|
|
Thursday, August 30, 2001 {work: menlo park, ca} wedding cds oops, did i forget something? ariel, my next door neighbor is making the wedding favor: a cd of wedding songs, complete with a picture of my brother and his wife on it. i almost forgot to call him about it last night. well, yeah okay, i DID forget to call him last night about it. but this morning, while getting ready, ariel called to say it was ready. he dropped them off, because he had to "drive from so far away!" -- go down his stairs, open the door, walk 50 feet, ring the doorbell... hehehe.. the wedding cd is SO CUTE!! .. i like. i took one already (had to set one aside for me, is that okay, kuya? it is? okay...) it's just so cute! =) * 11:30 AM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: menlo park, ca} you can hang meat in here! hi, do i have a "porkchop" label plastered on my body!? um. NO!! then why the frick hell is it cold in here?!!!! i know this end of the building is empty but can we just TURN THE HEAT DOWN?!!! yes, just when you think... i had three misc issues to take care of before leaving today. i was thinking about it in the car on the drive over here... i can do it, simple, yeah? *EHRRRRR* WRONG! stacy called telling me the report i sent her yesterday was inaccurate. and the bigwigs of ibm are here for a meeting today.. so it's a mad scramble to figure out why our report is reporting inaccurate numbers... *sigh* * 9:19 AM * bernadette * * |
|
Wednesday, August 29, 2001 {home: daly city, ca} okay, well that wasnt so hard... i ended up not playing hockey AND not swimming... but at least i'm practically done packing! yay! just some last minute items and i'm pretty much set. cool thing: my suitcase isnt full!!! so i have extra room to bring back cool stuff! i'm supposed to pass by ROFG (Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group) to pick up some costumes for our show on the way back home, so i'm not worried that i wont have room... back to the homeland i think one of the reasons why it was so easy for me to pack this time around was because i was just in the philippines this past may (seems like so long ago, though!). I had most of my bug spray, first aid kit, etc. type things so there wasnt so much of the running around to buy headache medicine, pepto, and allergy cream. i had also refilled my claritin-d a week ago, so i'm pretty much set! you know how you have that feeling when you go somewhere and it's been a while since you've been there, but it feels like you never left when you return? i wonder if i'll have that feeling when i arrive in manila. but this time, i wont be staying at the Palm Plaza in Malate. it'll be staying in Angeles City in the province of Pampanga (where my dad is from). i was able to visit there for about a day this past May, and i realized it was a much slower pace than the big, crowded, overpopulated manila... have you ever seen disney's "beauty and the beast"? the main character, belle, has this opening number where she sings about the provincial town she lives in and how there must be more to life than just that... that song was in my head when i left manila last may -- i was looking out of the car window and watched all the typical goings-on of life in the philippines: the crowded jeepneys, the ppl walking on the sidewalk, the houses and buildings that are mish-moshed together, dilapidated, or seem to be in some semblance of construction, all the self-named sari-sari stores, someone randomly grilling a pig on the side street, the polluted river .... boy what a different world that is! even though it's considered my "homeland" i can't help but feel like an outsider. but this is where i come from, my ancestry, you know? despite the third world-ness of the philippines, there's something mysterious, unique, and special about our culture...which you cant realize unless you experience it for yourself.... * 9:49 PM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: menlo park, ca} i had lunch w/ nees... and then i bought dvds at tower i drove to hillsdale to have lunch with denise (nees). i havent seen her in a long time, cuz she's an on-the-go-girl just like me... i gave her my brother's wedding invitation. i could have just easily mailed it, but i figure, it's better to just deliver it personally, esp since i havent talked to her in a while...[hm nees, i still have to look for your birthday pictures that we were supposed to scan in! =P] .. it was a short and quick lunch, but i stopped by Tower to see if they had the special edition Aaliyah cd. I looked at the Tower records in stonestown, but they didnt have it. The special edition Aaliyah cd, has this animae-looking picture of aaliyah on the cover. a friend from college drew it (there's a cool poster-sized animae drawing inside the liner notes) and was the production artist for the dvd menu! neat, huh?... the special edition aaliyah cd also has a dvd option in it where you can see her videos, and some behind-the-scenes stuff... well, tower in hillsdale did not have it, and i kind of expected it... so instead, i bought two dvds [josie & the pussycats, american pie - unrated version]. yeah, with my crazy-ass schedule [hi, i'm leaving tomorrow!], ask me when i'm going to have time to watch them?? * 3:35 PM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: menlo park, ca} we're so dumb.... i should just email you! lol...;) ... sounds like a cool plan, meeting in the international terminal.. [did you know sfo is listed as a museum?]... i'll have to get a better time as to when i'm going to get there.. but generally the 6-7pm hour is when we'll be there.... yeah just look for the filipinos in the PAL line... i'll be the girl with the balikbayan boxes...;) lol. * 2:57 PM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: menlo park, ca} last minute crap at work "can you run this report?", "can you print out floor plans?", "oh, yes, you have a meeting w/ some IBM ppl about your db", "oh, there are a few things on the website that need updating.."... on and on and on... i think this was the root of my crankiness yesterday... preliminary packing last night... yay! at least i got the preliminary packing done last night... "what is 'preliminary packing'?" you ask?... this is what i call the stage where i put out all the stuff i would potentially like to bring -- this includes anything and everything, from shoes, to dress, shorts, outfits, etc... also during this period, i figure out what kind of toiletries need refreshing (ie, fill up shampoo travel bottles, lotions, etc...do i need allergy meds?).. once this is completed, the night before we leave , i start to take out things i think i'm not going to need... "hm, i dont think i should bring this tank top, because i already have it in this other color, and am i really going to wear the same style tank in the same week?... and do i really need to bring these shoes?", etc, etc... yeah, with my packing technique, you would THINK that i wouldnt have a lot of crap due to "just-in-case" factor.. but then, the night before leaving, in addition to taking stuff out... i put other stuff in too!!.. it's like "oh, i forgot to put this in.. i forgot to put that in...." i'm such a girl. i hope i dont forget anything... whoa, you only have a BACKPACK for the weekend?! hot DAYAMNNN girl!!! you pack way better than me!! if i was going to edmonton for the weekend it would be a whole SUITCASE filled, of course with a ton of "just-in-case" items... lol ;) *sigh* i like your digital-closet-beam-me-up-scotty idea. ... oh, but i'll be in the international terminal! i will be taking philippine airlines (PAL) tomorrow night [shit! i'm leaving tomorrow night!!!!!] from SFO and i think we leave around 10pm-ish... but then of course there's the check-in time at around 6pm.. why so early you ask? i guess PAL needs all that time to pack away those Balikbayan boxes that everyone ALWAYS brings .. (for non tagalog speakers, balikbayan means "return home" - this name is usually on the pre-sized packing boxes for people going to the philippines. it generally contains US goods that ppl from the PI want.. the limit in poundage for PAL, i think is 70 lbs) ...from check-in time til flight time, though, i dont know what i'll be doing. twiddling my thumbs, i guess? shopping? hey they have cool stores in the int'l terminal at sfo!!! uh oh..... what time does your flight come in?.... * 10:25 AM * bernadette * * |
|
Tuesday, August 28, 2001 {work: menlo park, ca} hello! why are you not updating!?!?!?!?! i posted something here earlier, but it's not updated!! okay, there you are.... just checking... * 5:15 PM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: menlo park, ca} did i pack yet? of course not! i'm waiting for the last possible second to realize that i need this and that for my trip to the philippines! =P i'm leaving on thursday night and i'm not ready!!! so you're asking "what the heck did you do last night, bern?", oh let's see, i just vegged out. i watched a marathon of robotech. (apparently i'm at that point where min mei is diggin on her cousin kyle. ick. that's kinda gross.) in my head i know what i need to pack. but my lazy ass said "it's okay, you have plenty of time!" um. sure. whatever you say. i gotta get a move on. i'm in a cranky ass mood too every little thing's been bugging me lately and i dont know why. (no, THAT time of the month was LAST week! =P) * 10:45 AM * bernadette * * |
