Big Cheeto

My mom accidentally bought these giant cheetos. Scary.

I'm still here.

Survived my first quarter of nursing school. I'm still here, no worries.

New goal: Continue blogging to update the fam so they don't think I fell off the earth.

Birthday at the San Diego Zoo

The new baby at the zoo.


Staring contest with giant bird.

Andrew took me to the San Diego Zoo for my 25th birthday. I haven't been there since, well I think I was in elementary school. My personal favorites: the elephants, hippos, pandas, polar bears, and the giraffes. Next trip: Sea World.

Time Warner Update

I have finally resolved the whole Time Warner Cable identity theft fiasco. Take that, Time Warner. I hate you.

Ant War

I've declared war on a ruthless colony of ants. Every night I go to bed with a glass of water on my nightstand, and every morning I discover a mass of floating ant carcasses. These ants prefer plain ol' water. Even when Andrew left his Thai iced tea on the desk, they chose the water! So every night, these stupid ants crawl into my water glass and literally commit suicide. I hate them.

Tagalong Ice Cream

My mom was really excited when she came home from grocery shopping because she said that Ralphs had a sale on Tagalog and Samoan ice cream. So naturally, I thought she came home with some ube or mango ice cream. Turns out it was Girl Scouts Tagalong and Samoa ice cream. Whatever, it was still good...

Chocolate for Men

So I found this weird chocolate specifically for men at a Korean market. It was disgusting--the worst chocolate I've ever tasted. No wonder so many men hate chocolate.

Apparently there's also chocolate for women, but I couldn't find it in the store.

Tita Linda's Birthday

Two birthday cakes! King's Hawaiian Dobosh and Red Ribbon Mango.

We brought Grandma Perla home after our long journey back to Los Angeles and immediately started another celebration. Happy Birthday Tita Linda!

Saying Good-bye

Grandma Carmen and Grandma Perla

They think we're still getting the camera ready.

We had to say good-bye on Sunday morning. By that time Grandma Perla was already complaining that too many people were taking their pictures, trying to steal their beauty. After staying up late talking for two nights in a row, the two sisters had to say their farewells again. They exchanged Ilocano curse words, hugs and kisses, and made bets about who would survive longer.

Listening to the two sisters talk all weekend long, it's all too obvious where all of the women in my family have derived their strength, independence, and confidence.

It was a fun trip. I know everyone sensed the void that was left by Grandma Gloria's passing. But I take comfort in knowing that we keep her close to our hearts by exchanging our memories of her and her life.

More pictures.

The After Party

Crash.