Well, Christmas is just days away... and no one is really here in the office. That, I don't mind. I can go off and gallavant as I please. Work load is nil, and luckily, I probably won't have anything major to work on until after the new year. Don't you just love holidays?! *SIGH*

So yeah... the holidays are coming, and I'm done with my Christmas shopping... for the most part. I do need to pick-up a few things... mindless things like bows and/or candy. Just to pass out to those who may come by the house. Christmas is always an "open house" at 9701 Rooster Lane.

I'm not really in the mood to blog because I'm just too happy about getting the shopping stuff outta the way. And I'm really excited to eat. I'm meeting Florence for lunch, and I'm on fat-kid mode right now. I think we're doing Vietnamese at Miss Saigon in Georgetown. And I want to go shopping at Zara. Gosh, what is my problemo?! SHEEESH!!

Time to run, kiddos. I'm sure I'll be on here tomorrow... or perhaps even later. I still need to buy Christmas Crunch. HELLO.

But that's not why I call this post "Christmas Crunch." I call it that because I saw a box of Christmas Crunch cereal (a la Cap'n Crunch) at the grocery store just a few moments ago. It made me hungry. I love Christmas Crunch. I haven't had it in years. I think I should pick-up a box. Christmas Crunch rocks my world.

Anyway. I know I'm old because I don't give a flyin' f*ck about what I get for Christmas. I mean, I get my own stuff ALL the time, so why would now be any different?! Anything I get this holiday season, big or small, will definitely be a BONUS, which is cool. So I'm not expecting anything... nor have I expected anything in YEARS.

All I want for Christmas is my Christmas Crunch cereal! Skim milk, please... *WiNk*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROMELEE CRUZ-GOODPASTER! My cousin turns 27 today!! *yay*

So not on-the-ball...

So after I left work last night, I went to have my MRI done in Cheverly. I got there a half-hour early (thank goodness), ONLY to find out that I had been scheduled at the CLINTON office, and NOT the CHEVERLY one. This pissed me off highly because #1) Clinton is much closer to home, and I could've worked that out easily, #2) I had to drive all the way out to Cheverly after work, then truck it all the way out to Clinton in TRAFFIC! Rush hour on 295 is NOT cool (and it isn't cool on woodyard road in clinton, either). Luckily, the woman at Cheverly was a doll-face and told the Clinton folks what happened, and they waited for me. I got to Clinton like 15 minutes late, but thankfully the sped me through. I was outta there in no time. I had to get an injection, though. EWWW. Contrast. In the bloodstream.

Afterwards I stopped in at Wal-Mart to pick-up some Christmas lights for the tree... and more ornaments. I'm the Christmas tree make-over specialist at home. AHAHAHA. Then I had to truck it through some slow-ass drivers to get to my chiro appointment. I was late by 5 minutes, and I almost skidded off the road at one point. It was scary. But I got to the chiro, had traction done on my back (which was heavenly, by the way), and then had my exam with the doctor. By the time I was done, I had like less than 10 minutes before Simbang Gabi mass started. I hauled-ass to St. Columba and got there right on time. AND IT WAS FREEZING IN CHURCH! *BrRrR* I was blown at the coldness, and at the priest. He was annoying me full-throttle. His message during his homily was great, but his delivery was tiring. He sounded like a Baptist Filipino minister preaching is butt off, and it was making me TIRED. I was tempted to walk out because I would've fallen asleep... like out COLD, right there on the bench. But God heard my prayer (ehehe), and he stopped at the right time. By the time it was done, it was 5 past the hour... *eh* So I trucked it over to Target for some last-minute stuff. After Target I was so HAWNGRY, and I was feenin' for Arthur Treacher's fish & chips (i'm still on a london tip - ahahah). But I got there and it was already closed. It's one of those Arthur Treacher's that's been there for eons, but you just never think to go into it. I don't know why. It's almost like a Long John Silver's... but a bit more off the beaten path. Whatever. I had to opt for a McChicken at McD's. The 99-cent menu is a God-send. Then I got gas and I finally got HOME. F-I-N-A-L-L-Y. I hate running around town like a chicken with its head cut off. I CAN'T STAND IT! I wanted to go to the gym during lunch, but I have to go buy stuff... *EH* The gym won't see me this week. It's a very BAD week... VERY-VERY bad. BUSY. BoOkEd.

I'm yawning as I'm typing this... Just a few messages: to the dork-o-matic fool who scheduled my MRI in Clinton without telling me - dead flowers to you. To the woman who didn't want to go to work because she didn't want to drive into the city AND/OR take public transpo, super dead flowers to you. AND... to the mean ol' woman who screamed at us on the Tube on our way to Uxbridge ---- SUPER, MEGA, MARIO BROTHERS DEAD FLOWERS TO YOU!

