He’s the reason why I sing.

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is coming out this Friday. I feel the need to geek out. Might have to wait 'til next week to see it though. Need to watch it with people I can totally geek out with (or to). LOL Saw Martin Freeman (plays Arthur Dent) last night on David Letterman and he was fab-funny.

I have the day off this Friday! Whoo-hoo!

Well, I'm knackered. Off to bed I go. *yawn*

I have a headache. And I know that it’s not due to hunger because I just ate lunch/dinner (garlic and pepper pork over rice from a Thai restaurant, yum!). I’m taking a break from doing some work, and so I thought I’d pop in and post an entry. I’m listening to “Sleeping To Dream” by Mr. A-Z (a.k.a. Jason Mraz), and I’m literally getting sleepy. NOT because it’s a boring song (because it isn’t), but because I just ate. *throws up* Oops, sorry. OK, so I am now listening to “Shiver” by Maroon 5. Man, I am sleepy! *yawn*

I’m reading this passage in Exodus about the calling of Moses (Exodus 4:10-ff). When God called Moses to serve Him and lead His people, Moses made excuses. Moses was not an eloquent man. He was “slow of speech and slow of tongue” (v.10 – I can relate). He was hesitant to be the one to lead God’s people out of Egypt because of what seems to be his “limitation”. But God took that particular “limitation” of Moses and used it for His glory. Moses was able to rely on God, and not his own ability, to do the task that was set before him.

The apostle Paul talked about his weaknesses as well, his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7-8), and kept asking God to take it from him. But God assured him that His grace is sufficient, “for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (v.9) And all apostle Paul needed to do is to rely on God and trust that He can work through someone like Paul.

As Christians, God has called each of us for a specific purpose and we often hesitate to take on the task set before us because, like Moses, we fear that we cannot rise above our weaknesses, our “limitations”. But God assured us, just like He assured the apostle Paul, that we can rely on Him and His strength when we feel that we are limited, and not able to do what He has called us to do.

I have been thinking about going back to school to take a couple of refresher courses, to somewhat prepare me for a possible return, full-time, to university. Most of you know that I haven’t finished my undergraduate studies and I have been dreaming about going back for a very long time. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control, I am not able to go back to school at all. Well, at least, not yet. There are so many factors involved, mostly financial, and I know that I cannot afford to go back just yet. My goal is to take some classes at a community college in the fall. I really need to pray about this. I have to admit that I haven’t really been praying about this. I know I should. I haven’t been in school in such a long time, I feel like it is slowly slipping through my fingers. The desire is slowly fading. And I don’t want that to happen. I must admit, I’m a bit apprehensive about this (returning to school). But I hear stories about people, way into their 30s and 40s, and even 50s or 60s, returning to school and getting their degrees and becoming successful at whatever career they go into. That gives me hope. But, I feel like I’m stuck, I feel like I’m in a bit of a funk. I’m just waiting for this one particular thing, and that, basically, will open up doors for me. Thoughts of going back to Toronto drift through my mind, and it’s such a huge possibility still, but I dare not entertain it because it seems like it’s a scapegoat. This year will determine a lot of things for me, especially regarding my future. *sigh* I hope it happens soon, I really do. But it’s all in God’s appointed time. He doesn’t run on our timetable, we tend to forget that most of the time. Anyway, most people know what I’m talking about, and I’d rather not get into it more than I have already. So, for those who know, please keep praying. I’d really appreciate it.

I thank God for the opportunities He’s slowly opening up for Papuri to minister to His people this summer. I pray that He continue to use us to share the Gospel to those who haven’t heard.

I am in need of a holiday. A major one. Someone send me somewhere, out-of-town, maybe in your backyard. It doesn’t matter. I’m knackered. I just need to re-energize my batteries so-to-speak.

listening to: “all blues” – m-pact

You scored as French. You should learn… French. Maybe you’ll move to France or a fomerly-French African colony. Even if you won’t, you’re up to the challenge. Learn French!

What language should you learn?
created with QuizFarm.com

Do you remember your first crush?

