Here I go again.. another one of those “Nicole loves her family” blogs… but I really do. I just got a call from JR (the pimp one…) and he just wanted to say goodnight cause unlike the rest of my cousins and my sister, I have Sprint whereas they all have Cingular and they always text-message each other… but he actually called me! Awwwwwww… :) I love him so. I love my family… I guess I have a lot of love for everyone at the moment… It might be because of this addiction to watching TLC and all…

So today at dinner for Angel’s birthday, Bombie and Michelle brought my new baby niece Alicia and proceeded to tell Carlene and I that we need to procreate so that Alicia will have playmates in the family. ACK! But when you think about it.. when she grows to be my age… I’ll be 42 and *gasp* mom would be 72! So it makes me think that maybe I should have a baby soon (say within the next 5-10) years so then my parents can still be young enough to enjoy them and be wacky grandparents to them as they were wacky parents to Carlene and I. So here it goes again.. the endless Nicole ramble of how I first need to find that “person” who will end up being my husband (oh by the way, was told by my sister that I should hyphenate my last name since JR is the last one in our line and we need to keep the family name going.. so if my future husband is out there reading this… know that it will be hyphenated or if you want to take on the family name… go ahead.. be my guest. My dad and the family will love you for it.) But I don’t feel like rambling on and on about how I want to find and meet this person because then it will turn into mass confusion of feelings, wants and worries… and really.. do we want to read of this? I’m probably boring you at the moment… so lets move on.

Hmmm.. anything else interesting happen? Beth and Salamanca’s Halloween shindig on Friday night were I DO remember what happened.. (YAY…) Stephanie is my new drinking buddy… I hated Luc… Armando is the best damn singer on the board… a lot of fried food… Everyone reads everyone else’s bloggers… Truth or Dare Spoons… Beth cheated on her shots… um… yeah? Ok… so I don’t remember everything.. but I know that it was great and I had a good time and although Beth was fretting about it.. it was definitely KICK ASS. :)

Had Crazy Kompetition this morning/afternoon.. that was fun. :) Got a bit scared there cause all of a sudden there were folks running around with no clothes on… but we really wont get into that. (I have pictures though) Since I was teamless.. basically helped out somewhat and chilled with my camera. OH… Mike got his ASS whipped by Kenny… :) It was your pants Mike… gotta wear shorts next time.

*and I’ll serenade for you*
1) I’m grateful for a really good week and I pray that the next 3 weeks will be just as good.. though I definitely know it will be hectic.. :) But thanks to friends and family.. OH and God… they’ll help me make it through.
2) I’m grateful for my sister.. :) she said shes proud of me… and she made my night.
3) I’m grateful for blogger! Can you believe I’ve been doing this for a year now? Yeah… my lil own diary… I’m like doogie howser.. except I’m not a teenage doctor named doogie. I think the last time I had a diary that I kept up was only when I was really angry at my parents and wrote about my adolescent hatred of them cause they asked me to clean or practice the piano or something… but yeah! Its cool that I can look back and reminice about that stupid thing I did on June 8, 2001.. or check back on these grateful thingies and say… damn.. life isn’t all that bad. :)

I'm jumping on the *quote* (b. fujiura,2001) bandwagon.. but I just had to. :) So much for originality... but beth.. you should be flattered that you've opened my eyes and ears so that I can capture such things for everyones enjoyment.

On watching the TLC channel and PERSONAL TLC...
potateYo: the baby story kinda creeps me out though
Spaznik: OH MY GOSH!! ME TOO!!
potateYo: hahha
potateYo: I'm like
potateYo: I don't need to be seein some of that stuff!
potateYo: ewwwwww
Spaznik: i like to watch the begining ot it when they're all excited for the baby..
Spaznik: but i cant watch the labor.. its too painful.
Spaznik: i think its scaring me away from sex
potateYo: hahaha
potateYo: me toooooo
potateYo: Dang!
potateYo: I don;t want kids anymore...unless they are hatched!

And kenny being his usual self:
Ken UCR: can u do something for me please?
Ken UCR: u'll like this
Ken UCR: ;-)
Spaznik: it depends on what...
Ken UCR: and it's not "dirty"
Spaznik: and at the moment.. you're creeping me out.