Can you tell that I'm feeling mean today?! *Evil-Laff*

We finally got to the Park International hotel, which was nestled away between many other hotels in that Kensington district. We got into the room, dropped off some stuff, then we headed to catch the complimentary breakfast. After breakfast we headed out for some air, then back to the room for a quick nap. The quick nap ended-up being a lot longer than we had anticipated. But oh well. Call it "jet-lag," will you? When we finally got ready, we were starving like hostages. So we walked to the Tube, and headed over to Picadilly Circus. Picadilly Circus is somewhat like "Times Square," but a lot less gaudy, less taller buildings, but still brightly lit. There are streets full of shops - British, Euro, Asian, and American companies abound: GAP, Muji, Top Shop, Next, French Connection, and more and more. British designers have shops all around, as do the big name couturiers of NY, Paris, and Milan. Since it was the evening rush, there were people everywhere. People buying food from street vendors, people hanging out of pubs, people in and out of stores getting their Christmas wares, and people just walking about as part of the scene. They have a definite chic-ness that works itself well in London. Everyone had very trendy coats, shoes, and clothes. The fusion of street-grit and business-casual trendiness meshed so well together. And the attitudes people had were not one of "look-at-me-and-my-outfit," but more like, "i'm doin' my thang... do yours, too..." It was definitely cool; a place that I could vibe well at.

We stopped in at a little souvenir shop to pick-up a few things for the famz, then walked on along Regent Street. Shops, restaurants, bars all around. When we got to Oxford Street, we went down and headed for Muji to meet Francine's Godbrother. He's a district manager for Muji stores in the London area. Carrie and I took pictures of ourselves, and walked in and out of the nearby shops. What we noticed was that prices in pounds are relatively decent (well, not really, but you'll see my point). But for Americans, it's almost DOUBLE your price. It's definitely expensive for Americans, which is why many people consider going to London an "extravagant" thing to do. For example, their H&M would sport a shirt for about 29 pounds; the same shirt would probably sell at an H&M store in America for about around the same - $25.90 perhaps. But converting that into US dollars would make the shirt ALMOST $60.00-ish... So yeah, that's just how things are priced there. They're still pricey. But all VATs are included in their prices already, unlike here where it's not like that. So shopping was not a main leisurely activity for us. Had we planned for it more, maybe. But we weren't there to shop. Why shop when you can shop at home?! (unless you shopped at british stores, of course...)

After Muji, Francine's Godbro, Kuya Irwin, took us to this place, Stanley's, for bangers and mash. Bangers are sausages, and mash is mashed potatos. It was a good meal, and our waitress was way cool. She told us how she's traveling to San Diego in February to spend some time there. So she gave us some tips on how to make it around in London, and we tipped her about living in America's west side. EHEHE. It was an even exchange. After dinner we headed out for a pub, but most of them were bustling-crowded. We ended up at this chic bar called Villandry. We each had a drink, and had great conversation. After that, Kuya Irwin left us to go home to his wife and baby boy, and we made our way back to Kensington. When we got out of the Tube station, we spotted a 24-hr grocery store right near KFC, Starbucks, and Burger King. AHAHAH... We went in, and we shopped like hostages. We bought chocolates and teas to bring home as "pasulubong" for the famz. Then we headed back to the hotel. After settling in again, we decided to take a late night walk to see what we were near. We ended up walking past a Sainsbury's, which is another grocery store. So we went in there and got more candy and food. Then we headed back to the hotel. We talked, watched TV, and laughed about stuff. We eventually went to sleep, and got up a little late the next morning. We made it to breakfast, then got on the Tube and headed all the way to Uxbridge to meet Kuya Irwin. We got there around lunchtime, and we visited with his wife and son, Finley. Finley is an adorable little fellow...! What a character!!

Afterwards, Kuya Irwin brought us to the town of Windsor ---where the queen was at her castle recuperating from a minor surgery. We toured the castle, which was amazing, and intricately gorgeous. We toured there for about an hour, and even experienced a Chinese or Japanese man let out a series of farts as he took a snapshot of his friends. After the castle at Windsor, we took to the old-town streets right outside, and took in the little shops. They had everything from little boutiques, to name brand stores, and each shop was CROWDED. I went into Next and FCUK and could barely move around. After sometime there, we left for dinner. We had fish and chips at a hamlet-type of restaurant, and Kuya Irwin brought Verla and Finley to join us. After dinner Kuya Irwin brought us back to our hotel... it was weird being in his car cause he drove on the passenger's seat... You know what I mean. AHAH. We got back to the hotel, and settled in a bit. Then we decided to make use of the late night, and we took the tube to the Tower Bridge. We had views of the infamous London Tower (where many people had been executed, including several of King Henry's wives), and we also had amazing views of the Tower Bridge. Incidentally, the tower bridge is MUCH more nice-looking than the actual London Bridge. After gallavanting at the Tower, we headed back home.

