2 Person Kickback

Last week, my friend Jeff IMed me on Facebook. I haven't seen him since college but we'd talk every now and then through Facebook. So when he IMed me, I teased him he never invites me to see his new house yet. So he invited me to come over right then and there. I told him I couldn't since I've been working 12 plus hours that night and all I want to do is relax at home. I figured he lived too far anyways. So he said to come over on the weekend. The weekend comes and he texts me asking if I'm still coming over. I thought he was having a few friends over to have a kickback. Nope. It was just him and me hanging out. We ended up watching football for a few minutes with him explaining me some of the rules. I kind of got into it, but not so much where I wanted to watch a whole game. He noticed I was bored so he pointed to a couple of blue rays he borrowed. I ended up picking National Treasure 2 which by the way was kind of boring. It's no wonder I never finished that movie. I think I've tried watching it twice and fell asleep both times. Anyways, while we were watching the movie, he would touch my leg and slowly go towards my hand. It was so cute. But it kind of caught me off guard. He did kiss my hand a few times which REALLY caught me off guard. I started to feel tired since I spent the whole day shopping. Yes, shopping is tiring! So after the movie ended, I got up and said I should go home now. If he liked me, I think I pretty much blew it right there. I should have at least stayed a little bit to see where he wanted to go. But all I thought about was, wow it's late and I have to wake up at 9am for church. Sigh....oh well. I'll get em next time!

Early Bday Present

I turned 25 a few weeks early. Last Saturday, my friend Jill threw me a surprise birthday scavenger hunt around Town Square and a surprise dinner with some close friends. And everyone was in on it. About a month ago, she asked if we can have a jmarck. dinner before Rei and I leave for New York. I was wondering why she wanted to have dinner with us as if we were never coming back. So on Saturday, she asked me to come early so we can go shopping before dinner. I meet her and Abbie and she hands me a birthday card with a piece of paper included.

After reading the paper, the first thing that came out of my mouth was. "What?! We're not eating?? I'm hungry!" I was seriously sad we weren't eating, but then I realized what was going on and agreed to go on the scavenger hunt.

Rei: Clue #1 - I obviously luv movies, and I’m sure u do too. So take a pic of the current movie most appealing to u.

Friend #2 helps those who heal, yet shes always sick, even more than you?!

Aprille: Clue #2 – Ur next destination is where we party at the most. Go there and take a pic of one of the hosts. OR U can shop at a particular store that carries all ur SECRETS and a lil bit more ;)
Friend #3 is our friend from afar and she knows how to party it up like a ROCK STAR!

Angela: Law school sucks that’s the clue. JK! Clue #3 – Ur next picture reminds me of alcohol. Care for a wild turkey or vodka redBULL? I def need a drink! All these law BOOKS r driving me crazy! Wanna help me read one?
Friend #4 is a huge BITCH SLUT!! But we love her anyway =]

Ann: Clue #4-Hey Tiny Tanks! U must have the smallest bladder in the world! I bet u need to go right now, dont u? BATHROOM PIC! OR Use some of that $ and buy urself an outfit at one of ur fav Euro stores
Friend #5 is ur coolest and prettiest friend ever!!! =]

Jill: Clue #5 – Your last task is to take a pic of one of my favorite animals. I luv them so much, I have TWO! OR Use the rest of ur $ and buy urself ur first bday shot on me!

Wasting time til I get the next clue at the LV sign. This is my first time here..crazy huh?

Next clue:
Jill: In this city full of sin u will magically find a place close to paradise, full of tropical DRINKS and plenty of food and the entertainers will put u in a good mood. But first u must travel to a place filled w crooks and wenches…right in ur field. Tell rei ur answer and he will take u there if ur right =] off to TI!

Kathrina: Now that you’re in TI, take a photo by the place where the sirens sing in front of your face.
Before I met up with Jill, Rei and I were outside TI getting a drink. He bought me a drink cuz he said it'll be more fun if I was more loose and buzzed. I got nervous thinking what's going to happen next. What is Jill going to have me do?? And he reassured me it was nothing bad. We meet up with Jill at Starbucks and she walks me to Kahunaville.

