom I haven't seen for the longest time, and we chatted and caught up since she had just gotten off work. I guess she had seen my dad, my cousin, and myself at the store all at different times but the same day... weird. I guess theres some crazy Concepcion connection and TJ Maxx going on...

Sooo... today is Wednesday... tomorrow is Thursday... and Friday I leave!! =) I'm so excited... the other night after i was done organizing my business/semiformal/formal attires... I couldn't sleep! It was around 2ish and I was wide awake... so I started reading... then organized my closet a bit... continued reading.... and was still up when my mom left for work at 6am. EEK!! After she left, I got up and cleaned the kitchen, cooked breakfast... and I was about to make a purse, but I couldn't find a bobbin for my sewing machine =( So instead invaded storage boxes and found some old books and art supplies... and then organized my pictures in an album... I guess the anticipation is getting to me.. =)

*cool it now.... oooo watch out. you're gonna loose control...*
1) I'm grateful for Priceclub. Gosh... buying salads in bulk is the greatest thing!
2) I'm grateful for JR because he updated his blog. =) Yes you get pogi points!! Plus its been a while since I've given him a shout out. Hiya cuz!
3) I'm grateful for AIM. Its convient.. you get to chat with all sorts of people.. long distance isn't a factor... and its free!