Yeah.. thats all i have for you kids.. hate them... or laugh of them. whatever. :)

Anyhoo..so far week has been very good.. *thanks to vicodin* don't fret... i'm not going to develop any drug dependency on the stuff.. thats so bad!!! Aside for my classes and sleeping because of *sweet glorious vicodin*... here is the roundup of my life this week. (arent you excited)
-Monday: lunch date with dad and sister down in long beach for dad's birthday
-Tuesday: went to whittier meeting..drove back to LB, to go to the meeting in hopes of promotin FTC... BUT meeting was moved to another place... so beth and I drove over to their service project and got to decorate some windows! :) Later went over to Lauras, watched Buffy and got to meet her male stripper roomies. *YAY!*
-Wednesday: tried to go to UCI meeting, but that meeting was also moved to another location, but no note.. so i didnt get to go. :( instead went window shopping at anti-mall and sorta kinda got lost in Santa Ana.
-Thursday: cried watching TLC's A WEDDING STORY, went over to Woodbury University to go promote, had dinner with Beth and Armando and went slightlycrazy cause had to follow him to the BIG BOY while he unknowingly had his right blinker on the WHOLE time. OH then spontaneous shopping trip to Pasadena that started cause beth wanted to drive over the colorado bridge and a SALE sign at Urban, and then off to SAVE ON and VONS for drinks for the party.

yeah...and i still have the weekend.. so hopefully things will be just as good. *cross fingers* actually.. i think it will be pretty awesome. :)

enough about me.. what's going on with you?
you: well nicole...

kick ass!


*whenever I'm in your presence... I can't help but smile.*
I can't really think of a specific thing to be grateful for... cause I think I'm having some sort of "moment" where I'm so wishy and washy about everything. So I guess the best thing I can say is *I'm grateful for everything... and I'm grateful for you... for possbly caring for and about me to read up on my life. Maybe you secretly hope that one day i'll fail, but i guess the fact that you think about me.. its kinda flattering. :)"

oh sweet glorious vicodin...
On Friday, my dad drove me to Van Nuys to get all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled out. I was so freaked out that I didn't really think while dressing in the morning, so I had my blouse on inside out.

My oral surgeon, Dr. Chung, looked like Iron Chef Morimoto. :)

I pretty much knocked out once I got the IV, and when I woke up I was wisdomtoothless and the lower part of my face felt like rubber.
Since my mom wasn't going to be home that night, i spent the night over at my dads where I was pretty much babied by Tita Lagring. :) Attempted eating soup, slept and woke up to tita's mah jong night gathering. :) Played with my little cousin Phoebe and then fell asleep again.

Woke up the next morning.. went with dad to go visit my nanang at the home. she doesn't remember me. :( But what really scared me was how fragile and how weak she looked from the last time I saw her. It was hard for me to realize that this little woman in the hospital bed was my robust grandma who used to chase me around the house with a halloween mask whenever I did something bad when I was younger or who would tell my sister and I crazy stories about her youth in the philippines. its just weird and scary.

Dad brought me back home where I slept some more... was suprised by Beth with a pumkin, a bag of pudding snacks, and good gossip. :) Carlene called and convinced my mom to kidnap me and take me out in public so that we can watch THE DEBUT with her and chelle (which was ok... the acting wasn't all that great and the storyline didn't resolve that well... and I guess I sorta disagreed with main characters views and the whole projection that they were giving of your basic filipino family... BUT it is a first for filipino americans to come out with a movie so that itself is an achievement)..and then came home and slept.

today... i slept. sweet glorious vicodin. thats all i really have to say.
1) I'm grateful for my dad and aunt for taking care of me on Friday... even though I felt OK.. it was still a good feeling to have someone watching over me and making sure I'm feeling alright. :)
2) I'm grateful that everything went well... I was so scared that I was going to die or something cause you hear of those crazy stories of people dying in dental offices because of too much sedatives... eeek. yeah... I was freaked out.
3) I'm grateful for my SL gals..:) I miss them so.. :) *muah*