SURPRISE! Everyone was waiting for me at Kahunaville.

What a surprise! Everyone was waiting for me to finish my scavenger hunt so they can get me drunk. And boy did they. But at least I was able to eat first. The food was good and the company was the best. I have the greatest friends. Especially these.

Truth Be Told

I grew tired a long time ago. Tired of asking you two to hang out all the time and then flaking on me. Glad Rei finally realized that you two aren't that great at all. Friendships are just like relationships. They are a two way street and if you are not going out of your way to stay friends with us, then why should we keep trying? Friends don't constantly flake on friends. We used to be called jmarck. because we all had a few things in common and we all liked to hang out with each other. We'd have jmarck. themed parties and all our friends would look forward to them. Now it's more like jmar. I was talking to Eddie the other night and we were talking about how Kathrina has been acting different lately. I hated hearing him say that Kathrina would say how she doesn't need to hang out with us cuz you can still make 'jmarck.' without the 'k'. It's not about making the word 'jmarck.', it was about hanging out! That just pissed me off. And you know what? We don't need you if you don't want to be around us. It was so awkward seeing Carla the other night at Rei's house. She barely even said hi to me. I used to cut her lots of slack but I'm just tired of trying and actually I think everyone is. It's ok, they say as you grow older, your circle of friends grows smaller because you learn who to trust and who were just not a true friend. So I'm not mourning our friendships' demise because truth be told, we really weren't friends, we were just really good aquaintances and now we're just moving on with our lives to the next person we meet.

Boys Over Flowers

Being sick for over 2 weeks can sure make a girl get lazy. While I was sick, I got addicted to the Korean drama Boys Over Flowers. I can't believe how addicting they are but I look forward to going home to watch at least one episode online. I also can't believe how cute Korean boys are! The girls are really pretty too. But I guess it's like Hollywood. The majority of the people on tv are pretty. Boys Over Flowers takes place mainly at a private school for the rich. It follows 4 really good looking boys that control the school because they are heirs to big companies. The leader is the heir to the school and after picking on this poor girl, he realized he's in love with her. So you watch this Romeo and Juliet type of relationship develop as they go through obstacles on trying to figure out each other and living in each other's world. There are so many moments where I go "omg, Jan Di is so lucky to have a guy do anything for her". I don't want it to end, but all good things do end. I just hope it's a happy one. For now, I get to watch these good looking people everyday after work and just gotta wait til episode 25 to see the outcome.

Still Sick

Can you believe I'm still sick? This cough is still here and everyone at work keeps saying "poor Monica." Well it's been so long and all I have to say about camping is, it was fun and miserable at the same time. I don't think I'll ever camp that long again. It was super hot but it was fun to hang out with my family for that long. I just wish we did other things besides hang out at the river and watch the kids play. It was fun the first day, but it would have been nice to go fruit picking. I remember going fruit picking when I was a kid and I want to do it again. On our way home, we decided to take a picture at the sign. Can you believe we all fit in one RV? Well image a few more people. We lost 2 people since they were from California so they didn't have to come back home with us.

Ongoing Sickness

I want to talk about the camping trip, but all I can think of is why am I this sick?! I keep getting a fever. My chest is hurting from coughing so much. My head hurts from coughing so much. I'm all flemy. Is flemy really a word? I doubt it, but that's what I am. Try being flemy at work. I had to figure out a clever way to spit while at work. The best I could do was cough in a couple of tissues and then spit quietly in it. But there were times where I would laugh while playing xbox and I would do a coughing session and flem would come out and I am nowhere near a tissue or a bathroom. So what did I do? I had to swallow the flem. GROSS! I think that's why towards the end of work, I felt like shit. I couldn't concentrate with my chest pains and constant coughing. So I asked to go home. When I got home, I ate dinner real quick and went straight to bed shivering. After the 2 hour nap and still feeling really cold despite wearing a sweater and covered under a blanket in the middle of summer with no fan in my room, I came to the conclusion I had a fever. I wish it dawned on me sooner so I could have taken medication before the nap, but all I wanted was to sleep when I got home from work. And I was glad that when I got home my mom made spaghetti because we were both craving it yesterday and we resorted to Joliebee's bland and lack of sauce spaghetti. I've never had Jolibee before and I don't think I'll ever go back. There are reasons why I don't eat at Filipino restaurants and yesterday just proved my point. They are always too bland. So I pray I get better soon. No one likes a sick person at work. Especially when we all sit in a group cube really close together. If I'm still sick on Monday, maybe I should just call in sick. I don't really do anyone any good coughing non-stop. I think I just get sicker and sicker when I have to solve a problem at work.