|
Monday, August 27, 2001 {work: menlo park, ca} whoohooooo!!! bonus time!!! whoa, i completely forgot that we got our retention bonuses this past friday!! yay! i was just balancing my checkbook to pay for the credit card bill when i was like "holy crap, do i really have that much in there?!" =) i guess this justifies my recent dvd player and dvd purchases. hmm.. now how about that digital camera that i wanted...? * 10:23 AM * bernadette * * |
|
Sunday, August 26, 2001 {home: daly city, ca} he changed the dance!!!! **whew** i just came back from pretty good dance practice.... kuya rudi changed the pot dance!! i'm a little sad, but relieved.. because i dont think i would want to stress over that dance during the show.. i was determined though. but instead of salidsid, it will be salip [gary performed this in the philippines w/ fides]. it's a similar courtship dance to salidsid, except there are no pots involved... cool. i'm not the main gal, but i'll be dancing w/ the other girls during the courtship. i'm also kind of sad because the next couple of practices will be pretty intense, but i wont be there because i will be in the PI. even though it's only two practices i'm missing, i feel like i'll be missing a lot. holy crap! the show is less than a month away!!!! life is too short last night after watching the comedy show with some friends [yay! mark and albert bought my tickets!] someone told us that the R&B singer, Aaliyah died in a plane crash. dang. i couldnt believe it. we were sitting in the parking lot of the shoreline waiting to get out, while listening to the radio for confirmation of the news. and sure enough it was there on the radio. it was also confirmed when i got home and turned on mtv. geez. kind of hard to believe. i was just watching her diary last week on mtv! didnt she just finish filming the matrix? and i'm wondering if she's nominated for something on the video music awards in a couple of weeks... can you imagine that? here she is, on the go girl, running here and there to filming, performances, special apperances, etc, etc.. thinking about what's on her schedule for the next week, etc. then all of a sudden, she's on a plane hurrying to her next destination, and then due to baggage overload, the little prop plane takes a plunge, and her life ends.... ..and it could happen to anyone... kinda makes me feel weird. and scared that it could end at any moment in time. i'm not a famous Aaliyah or anything, but i'm going to be running around for the next couple of months going here and there and everywhere (philippines, weddings, performances, las vegas.. etc..), but can you imagine that something like that could just change that momentum, the energy that moves forward, the force of life that just doesnt stop.. and then, *boom* one event, and it could end? just like that?!.. scary. =( and sad. she accomplised alot in her 22 years -- songs, videos, film, dances...and made a mark on the world... but if my life were to end anytime soon, what impact would i have had??..... *argh* knock on wood. speaking of that on the go.... i've been so caught up with my life here, i'm so not in the 'oh-my-gosh-it's-my-brother's-wedding-in-a-few-weeks!' mode. it's kind of hard to feel the momentum, since the ceremony's not even here in the US.. there's just so much going on here. the show, practice, friends.... also, i have to remember to pay my bills before i leave, i have to change the oil in my car, i have to turn in $$ for tix for our show, i have to pack, i have to remember to take care of loose ends at work before i go (work is SUCH another story), i have to print out pictures of the bridesmaid dress they're going to make for me... *ack* the list goes on and on.... what?! you're here next weekend?! man, that's *bunk*michelle, i say that you come here not next weekend, but the weekend after that... oh, wait, not that weekend.. the weekend AFTER that!! or maybe even the weekend of our show! yeah! you can come down for that!!! =) sound good? yeah? okay. see you then! =) lol [btw, i'll bet you dont have as much crap in your room as I do!! i need to clean out too!!!] * 7:19 PM * bernadette * * |
|
Friday, August 24, 2001 {work: menlo park, ca} lookout weekend.... ...it's the last weekend before leaving for the philippines and i have a ton of crap to do... i just noticed my car is dirty again. another thing for me to do, wash my car...i'm going to this comedy jam show tomorrow night at the shoreline and the crappy thing about it is that i have two extra tickets @ $30/ea that i'm having the darndest time trying to get rid of... the ppl who originally were going to get my tix backed out for better seats (hi, eigth row!? =P) so now i'm stuck... i've emailed a bunch of friends with no nibble. i've gotten a few bites from friends of friends, but then they back out... *ugh* i dont think i'll ever spot for tix anymore, it's a big headache... maybe i'll just sell them at the door... advice for michelle's dilemma i hate that feeling that you get about your job -- you feel like you need to go, but then you feel like you have to stay... i've been there before. i'd have to say i felt that way right before i was assigned to this database project about 3 years ago (i was pushing paper back then and i was basically everyone's errand girl.. =P) and then again right before my 4-year anniversary (.. i felt like i needed to move on since i've been here so long... being at a company for 4 years is kinda rare in the silicon valley in this day and age..)... hm.. is it because your job is not meaningful enough? feels like you need to move on? or maybe you're just waiting for a sign? or even the right opportunity? maybe the reason why you're holding back is because you're afraid to make that leap into the unknown. lord knows i'm like that ALL the time... sometimes you just got to give in to that fear and just like the Nike slogan -- "Just do it!" ... for me though, working on this project, despite my complaints, is pretty challenging, and the people i work with are pretty cool, esp my manager and boss. i think finding people you get along with in the work place is pretty rare. my manager tells me that this is the best group of ppl he's worked with, and i'm sure he's worked for a few companies since he's a lot older. i think if it werent for the people, i would have left a long time ago... (this and the fact that our contract has been renewed many many many times, but that's another story...) hm, not much of advice, huh?! =P sorry girl, i guess what i'm trying to say is do what's best for you and what you feel is important for your livelihood... go fly a kite and run like the wind... lol sounds like a damn fortune cookie fortune. ;) your lucky numbers are 16, 27, 3, 4, 37.. hehehehee.. * 5:08 PM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: menlo park, ca} friday! report due it's been so hectic around here, esp with the db crashing, losing some information, restoring, and finally running the report for the bigwigs. it's such a long arduous process to get headcount/seatcount/cost center #/sq footage information for offices across the nation for a little report. some ppl in upper management must think it easy to generate a report like that. "oh, yeah, all they have to do is press a button, and there it is..." =P yeah right. in an IDEAL world, maybe... yeah, you can do that if you want your information to be inaccurate. but, nope. sorry. not that easy..... there's the verification process, where you look to see if there are discrepancies in the numbers. then you gotta call the site manager to ask questions about this person and that person. and then they have to verify w/ someone else, and if that someone else doesnt know anything, they have to ask someone else, and then that someone else is out of town, not at their desk, in a meetting, then you have to wait for them to call you back... etc, etc.. *argh* this of course, takes a week. and there are other factors: your db crashes, and you have to figure why, find out what info got dropped off in the report... blah blah blah..oh, yes and dont forget the OTHER managers who are requesting another reoport IN ADDITION to THIS one..(cuz for some reason they can't wait for the big one due today)...oh, and then dont forget the end users who input the data who keep calling and asking "when is the project going to be back online??.." ... *ARGH*...okay sorry to bore you but this is what i've been doing all week.... =P .. i mean, all these people are cool and all, but when it's crunch time, you dont want to be bothered w/ trivial things... office space the movie i was watching last night, office space, which i borrowed from gary, so reminds me of the corporate life that i live.... of course life at work is much more lively than the dead heads (those office co-workers that the main guys had) that were portrayed in that movie. but it's just funny because it pokes fun at corporate life, much like the way the cartoonist who creates dilbert does. when this movie first came out, our whole dept took a fun afternoon off to go watch this movie... i swear we could so relate, esp w/ that milton guy who kept being moved (i work in facilities, so we get ppl like him [and much much worse!] ALL the time)... if you work in corporate esp in the computer industry, and havent seen this movie, you just HAVE to... i guess it makes your job seem less dreadful than it actually is... ;) * 10:12 AM * bernadette * * |
