Note to self!

Remember!

Today, I submitted an application for full-time employment at Las Vegas' City Center (still need to include resume on the online application)! Opening in September 2009, the new addition to the strip will bring in new opportunities for many...

***Interview***
Vdara Hotel & Spa
June 19, 2009
4:00pm

funny thing: fun finds from a few sites

Love.Life.Ukulele by Sophie Madeleine

Nothing goes with a warm, sunny day quite like the sound of a ukulele, which makes Love.Life.Ukulele by Sophie Madeleine ($5 and up) the perfect soundtrack for the next few months. Packing intelligent, relationship-focused lyrics set against peaceful, laid-back ukulele arrangements, this album is a perfect way to prepare for summer. Standout Tracks: "Take Your Love With Me," "Hurry Locomotive."

Joan Manuel Serrat - Aquellas Pequeñas Cosas (Those Small Things)

working

Finally, an alumnus of UC Irvine

Currently, back home in Vegas with my family

Flying back to orange county on March 30th

Eventually, going to make that $90,000 tuition fee worth it...

it feels like spring

After getting a morning final exam (econ161b: International Money) out of the way, I had a craving to fix up a nourishing bite...

(Lean Pocket in hand...and a freshly-made pesto turkey-eggplant panini. Yum! The microwavable delight was complements of a good friend...)

Enjoying the meal in the beautiful Southern CA weather made me notice how quickly spring is approaching. We parked our bums on a grassy area to enjoy the food, fresh air and company.

thank You for another beautiful day!

note to self

food blogs, restaurant reviews, cooking for friends...etc etc...anything but wanting to study right now.

As I ease into finals week of my last quarter at UC Irvine...I'm beginning to feel a sense of entrepreneurship nibbling at me. Maybe this spark is something waiting for me to ignite...i just have to find my match...

i love food
i love sharing good food with others
and i love making friends & listening to their stories
...with food

note to self: something to think about.

"To eat is a necessity. To eat intelligently is an art."
-La Rochefoucauld

the student becomes the teacher

Look at this guy! One of my best friends, Jeremiah Konrad Torrado Bautista, made his debut performance on his genuinely unique ukulele at Kababayan's 10th Annual Talent Show this past February 26th. It's too wonderful NOT to post...

(the video's taking a while to upload onto youtube.com right now...so i'll update this post with the link momentarily)

One can really tell when someone has a special connection with their musical instrument...and I think the audience that filled the Engineering Lecture Hall definitely caught a hint of it with this guy. I'm honored to have introduced Jeremiah to the beauty of this small, yet mighty, music-maker...I must admit that he's taught a lot of what he knows to himself after being shown the basics. It's not too difficult as long as you put a little heart into it.

I know I'll never forget when I first started learning! The talented Alex Montances is a definite go-to when it comes to learning the ukulele.

_________________________________________________________

Lately, Jeremiah and I have been jamming to the tunes of classics like Frank Sinatra and Herman's Hermits, but we also enjoy throwing in some interesting stuff like Popeye the Sailor Man and Summer Girls (by LFO). I also appreciate the tunes of the native islands from which this instrument originates--Hawaii!

Some of my favorites will always be songs by The Beatles; that's what we're working on right now...

A few of my favorite ukulele chord sites are posted to the right under "spare time". If any musicians are reading this, besides myself, please do take the time to gander through them!

brilliant and lovely!

Paris, Je t'aime (Paris, I love you)...

The perfect Friday evening: vegetable stir-fry and an indie film with my dear friend, Kathleen Perez.

Browsing through my past blogs, I've noticed that love is something I can't avoid writing about.

Paris, je T'aime was a wonderful film that portrayed love in ways that gave me butterflies, made me laugh, ached my heart as well as left me wondering. The foreign film brought together 18 short films created by 21 acclaimed directors (from the Cohen brothers, to Wes Craven and Gus Van Sant). Enabling brilliant actors (such as Juliette Binoche, to Natalie Portman, Nick Nolte and Willem Dafoe) to depict lost, growing, true, parental, innocent, addictive, and rekindled love among a city famous for lovers was a shoe-in, and it's no surprise that a hopeless romantic like myself was inspired by the creative juices of this film.

giving back

I just registered to apply for a position with AmeriCorps...it feels nice to be taking a step into action for the community.