Extreme Heat + Extreme Cold = A Sick Camper

I'm sick. Last night of camping my aunt, mom, and niece Gizelle got sick. Gizelle had some stomach flu and my mom and aunt caught a cold. I tried my hardest to find a different place to sleep that night because I didn't want to catch anything, but everyone was full in their tents. The only place left was either the driver's seat or right next to my mom. Great. Sleeping right next to the sick person has only one result. And I'm living the result right now. High fever, aching body, and burning throat. I hate being sick. Especially right after a vacation. So I felt bad that I had to call in sick today at work, but I had no choice. I couldn't even get out of bed. Hopefully I'll be able to go tomorrow. I miss work.

Camp Amigo

One more day until I go on vacation. I shouldn't really say vacation since we're going camping for 5 days. It doesn't seem like it'll be too relaxing. According to my aunt, there will be about 60 of us. I doubt there will be 60 since I heard some people are backing out now. But I'm pretty sure there'll be around 40 of us. 40 Amigos in one camp site equals no relaxation. It'll be so hectic I'm sure of it. And the sucky part is. I'm still waiting for my period. With my luck, I'll get it on Wednesday, the first day of camping. At least we got an RV so I can sleep somewhat comfortably with Aunt Flo's visit. Can't wait to ruin my diet and stuff my face with lots of food! I just made lots of cookies and about 5 of them went in my mouth. Baking is never good for me. I will eat it too much. But one thing I learned with this batch. Butter burns fast! VERY FAST. And it will overflow the pan at any moment. My mom got so mad at me when the butter spilled all over the stove. But that's what baking is all about. It's a learning experience.

Gone Too Soon

I was watching Michael Jackson's memorial all day today at work. I just couldn't keep my eyes away. I wished they had commercials because I did miss a few performances. What I did get to see was his daughter Paris express how Michael was a great father and that she loves him. Just watching her cry as she spoke did it for me. I was tearing up at work and had to take a moment to come back to reality. It's crazy how much impact he had on people. I didn't realize that of all the people in the industry, he gave the most to charity. It's a shame that people never saw the good in him when he was alive when he needed everyone the most. He did have a memorial fit for a king and that's how it should be.

She Loves Me

I have the bestest friend ever. Last night was my friend Abbie's birthday. After drinking and dancing the night away. We felt we were getting old because we were tired at 2am so we decided to start up our end of the night tradition of clubbing. We ate steak and eggs at Terrible's Casino. We all drove our own cars and while I was talking to Ann on the phone at a stop light, I got freaked out and screamed when someone started knocking at my window. After focusing on who it was, I was relieved it was Jill. She put her car on park behind me while waiting for the light and ran to my car to give me water. She said "I thought you'd be thirsty even though we're minutes away from getting food." She knows I'm always thirsty and thought she'd bring me some water in the street. Even though her feet was hurting, she took the time to run to my car and give me water. Isn't that awesome?? She's the greatest and I love her.

