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70 years young

1) ryan was my hero the night of mom's 70th birthday party. after checking with the dj to see if he had the proper equipment to set up the slideshow that i've spent weeks working on, it turns out that he didn't. ry drove around looking for an electronics store and came back 45 minutes later with the cable. he set it up in another room to test it - it came out just fine. once it was time to present it to 200 guests, the connection wasn't being made. james, ry, the dj and myself are all flustered...then ry breaks out with another cable and it magically works. ry, my hero.
2) although we only meet a few times a year, the tallud girls always do a great job at showing up for monumental occasions. regina, roseanne, raquel and rosalie have grown up to be beautiful, intelligent and responsible young ladies. i'm very proud to have them for my cousins.
3) it's been nearly ten years since we've seen the magno family. we've recently reconnected with ronnie and nina on facebook. they have always been a family that holds great wisdom, humor and sincerity. i remember when mom had her surgery when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, she was down about dad not contacting anyone from chs to visit. surprisingly, i had still remembered the magnos' number and talked to auntie doris and uncle rene. without hesitation, they took down the hospital name and room number and rushed out to see her, spreading the word to some of mom's closest friends. i will forever be thankful for their support.
4) after all the mumbling and grumbling about actively participating during mom's birthday bash (and not just slamming down drinks at the bar), we all took on our parts to make it one of the best nights of mom and dad's lives. dennis was great about taking pictures throughout the whole evening. he even printed them out the next day so mom could hand them to her guests that came to brunch the following day. he took the responsibility with an amazing attitude and a smile all night which i think carried over to all of us to play our roles.
5) while putting together mom's slideshow, i realized that i didn't have any pictures of mom with her sisters. i kept thinking what a shame that was, seeing how many pictures i have with my lovely sisters. i'm glad this picture was taken. auntie ina and auntie aning have been a big part of my family's life.
6) i don't think the night would have ran so smoothly had it not have been for noralie and her family. being the eldest of the children, she has naturally accepted being our "spokeswoman" and does it rather well if i may add. from ordering exquisite leis for all of the family members to purchasing shell necklaces for all the guests, she put in more than 100% to make this event a success.
7) veronna's speech to mom will forever be one of my fondest memories of my mother. she shared how supportive and nurturing mom was during her break-up with her college boyfriend. mom actually drove up to ucsd, stayed in her dorm and attended her classes with her while taking notes of the lecture. such a heartfelt moment.
8) i wish everyone in the family was in this picture, but it was still so great to pose with the hawaiians (lannon family).
9) after months of planning this party, bickering amongst mom, dad and the family about details of the dinner, squabbles about the financial aspects of the occasion, we pulled it off. mom and dad truly looked happy and calm during the party.
10) i'm a fairly private person when it comes to my emotions and thoughts. i wasn't prepared to deliver a speech - not even utter a few words about my mother to 200 people. i don't even think i would have been comfortable enough discussing my feelings in front of my family. i feel like since i do not have children of my own, it's hard for me to express what a mother is or should be, but do know that i have a mother who is everything a mother should strive to be. i don't have the typical childhood memories of a mother walking me to school or helping me with my homework. with mom being in her late 40s, that's what my older sisters were for! but despite, she didn't rob me of my childhood. i remember her playing silly counting games with me and cindy on the stairs. or entertaining the idea of "working" in her office. or giving me the change from the grocery store after i helped her save "so much money" from clipping coupons. or watching her and being so intrigued as she put on her marykay lipstick. or talking to her so openly about my many heartaches. i may not have children of my own, and may never have children, but i've been working with children for half of my life, and happen to love it with all my heart. and i am certain that my mom has something if not everything to do with that.

guilty pleasures

hello kitty

daydreaming

MMX around the world

1) fireworks explode beside the london eye and the houses of parliament on the river thames during new year celebrations in london january 1, 2010.
2) new year's eve fireworks based on the theme "awaken the spirit" explode over the sydney harbour from six barges three hours before midnight on december 31, 2009. over 1.5 million sydneysiders and tourists were expected to line the harbour foreshores to watch 120,000 pyrotechnics usher in new year's day.
3) people admire the moment the sun rises above mount fuji, which is known locally as the "diamond fuji", from atop ryugatake mountain in fujikawaguchiko town, southwest of tokyo on new year's day january 1, 2010. mount fuji, at 3,776 metres (12,388 ft), is believed to be sacred and is seen as a symbol of good luck, more so during the new year period.
4) people watch new year's eve fireworks over venice's st. mark square flooded by high water, early friday, jan. 1, 2010.
5) a long-exposure photo created using sparklers shows children writing out "2010", celebrating on new year's eve in manila on december 31, 2009.
6) russians celebrate the new year on red square in moscow, with the kremlin in the background, right, and st. basil's cathedral in background, left, friday, jan. 1, 2010. tens of thousands of people gathered on the square to celebrate the new year, and view the fireworks as the clock on the kremlin's spassky tower, right, struck midnight.
7) fireworks from the space needle light up downtown seattle, washington to bring in the new year, as seen from kerry park, friday, jan. 1, 2009.
8) people sprint into the water as they participate in the traditional new years dive in the north sea, in the hague, on january 1, 2010. this year saw some 8000 participants in the dive, one of 63 dives across the netherlands.
9) fireworks explode in the sky over the ocean as seen from waikiki beach in honolulu, hawaii, on january 1, 2010 soon after the clock ticked mid-night announcing the first day of new year.
10) "we will open the book. its pages are blank. we are going to put words on them ourselves. the book is called 'opportunity' and its first chapter is new year's day."
-edith lovejoy pierce

