But My Parental Brain Rebels…

    Seriously at age 16 should you be holding a pole in front of millions of audience whose youngest age is in kindergarten?

Check out Little Miss Sunshine here.  I totally see where the next marketing level is heading  Nintendo Wii will partner with Nickelodeon and bring you “Wii Pole – unleash your inner Stripper”.

Can this prisoners get amnesty?

A few years ago, this prisoners did a Michael Jackson rendition of “Thriller” now they’ve done it again with “Dangerous”.  Should American justice system  add it on our agenda ‘Dance Rehabilitation’?  Shouldn’t these guys make shanks out of toothbrushes? ( Shawshank Redemption, remember?) Couldn’t some of them fly here in U.S (just like the 15-year old pirate from Somalia) and have the best day ever?  Someone behind the bars is somebody’s Tito Boy and he’s missing his Ate Baby.  Enjoy this video.  Hope your week is off to a good start.

How many screens do you own?

Whether you own a  52″ inch  flat-screen or an archaic tube TV, count how many screeens do you have at home?    I have five:  2 TV’s, 2 computers and a lap top.  Don’t forget the ones in your car or SUV.  Then get back with me with your response.

Javalujah!

Our nation has been addicted to ‘retail worship’…now the economy HAS TANKED what do we do?  Life is full of paradox and irony.  It doesn’t help that on a national level we are being asked and encourage to spend and borrow our way out of recession by means of stimulus checks and that the person who handles your monies is called a broker.  In any case,  enjoy this parody. 

 

 

What kind of person would buy a Snuggie?

So I couldn’t sleep last night and while I tried to make a sensible decision to either raid the fridge or reach for the remote, I opted for the latter choice and saw this commercial about “The Snuggie”.  What kind of person would buy this crap?  Seriously, if this product is being sewn in China or (insert country name here) what in the world do they really think of Americans?  Honestly, can you REALY see yourself in a Snuggie during your child’s sporting event?!    This product should be banned because it will lead to a Hate Crime!  Enjoy the parody.

So I was tagged for “25 random things about you” I gave it thought and effort so here it goes:

1. If I were a kitchen utensil I would be a ladle. I like the notion of cradling my family and taking care of those anyone in need.  If I were single, I would probably be a half broken food processor for obvious reason where one good blade only works.
2. I was once a registered “young Democrat” in high school.  My political views have changed over the years and I’m more “independent”. Although, some would argue that I’m  a ‘pansy-liberal’.
3. Even though I have taken swimming lessons many times I still can’t swim.  (more of a matter-of-fact than random)
4. I recently wrote an essay for NPR (National Public Radio) for “This I Believe” program.  I dedicated to my father-in-law.  It is in the NPR’s national archive forever.
5. I like to sing Norah Jones tunes in the shower but I often think I sound more like Karen Carpenter.
6. Biggest imagination I had when I was a kid, I was a black-belt Ninja.  I often would jump off tree branches and throw ‘star-fruit’ at unsuspected passers-by (i.e like the ‘fish-ball’ vendor).
7. Piggy backing on number 6.  I was born in Philippines and immigrated to America when I was 10.  Up to this day, I don’t know how to answer the question “Did you grow up here?”
8. I speak several languages:  English, Tagalog, and Spanish.  I can understand some Portuguese, which I will de-bunk the idea right now that Portuguese is nowhere similar to Spanish.  In addition, I’m also fluent in sarcasm.
9.  My full and real name is French “Mignon” pronounce like that stake filet mignon.  I went by as Meg for several reasons:  in middle-school, most kids did not care to know my name some thought my name was “egg-nogg” As I got older, there wasn’t a place or a person I introduced myself to that I did not have to say my name several times so “Meg” was more for simplicity and convenience.
10. During my hey-days, I was a cocktail waitress at this bar called “Mitty’s”.  I quit and got in a fight with a group of military-guys because they tipped me “. 25cent” I told them, I’m trying to make a living not a phone call.  Thanks to you I can now call my landlord and tell them I can’t pay rent.  By the way, pay phones are now a rare sight.
11. My random act of kindness in more than one occasion:  I helped a lady pushed off her car off the middle of a highway ramp and changed a flat tire for a senior couple.  Yes, I know how to change a tire as well as changed oil but I’d rather pay someone for that
12. I really believe we’re all here to learn some lessons and help each other grow.
13. I don’t believe in love at first sight.  My definition of a soul-mate is not one that you marry because he or she is  your best friend.  It’s the person whom you are with and vice-versa and that while you’re both on this world.  You are both to treat each other with utmost respect and unconditional love so that when one soul passes on to the next world and the other’s soul in time passes, both souls are reunited as one.  No soul is longing for the other to join or wishing eternally that soul should’ve been kinder while on the material world.
14. My major paranoia is loosing my kids.  I constantly worry about them.  When they were babies, I would have vivid dreams that I had hired a crack head baby-sitter and that she would take my kids in her car driving aimlessly looking for crack.
15. I love the smell of a box of crayons.  It brings nostalgia and wonderment when my life was much simpler.
16. I wish I could read people’s aura on demand.
17. I will always cheer for the underdog.
18. I have a temper; I can be a cynic yet my saving grace is my magnanimous heart.
19. Secretly, I am, my husband’s, biggest fan.  His admirer and personal stalker.
20. I like to write things down on a list of what I want to do, to get, to accomplish but I never get to scratch anything off the list.  It’s what I call “the perfectionist-procrastinator syndrome”
21. I never finished my novel on NaNoWriMo in ’08.  Hoping to give it a shot this year. 
22. I’m not afraid to get hurt on a skateboard.
23. I love music and one of my favorite thing to do is going for a lazy drive with the windows down and listening to music.  My title playlist on my ipod:

-   drop to the lbs.  (for running and exercise purpose)

-   not in the airwaves (selection of songs that will never be played on the regular radio)

-   podcast (collection of This American Life, various Moth Stories, books on tape yeah sexy ones too!)

-   iRoad (the kind of music you will recline your chair to and wait for the transcontinental flight to take off)

 24.  I have a hard time saying “I love you”

 25.   I love Italian food though I love Thai food equally.

26.    I once got busy in a Burker King Bathroom.  ooops! 25 random things not 26.

 If I tagged you it’s because I want to know more about you.

 

Karma and Reincarnation

I’m not supertitious but if karma finally caught up to  OJ Simpson.  Could it be Judge Lance Ito’s dissaperance from the limelight is due to  reincarnation?

Here is a picture of Judge Ito in 1995

the “Pregnant Man”

Superstition?  Coincidental?  Serendipity?  the resemblance is too uncanny to ignore.

Happy Birthday

     Before my second child was born, I had a vivid dream that the Crepe Myrtles were in full bloom.  The branches wrapped around my house and grew through my window and in my dream pink petals covered my living room.  I woke up thinking our second child was going to be a baby girl instead I was blessed with another boy.

     This Friday my Leif is turning eight.  The palpable memories of scooping this child in my arms seem so distant as he grows.  On school days, I watch Leif hops on the sidewalk and stop short on the corner before he crosses the street sometimes he holds his older brother’s hand.   Long gone the days when he learned to crawl on the kitchen floor, the 9 o’clock shows of Max and Ruby on NickJr., me sneaking out of his sight so I can go somewhere – anywhere for that matter.  Before he turned 2, I’ve had to call poison control twice!  Once, he happily chewed on a watercolor pallet- turning his lips green.  The other incident involved a tincture of wart removal.  There was a third incident but I decided it would be to my benefit to not call poison control for fear of having him or my children taken away from me.  He is fine by the way.  Leif is always full of trickery and slow to anger.  I watch Leif go through his life so easily misunderstood, overlooked and often outshone by an exceptional older brother.  Yet Leif shines on his own.  This summer it was a joy to watch Leif surf again.  After his lips were badly cut from the fins he swore he wouldn’t go on a surfboard again but the family’s passion took over the phobia and now he is back with the rest of the family enjoying the ride. He is my comfort and his promise to push me on a wheel chair when the day would come when I would need more than just a cane is endearing.  In his presence I will never be short of company.  You are a treasure Leif and We love you so.  Enjoy your ice cream (as I would be happy to oblige) you don’t like cake, I know.   Happy Birthday!