He's A Legend

How many people can stop everyone around the world in their tracks when they die unexpectedly? Only Michael Jackson could do that. Well in my lifetime anyways. He even overshadowed Farrah Fawcett's death when she died a few hours before him. Every time I see articles of him online or watch his concerts my heart aches. I can't believe he's gone. He was such a talented artist. It just sucks that he had to die for people to acknowledge how much he has impacted the entertainment industry. I've been listening to his songs since his death and I love how his music is timeless. Even though some of his songs were made like over 20 years ago, you'd still be able to listen to it and not realize how old they are. My parents are watching the Jackson 5 reunion concert and it's hard to watch it. I noticed he said 'I Love You' after every song. The way he kept saying it, you could tell he was really innocent. I just hope that there won't be a huge custody battle for his kids because of money. I hope that they grant his wish in his will and let his mother raise his kids. They already went through enough.

New York Here I Come!

I'm super excited! I booked my flight tickets and hotel for my birthday trip to New York. I'm leaving September 1st and coming back September 5th. 5 days and 4 nights for less than 600 bucks in Manhattan. That's a freaking steal! I still wish I went to the Bahamas but I've always wanted to go to New York so I'm still excited. I'm watching Cash Cab right now and I secretly hope I get into a cab with this guy. It looks so fun! I'm going to NYC with Rei and May. I don't know May that well but I'm sure it'll be fun either way. When I went to Mexico with Aprille and Julia, we weren't close friends. But after the trip, we all became great friends and travel buddies. I have so many places I want to see and do, so hopefully I get to see and do them. So for 2 months, I'll just have to look at this picture and wait to take my own. And it'll go by really fast since I'll be really busy at work doing over time. I have a September 1st deadline. So once I submit my game, I'm gone. I told my boss that if anything goes wrong, I'll be on vacation.

Double Shocker

Wow! I can't believe it. Both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson died today. It was sad to hear Farrah lost her battle with cancer this morning, but to hear Michael Jackson died later in the afternoon. That was quite a shocker! I'm actually really sad to hear such a great performer dying so young. Everyone at worked actually stopped cuz everyone was shocked. We were all visiting each other's cube to just talk about Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. I bet Farrah is up in heaven saying, "Damn it MJ, why do you gotta outdo my death?" Just kidding! They are in a better place and at least Farrah can now rest in peace. I read she was struggling with cancer for 2 years. At least she's not suffering anymore. I remember when I was younger I'd constantly ask my dad if he could play his Michael Jackson record. Yes, my dad played vinyl records in the 90s. I wanted him to play "Billie Jean" so I can pretend I'm doing the moon walk. I wonder if my dad still has that vinyl. Rest in peace to both of them.

A Fat Girl Inside

I swear I feel like I'm a fat girl inside. Food is my weakness and it will always be. I'm always thinking about food and lately I've been in a baking mood which is not good for my workout schedule. I've also been snacking a lot lately, which is a good thing. I'm eating little meals every couple of hours. My coworker gets a kick out of it. I'm always telling him around 9am that I'm hungry. But they are also shocked as to how much I can eat. When I eat, I can go to town if I wanted to. Hopefully it doesn't catch up to me when I get older. One good thing is that I can push myself to workout so I guess it's a good balance. I eat crap and then work it off later. One day I'll get that flat stomach when I have self discipline to what I put in my mouth.

You Didn't Go to Mine, So Why Do I Have to Go to Yours?

I've created a monster 3 years ago. 3 years ago, my friend from junior high broke up with her boyfriend of like 5 years. I felt bad for Bobby because he was so depressed. So 3 years ago, I was all about clubbing all the time. Every weekend, I was dancing and drinking the night away. I brought Bobby with me a few times since he never went clubbing before. He fell in love with both clubbing and me, and only one of us returned their love. Can you guess it wasn't me? And from then on, he's been clubbing EVERYDAY. I have no idea how he does it. I'm told he still has his pharmacy tech job. How does he have the energy and money to still be clubbing this much? And since then, he's been all about partying. His birthday is no exception. Every year, he's been celebrating his birthday for a whole week. Who does that?! Who has the time to do that? Anyways, he keeps advertising it on facebook, myspace, and through texts. It's so annoying. He wants us to come and celebrate his birthday all week, but Jill and I realized on Friday that he never comes to our birthdays. How fair is that?? So on Friday, we were all trying to decide what to do after dinner, and none of us wanted to go clubbing with him. He just doesn't make it appealing anymore. With all the constant updates and reminders, it just sounds more like a chore then a celebration. Oh well. Happy birthday anyways Bobby.