After briefly researching programs available on the My AmeriCorps website, I found a handful that interested me.

I also contacted the volunteer coordinator for the local area's Boys and Girls Club! :)

don't forget to...

(photo: relaxing view from trail on Boracay Island, Philippines. Summer 2007. PEACE program)

• Build a physically-active routine
• Set up interviews
• Read Tuesdays with Morrie
• Devote time to learning
• Finish photo-book

Wake up

Unless I find myself amidst a storm of grad school or b-school applications within the next year, I'm fiddling with each decision I make in regards to trying to figure out my next step.

My undergraduate career will be complete in less than two weeks.

watch out for me!

I'll have a cup with creme and sugar...please.

So many people struggle trying to figure out what love is...when the problem of discernment comes from the mere reality that love takes on more than one meaning. People can love their new gadgets, their education and their friends...but these types of loves are different from the kinds held for families and significant others. At least, this is how it works for me...

In trying to figure out what is best for me...and keeping faith in what He has planned...it all comes back to this complicated thing--an emotion or a way of life? It gets one wrapped up in a flurry to be swept away on a cloud, in confused circles, an adventure of growth, and grounded back to the roots of who we really are.

"Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast,
it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails."

- The Bible : 1 Corinthians 13:4 -

Without it, life could be a lot simpler...but life is a lot more interesting when it's complicated.

_________________________
(Some words that I compiled almost a year ago...It definitely portrays a hint of love...or maybe even a cupfull...)

Brand New Start

Jazzy.
A word that describes your actions
And the liveliness that’s present when you speak.
Our conversations unravel so easily
When we aren’t afraid to say
That we’re afraid of whatever lies ahead.
Feeling insecure but knowing we’re so safe
The moment we remember that
Our parents raised us to think about more than just
Us.
Because we know it’ll be [all] right
Even though it took a while to realize
We were [so] right.
And when we thought we missed our cue
I knew, you knew.
Nothing good comes easy,
So maybe this will be great.

The flow of our melody is unplanned.
Impromptu.
And when it comes, improvisation will have to do.
And it works in near-perfect harmony.
Things didn’t work out in the beginning,
For the reason that is Now…
The feeling upon mutual discovery was so blissful.
Miraculous because the one that got away was only on unexpected vacation
Where exploration brought growth and
Realization of what one really wants and needs.
Remembering the importance of the ability to breathe.
We were just around the corner, testing the tune of loves that were meant to move us
In directions that embraced one another.

The song and dance is surreal
Like a dream sequence that is reenacted by the reality
Of a late night phone call or texting spree.
They can stop wondering and eventually recognize it was supposed to be [this way].
Something tells us we’re into something good.
So I’ll keep going as long as you’re in it and understand that
I’m ready to follow your lead because the pace is just right.
Your humility and personality never cease to impress and amaze me.
You’re worth the wait because no one can duplicate the natural high
And all the jazz [that is you].

home visit

Home is where the heart is...

A certain place, smell, familiarity...most importantly, home is wherever my family is.
My family booked me a round-trip flight home for a long weekend (from Friday to Monday) so that I could spend priceless time with my Lola Coring. My mom's mother has lived with us ever since I could remember(...except for the 9 months we spent living in an apartment when we first moved from San Diego to Las Vegas). Her own room has always had its own special scent, with trinkets and souvenir portraits collected and received from loved ones.


Cleaning out the garage in the new house on Jennis Silver St. has put my sister and I in a rummaging mood...actually, just collecting grade-school pictures to put together our k-12 photo frame mom recently bought.....my sister just found Mom's journals (circa 1978) and is laughing while reading through them right now...
Poor Mom is just a few unknowing feet away, sound asleep on the living room couch.

Earlier, my dad and brother stumbled across a Valentine's Card my Lola Gloria had sent my parents in 1989.

It just remind me of how precious mementos of the past can revive memories as well as unfold new perspectives. I saved scanned photos of the letter onto a Facebook album for safekeeping.

I read the letter for the first time, hearing the voice of my Father's mother just how I remember. In a dreamy and most elegant prose, the words danced in my head...painting the genuine love any mother would have for her son's family.

I'm so thankful to have been able to come home...

so many new memories have been made yet again...

*just found Dad's journal...hahah!