Here is your favorite video with your favorite power animal

 

 

Tryptophan Experience

 4 days before Thanksgiving.  I am so looking forward to this holiday that will be once again hosted by my mum-in-law.  Pro ranking in culinary skills and her ammunition of cheesecake from scratch not even Giada De Laurentis’ bosom will divert anyone’s attention from B’s skillet skills.  So I am thankful for the bounty she will prepare for us this Thursday.

     Actually I have a lot to be thankful for:  it has been an exhausting year (as we come to close yet another year) with the emotional under tow of the election ‘08, the U.S. economy collapsing and the ‘bailout’, with millions of Americans going in foreclosure, added to my life in constant overdrive, yes I am thankful that I remain hopeful for all the undiscovered opportunities that awaits me. No matter what situation you are in, be reverent and be thankful.

    I am thankful for my two talented, funny, and intelligent sons.  They keep me young.

    I am thankful for my family being around them reminds me of my heritage.

    I am thankful for my husband’s family.  My sis-in-law whom my children adore to no end.

    I am thankful for my friends in their company I don’t have to be careful. 

    I am thankful for my faith that keeps me grounded and offer unconditional acceptance that we all seek.

   I am thankful for my husband who constantly injects adventure in my veins  (We learned how to kiteboard recently).

    And I am thankful for the million-dollar lottery that I won recently.

 

 

 

 

   Ha! Just checking if you we’re still reading.  Sending positive energy your way and I can’t wait for my “Tryptophan experience” this coming Thursday

  

Tis’ the season of shallow conversation – fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

Yes with Christmas coming up or better yet allow me to be politically correct “Chriskwanukkah”, a few cocktail soiree e-vites has hit my inbox. So, once again I am cramming the book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” that I acquired from a yard sale. Armed with the principles of David Carnegie, I will seize the chalice of shallow conversation. At 3- something age, I’m still trying to figure out how to be cool. I wasn’t short of suggestions on how to do it. The most bizzarre suggestion to me was I should get a ‘brazillian‘ yet I really didn’t see the correlation. I’m trying to win friends not start a black book and by all means I’m no Ashlee Dupre (but with the economy so slow a profession like hers is definitely recession free).

So I’m brushing up on current issues on what would make me socially valuable. Topic of skills: banning of gay marriage. My two cents: there should be far more incomprehensable issues that should be on the dirty laundry list other than gay marriage such as banning the reality TV show on VH1 “The Pick Up Artist” Am I the only one that think this show is repulsive! Next topic of arsenal: on women’s fashion in correlation with the falling economy. Why women tend to cover up more when recession is likely to occur and hike up our skirts when the gettin’ is good. I’m going to stay away from current main stream topic that involves change and politics in the same sentence for avoidance of loosing whatever captive audience I might’ve fished. On sports: this one is hard because I don’t exercise. I would have to rely on my celly’s live ticker and wiki the shizzy of this info in order to sound like I’m in the know. Maybe I’ll talk about Tom Brady since I’m not his biggest fan. He’s a cocky son-of-a-mother-jumper.

I’m still jotting down topics that would make me ‘influence and win friends’. Perhaps my biggest mistake is that I had no idea that gaining social approval involves so much cosmic hoopla. My point of overly and obscenely obsessing about this shallow cocktail moments is that I always feel awkward and feel like I’m out of place. It’s not me for I love a good social gathering it’s the insipid conversations involve that I would not be subjected to had I been around my real friends.  Damn I need a hug.