I remember my first crush. I believe I was 11 or 12 years old at the time. He went to the same church I went to back in Manila. I just thought he was the cutest guy ever! He was tall and lanky. He had a well-chiseled face and the prettiest eyes. I think he was 3 or 4 years older than I was. I looked forward to seeing him every Sunday because he would always sit on the pew behind me and would always play with my hair. I would always act annoyed every time he did that, but deep down I was just absolutely loving it! He played basketball, and was quite good at it. During the summer, our church, along with other different Southern Baptist churches in the greater Manila area would get together for an annual sports tournament, sort of the “Olympics” for the churches. He would play for our church’s basketball team and I would always ask my parents if they could take me to the basketball tournaments because I wanted to see him play. I didn’t usually get my way, but when I did, I would always try to get close to him. And I knew that he loved the attention I gave him, because he would always tease me and do little “annoying” things like playing with my hair, or tapping me on the shoulder and then pull his hand away whenever I would turn around, pretending he didn’t do it. I thought to myself, “when I’m older, he will be my boyfriend.” Shows you how naive I was. I was so infatuated that when he moved away, I was devasted and cried myself to sleep for a couple of days. My first heart-break. *sniff* A week later, I found another crush and that was the end of it! Talk about resiliency! haha

The things that have transpired tonight just made me reminisce about my first crush. It was quite exciting to see someone being around their crush. I could remember the butterflies in the stomach whenever your object of affection would be talking to you or be within close proximity of you, especially when the infatuation is still new. Too darn cute! *sigh*

I have developed quite a fascination with the country of Wales. Thanks to my recent discovery of Ioan Gruffudd (haha), it prompted me to take a closer look at this wonderful country. Beautiful rolling hills, miles and miles of pastures, magnificent cliffs overlooking blue waters. I didn’t realize that this country has a language all its own. Wales is part of the United Kingdom, so I assumed that they spoke English, which they do of course, but they also have their own native language, which is Welsh (naturally!). It’s quite a beautiful language. I’ve heard a clip of someone speaking Welsh on a website and it’s interesting that they rarely use vowels. They use “y” a lot, as well as double letters such as “dd”, “ff” and “ll”. I would venture into learning this language, as it is quite beautiful to listen to, but I still haven’t quite mastered the French language yet, which I had started to learn a few months ago, so I think I’ll hold off until I can actually have a proper conversation in French (Jeremy, you need to help me with this) before I even dare start learning another language. I already have enough trouble with the English language as it is! If I certainly put my mind to it, I think I am capable of writing well in English. That’s a big “IF”. Now, speaking English properly is a completely different story…

On speaking properly, when I was a high school student, back in Canada, I thought I spoke well, and I had proper grammar (well, most of the time). One of my good friends at church would always correct me if I spoke improperly (Kyle). I give him credit for keeping me aware of how I speak. We’d get into arguments because I would use the wrong syntax, etc. It was quite hilarious really (our arguments, that is).

These days, however, I have to say that I am not as eloquent as I would like to be. Words used to roll off my tongue, but now I find it hard just to formulate cohesive thoughts, much less express them verbally. I find myself using “like” and “you know” to somewhat fill-in for words that I have trouble finding. Ah, I get so frustrated at times. I think that’s the reason why I wanted to start an online journal. I want to train myself to write well, again. However, laziness (and, in most cases, sleepiness) take over and I just don’t want to exert that much effort into writing.

Anyway, I digress. What was I talking about before I went off into a completely different tangent? Oh yes, Wales and the Welsh language. A new place and language to discover. I would love to visit that place one day, if the Lord allows, one of the many places I’d like to visit (which include Ireland, Scotland, and of course, England).

I just realized how random my topic is for today. I don’t know why I was even compelled to write about what I had just written. Funny. Well, tomorrow I will revert back to my “likes” and “you knows” for sure.

After work tonight, my co-workers and I will be celebrating Charisse’s birthday by taking her out to dinner. One of the numerous birthdays I’ve celebrated this month. One more to go and I’m done with birthdays for the month of April. But, alas! There’s the month of May to look forward to!

listening to: Craig Ferguson and his excellent Scottish accent.

YOU KNOW YOU’RE FROM LA WHEN…

You’re driving on the 101 and see a clear cut definition of where the smog begins and ends
- I believe I’ve seen that at least once.

You go to a karaoke bar and battle with seven year old divas-in-training who are trying to steal your thunder

You’re sitting in traffic for at least an hour at any given part of the day
- Yeah, no kidding.

You go to the beach and see that real lifeguards actually do look like the lifeguards from Baywatch

You see purple and gold and the word “Threepeat” on every corner

You begin to “lie” to your friends about where you are (i.e. “Yeah I’m like 20 minutes away”) – when you know that it’ll take you at least an hour to get there).

You eat a different ethnic food for every meal
- Pretty much.

You look around at the nice cars around you during traffic, thinking it’ll be your favorite Laker or WB star.
- My first year in LA, I actually did that.

