What Would You Do?

Last night my sister threw a suite party at Caesar's Palace for her birthday. It was pretty fun. I invited 3 of my crazy friends Aprille square and Julia. We were in our own little world. We were pretty loud and hung out at the bar area just drinking our bottle of Hennessy I bought. We pretty much killed that bottle by ourselves and still didn't feel a good buzz going on. At the end of the night, Julia and I retired on the twin bed we put in the hallway away from everyone. We were trying to sleep when two of my sister's friends started fighting really loud. And this went on for a couple of hours about their relationship and in the middle of their argument, the girl screams and yells out "help!" and a door was slammed shut. Julia and I were listening to their conversation in bed trying to see if we should do something. But we decided to just sit back and see where it will go since we knew my sister and her friends were in the same area as the two people. But what would you have done when you hear a girl yell out "help!" and is trying to get away from her boyfriend?? I really wanted to step in but I wasn't sure if it was my place since I didn't know who they were. If this guy is capable of talking to his GIRLFRIEND like she's nothing and lay a hand on her, what will he do to me? And if it gets out of hand and he leaves, what will he do to her when they meet up later and no one is around? So our decision was to let them yell it out unless something actually does happen. But because of that incident, I couldn't sleep the rest of my stay. I ended up taking an hour nap when I got home this afternoon. Throughout the night I was texting ARod telling her some drama is happening and that I couldn't sleep. She would call and text to make sure we're ok until I was able to sleep when I got home. What a great friend and September is surely an exhausting month!

PS. Nessa if you're reading this, don't mention this to my sister. When we were cleaning up this morning, I asked what happened, she seemed like she didn't want to talk about it. Ok. Thanks! :)

NY Trip in a Nutshell

Delayed flight going to New York by 30 minutes. Broke a light bulb cover in the New Yorker Hotel. May flushing her phone in the toilet, 130 dollars to ship to NY the next day. I lost my metro card, another $27. Missed flight and having to cancel birthday party, $419 for a new ticket for May. Knowing the ex boyfriend was at the party. Worth it.

Okay, so that's just all the bad luck that happened to us. But the whole trip was worth all the bad luck. We were able to see almost everything New York has to offer. The first day we went around Time Square and Grand Central Station. Walked around Manhattan trying to take in everything and realizing we were actually in New York.

The second day we went to the Natural History Museum and saw Wicked! Oh my God! I LOVE Wicked! I think the actress who played the good witch Glinda made the show better. She was just so crazy and hilarious. We even visited St. Patrick's Cathedral. That church is so beautiful and gothic. The architecture in New York was really something. It was nice to see different types of buildings unlike here in Vegas, where everything is new. Later that night, we ended up bar hopping because we wanted to go dancing. I was sad it was the only time we partied but then again, we were in New York to be tourists. After walking all day, all you want to do at night is relax and not walk.

The third day, Shawn's sister Vahlen took us around Lower Manhattan. I hated this day because of all the walking we did. We barely rested but if we wanted to see everything, we couldn't rest. She took us around Soho, the village, the Meatpacking District, and the Brooklyn Bridge. We saw the Statue of Liberty from afar at night. I was sad we didn't get to see her up close and personal but that just means I have to come back.

The fourth day, we went to the MET, Central Park, and lots of Gossip Girl sites. My friend Rei is obsessed with Gossip Girl so we went to a lot of their sites. But Central Park is so beautiful. We rowed a boat in the lake. It was very nerve racking because that water was nasty and May kept moving. But it was fun! While Rei and I watched West Side Story later that night, May went to a tanning salon and laid out.

Our last night, we all woke up around 5am to pack our stuff and check out by 7am. We wanted to get a head start on our last day in New York. We left our luggage in the hotel storage and went to Lower Manhattan to do some shopping and went to MoMA. By the time we got to the hotel, we had to rush to the subway so we can get to the airport. What we didn't know was, some subway routes were closed for repairs so EVERYONE and their mama were at this particular subway. And to top it all off, it took 30 minutes for a subway to get to us and it stopped at every stop. By the time we get to the airport, they are boarding already. We couldn't board since we had baggage and they wouldn't let us check it in anymore. May had work the next day, so she went to JetBlue and bought another ticket to go home an hour later. Rei and I decided to check in our luggage at the airport storage and cruise around New York one last time. What we didn't realize was, we couldn't really do anything since lots of places close early. So we ate and wandered around all of New York through the subway. We ended up people watching at Time Square til 5am and ended up at the Tick Tock Diner and tried to stay awake. I later found out my sister and two good friends were partying without me at the place I was going to throw my party. It made me sad. That and watching people roll in the diner all dressed up after partying craving greasy food after a night of drinking. We ended up going back to the airport around 7am and we tried to take a nap on the benches in the airport. But I think I ended up sleeping for a half an hour. What an adventure right? It was. It made for a good story, but the best part of it was, I was in New York. Next adventure? Who knows. Aprille wants to go to Hawaii next year. We shall see.

Our postcard from the Brooklyn Bridge. Isn't it beautiful. "Wish you were here!"

Balloon Phobia

This past new year's eve, my coworkers and I had lunch at a restaurant where they were blowing balloons in preparation for the midnight celebration. Every now and then, a balloon would pop and I would jump up from my seat. So during lunch, I was so stressed out because I didn't want to hear another balloon pop. Just anticipating another pop made me loose my appetite. All I could think of was another balloon was about to pop. Ever since I was young, I hated the sound of balloons popping. I hated walking through Circus Circus cuz of the carnival games involving balloons. So for 9 months, they've been planning and waiting for my birthday so they could tape a bunch of balloons in my cube. So when I got back from vacation, I saw all their hard work and long awaited scheme scattered in my cube. It was a sweet gesture, but evil at the same time. I didn't know what to do with them, so I left them all taped in my cube. I couldn't concentrate one bit. I was still on vacation mode, but having balloons all around me made it more difficult to concentrate. While I was working, my coworkers decided it would be funny to pop one of the balloons. My coworker Vince and I share a cube wall, so he stood up and popped it. And I fucking screamed at the top of my lungs! I was so frightened and embarrassed that my eyes started tearing up. I felt like I just died. My coworker Michael got so mad at Vince that he kinda yelled at him for scaring me. I love how my team mates usually have my back and watch out for me. At the end of the day, I had Shawn pop all the balloons while I stay back a little covering my ears. It may be a weird phobia but my coworker showed me a video of Olivia Munn and her fear of balloons. I'm glad I have the same phobia as a hot chick. Cuz honestly, she is freaking hot and I was cringing the whole time I was watching the video.

Quarter Century Celebration

I celebrated my 25th birthday yesterday at home in bed, looking through my New York pictures. I was so exhausted that I didn't want to do anything at all! Went to church in the morning, had lunch with the family, and kicked it in my bed. And I loved every minute of it! New York update soon. Once I catch up on my Zzzz.

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.