Well, the other night (friday), i was basically scaring myself shitless. Right around midnight, the power went out. My whole complex went completely dark. For added drama, I'm home alone because my mom and carlene are up in SF for the family reunion thingie. Lets add Nicole's horrible imagination and all these terror threats and the tragedy on Sept 11... mix and bring to boil... and Nicole goes crazy. Yep, I was definitely freaked out... I'm not a real big fan of being alone in darkness. First thing that popped into my head wa that LA is being attacked and here I am without my mom. Luckily Jean called me on my cellie so I felt a bit better.. but she had to go. :( So I called Carrie just to double check that the Los Angeles/Pomona area hasn't been a victim of someone's insanity... and yay.. we weren't. My dad called my cell just because... I thought that he had a blackout over in his vicinity... but no.. he called to tell me that he got me some shoes and hoped that they fit. My mom called to check up on me.. and the later on Jean kept me company on the phone again cause I was too afraid to sleep just yet. :) Well... tied a flashlight to my bed and willed myself to catch some zzz's.

Well, yesterday I had my FTC meeting.. :) Like usual, I think the best I can say is "SO FAR SO GOOD!" and really it is. :) I guess I won't see how things are really happening until that weekend. But getting the mailing out has taken my stress level down from a 8 to probably a 4. I'm sure it'll be soaring when the event actually happens though...

On our way home from the meeting, Rashmi got a call from Chrissy on her cellie... they're talking and then Rashmi turns to me and asks... "what are you doing tonight?" where I replied "nothing really... probably just clean." Rashmi then said, "Well, wanna go to the Backstreet Boys concert?" "I really don't have money for that..." "Its free...." "OH HELL YEAH!"

Well, being a devoted NSYNC fan... I felt that I was betraying my boys for going...(Poor Keri and Mariss were very appalled that I was going to a BSB concert..) but oh the otherhand it was "free!" and my original plan for my Saturday night was to clean and be pathetic... so I think the choice was obvious.

The opening act was some chick Krystal.... I dunno... and then Sisqo, whom was pretty kick ass but thought it was weird that he was singing some R&B sex jam to an audience of preteens and their parents. Then BSB came... and very suprisinly, I was screaming along with their crazy pre-teen fans! I guess it was the excitment of it all. Sure... when I first got to the pavillion, I forgot some of their names... and I didn't know all the words to their songs... BUT the concert was really awesome! When they did sing a song that I knew.. I was so freaking happy! I never realized how many nice slow songs they had... it was a night of constantly having those moments were you wish you had someone to share those lovey dovey love songs with you. Oh well... I had a really great time and thats all that really matters huh. OH!! that one dude... um... I think its Kevin.. he had braids and a beard... and was LOOKING like Snoop Dog! :) I swear...

*let me show you the shape of my heart...*
(sigh)
1) I'm soooooooooooooooooooo grateful that nothing really horrible didn't happen the other night and that my only foe was my imagination. (how poetic was that!)
2) I'm grateful for Jean... :) cause although she didn't drive up to keep my company the other night.. (she offered...) she pretty much stayed with me for an hour or so and assured me that Pomona wasn't being attacked. heheheh... :) She's the coolest chick in the henhouse. ;)
3) I'm grateful for a TERRIFIC time yesterday with Chrissy, Rashmi, and Yohan at the BSB concert. :) Thanks sooooo much Chrissy for inviting me!! :) It was sooo kick ass. I've always thought that Nick Carter was a cutie (especially when his lip did this lil curl thing during the "I Want it That Way" video... *sigh*) and I liked a lot of their slow songs, but I wasn't much of a BSB fan... now I think they made it onto my "soooo coool" list. (But NSYNC and Lance will always be my #1 pop love...) :)

OH GLORIOUS WEEKEND! :)

I'm sorta kinda feeling EH at the moment... (EH as in... crap tired and crampy...) so I'm sorta just blogging just for the sake of blogging... plus also I reliazed that when I need to fill out my MRFs...I usually don't remember or write down my doings, so I have to refer to my good ole blog just to double check on what I seem to remember and recreate my months.

2 of my classes are done!! YAY!! :) The finals weren't too harsh and I think everyone did pretty damn good. :)

Been working on my whole "COME TO FTC" promotional thingie...:) I got to spread the FTC love and excitment to Cal Poly (where after the meeting I accompanied Joe to get his haircut and took some most interesting pictures... OH and discovered that there are way more *Ghostwriter* loving geeks there than I originally thought.) and UCR (where Beth and I witnessed Pete trying to dig through a giant vat of chocolate pudding, marshmellows, and bananas for PIECES of his bell and gavel.... blindfolded. Poor guy... never tell your board about another club's doings... it might just give them ideas)... and this weekend I'll be over at the Magic ECM. :) WHOOO!