Next morning, I woke-up to sunny skies (and news that Saddam Hussein was captured). Everyone was still asleep, so I made myself get up and just take in the morning sun. I walked around, took pictures, and ventured into whatever little shops were open early that Sunday morning. It was a nice leisurely morning. I went back to get Carrie, and we went to grab Starbucks and Burger King. An interesting breakfast, wouldn't you say? AHAHAH. Afterwards, we all headed to the Knightsbridge area. We went to the famous Harrod's, and walked around. It was just like being in an American department store, but more extensive. They even had a separate food mart complete with sushi bar & mini grocery stash. We parted ways, and Carrie and I did more street shopping. We shopped at Uni Qlo, and went into other fine stores. We went back to Harrod's and bought some little gifts there, and then went back to the street. I went into Zara and scored a cool puffy vest with a hood on-sale for 18 pounds. It would be the only thing I'd really buy for myself from Britain, besides the additional carry-on bag that I bought at Uni Qlo. Incidentally, we just had a Zara open in Georgetown... but I doubt their line is as extensive as the store we were in at Knightsbridge. After not being able to find Ate Fronce and Ning, Carrie and I decided to try to go back to the hotel. So we hopped on the Tube and headed back to the hotel, and luckily they were there waiting for us. After that, we regrouped and headed towards the London Dungeon, but we made it there too late. We couldn't get in. We walked around and found ourselves by the water again. We took more pictures of the Tower Bridge. Afterwards, we headed back near the Tower Bridge Tube station for a Jack the Ripper walking tour. We did a walking tour and got a very interesting history lesson on the TRUE Jack the Ripper murders. We even stopped by the original 10 Bells bar, which was very much a part of the story even as seen in Hollywood's From Hell. Afterwards, we headed to the Liverpool station and chilled for a while. We had sodas and pastys to snack on. Then we headed to the Embankment station on the Tube. We got there and found ourselves on the Jubilee Bridges, which were just opened and dedicated this past Summer. From the bridge we had great views of Big Ben and Parliament, as well as the Millenium Eye, the stupid ferris-wheel contraption that was built to "ring in" the new millenium. Most Londoners would tell you that it was a major waste of time and money, but it was still nice to look at. We wanted to venture towards Trafalgar Square, but we were getting cold. So we headed back to the hotel, with our ritual quick-stop at Hart's grocery store, where we picked up pizza, samosas, chicken rolls, and chips and other chocolates. It was back to the room where we pigged out on our last night in London. The next day, we got up and headed towards the Tube. We got to Heathrow, and eventually made it home.

It was a quick trip, but very fun. I had GREAT company, and we didn't worry too much about what we did. As long as we saw some of the staple sights, and did some of the pop-cultural stuff. And as for eating, we barely hit restaurants unless it was for bangers and mash, or fish and chips. We basically enjoyed Burger King and KFC with a British twist... and chicken or sausage filled pastys and/or chicken or veggie samosas from side vendors and street cafes. Very nice and simple, and fun. I hope to go back sometime next year - hopefully in the spring. And then next would be to Spain... If you ever get the chance to go to London, then GO! Just plan for it wisely, cause it can be pricey... Cheers!

First off, I've decided that I truly HAVE to stop over-analyzing and over-worrying about my health issues. In fact, they may not be as serious as I might think. Just letting go of all that bull shit worrying has made me feel 10 times better already. Some words of advice for those who are ever in question about their health: #1) Don't EVER "web-analyze" yourself. Self-diagnosis over the internet is NOT wise, friends. In fact, it only may lead you to scare yourself into deeper illness; in other words, you become a veritable basketcase. When that happens, talk to your doc and beg him/her to put you on a mild antidepressant. AHAHAH! And just CALM THE F*** DOWN. And #2) Don't ever self-impose a death-sentence on yourself. You may be thinking that your symptoms are all indicative of CANCER, while it may only be a mild allergic reaction to insecticides. Or you may be brooding over death over an incurable illness, while it may be something totally treatable like chronic fatigue syndrome. Don't kill yourself while you're still here! You need a good and happy disposition in order to get over any kind of sickness: FLU or FYBRIOMYALGIA. (i don't even know if i spelled that right. lol.)