the twelve days of christmas

1) on december 8th, abc aired "a charlie brown christmas", my favorite holiday tradition by far! airing during prime-time hours since 1965, this animated special inspires me to find my own true meaning of christmas each year. i am pleasantly surprise that despite the religious connotation of the movie, it still airs on national television for over 40 consecutive years.
2) on december 12th, we had our very first tucci christmas event for our learners. all of our families were invited to attend to take pictures with santa. vicci was extremely generous and purchased gifts for all of our learners and even their siblings. it was definitely a success and i hope to see it become an annual event!
3) on december 24th, the north american aerospace defense command begins tracking santa claus' journey as he leaves the north pole to deliver toys to children all over the world. children can watch video clips of santa's travels, and anxiously await his arrival to their cities.
4) on december 1st, ryan took me to the same tree farm we went to last holiday season. we picked out a 5-foot douglas fir, perfectly trimmed and shaped. since we did the usc theme, i decided to switch to a lakers color scheme (they're having a better season anyway). i strung popcorn for 3 hours but loved every minute of the decoration process!
5) on november 23, kuma had surgery on her back paw to remove a tumor. cindy's been taking extra special care of her, including making a sweatshirt to keep her warm this winter season.
6) on december 16th, marianne gave birth to her and fritzi's daughter, lucia. weighing 7 pounds 5 ounces, measuring 20 inches long, mare decided to deliver her naturally, without an epidural. she sent me this darling picture of her in a stocking on christmas morning.
7) on december 24th, we received a care package from the lannons filled with hawaiian treats. i snagged the lemon bars from the cookie basket!
8) on december 24th, cindy, jacob, dj, zoe and i had fun playing with the special effects on photo booth app on my macbook. i've played around on it before but have never laughed so hard with the results.
9) on december 30th, melanie gave zavey my christmas presents. he has such an affection for horses. i'm so happy he didn't already have the toys i got him.
10) christmastide, commonly known as the twelve days of christmas or yuletide, is the period between christmas eve and january 5th. between christmas, dj's birthday, new year's eve, rommel, dad and cindy's birthdays, there are numerous things to be happy for.

love actually

1) nyac and milo are two otters from the vancouver aquarium. they are engaging in a natural instinct called “rafting” that keeps otters from floating away from each other in rough waters.
2) last weekend, ry and i went to sacramento to visit kaitlen. i love how it was ryan's suggestion to go see them. kaitlen is by far the best infant i've met! jill was able to hand her over to me without her hesitating or whining. ry said it was the longest he was able to hold and play with a baby. she's an angel.
3) i've mentioned these edamame keychains before. nagata and i cleaned out a few vendors in hong kong, spending about $1 per knick knack. i gave a green one to peyton and a pink one to zoe. they absolutely loved them! nice to see that joy can be spread by simple things.
4) i never realized how sweet and soothing colbie caillat's voice was. i think her song fallin' for you is just too precious! i especially feel grateful that after over four years with ryan, this song can still make me feel the butterflies in my stomach.
5) on top of loving the apparel and trinkets at anthropologie, i am fascinated with the design and decor of the store. this caught my eye - an ostrich intricately formed out of paper.
6) our prius came with complimentary satellite radio on xm for three months. i love that there's an oprah station on there! i love listening to previous shows, as well as catching the gayle king show. there's something that i find so comforting about hearing a familiar voice while i'm driving.
7) jill has thrived and shined in the entire state of motherhood. she amazes me on how she has the ability to balance a demanding career as well as making note of all the little steps kaitlen makes on a daily basis.
8) vanessa's boyfriend won a raffle to host a shopping party at the sports basement in sunnyvale. ry was able to snag a new snowboard that originally was priced at $500 for 50% off, and i bought this snazzy outfit. i'm sure i'll be spotted quite easily on the slopes!
9) i completely agree with this quote...i am thankful that at least four years of my life has not been a waste of my time.
10) here is a researched fact about love: having a romantic relationship makes both genders happier. the stronger the commitment, the greater the happiness!

fragrant harbour

portuguese food and gambling

up, on, or above

the venice of the east

capital city

they just wanna...they just wanna

1) mel and i having a little too much fun with theresa's gifts.
2) the first shot of the night.
3) me and mel with theresa and her sister-in-law, janice.
4) banana/penis game results.
5) heading out to the strip.
6) theresa being a good sport and following through all of her bride's tasks which includes obtaining a dude's sock and getting another guy to take his shirt off.
7) dancing on the floor.
8) dancing on the booth.
9) our pics ending up on wynn's blush website.
10) reconnecting with dear old friends - theresa, melanie, sabrina, annalisa, and jocelyn. and meeting some amazing new friends - rebecca, the twins, marie, janice, lyn and lisa!