Unfortunantly since I have my second to last FTC meeting this weekend (6 more weeks... EEEK) I'm totally missing out at the mini Orogo family reunion up north. :( It totally sucks cause my "favorite" Tito Sonny is driving down from Seattle and I haven't seen my cousins there for a while...well, I guess after all the madness, then I can finally take a break (somewhat) and do some of the things that I'm missing out on. But then again, I'm having a total blast doing this.. :)

Today had a lunch date with dad... and then went to Walmart with my mom. Carlene just got home and we've been chatting for the last 3 hours on life, school, health, and oh but of course... guys. :) I love her so much.... I was telling Beth the other day about how my sister and I used to torment our poor mom at the grocery when we were younger smartasses. During christmas time one year, she was buying rum or some sort of alcoholic drink for baking purposes when we should start to look sad and cry.."MOM!! YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD STOP DRINKING!! PLEASE MOM NO!!" loudy... and we would get disaproving looks from shoppers around us... and then my mom would get in on the joke and start exclaming how it was because of us that she was drinking and being all "sinful"... *ah memories* Yeah.. I love my family..:) I definitely think I inherit this crazy insane sarcastic sense of humor from my mom's side.

*you're so vain...you probably think this song is about you...*
-I was listening to Carly Simon on the radio today and that just got into my head for some reason... weird.
1) I'm grateful for good relationships. I really love my friends and family... and I think I'm blessed by the fact that I'm surrounded by people who love me and accept me for who I am. At least I hope so... but really... I know people who have a hard time with their parents or are always losing friends and really don't know how to maintain them... and although I do have many-a-problems with my family many-a-times and I'm definitely not perfect, but I'm so grateful that the people in my life won't hesitate to set me straight when I do wrong... and if I were to do wrong... they won't be completely evil and drop me. They'll help me through it and on occasion make fun of me and my folly...and make me feel foolish... and oh so loved.
2) I'm grateful for a date and the opportunity just to hang out with my dad. Sometimes I do try to avoid him cause I feel that he really doesn't hear me and I'll just get a lecture of some sort... but I had fun today.. and we had a good conversation. At times I felt a bit awkward, but I think that things will improve with time.
3) I'm grateful cause I KNOW what I'm going to get my mom for Christmas.. hehehehe... she kinda gave me an idea while we were out today..SOOO.. now its just a matter of saving up the money or getting the job to get the money to get it. :) OH..and I need to figure out something for my dad... and mysister.. but once I do!! I'll be pretty set family wise for Christmas!

Just had funny conversation with Jean where we both discovered that we both shared a geeky passion for "GHOSTWRITER" on PBS... Its weird how you discover things about people and how you have things in common with them... Jean started to freak me out cause she remembered episodes and names of some random characters.. hehehehe.. :) Yeah... I loved Ghostwriter.. I used to have a pen on string around my neck and say.. "GO GHOSTWRTER GO!". OH MY GOSH!! And now I'm discovereing that Luc liked it too!

DoDo79: what can u write about
spaznik: well. im sorta writing how you discover you have things in common with people... but how its things that you'd never think anyone else would...
DoDo79: oooh
DoDo79: write that
spaznik: hahaha..
spaznik: yeah... cause i was just talking with jean.. and we both discovered that we loved watching GHOSTWRITER on PBS...
spaznik: and i never thought anyone else watched it besides my sister and i
DoDo79: you liked ghostwriter?
spaznik: YES!!
DoDo79: GHOSTWRITER was the bomb
DoDo79: RALLY
DoDo79: hahaha
spaznik: SHUT UP!! YOU TOO!!
DoDo79: RALLY J
spaznik: HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAH
DoDo79: RALLY L
DoDo79: hahaha...the asian girl
DoDo79: and jamal
DoDo79: and the song writer
DoDo79: and the brother and little sister