You make a conscious choice to watch Jay Leno over David Letterman

You mourned for Tupac and not for Biggie
- Nah. I liked Biggie.

You know it’s best not to be on the 405 at 4:05 pm.
- Same goes for pretty much every freeway in LA.

Getting anywhere from point A to point B, no matter what the distance, takes about “twenty minutes”.
- This is where “driving like a maniac” applies.

You know what neighborhood someone lives in by the degree of damage incurred during the riots.

You’ve inadvertently learned Spanish.

You’ve got to bring the cat/plants in when it drops to 55 degrees.

In the “winter”, you can go to the beach and ski at Big Bear on the same day.

You’ve bumped into a celebrity at El Pollo Loco.
- Not in MY neighbourhood!

You know what “sigalert”, “PCH”, and “the five” mean.
- Yes ma’am!

Your pizza delivery guy is also on contract with Warner Bros.

If your destination is more than 5 minutes away on foot, you’re definitely driving.
- Sad, but true.

You have a gym membership because it’s mandatory.

Your TV show is interrupted by a police chase.
- This definitely annoys me.

You can’t fall asleep without the lull of a helicopter flying overhead.

When tourists ask where they can get souvenirs, you direct them to Venice Beach.

You know someone named Freedom, Rainbow, Persephone or Destiny.

You’ve trespassed through private property to get to the “Hollywood” sign.

You’ve partied in Tijuana at least once.

You know Hollywood has a “lake”.

You don’t stop at a STOP sign, you do a California Roll.

You’ve lost your car in the Century City Shopping Center parking lot.

You’ve ever bought oranges, flowers, cherries or peanuts on a freeway off-ramp.

You think that Venice is a beach.

You drive next to a Rolls Royce and don’t notice.

You’ve started crossing a street and returned to the curb when the DON’T WALK sign started flashing.

You’ve never listened to NPR.
- Well, actually, I have.

Calling your neighbors requires knowing their area code.

You have a favorite Thai restaurant.
- Very true.

You think Johnnny Rocket’s is an accurate depiction of a diner.

You think Manhattan is a beach.

You eat pineapple on pizza.

You’ve been to Disneyland more times than Downtown.

When giving directions , you follow up with the phrase: “With/Without traffic.”
- I actually say that quite often. But instead of “with/without traffic”, I say “depending on traffic”.

You classify new people you meet by their Area Code. An “818″ would never date a “562″ and anyone from “323″ or “213″ is ghetto/second class. Best area code: “310.”
- No way! “562″ all the way!

Driving along, you see a high-speed police chase approaching in your rear view mirror. You don’t panic or even flinch. Instead, you call your friends on your car phone and tell them you’re on TV.

You know that if you drive two miles in any direction you will find a McDonald’s or a Starbucks.
- This is very true of me. There are 2 Starbucks shops pretty much within walking-distance from where I live.

Your cell phone has left a permanant impression on the side of your head.
- Not lately though. I get no cell phone love. *tears*

You never, ever go into the water at the Beach. You barely touch the sand.
- I dare not go in the water, it makes me itchy.

Everyone you know has 3+ phone numbers. Home, Office, mobile, pager, two-way, voicemail…..
- No kidding!

It is not unusual for your waitress at a restaurant to have blue streaked hair, a dragon tattoo and tounge piercing.

You are awakened in the middle of the night by a moderate earthquake. Your reply: “That ain’t even a 5-pointer” and go back to sleep.
- Actually, I slept through every earthquake we’ve had since I moved to Los Angeles. Well, maybe except for one, and I barely felt it.

You think you are better than the people who live “Over the Hill”. It don’t matter which side of the hill you are currently residing, you are just better than them, for whatever reason.

You live 10 miles from work. It takes you 60 minutes to get home.

Walking out of Jamba Juice, you see that a movie is being shot on-location across the street.
- Again, not in MY neighbourhood.

You are not happy, or even slightly exited that there may be a movie star there. You just say, ” They better not be blocking my parking space.”

You have to yell at your bank teller through a 2 inch thick wall of plexi-glass.

That last one goes for your local convienience store man, too.

You go to Las Vegas for a weekend getaway and the whole trip cost you $50.

You personally know at least 5 people with agents.

You personally know at least 3 people who have been in a movie or TV show.

You know what In N Out is and feel bad for all the other states because they don’t have any.

You know that not everyone in Beverly Hills is a millionaire.
- Mmmhmm…

You know who the tinsel underwear dude in Venice Beach is.

You’ve done something on a street corner in an attempt to get money (i.e. sang, tap danced, told jokes).