|
Wednesday, August 22, 2001 {work: menlo park, ca} i'm leaving in a week! HOLY CRAP! ... i just looked at my calendar and i'm leaving for the Philippines in a week!!!! where the heck did all the time go?!!!? i should start a-packing soon, so i can figure what i need and dont need... (*ack* gotta be wary of the 'just-in-case' factor too... july 26 blog...) ... *sigh* whoa, drama! gary pointed me to this blog, a guy named will santos, which is one of the links on gary's blog. dang, you think days of our lives is interesting?! you should check out the drama here... apparently some dude is jocking will santos' girl and it's all documented on both of these guys' websites... back and forth trash-talking and bashing.... if you got a few minutes and want to escape from the drama in your life, indulge in the happenings of theirs .... and these are the days of their lives........ * 8:46 AM * bernadette * * |
|
Tuesday, August 21, 2001 {home: daly city, ca} we all must be on the same cycle funny that you mention weird cravings... it's that time of the month (almost) for me too, (hence the crappy mood on monday)... the gals i go swimming with seem to have this same problem too: "no swimming this week.. um, cuz well you know... it's that time..." =P bev and i swam today though, but i think we may pass up swimming this thursday -- same cycle ... i know you can still swim while you're on your rag (they say it stops in water, and you can wear a tampon), but it just doesnt feel comfortable... you guys have it easy! =P * 11:14 PM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: menlo park, ca} .. hey, i thought you were cool... i feel like i'm a person who is generally a good judge of character. i mean, ususally you would get vibes off of ppl when you first meet them, whether or not you would be able to click with them. but sometimes, there's that one bad egg you dont realize is there until you get home and crack the sucker to make an omelette... *sigh* i have so much work to do, i cant even get into it right now... but in a nutshell i thought someone here at work was cool, but for the last couple of months i'm realizing what a big asshole they're turning out to be. =P some ppl can act like such babies, even though they're supposedly grown up and stuff. whatever. i just wont surround myself with such drama. * 10:50 AM * bernadette * * |
|
Monday, August 20, 2001 {home: daly city, ca} what was that?.... sorry bout that. must be that time of the month. =P or there are just really lame ppl at work. or the database and network are not cooperating. or there's just a bunch of administrative crap i have to deal with and i'm wishing we had an admin to do it. or there's that big report due friday. or that i'm isolated in building 4400. or that my workspace is not ergonomically correct for short girl like me... or hey maybe its ALLL of those things. *argh* i swear, if it was just one or two things, i can hang. but *grrrrRRAARRRRRRrrrrr* if it all happens at once...okay. i'm cool..... for now..... ;) maybe if my dvds came.... one of my dvds is on back order. i probably would have been happier if i got my order today.... one cool thing though, we got the next release of our database application in the mail. it was only 9 months late. =P * 10:47 PM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: menlo park, ca} can i just say that work sucks? WORK SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!$%$$#$#$$@#$@#$@$@#!@#$!#@#$!@#$!@#$!@#$!@#$!@$#^&*^&%$^%#$%#$%#Q$ *****ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH******* *sigh* * 5:55 PM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: menlo park, ca} my work surface is too high back in building 4400. home. supossedly. "home" is usually a place where you feel comfortable and at ease. i dont feel comfortable or at ease here. probably because i'm not sitting in my old cube. i'm in the site manager, stacy's old office, and she is tall. i'm not tall, hence the high work surface. i may just move to my old cube. my only concern is that my phone will get stolen if i move to my old cube. my manager's phone got stolen last week, yet he was in an office. dumb, huh? why would anyone want to steal a work phone? it's not like you can use the phones from here at home, because telecom has to program the phone to accept numbers and stuff... maybe because it was a display phone. but still, even if someone who didnt have a display phone got one, telecom still has to program your extension to display calls....dumb. i think i'm going to move to a cube. my neck is starting to hurt =P * 9:39 AM * bernadette * * |
|
Sunday, August 19, 2001 {home: daly city, ca} pothead no, i'm not smokin some dank. i'm refering to myself and my dance called salidsid that i'm supposed to be performing for our big show in sept. apparently the pots i'm supposed to balance on my head are still stubborn, even after trying double stick tape.. it's still slippery and hence, anything more than six or seven pots tend to fall. yay for gravity. =P so kuya rudi (our artistic director) is giving me one more chance to try one other thing before he'll change/recast the dance. i dont want him to do that. i dont want him to have to do that. (esp since i'm leaving for the philippines soon!!) i swear, i'm going to try my hardest to make sure he doesnt change it. damn pots. i had one last idea to try... one day while i was on the way to the sink to wash dishes, i accidentally kicked a corner of the kitchen rug over...it folded over to reveal one of those rubbery-ish shelving/rug placement things... you know so it wont slip and slide around when you walk on the rug? anyways, that gave me an idea. i figure, i should buy one of those, cut it up and glue it to the rims of the pots so that there's a frictioned surface... sounds like a plan, right? okay, i'll need to get one of those from target, and some glue and try that out. tomorrow. if it doesnt work, i'll be sad, and throw the pots out the window..... =P well, maybe i wont do that, but i'm so determined to make it work! dvd couch potato girl ever since i got the dvd player on friday, i've been watching dvds from gary's collection [thanks gary!] ... so far i've seen: saving silverman, galaxy quest (fell asleep through part of that, so i have to watch it again), 13th warrior (fell asleep on that one too =P), titan a.e., some clips from bug's life, and mystery men. sounds like i'm a couch potato, yeah?! not really, since i slept through a couple of those movies!! i went to a wedding (yes, another one..) on saturday michelle and tj got married yesterday morning. it was a beautiful ceremony. i was bawling.. ;) it was so cute! tj looked so nervous as he stood waiting for michelle to walk down the aisle. even though i was sitting toward the back of the church, i could tell by his facial expression that he was reminding himself to breathe ;) i must say, though that as soon as he saw her, he was happy. another cool thing was she sang a tagalog song to him at the end of the ceremony!! dang, it was just cute! can i just say that the waterfalls were running down my eyes?! ... the reception was a ton of fun -- no catching bouquet this time -- it was the girl standing next to me who did... also the band was great! they knew all the cool slow wedding songs, and popular 70's and 80's hits. they were called Flashback, and a funny thing was, one of the guys i play hockey with is a singer in that band! michelle and tj's first wedding dance was to N'Sync's "This I Promise You" and they did a really good rendition of it. i'd hire them for my wedding.... someday... i think one cool thing about all these weddings happening at once is that i get a chance to see examples of what other people did for their ceremony, procession, their dress, programs, favors, centerpieces, flowers, etc, etc... you know for ideas for my wedding one day .... *sigh* heheehe, i'm such a girl. this goes back to my previous blog about having all the details down for my wedding except for the guy. lol. by the end of this year, i'll have gone to about 7 weddings. i think i'll have plenty of ideas by the time my day arrives.... hm. i wonder if Flashback will still be together in five years...?!..at the rate i'm going, that's probably when my wedding will be... ;) * 10:08 PM * bernadette * * |
|