How weird is that!!?! YEAH.. Ghostwriter was the bomb-diggity. And here I thought I was the only one who happily awaited for 5pm to roll around on weekdays so I can go "RALLY L" on PBS. Its so weird... Its like how Beth and I discovered that we had secret crushes on Johnathan Crombie (Gilbert) from the "Anne of Green Gables" movies and loved Colin Firth before his fame on Bridget Jones, but instead as the OG Mr. Darcy on the A&E "Pride and Predjudice" miniseries. Or how Laura and I started laughing at bugs on the windshield cause it reminded us of the Mavis Beacon typing computer game where if you missed the correct key a fly would smash into the winshield of your fake computer monitor car. I'm sure there are many of you who are going.. HUH?? WHAT? I DONT GET IT? And thats what I'm talking about!! There are a lot of interests that I share with the people of my generation... toys and whatever was popular culture of our days but there are some where you think its a lame doing of your own and then BAM! you're not alone.. :) its soo cool. It might be a sign of kindred spirits or something... :) (go ahead and say it... *its a sign that you're a weird dorky freak!* but its ok.. i admit it.. I'm a geek.. :D)

*note to beth*... I didn't forget about Nicole-uary or Jean-ly... :) Actually I did forget about Jean-ly but thought Nicole-uary wasn't as cool as the others.

*Hysterical nonsense*
1) I'm grateful for Trader Joe's... fun cheap healthy food! Who knew that soy ice cream could be pretty damn good.
2) I'm grateful for the wonderful programming at PBS.. :) They brought back Sister Wendy!! :) OK.. for those who don't know who she is.. shes an nun in about her 70's who has her own art show... she dresses full out in her habit (nun attire), points out every sexual reference in a painting that shes critiquing, and speaks with a slight lisp. Its very entertaining. And as much as I loathe Huell Howser. his show California's Gold is very educational and it makes me want to travel and check out all the random sites in California. (if there was any doubt in your mind about my geekness... um yeah. I think we're way above and beyond that now huh.)
3) I'm grateful for microwaves. :) Defrosting would take FOREVER without them!!

tired.... but its a good tired... its like... *damn you got a lot done but crap... you're feeling it now* kind of tired...

The week went by pretty fast, even though being swamped with school, cki, school, school, school, cki... oh did I mention school? Well, it isnt as bad as it sounds since 2 of my classes are 9 week courses (6 hours of class a week) and they are finishing up this week. (Big giantic YAY!) So then afterwards, I can rest a bit and take care of doing FTC stuff and ATTEMPT to keep my room in an orderly fashion.

Well, doctors appointments that were supposed to happened didnt because of insurance mix-ups and dad wasn't feeling well so he couldnt take me... so on Friday night, I kidnapped poor sick Beth and took her down to SD with me so we can visit Jean and promote FTC at her DCM. But I think Beth had fun cause 1) we got to see Jean and her kick ass new house... 2) Kathy was down from Berkeley and visiting some friends so she came to the DCM too 3) *oh-so-dreamy* Joe is back too and he came to the DCM also 4) The discovery of halloween costumes at the Ralphs in SD where we found the "soft sickle" which was this cleverly named weapon made out of foam (think whatever you want... It was freaking hilarious). OH also during the DCM, the 4 of us managed to decorate Jean's calender with illustrative birthday reminders and renamed the months to "Joe-vember", "Kath-tober". "Beth-arch." Yeah yeah..go ahead and roll your eyes, but it was damn fun. :)

Went back to Jeans after rampaging her nearby playground and taking some pics for FTC, and rested a bit... then it was back to LA to go to the USC bonfire. :) Got to see some old faces and meet some new ones...but it was getting cold and I was tired from the other night, watching MISS CONGENIALITY and munching on neon pink cookies at Jeans, so it was best that I go home.

Today, was my first NON-CKI day in a while.. :) and i actually got to spend the whole day with my mom. Went to mass and then lunch...and attempted to go watch a movie but instead bought some DVDs to increase our collection and rampaged TRADER JOES and had a movie night at home instead. :)

*I see you... looking at me...*
1) I'm so grateful that people are getting pumped up for FTC... YAY!! :)
2) I'm grateful that Beth came down with me to SD even though she was sick... but I hope she had fun. :) The trip wouldn't have been as cool without her definitely... I'm also grateful that I was able to see Jean, Kathy (even though I feel like I see and talk to both of them all the time) and Joe (HE'S SO CUTE!) and got to kick it with them... :) *good times*
3) I'm so grateful that I'll be done with 2 of my classes this week.... 5 more days!!!
4) I'm grateful to have this day off to rest and kick it with my mom... :) It was hilarious cause we had a good conversation on that car wreck you can't help but watch "THE OTHER SIDE". Or something like that.. If you haven't seen it.. its the VIEW but with MEN... but come on... DICK CLARK giving out makeup advice? *shudder*

Hectic weekend...:) Roadtrips ROCK! Thank you for RED BULL!