You’ve gotten parking tickets from parking in the red zone in front of your house.

You say you live in LA when really you live in a subsection of a subsection of a subsection of southern LA.
- Guilty as charged!

Any major movie star is picking out the best portobello mushrooms next to you at the grocers and you don’t notice.
- Like I said, not in MY neighbourhood.

The guy at 8:30 in the morning at Starbucks wearing the baseball cap and sunglasses who looks like George Clooney IS George Clooney.

You really can never be too rich or too thin.

The gym is packed at 3pm…on a workday.

The workday starts at 10am…or whenever you get out of your therapy session.
- My workday starts at 1pm. *evil laugh*

Any invitation comes with, “Starts at 8pm or as soon as you can get through traffic.”
- Nothing ever starts happening until 11pm or midnight anyway.

You have never met a waiter that wasn’t really an “Actor.”

You never go to a coffee house without a copy of a script – any script.

It’s sprinkling and there’s a report on every news station about “STORM WATCH ‘99″

You call 911 and they put you on hold.

You have to leave the big company meeting early because Billy Blanks himself is teaching the 4:30 tae-bo class.

The three hour traffic jam you just sat through wasn’t caused by a horrific 9 car pile-up, but by everyone slowing to rubberneck at a lost shoe lying on the shoulder.
- If I only had a nickel for everytime this happens when I get stuck in a traffic jam on a freeway…!

A nurse can look at you in all seriousness and ask, “you don’t drink or smoke, right?”

All the “cool gyms” allow pedestrians on the street a full-view of those working out. Literally, you can’t drive by Wilshire without staring into L.A. Fitness. Perhaps a new form of window shopping?

The hot seasonal party favor is a candied apple from Neiman’s. The apples are called “Skinny Dippers.”

The waitress asks if you’d like “carbs” in your meal.

Bars card. For real.

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Los Angeles.

I’m not very much of a tea drinker. If you haven’t noticed by now, I am a big coffee fiend. However, I do enjoy having tea once-in-a-while. And there’s nothing better than having high tea, especially with family and friends. My cousins and I (a.k.a. In Harmony), along with some friends (Jeremy, Babie and Cat) and Christine’s little ones, Nevaeh and Tristen, went to a tea house in the City of Orange for some high tea. We decided to have high tea as part of April and Babie’s birthday celebrations. I absolutely had a wonderful time, really enjoyed the different types of tea that we had. I believe my favourite flavour would have to be the Vanilla Cream Spice, mixed in with some creme and sugar, it was fantastic! We had chocolate chip scones, freshly baked, to start us off, along with some Devonshire creme and some jam. Not long after, the sandwiches were served, in different assortments, as well as some fruits and chocolate covered truffles. I had been looking forward to having high tea with the girls (and Jeremy) for weeks now, I’m glad we went. The tea was soothing, it helped relieve some of the stress and exhaustion from the previous week, it actually made me sleepy. The service was not the best, however. It wasn’t horrible, but it could have been better. Anyway, I’d definitely like to go have high tea again, one of these days.

I’m watching the DVD extras from the Return of the King Special Extended Edition DVD, and it just makes me laugh that Orlando Bloom calls the character that made him famous, “Leggy”. Yes, you can call me random. Thank you.

Well, I’m off to bed. See you in the ‘morrow.

I’m feelin’ the need for speed this morning. LOL Let me explain…Last night, for April’s birthday celebration, we (our Wednesday Bible study group and some friends) went to Speedzone to do some car racing. We got there pretty late so we only got to do one track and I have to tell yah, it was quite exhilirating racing against each other on this slick track they had. There were 11 of us altogether, and I ended up placing 3rd, after Jade and April. That was quite cool. Some of the West Covina/Chino Hills friends (G-unit, O, Armie, Yek, Mike) came and met up with us at SZ, and then we all headed over to Applebee’s for some good feasting and Chimicheesecake (which I had been looking forward to all week)! Later on that evening, some more West Co/Chino Hills friends came to Applebee’s (El-boogie, JP Mar, Joel) so it was quite a reunion for us since we haven’t seen most of them in such a long time. Most of us ended up staying there until it closed (midnight). Too bad JJ missed out because he was “sick” *cough-cough*. Ummm yeah. LOL

A question to ponder: Why is it that possums always end up being roadkill?

Today (April 13th) marks the 4th year of my dad’s passing. I miss him a lot, especially during times when I’m really going through stuff. I actually had a dream with him in it just the other night. I take comfort in the fact that I will see him again, a certainty that we both have because we are in Christ.
Miss you dad.