Friday, August 17, 2001 {work: menlo park, ca} you know you've done too much online shopping when.... you've memorized your credit card number and expiration date. =P .. do i know myself or what?! i just bought some dvds for my new player. see! i told you i'd be spending more once i got my new toy! *argh* be careful what you wish for... because of the dreadful network connection to our server project in this damn building (equipment fix will take bout 10 days).. i will be moving BACK temporarily to building 4400. just my phone and my laptop. my manager's been there for the past two days working on updates for that big report.... so i will follow suit on monday. =P ... moving to 4005 was not a good idea. * 5:33 PM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: menlo park, ca} okay NOW i remember happy month-a-versary to my blog!!!!! (how could i forget?!) it's been a month since i started a-bloggin. feels like it's been longer. to celebrate, i will enjoy the dvd player that i just got now in the mail! yay for me! =) * 11:01 AM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: menlo park, ca} a thought dont you hate it when you have a thought in your head, and then a split second later, it's gone and you forgot what you were thinking? memory is so fleeting. kinda like ideas. if you dont write it down, it'll never come to fruition. well, i shouldnt say never. someone will just never think you thought it. see, i had a thought, and now i forgot what it was. * 10:25 AM * bernadette * * |
|
Thursday, August 16, 2001 {home: daly city, ca} mermaids so it looks like we're going to try to make it a regular thing to go swimming at least twice a week. it's more fun to swim with buddies. angie, bev, fatima, and i went swimming at orange today and since it was later in the adult rec swim time period, we almost had the pool to ourselves. it was a slow thursday, i guess. but it was cool cuz we could practice our breast stroke, and freestyle with out bumping into anyone in the pool. it's like we had our own lanes! i can now finish a length without freaking out. now the next goal is to go back and forth w/out stopping! yay for cardio and full body workout! =) * 10:48 PM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: oakland, ca} lovely lovely site visit i must not be used to walking around, but dang i'm tired. i walked around five floors of office space with the site manager here in oakland to do a field verification of where ppl sit and what dept they report to. it's for this bigger picture report which ibm is asking for at the end of the month, so we're trying to get our data in order.... i'd have to say we talked to a bunch of ppl along the way. i was dehydrated (i forgot my bottle of water), and kinda dizzy, because i would walk with the site manager, with floor plan in hand, looking at it, taking notes, talking to ppl, and looking at nameplates.... ugh. felt like i was reading while in a moving vehicle. =P anyways, got our verifications down, and now the site manager will input the data into the application. i'm here in case he has questions or needs help.... chill time, until a problem arises w/ the application. i hate my hair i'm trying to grow out my hair. it's straight, layered, and shoulder length, so it flips out at the ends. it looks cool, and generally i have no problems with it, but why is it bothering me today?! i just want to put it in a pony tail. but of course, since i'm in this damn hotelling cube, there is nothing in here but a phone. no rubberbands in sight. new toys in the mail yay!!!! i checked the status of the dvd player shipment, and it should be at the office tomorrow!!! yay!!! joanie must know what it feels like to get cool electronics in the mail. she just got a new visor. =) i'm not the only one! wow, and i thought the penelope cruz thing was a lame random thought due to the lateness of the hour. thanks, michelle, for validating that it's not so dumb. ;) graduation day whoa! i just looked at the calendar and today is August 16th! i completely forgot it was my 4-year anniversary at work yesterday!!! shit, i've been here for THAT long? by college standards, it should be my graduation day. hm, so where's my diploma? * 3:39 PM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: oakland, ca} morning commute i took bart to the oakland office today. it's a different kind of commute. no radio (i miss sarah and vinnie on 97.3 in the mornings...). no cd player. (yeah, i could have brought a discman, but i'm carrying my laptop already!) i dont have to drive and deal w/lame ppl who dont know how to drive on the freeway. i was able to sleep. it's cool. saves mileage on my car. the only thing is, my shoulder hurts from carrying the laptop. i dont know about you, but i really dont like those big ol laptop bags. they're kinda huge and heavy. i put my laptop in a messenger bag w/ all the accesories. i'm sure that if i had to commute here everyday, i'd probably leave my laptop locked up in my desk here at work, unless i really had to do some work at home.... ah well, time to work.... * 9:13 AM * bernadette * * |
|
{home: daly city, ca} random thought so like, if penelope cruz married tom cruise, she would still be penelope cruise, but her name would be the spelled different. yeah, okay that was dumb, but look at what time it is... * 12:41 AM * bernadette * * |
|
Wednesday, August 15, 2001 {home: daly city, ca} did i write today? you know, a lot of things happened today, but for some reason i'm feeling uninspired to write anything cool.... but i guess i could give you the bullet point summary of today's happenings:
... and that's about it, in a nutshell. i need to change this font color but who has time right now? * 11:47 PM * bernadette * * |
|
Tuesday, August 14, 2001 {home: daly city, ca} wedding invitations! a family friend came back from the philippines last night and came by today to drop off my brother's wedding invitations to distribute to ppl here in the US. they're so cute!! =) i like the style that they picked out. really simple, yet elegant (very cliche, i know, but those are the words that best fit to describe...) and everything is attached together w/ a ribbon inside. dont you hate it when you get wedding invitations and you get like fifty lil attachments that fall out of it? (ie, the wedding entourage, the directions to the church, the rsvp of what you're going to eat, plus the other envelope for the rsvp [unless it's an rsvp card],etc...) granted, you do need all of that stuff for info's sake, but i'm sure there's a good way of putting the invitation together so it doesnt look like an assemblage of different pieces of paper that you later couldnt figure how to get everything back in the envelope... kuya and vogie did a good job of picking this one out. although they dont have the directions to church and reception.... maybe they have that on the ones they sent out in the philippines? ah well, it's cute nonetheless. they're wedding motif is peach. i guess its a cool color for a sept wedding. dang i'm leaving in two weeks!! the inscription ... soulmates? this is what it says on the front of the invitation: Two souls afar from the time that past. Built up in time both meant to last. Introed by God, His will be done. These two hearts separate now is one. If fate is fate and all is good separate time did these souls good. An unknowing man cannot desecrate souls meant to finally consecrate... it's a nice little verse. =) hmm.... makes me wonder if there really is such a thing as a soulmate..? i mean, do you really believe there is one single person meant to be for you? kinda seems far-fetched and hard to believe, doesnt it? that there's only one. with all those divorces that go on at this day and age, i'm sure that some of these ppl thought that the significant other they are divorcing now, was at one point their soulmate. hm. i'm sure they feel differently. this is my take on it: i believe that there are probably a handful of people that you are probably compatible with or can deem as your "soulmate", it just all depends on the timing and circumstance. maybe you already met the one for you, but you just dont know it, because the timing is all off... or the circumstances behind the meeting is just bad or it's not time yet.... for instance, at the last wedding i went to, the bride and groom were each in relationships at the time of the first meeting. they were friends. they each broke up w/ their significant other. then they went out. the rest is history.... see? you never know. maybe you already met your soulmate. and because he's a guy, he's too dumb to realize you're right there in front of him.... heheehe. i'm so bad. ;) dvd player i gave in! i bought it! now i have something cool to wait for in the mail. =) * 11:48 PM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: menlo park, ca} dvd debate i've been debating whether or not to buy a dvd player... one of my friends forwarded a website where they have a sale on dvd players as well as free shipping (until aug 15)! wow, who wouldnt want a dvd player for less that $200?! and free shipping to boot?! i do! i do! okay. cool. so if i buy the dvd player. then what? i would need to buy dvd's to watch on the dvd player, right?! ".. but i really do need star wars episode one on dvd. so what if i have it on video, i need the dvd! oh, and i need the collectors edition of this.. and that...." *argh* ...so the initial $200 i would spend on the dvd player will grow to about $500 because of all the dvd's i'll need/want to get to play on the dvd player. hm. well i could always rent at blockbuster.... but it's just so cool to own them.... you know? .. and yes, i would put saran wrap on the remote if you were ever to ask. damn proud of it too! =P visit sf, michelle! ... or maybe i should go up and visit you in edmonton?! ... wait, i have no more vacation left this year. hm. um okay, so it goes back to my initial "visit sf, michelle!"... ;) * 1:41 PM * bernadette * * |