Secondly, I've been secretly concerned about my job situation. With all the messed-up changes going on here at INS, or ICE - as we are now called, there's been so many things happening with people moving to other agencies, or people going to other assignments, and yada-yada-yada. I, unfortunately, have been the lone-contractor with no sense of direction. I was freakin' out at the possibility of coming home from London JOBLESS! But just now, one of the head honchos talked to me, and had asked me to take on some major roles here in the office! HEEEEEEYYYYY!!! That totally put a smile to my face... TOTALLY.

See how good life can be if you just let go and let God?! Sounds corny, I know, but it's so true. I just can't tell you what it means to come to that realization that God is truly at the center of all things, and that things happen for a reason. And these things don't happen just on a leap of faith. They happen once you take a stand and decide, for you, that you're gonna live out that faith. It's an amazing thing to learn, and an even more amazing thing to acknowledge.

So live with my good news for the time being. Continue to pray for me. I have an MRI scheduled for next Tuesday, the day after I get back from my trip. And in-between, I still have my chiro visits... Hey, I'm getting better apparently. AHAHAHA! I shall be a chiro-convert yet.

Enjoy life, people. In the meantime, I have a plane for London to catch...

Today, Dan Lynell Ladringan would've turned 27 years old... Happy Birthday, lil' brother... Pray for yer kuya. I need healing...

Last night I was watching ER, and I realized that the girl playing the new nurse is, indeed, Linda Cardellini. When the season opened a few months ago, I totally thought to myself, "That girl looks like Linda Cardellini..." I caught the opening credits last night, on purpose, and lo and behold...there was her name. She's come a long way since her whack-ass hair-do on Legally Blonde. And she's definitely over her bit as Velma on that Scooby Doo movie. Linda Cardellini landed herself a role on one of TV's most coveted shows. Congratz to her...!!

Anyway. *ROLLS EYES* The weather outside is frightful; there's nothing delightful about it. NOTHING. And I secretly want to watch Honey tomorrow. I'm supposed to watch it with Roselle...weather permitting. Well, I'm sure that we can watch it as long as we take my truck. EY?! But yeah, don't laugh at the fact that I want to watch Honey. Not only do I want to watch it cause of Jessica Alba (i love you, jessica...!), but I want to see it for the whole dance thing. It's the same reason I saw Centerstage and Save the Last Dance. It's all about the struggles you go through to make it as a dancer. No matter what genre of dance you're into, there's a struggle. Actually, there's a struggle in anything that you do period. But dance is just special to me probably because it had been a part of my life for SO long. When I got into college, I didn't dance so much give and take a few PCN routines here and there. But yeah... I miss dancing. I miss performing on stage. You get such a rush being on stage, traveling from state-to-state, performing for commanding audiences, etc. Cultural dance, hip-hop, street, jazz, NAME IT... I still remember dancing in front of THEN Vice-President George Bush (not George Dubya...). That was cool. Or those times I performed for various shows at the Kennedy Center... amazing... I miss those days! *sniff*

Well, hopefully those days will come back again... just gotta find the time, and the energy. In the meantime, I'll live my dreams vicariously through movies starring Jessica Alba as Honey. AHAHAHA... Oh, and if Britney Spears tells people that she was live AGAIN, then I will have to personally make a statement. I will need to have a press conference to denounce her. Brit, you don't sing live. Live with it. (ahahah...)

I got my flu shot last night. OWEEEEEEE!! I went to my cousin's house, and she gave me my shot. EH. Supposedly, this year's vaccine is a "stronger" one because the flu this year is supposed to be WHACK. Yup, kiddos. Get that flu shot. I wanted it before I left for Europe. Don't want to go over there, and suddenly come down with some British string of the West Nile virus or something. Oh hellz nah...

Me and Rome (my cousin) were talking about our trife health woes. Sad thing is that we're so young, and our parents don't even get the weird things that we do. It sucks. I think growing up in America we're just exposed to many more chemicals and stuff that just eventually make us all ill. It's that radiation from the microwave, I tell you!! Well, I just continue to pray that whatever we're experiencing isn't anything serious... I really pray about that. I'm going to see a neuro (again!) on Monday. Let's just hope that something good comes out of this visit. I swear... Hopefully they'll have me go through tests (MRIs, CT scans, etc.), and hopefully they'll find whatever it is that's making me ill. OR they'll find nothing major, and can administer treatment via medication and/or therapy. I've gotta remain positive.

Life isn't fun when you're worried. I've gotta stop worrying...