Public Nail Cutter

My biggest pet peeve has to be cutting nails in public. Especially in closed quarters such as the office! The only time nails should be cut is at a salon when you're getting your nails done. I walked into the office this morning and right when I sat in my cube, I hear someone cutting their nails. I have a feeling who it was since it was coming from in front of me on the other side of my cube wall. I doubt that his nails would come flying to my side of the wall, but just hearing those nails being clipped just gives me the hebegeebees. It's just the thought that a nail that's not mine can go into my own personal space. It's just a personal hygiene that should be kept personal in your own home.

I'm Just Not That Into Him

I can go a long time without talking to him. Even thinking about him. I guess I'm just not that into him anymore. And in the beginning when I realized this, I felt bad. Mainly because I thought he was really into me. But I think we've come to a mutual understanding without having the awkward "I like you but not like like you" talk. He doesn't call me anymore. He texts me on the weekends when he's already out. I'm relieved. I think ever since he got sent to jail for DUI, my attraction for him diminished. I wasn't trying to be judgmental because a lot of my friends and I have driven when we shouldn't have. I'm not proud of myself that I can admit to driving while under the influence. I thank God that nothing happened. Ever since PJ passed away last year, I'm more aware as how capable I am of driving after a night of drinking. There were a couple of times where I wasn't able to hold my liqueur but I have great friends to drive me home. It was the fact that this was his second time running in with the law and both times he firmly believed he wasn't in the wrong. When he point blank said the cops should have just let him with a warning turned me off. It showed that he doesn't take responsibilities for his actions and can't admit when he's wrong. So I shall be moving on with the next guy. Who's next in line? Just kidding! I think I'll enjoy singlehood. I like just hanging out with whoever I want and not having to be half there with the company. Everytime I'm dating someone, I'm always busy texting them while I'm hanging out with friends. So for now, my friends can have my full attention.

What's His Deal?

My dad has always had a temper. Ever since I could remember he rarely came with my mom, sister, and me to family events when it comes to my mom's side. He always used work as an excuse since he does work at night when we usually stuff. But when it's his day off he will say he doesn't have a life and would rather just stay home. It seems like he's just getting worse as the years go by. I have no idea what's his deal. It's like he's depressed or something. It worries me sometimes because he'll just push my mom farther and I'll just get more irritated with him. Hopefully he'll wake up and realize that by isolating himself from these events, he'll just isolate himself from us. But I doubt he'll change. As people grow older, the harder it is for them to change.

Jon & Kate Plus 8 is Great

Only when there's a scandal. I used to watch the show every week but towards the end, Kate just got on my nerves. Then the scandal happened between Jon and Kate and I got sucked in again. I was watching the season premiere on Monday and all I could think of was, 'wow, they barely interacted with one another.' I always wonder if people would stoop so low and just make it a publicity stunt, but it's so obvious that they don't want anything to do with each other. I felt really sad that they are going through this because this will greatly affect the kids. There was a scene where Jon and one of the little girls were having a moment. I think it was Leah. She was talking to Jon about her friend who is a boy and Jon was making sure she doesn't kiss him. It was a cute moment, and then she asked Jon to never go away again. My heart just broke when I heard that. Even at 5 years old, they sensed that their parents were having problems. I just hope they work things out for the sake of the kids. They just renewed their vows for goodness sakes! We shall see as the season progresses.

Bridal Shower Ideas

What do you buy a bride who is extremely conservative and religious? My friend from college is getting married and I got an invitation from her sister to attend her bridal shower. I want to go but at the same time, I'll feel so out of place. First of all, we have different beliefs. So while I'm over there, I'll have to pray with them. I won't really know anyone. The friend(s) that will be there, I don't talk to anymore. So not sure what I'll do. Maybe I'll just go to the wedding. It's not like we're close anymore. I haven't really seen her in years. I think the last time I saw her, she was leaving Vegas for Berkley.