|
Monday, August 13, 2001 {home: daly city, ca} exhausted i must have walked a hundred miles yesterday. well, not really, but it felt like it. likha was invited to participate in a parade celebrating filipino culture. the whole event was called pistahan, and is usually held yearly at the yerba buena gardens in downtown san francisco. the parade down market street started at the embarcadero and ended at yerba buena. we had our own float and represented the "Mindanao Tapestry"... basically costumes from the southern philippines. i really dig our costumes because they're really colorful, and not typically seen or associated w/ filipino culture. some ppl got to sit up on the float, but most of us (like me! =P) were walking, following the float, and doing some dance basics from the tribe we represented..... for some reason we had to report to the meeting place at 8:30am, but the darn parade didnt start til about 12 noon. we were waiting for miss america to arrive! cool thing: she's filipino american. not so cool thing: she had us waiting there for a really long time (try 2 hours!?) the parade couldnt start w/out her. i have nothing against her, but for some reason, making a couple hundred people wait for two hours is kinda inconsiderate.... granted, it was neat seeing other dance companies and groups w/ their costumes and wares during the wait time, but dang, i could have gotten a few more hours of sleep! ah well, maybe someone didnt tell her the right time to show up.. or maybe someone didnt tell US the right time to show up! ... the parade was fun nonetheless, waving and smiling at curious onlookers, doing some dance moves each time we stopped... and then when we reached our destination, we had to perform two dances... i think our performances went well, considering i had not performed the dance that we did in public before (i was always a fill-in during practice), the wind blew some of our props during the performance (it's an outdoor stage), and the stage was hot (think black, metallic, and in the sun all day long) that we had to dance w/shoes on! by the end of the day, energy = less than zero, therefore falling asleep on the couch when i got home was not surprising. note to self: safeway card does not equal drivers license a bunch of us went to The View (a bar) at the top of the marriott in downtown san francisco on sat night. at least we tried to. rianne realized she didnt take her id from her wallet right before she left home, but instead it was her safeway card!!! this was discovered when we were parked and about to go into the hotel. "it looks like my id from the back!!" apparently, if you dont pay attention, you could easily mistake the back of a popular grocery food store chain card for a california drivers license. it has the same kind of magnetic strip. easy mistake if you're in a hurry. but i'm sure the waiter would attest that rianne does NOT look like the safeway logo. all good rianne. we'll just get you a wallet with a window. ;) weddings, again i was reading michelle's blog about her past weekend wedding experience. i swear, who isnt getting married this year?! ... but, i feel the same way when i attend weddings, though. she talked about thinking when it would be her turn at the altar, wondering who that special someone is going to be, who's going to be in her entourage, the dress, the motif, the flowers, when, how... hm, i think all girls have the details down. the only missing detail is dude to fill the tux!!! it's a great feeling to share in the ceremony with the couple, the emotions, the way they look at each other. you can just tell that the couple is totally into each other! i'd have to say my favorite part of the wedding, in ANY wedding, is that moment when the groom first sees his bride walking down the aisle and vise versa. there's just sooooo much you can see in the expression on each of their faces. ususally the groom is just floored at how beautiful their bride is, esp in the dress. and of course the bride has the teary look of love for the groom. sappy as it sounds, it makes me all teary eyed too.. *sniffle* hold up, lemme get a kleenex right quick... um. no, i'm not crying.. it's my uh... allergies!... ;) *sniff* single girl dot com despite the wedding trend, i kinda like this single girl thing. less hassle. no one to tell me i cant go shopping, or hang out with the girls, or go on a trip... there are no feelings of disappointment toward guys who cant live up to your expectations -- ie that whole "shit, was it something i did? why isnt he calling?" crap or even "why dont you spend more time with me!?" ... i hate that feeling. it drives me insane. makes me feel like not myself. ugh. and then i end up in a man-hating mode. negativity. dark cloud over my head. who wants to feel like that?! ... us girls are sensitive, huh? as a woman, though it bothers me when ppl give me that "why arent you married yet?" or "why are you still single" crap.... has that happened to you yet? there's this cool book all you single gals should pick up. i got my copy as a gift from my best friend. =) it makes me feel kinda empowered and glad to be single whenever i read it. it's cute. it's the sign o the times. i know i wont be single forever. but i'm enjoying this time for myself. * 9:38 PM * bernadette * * |
|
Saturday, August 11, 2001 {home: daly city, ca} episode I i was just watching episode one again of the starwars prequel. have you noticed that in all the star wars movies, all of the major light sabre fight scenes occur in the deep dark recesses of the ship/palace/death star? (ie, the darth maul vs. qui gon jin & obi wan kenobi @ the naboo palace in episode i, darth vadar vs. obi wan @ the death star in episode iv, darth vadar vs. luke skywalker @ the cloud city in episode v, and again w/ darth vadar and luke @ the death star in episode vi)... and did you notice that there always happens to be a really endless pit that someone seems to fall down into and die (ie, darth maul in episode i, luke skywalker in episode v [well, he didnt die, but his hand got cut off...], and the emporer in episode iv). what's up with that? is that the only way people of power die in the star wars universe? it's just kinda funny, and something i just noticed... wedding shower i went to a couple shower today. my friends from college, janet and howard will be getting married in a month and their bridal party threw them a couple shower. usually i'm up on all these "shower" kind of things (ie, bridal shower, baby shower, etc), but i think this is probably the first "couple" shower i've been to. i didnt really know what to expect or what to bring. i think the couple shower took the place of a bridal shower where, instead of just the bride getting pre-wedding gifts, both the bride and groom get the pre-wedding gifts. what'll they think of next..? news spreads like wildfire.... beverly called from on the road. [a bunch of ppl from likha went to la for a dance workshop. i was unable to go because i dont have any more vacation left. i'm going to the philippines for my brother's wedding in three weeks...] bev says that kuya texted her something and that it said "from chris [kuya], vogie [his wife], and one on the way [the fetus].... she called and asked "is vogie pregnant?!" ... and of course i confirm... gary texts "i hear your brother's pregnant!" ..also the other day, i run into my next door neighbor and da crew and they too hear the news of the pregnancy... i almost feel like it's too early to announce that she's pregnant. i would wait at least two months before telling ppl. you never know if it's a false alarm, or you might miscarry, or something.... kuya says she's a week pregnant. but how can you confirm that?! unless she's really in tune w/ her body and stuff.. i dont know.. i'm still in shock... happy, but shocked. *sigh* * 10:04 PM * bernadette * * |
|
Friday, August 10, 2001 {work: menlo park, ca} it's so noisy here day two in the new space. i'm not sure i'm going to like it. it's noisy. instead of being located next to the wall [like in our old building], i'm in the middle of a cube farm. ppl yelling across the cubes -- the IS guys' super cube bull pen is just to my right and they're just talking loud ALL the time about the network problems we're having in this building. another thing, their manager is just plain LOUD. i mean when he talks normally it's like, a loud booming, almost grating kinda voice. he's pretty obnoxious too. everyone in the whole building can hear what he's talking about. like this morning, he just came back from a business trip, and as i was doing a zip code study on employee demographics, i learned (unwillingly) about how the flight attendant on his plane was jokingly directing him to the door of the airplane instead of the lavatory. ha ha. fun-e. i'm sure. there's just more buzzing of voices than what i'm used to.... *sigh* * 4:48 PM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: menlo park, ca} ick, what was i thinking? i must have been high [all that dank i was smokin at the gas station ;)], but it's the morning after and i dont like the font color. ugh. maybe i'll go back to the white. * 8:48 AM * bernadette * * |