To make matters worse, I went to the gym last night after my appointment with my chiro. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep up. What used to be a great cardio session at high intensity for at least 45 minutes, had now become a totally low-impact session that barely hit 30 minutes. I felt completely helpless, and completely fat. Did I already say that I felt completely fat?! FAT?! F-A-T?!

I can no longer eat like a fat kid, as I have been the past few weeks. It's back to salads, nuts, and berries once again. Yogurt and cottage cheese/fruit mixes will be my friends again. And the snacking will have to cease in terms of chips, cookies, and donuts. Today marks the return of the health-conscious Wen of a month ago. Health issues or not, it's time for me to get back on the ball. Must lose weight! Must lose weight!

Today is only Monday. Four more days till the weekend. How ever will I manage?! I need a drink.

I hate bad experiences with friends, esp. when I go through something knowing that I didn't do anything wrong... I'm not one to have to apologize for anything I didn't do, but if/when I am wrong, sure as hell I'll be the first to admit it. That's what friends do, you know?

I consulted two friends about a certain situation the other night, and they had some really good points to make. They told me that whatever it was that the "offender" did to me, it clearly wasn't my fault (i choose not to blab about the situation in detail just cause... the details aren't important, ahaha...). And they told me that I should definitely be apologized to for being offended... but if that person doesn't fess up, then it's no longer my problem. And I believe that to be true. If a person can't fess up to something they did wrong, then hello...?! That definitely is THEIR issue. I mean, I'm not in high school anymore, and I don't like to play the "keep-me-guessing" game. It's not cool. I mean, I'd like to think that we've all reached this mark of maturity where we can handle things like adults. I mean, if we're gonna sit and put our shit out there, call ourselves "adults," then I think we should act like it. I think we MUST take it upon ourselves to take responsibility for all the things that we do/don't do (if we're supposed to do something, but don't).

I don't know. Perhaps it would make more sense if you all knew what it was that happened to me, but like I said that isn't important. It's just the act itself: you believe in someone, but that someone disappoints you... and the messed-up thing is that they don't seem to care to have disappointed you. Some friend, eh?! Well, perhaps we're all different. Maybe I like to put myself before others a lot more than I should, but that's just me. At least I can say that despite my sometimes cold-factor, I indeed have a heart and a conscience. All I know is that I don't roll otherwise. And if other people feel the same way as me, or have expressed similar sentiments as me, then it definitely is NOT me. If I was the only one feeling offended, then shoot me for being an ass. But if there are two, three, maybe even four other people who know exactly what you're talking about, then hey... it's no longer really your problem.

Perhaps people change. It's not always that people change themselves, or change their lives, for the better. But sometimes, perhaps, people just go through things without knowing what it is that they do... Whatever the case may be... EH. I'm not actually pressed. I may be disappointed, but I'm not pressed. My life has to go on, but with a totally different outlook on the situation (and person) at hand. If those 2, 3, or even 4 other people can walk the walk despite it all, then I guess I can, too. It may take me a while longer, but oh well. Time heals, and time passes.

Anyway. I cleared my mind at Mass today, which was cool. Even though the cantor was an old lady who could barely sing any louder than any of us would've cared for, Mass was good. Beforehand, I got my sweaters at the mall. I got my orange and green colors, to make my mark with the season. I also sent myself on a wild goose chase around the area stores/malls looking for something I wasn't even sure of. But all I know is that at one point I ended up at Landmark Mall, and CAN I JUST TELL YOU that I totally started to hyperventilate?! It was just weird being there: totally weird atmosphere, and totally weird community of folks, and I was honestly scared. I got out of the mall, and was panicky up until I left the parking lot. AHAHAH... I made it through the rest of the day without a hitch. And now I'm doing my laundry. WHEW!!

Yesterday was fun... Got to hang with Debbie and "Garfield." AHAHAH! (don't ask) We went to Liane and Vigil's baby shower. It was SO good to see ol' friends. Liane and Kuya V look great! And all the old-skool SFC people were there. It was a nice reunion, and we had some great conversations. Wish I could do that more often. It's good to have conversations of substance once in a while. AHAHAHAH! And G's outfit was the HIT of the evening. AHAHAHAAH! Go ahead, G! Get stylin'!! AHAHAHAH!

Can you believe that tomorrow is December?! *ShEeSh* Oh, congratz to my girl, Mae Munoz, and her man, Dennis Diawatan, on their recent engagement! CONGRATZ, homies!! And congratz to my guuurrrlll, Lisa "Punanananana" Pace! She recently was wed to Mr. Matt King, and so Lisa is now a "King..." Ahhh, that's the way to do it, boo. Move up the royal ranks. AHAHAAHAH! *wink*