It all started late late Thursday night (early early Friday mornin) when I danced in my apartment complex's parking lot cause Laura got lost somewhere inside and was driving around.

Well, we only got 2 hours of sleep due to massive gossiping and catching up... but we were wide awake by the time that Rashmi and Eliie arrrived. Then it was off to the rental car place where Laura and I manged to charm the guy to give us an free upgrade from our original Dodge Neon (with no tape player). Instead, we got this kick ass Dodge Dakoda truck with an extra cab and TAPE PLAYER! :) YAY! Alright, so Nicole was slightly freaked cause the front half of the car is just about the same size of her bug.. but we managed to get it back here to the apartment.

Loaded up the truck, got some $, and food.. and we were OFF!! :)

Rashmi and Ellie pretty much slept on the way there, where Laura and I were keeping outselves entertained by listening to Michael Jackson's PYT (Pretty Young Thing) over and over again.. ITS THE JAM! Stopped at Anderson's Pea Soup joint cause Laura just had to have some (ewww... ) and several hours later.. we were up in Berkeley! :)

I was slightly freaking out cause... big huge truck.. 2 lanes and one ways streets.. and massive amounts of people just walking over the place... um. yeah. We dropped off Eliie and Rahmi over at the dorms and we finally found our way to Melissas... :) YAY!! Got to meet her roomie Almita and we rested and chatted for a while. Got some delicious pizza and Peter and Kathy picked Mel, Laura, and I to go get some pie and then back to Peters place to play the most hilaious game of I NEVER I have ever played.

The next day was Kathy's DCM in the City (to which Laura and I got excited since it has been a while since we both have gone there) where I got to perform Beth's skit with Laura's help and advertise FTC!! :) Got to take some kick ass pictures of Kathy, Peter, Jimmy, Sukhyung, and Scott for FTC, met a lot of the Golden Gaters and helped them come up with cheers.. Whooooo!! Major confusion and slightly stressed... so we went to the pier to Bubba Gump's where we saw Kristie Alley and got some mini donuts. Almost witnessed a dog getting run over by a car, (but he's ok.. *whew*) and then saw the FULL HOUSE house... picked up the other girls, and it was time to go home. Original plan was to leave at 3... but the time was now 8pm.

5 hours and 4 Red Bulls later, we were home and dead tired. :) This time Laura and I entertained ourseleved by playing Either/Or and just asking each other random questions...
*would you have the bestest most expensive dinner in your life... OR the equivlent of that in cute shoes and a box of mcnuggets?*
I'd take the shoes.
*would you rather be torchured with whips and chains for 3 hours or tied up to a boat on ITS A SMALL WORLD and forced to stay awake?*
the boat...

The next day was my FTC meeting where things are looking really good. :) *whew* yay... went to BJ's with Stephanie, Pete, Beth, Ryan, Rashmi, Mike Bob, and Pic where we got to cheer along with all the other customers who were watching the football game. Back to Beth's to meet up with Joe for the "Go West!" meeting and to watch the *Friends* premiere since we missed it on Thursday. Tried to nap over there, but just ended up chatting with Beth and playing with the idea of turning a hilarious picture into a t-shirt.

Came home and pretty much slept.

*I want to love you.. PYT.. Pretty young things...
Give you some lovin.. TLC.. Tender Lovin Care...
and I'll take you there... *
1) I grateful that we got there and back safely... also very grateful for Laura for coming and keeping me entertained. OH thanks to Red Bull and the other various energy drinks that kept us awake.
2) I'm grateful that I was able to see Melissa and kick it with her... :) I've been promising to go for a while now, but I never really had a chance... So yay!!
3) I'm grateful for a really good weekend... thanks to Peter and Kathy for a great time.. :) It was like an afterschool special.... KICK ASS!