|
Thursday, August 09, 2001 {home: daly city, ca} okay i must be bored i changed the look. i dont know if i like it, but it's easier to read. do you like the font? can you read it? i've had complaints that ppl cant read the white font. okay, just one complaint. can YOU read it? let me know. thanks. much love to ya! * 11:03 PM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: menlo park} all settled... finally! all my boxes are unpacked and stuff is put away. it's just like my old spot, except everything is turned the other way (my workstation faces a different direction than before). feels backwards. but i'll get used to it. =) have a few post-move issues that i'm sure will get taken care of by next week... ... and in other news... whoa, did i forget to mention something!? yes, well in addition to my kuya getting my birthday message, he actually had some news to tell me too... apparently i will be an auntie in nine months!!!! **WHOA!!!!**.. wait a second! i havent gone to the wedding yet!! ... my sister-in-law is pregnant! (a few weeks) EGADS, man!! cant seem to wait, huh?? i'm a little surprised, and quite frankly i'm still trying to get over this whole "marriage" thing and new sister and all that, but DANG!!!!! holy smokies! ... our house will be a FULL house that's for sure... hm.... are you sure you're ready for that, kuya?! i'm happy for you, really i am, but alone time would be good, you know?! random pick-up... at the gas station?!!!?!?! so like before i went to work today, i went to get some gas.. tank running low, y'know... when i was all done, i got into my car and started the engine. i ususally record the mileage and number of gallons in a little notebook in my car whenever i fill up on gas. [thanks nees! ;)] i noticed from the corner of my eye that some black dude (alright looking, but not that cute) was trying to get my attention. i rolled down my window: "what's your name?" "huh?" "what's your name?" "uh, bernadette.." "you got a boyfriend, you got a husband?" okay, before i continue with the way the conversation went, can i just tell you guys out there: this is a REALLY BAD way to start a conversation.. i mean, wtf?!? what ever happened to, "how are you today?" with a smile or, even... "you have a really nice car..." or even... something more clever than, "you got a boyfriend?", cuz this only means you really just want to hook up... but wait, let me continue: "you got a boyfriend, you got a husband?" (smiling, and thinking... "wtf?") "yes, i do" (of course this is a lie....) "what, you got both a boyfriend AND a husband?!" (laughing) "no, i have a boyfriend" (i'm amused. does this guy really think i'm impressed? he already lost points w/ the boyfriend/husband question) "do you live with him?" (what the fuck kind of question is THAT?) "no" "oh, i see, hi my name is daniel.." "nice to meet you daniel" (shake hands... yeah right, "nice to meet you" .. i'd rather not talk to you right now, i'm just being nice.) "so like can i have your number so we can, like just be friends or something?" (oh, i see, since i dont live w/ my boo, you want to see if you can make me a playa playa.. um. no.) "um, no sorry, i dont think so... " (i'm about to continue writing in the notebook, when...) "what is that, you got weed in your car??" hold up. what the fuck? it had to be around 11am when i went to get gas. it's broad daylight. i'm at a gas station. DOODE, do you really think i'm going to roll up a fat one and smoke out!!!??? shit! is THAT what you think of me? it sounded like he wanted to get a hit. why would he ask me that? it must have been the way i was holding my pen or something, cuz i was writing on the pad.. or whatever... but let me continue..: "what is that, you got weed in your car??" "WHAT?!...NO." "alright have a good one" "um, you too.." (he walks away, i roll up window, finish writing.. and i drive off.. with him staring after me....) um. yeah. one way to kill a pick up: ask if she has a boyfriend/husband and then ask if she has weed. score! not. i'm not sure about other girls, but it bugs me when guys pick up like that. it only means you want one thing. sex. you just want to fuck. sorry, not into that just-sex thing. or ftf (friends that fuck). or fwb (friends with benefits). really. if you really want to meet a girl, or at least if you want to meet me, you gotta be genuine. it's not really about the pick-up line, i think it's about the timing and delivery. he had the wrong timing (hi, we're at a gas station, i'm IN my car), and delivery was just all off (hello, get a better approach, buddy!!). please. gotta be slick. be real. make her laugh -- WITH you, not AT you .. i was kinda laughing inside at dude....for real. "e" for effort. you got balls, boy. i give you a 2.5. =P * 6:27 PM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: menlo park, ca} new home... chaos! i guess they havent finished moving everything, because as soon as i got into the new building, i didnt have a chair in my cube!!! finally someone came by rolling in my CHAIR! =) everything is everywhere.. need some time to settle and unpack... ugh, i need a pen! where's that box?! * 1:02 PM * bernadette * * |
|
{home: daly city, ca} whoa, messages from kuya! yay! a text message from kuya!!!! whoooo hooooo! not just one, but THREE!!! he actually got my message! it's cool cuz he can text me =), but not so cool, cuz i cant text him. =( he says he read my blog and that i should read his. what a different world it is over there. i mean, i already know how it is in the philippines, but to hear him write about regular daily life, the "commute" etc etc...it's so different than his life over here. but he's happy. that's cool! hard to believe that i'll be there (again) in three weeks to witness his wedding... btw, kuya, i'm not moving that far. just to the building across the street. ;) at home this morning so like i'm here at home this morning, because the movers are moving our crap from building 4400 across the street to 4005. i'll be heading over there around noon. it's kinda wierd being here midmorning. ususally i'm at work right now checking the mail, looking at some floor plans, IM-ing ;)....um, i mean, working! yeah.. that's what i'm doing... working. hehehe. one cool thing is that even though i'm at home, i still have a cool chair to sit on. ;) * 8:57 AM * bernadette * * |
|
Wednesday, August 08, 2001 {work: menlo park, ca} moving day my cube is all packed up. it's empty in here. it's like i was never here. the only thing left now is for IS to come by and dismantle the computer and Telecom to get my phone and move it. tomorrow it'll be a ghost town. I'll miss building 4400. it's like where i "grew up" .... ..."your call was unable to be completed as dialed..." i tried calling my kuya several times yesterday and today, to wish him a happy birthday. he has a cell phone in the philippines. it's pretty common over there for people to have cell phones (... as if it's not common here?!?!.. haha..), but they use it more in terms of an "emailing messaging" system, which they call "text" -- they basically send text messages back and forth via the cell phone. it's not widely used here in the states, but over there, not one person is without a cell phone in hand, texting someone. they'd be driving while texting (watch the road, buddy!!), they'd be at the club, texting (hello, you're dancing with ME, not the phone!), at the supermarket, texting (did you really mean to buy those depends?) ... walking down the street, texting (did you just step on doggie doo doo?) ... i'm sure they all have calluses on their thumbs from pressing the buttons!! and it's amazing how quickly they can type up messages, using the touchtone keypad. my cousin herbie, is a whiz at that... kuya says herbie has a lot of "textmates", kinda like an email penpal?! i dont know. which is probably why he can text so quickly... the messages turn out like this on the screen because of the short cuts they make: "hi, r u gng 2 da prty 2nite? il se u thr" = "Hi, are you going to the party tonight? I'll see you there!" ...and some text messages even have little pictures, that when you use the scroll button on the phone, the picture moves in some way... sometimes i wonder if these people are really bored to develop these little jokes/pictures/etc... but then again, life in the philippines is not as on-the-go as it is here... texting also goes through much easier than actually talking to someone on the phone, and it's much more inexpensive. i asked beverly to text my brother "happy birthday" because her cell phone carrier allows her to text to the philippines. hopefully he got my/her text. if not, maybe he'll get to an internet cafe and read my wishes below.... * 10:54 AM * bernadette * * |
|
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KUYA!!! =) * 12:24 AM * bernadette * * |
|
{home: daly city, ca} swimming, again i'm trying this swimming thing again. this time i went to the orange swimming pool in south san francisco with angie and my mom. it's cheaper (by a quarter) and the locker rooms are nicer than the ones at the 19th ave pool. and the swim time is much earlier (7:30pm @ orange, 9:30pm @ 19th)....but the pool for some reason felt a little shorter, so i was able to swim 3/4 of the length freestyle before pooping out!! hm... getting there. hey, at least i'm trying! i think i need to do more cardio in order to build the endurance. duh. well, that's what the swimming is for! ... i think the only problem that would arise from going to this pool is the fact that it could get crowded, and other ppl there could swim much faster than i can... gym memberships one cool thing about both pools is that you pay as you go. or even buy 10 swims for a discounted rate. no need for the long commited gym memberships where you pay $50/month for three years, and only go once a week. and you cant cancel. and if you dont pay, it fucks your credit rating. that sucks. what a waste. i guess if you were dedicated enough, it would be worth it. you think to yourself "i have to go, cuz i'm paying for it!!".... hm. i guess... and then there's that whole "gym" environment.. where the guys are there.. waiting to pick up, or stare at your fat, or something...yuck. i'm just there for aerobics, thanks. =P. (well, they could be there to work out too.... ) i actually have an aversion to gyms and gym memeberships. when someone says.. "oh yeah, i have a free pass to 24 Fitness, wanna come?", i say.. "no, thank you..." (or at least go, and avoid those trainers...) those free passes are a ploy for those trainers to snooker you into buying those gym memberships... and how do i know this? i was snookered into buying a gym membership =P ... i didnt want it, but at the time, i was too weak to say "no!". dumb, huh? so ever since then (and after the one year membership expired...) i've had this aversion. besides, in that year, i must have gone to the gym at least once a week on the average! (cuz one week i'll go twice, another i go once.. and then three times a week for month.. and then none at all.... ) see. just a waste. for me, anyways. =P * 12:18 AM * bernadette * * |
|
Tuesday, August 07, 2001 {work: menlo park, ca} wow! i feel so COOL!!! thanks mer! you're mighty cool yourself!! translation: it's always cool to make new friends. =) * 5:08 PM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: menlo park, ca} ice cream it's my afternoon snack, an ice cream sandwich, neopolitan... mmmmmmmmm... funny, i just read about ice cream on gary's blog. i dont know about him generalizing that girls "lick" rather than "bite" their ice cream. (maybe you're just noticing the ones that lick...) right now i'm biting into my ice cream sandwich. probably cuz it's hard to lick the sandwich part ;) heehe... i actually like ice cream when it's really hard and frozen [so i can bite it ;) -- see, you shouldnt generalize...] rather than having it melted and syrupy. i guess you can say it's a pet peeve of mine when the ice cream is melted. i mean, what's the point of getting ice cream if it's melted?! you might as well get a milk shake!.. i think the whole biting/licking thing depends on the frozen-ness of the ice cream, and also if there was something to bite in there, like nuts or choc chips.... either way i like it hard, so i can bite ;)... lol. * 2:07 PM * bernadette * * |
|
Monday, August 06, 2001 {home: daly city, ca} chicken scratch i'm going through a pile of ticket stubs from our likha raffle fundraiser this past spring. i'll be entering the names and phone numbers from them into a spreadsheet for future mailings, advertising, etc for likha. yay! great project! cool! right?!... wrong. half of the stubs, i cant seem to read because ppl dont know how to write clearly anymore. these tix came in books of 10 selling for $1 each. if you supported likha and bought $10 worth, you would have to sit there and fill out your name/address/phone/email 10 times. now who wants to do that?!! not i, said the fly. so you do shortcuts. and scribble. and initial. and not even put your phone/address/email anymore. just your first name. which i cant even read anyways.... *argh*. there's just so many. i can see why ppl wouldnt want to write it out 10 times. it just takes time. who has that?! but there are those who used their address labels. smart. and even computer generated labels. quick. i can actually read it. yay! you will be getting junk mail from likha. ;) * 10:03 PM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: menlo park, ca} ahhhhh-choooooo! this is what happens when i encounter layers of dust on files that havent been looked at since 1995. sneezing. allergies to dust and other crap *argh*.. i'm actually allergic to a ton of things, from dust, trees, weeds, animal dander, etc. can you believe i get 6 shots weekly for that?!? dont forget the claritin-d and the nasal spray. i'm so used to it, you can probably call me a druggie by now. =P i've been on immunotherapy for a while now, and you would think that i would have developed some sort of resistance to all these things i'm allergic to. i guess i'm just a sensitive gal. ;) packing up, moving out... so we're packing up the dept and moving to another building this week, which means, clean up/purge time. hence, the whole looking at files that havent been looked at since 1995. i'm finding some random things here. marketing stuff, odds and ends from when i first started here, old floor plans, pictures from previous training sessions.... it's almost like cleaning out your room and finding old elementary and junior high school pictures. each thing you take out, you almost have to say "oh shit! i remember that!.. dang that was a long time ago..." . of course this also means, that we must be packrats to be keeping things from 1995. i'm so notorious for being a pack rat. one good example is my room at home. (dont go in there!) and i'm sure there are things in there that date back to way beyond 1995. try early eighties!!... *sigh* =P * 4:41 PM * bernadette * * |
|
Sunday, August 05, 2001 {home: daly city, ca} cool i was reading this gal's blog today, merboo and she was talking about the word "cool", and how ppl use it all the time... i actually am one of those ppl who use that word constantly... "hey, bern, how was club bas the other night?".. "it was cool".. "did you like the movie, Planet of the Apes?", "yeah, it was cool."... "so are you diggin on that guy or what?".. "yeah, he's cool"... a co-worker of mine once said i'm funny because i use that same word to describe things (basically EVERYthing), that sometimes he cant tell if i really like it or i'm just saying it's cool just cause.. well, it's cool. i suppose it depends on how i say it that determines the degree of "coolness" it is to me: "hey, bern, so how was club bas the other night?" "eh...it was cool...." translation: it was alright, but it wasnt anything to be all gung ho about. you didnt miss much. "did you like the movie, Planet of the Apes?" "yeah, it was really cool!" translation: it was better than i thought it was. you may want to check it out. "so are you diggin on that guy or what?" "yeah, he's wayyyy cool!!!!!" translation: oh, but dang, he's just too cool. something about dude just impressed me. i think i want to chill with this one. despite the same usage of the word, the expression and emotion behind it determines the degree of coolness. next time, pay attention to how someone uses the word cool. i'm sure you'd be surprised. * 11:22 PM * bernadette * * |
|
Saturday, August 04, 2001 {home: daly city, ca} whoa, i'm home... it's saturday night and i'm actually at home... with no real plans. can you believe that? ususally i come in here right quick, jot some thoughts and then bolt out the door to some activity... but i'm actually here... chillin... i was debating on whether i want to go out later with angie, cuz she called and wanted to go out dancing.. gary was thinking of going out too, but he's sore from karate. originally i was going to go pop on over to oakland to michelle's house because she needed some help with her wedding decorations for the church (yes, one of the fifty weddings i'm invited to this year....). but she called just now and said they rescheduled to do it next weekend. hm. so here i am. should i rent a movie? i actually saw a movie last night, Planet of the Apes. we were going to watch Rush Hour 2 but it was sold out. it's been a while since i've been to the movie theater and i think i'm way behind on my summer blockbuster movies. Planet of the Apes was not on my top ten list of things to see, but it turned out to be better than i expected, except for the lame ass ending and some lines/scenes that were really cheesy.... makeup and costumes were cool... and mark wahlberg acted really well in this film. i've never seen the older version of this movie, but it would be interesting to see the difference between the old and new versions... dancing again? hm.. another reason why i'm not sure if i want to go out dancing tonight is because i just went out dancing last night at club bas after the movie.. it was alright, the music was okay, but dang, the dj was a little annoying... you know how it is when they play a really well known song, and they turn it down for some line in the song so that the ppl dancing can sing it?? well, this dj and some dude holding the mike kept on doing that, so it totally ruined the flow... AND another thing that was annoying was the fact that dude w/ the mike kept on trying (note the word "TRY") to rap with the songs that were playing. not cute. he swore he was Notorious BIG or something. ugh, whatever. just cuz you hold the mike doesnt mean you can sing/rap. i'm not sure if i'm in the mood to deal with ppl at the club tonight. esp the guys...some of them have dumb ways of trying to meet girls. it was really crowded last night at bas and as sheri and i were walking to the ladies' room, several dudes tried to grab my arm to catch my attention... wtf? do you think i'm going to turn around and smile at you when i'm headed to the ladies' room to go pee? um. no. dont do that. i'm just going to ignore you. i need to pee, man. grabbing the butt along the way is NOT going to make me want you either. i've been in clubs w/ my friend denise where, it's really crowded and as we're trying to pass through, some random guy will just grab ass. i mean do you seriously think we're going to give you the time of day if you grab my butt??! "gee, guy, thanks for grabbing my butt, otherwise i wouldnt have noticed you. i think you're fine, let's dance!" hm. if you really want girls to dog you, just grab her ass. works like a charm. .. i think i may just rent a flick... * 8:51 PM * bernadette * * |
|
Friday, August 03, 2001 {work: menlo park, ca} shameless plug i've been working on the press release for our likha show in sept. finally after much emailing, and the back and forth action of sending attachments of revised press releases (i'm SURE there could have been an easier way.... ) here it is: Likha-Pilipino Folk Ensemble Presents Pintig, Pulse of the Filipino People, in San Francisco Celebrating its 9th season, Likha-Pilipino Folk Ensemble, the San Francisco-based Filipino folk dance company, presents “Pintig, Pulse of the Filipino People”, an artistic theatrical interpretation of ethnic dance forms and cultural inspirations of the Philippines, at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater in San Francisco, CA on Saturday, September 22, 2001 at 7:30 PM. The company, mainly composed of Filipino-American professionals and students, under the direction of the founding Artistic Director, Rudi C. Soriano, will be performing dance numbers inspired by the various tribes of the Philippines, including Yakan, Bagobo, Subanon, and T’boli. Other dances exhibit forms from the Cordillera, or Mountain regions of the Philippines, as well as dances influenced by the Spanish, including the Jota. Featured as well, will be the company’s own instrumentalists, the LIKHA Rondalla, playing the stringed guitars, octavinas, bandurias and bass, and the LIKHA Percussionists, beating the sounds of the gansa, kulintang, and agong, which are brass instruments emanating the indigenous sounds from the Northern and Southern Philippines. This season's performance will feature the talented young artists from LIKHA, Contra Costa County. This group is part of LIKHA's ongoing cultural outreach program for children, ages 14 and under. These young dancers will showcase dances depicting Filipino rural scenes. From its conception in 1992, LIKHA has become one of the best Filipino performing dance companies in the Bay Area. It has performed not only in the local venues and festivals, such as Fiesta Filipina, Ethnic Dance Festival, Filipino-American Arts Exposition, Asian Arts Museum Events, but also nationally, performing in Reno, NV, Carson City, NV, Corpus Christi, TX, Los Angeles, CA as well as in Canada. LIKHA has also participated in the International Folk Dance Festival in Malta. Most recently, LIKHA went on a performance tour of the Philippines, performing with the famous Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila, at St. Louis University Auditorium in Baguio City for the attendees of the National Dance Workshop, and for the general public at Rizal Park’s Concert at the Park. LIKHA’s mission is to collect and preserve the Philippine culture as well as continue the long-standing initiative of educating their members and the public about Philippine traditions. Pintig, will be staged at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater at 3301 Lyon Street in San Francisco on Saturday, September 22, 2001, at 7:30 PM. The price of general admission is $20. Advance and discount prices are available. For ticket sales and more information, please contact Epee Rafanan at (415) 348-8714 or Paulino Tamayo at (510) 665-8893, or email info@likha.org, or visit the website, www.likha.org. * 11:02 AM * bernadette * * |
|
{work: menlo park, ca} i'm sore call me crazy, but i went swimming with angie last night at this pool on 19th ave. i was already achey to begin with from hockey the day before (okay, the bruise just got bigger... ), but i thought "oh, it'll be good for me.. " working out and all that. um. yeah. it's been a while since i've gone swimming like that. and i'm not talking about just messing around and lounging at the pool. i mean LAPS. as in, back and forth with the freestyle etc, etc, etc... i cant do laps. i was able to go half the lenth of the pool before i realize, "shit, i cant breathe!" (that and i had some water up my nose! ... *yicchk*) and i end up doing some stroke w/ my head out of the water... luckily also, they had the little kick boards, so i could just paddle my way kicking up and down the pool. i'm noticing i have better lower body strength (as it is in all women).... as angie says, "it would be cool to develop swimming lungs"... despite the struggle, it was a pretty good workout, considering i had a lot of trouble waking up this morning. you know how it is when you can't move your body cuz you're achey and just the thought of getting out of your bed just makes you feel like you dont want to get out of bed? ;) hehee... did that make sense? well you know what i mean. i just didnt want to wake up at all. anyways, i think swimming would be a great way to develop the endurance i need for the hockey. let's just see, now if i can get the motivation to do that every week.... * 9:28 AM * bernadette * * |
|
Thursday, August 02, 2001 {work: menlo park, ca} i have a big old bruise i played roller hockey last night for the first time in two weeks. i'm feeling a little rusty. but i think i'm a little more confident on the skates. one thing's for sure, i'm actually doing the cross-overs during game time.=) yay! but as i was skating to the puck toward the boards, i collided w/ some big dude, he fell on me and sqashed me. =( boo! i now have this cute little bruise on my right knee. it hurts. not so cute. not so little. =P electrical tape doesnt work! so we're preparing for our big show this sept for likha. this year i have this solo dance, called Salidsid, which is a kind of wedding dance. i have to balance ten pots on my head. i kid you not. myra did this dance two years ago with some paper mache pots. this time around, we have fiberglass pots. my biggest problem right now is having the pots actually stay on my head. i was practicing last night after hockey, to see if i could at least balance 5 on my head. i can get 4, but i noticed as the number of pots on my head gets larger, the stability of the pots is shakey. namely because they dont stack neatly one on top of the other. for some reason there is not enough friction for the pots to stay one on top of the other. i believe that i can balance all of them on my head. (i'd like to THINK i can!!) i dont believe they can balance on top of each other, when it's so damn slippery. so over the past several months, we've tried velcro, we've tried wax, we've tried weighting it down.... no avail. someone from another dance company in the philippines told me that they use electrical tape for the friction. so i figured, "i might as well try that, since i've tried everything else!".. so i go to home depot and buy two rolls of electrical tape. i open it up. i try to stick it to the rim of one of the pots. it doesnt stick very well. maybe it's because there are still remnants of the wax that i put on the rims before. but it's not STICKY!!!! *argh* what now? duct tape!?! maybe. i'll need to find that in black (the pots are black). this just doesnt make me a very happy camper. we have about two months before the show, and i havent balanced more than 4 pots on my head!!!!! any suggestions? * 8:50 AM * bernadette * * |
|
Wednesday, August 01, 2001 {work: menlo park, ca} wednesday... can this week end now? please?... *closed eyes, wishing* friday friday friday friday... *open* ... *sigh* as much as i'd like to will today to be friday, i dont think i have that power to make time go faster. but wednesday did sneak up on me. my car is dirty .. i need to wash it. it's this dark midnight blue color and it's cool when it's clean, the rims are sparkly, the blue is shiny, and looks really cool!... but when it's dirty, you can see all kinds of crap. i noticed this today while taking my laptop out of my trunk. *yieccchhhh* brown dried dotted spots from the drizzle the other day. who would have thought it would drizzle in july?!!!? * 12:00 PM * bernadette * * |
 |
