Master Guide

So I decided two days ago to do the work so I can be a Master Guide in the Pathfinder club. My goodness, why did I decide so late in the year?! I have to read 3 EG White books, a leadership book, "The Pathfinder Story", a book on Adventist church heritage, keep a four week devotional journal and finish a devotional guide! Oh, and all in 6 weeks! WOOHOO! It kinda feels like the week before finals in school when I'm feeling like "I really should have done before in the beginning of the year and read more!!" HEHEHE. But you know what, God is good. I know that if it's His will, I will get it done. =) So friends, pray for me, especially in the next 6 weeks!

Go go go

So one, I'm trying to find a different blog site where I can download multiple pictures. John and Ronn suggested one but it's not working well with me. Ever tried tumblr? I'll keep working on it. I just don't like that I have to upload one picture at a time on here.

It's been a crazy month for me. Between work, running just a little bit more and the Pathfinders... it's just all kept me busy. I'm definitely looking forward to summer. =) I try my best to adhere to my 9PM bedtime, but lately it's just been hard. For example last night was Pathfinder inspection. We literally came home from work and then went to church. We finally finished with everything by 8:30PM. Now, that was 30 min. from bedtime and I hadn't eaten dinner. We made a quick stop for some arroz caldo, came home, changed to PJs, ate and finally in bed by 9:30PM. Whew! No wonder I was so tired at work today. I am very happy though that we did pretty good for our first inspection. 95 out of 100. Now, that's "low" compared to the other clubs, but hey, our first inspection in years! I'm satisfied and God has blessed. Some people were a bit disappointed but I'm happy! That's 95 points we didn't have last year. Now for the rest of the week: gotta somehow figure out how to decorate a huge kite, pray pray pray that it flies on Sunday and yes, kite day is on Sunday! Gotta plan lunch for the kids, transportation and supplies. Also have to be at Mariners Point early. Ayayayay - sorry guys, this is what I do all day; just think about what I need to do. If you've read this much, thank you. =)

Summer = my birthday so I'm excited. I want a garden party. Girls only. I want pretty summer dresses and hats. I should spend time planning that as a distraction.

Love my loves

We decided to pick up the twins today after work. On Fridays we get off at 2:30PM so we thought we could skip some traffic.

Well, it did take us 2 and a half hours between driving to Vista, loading the kids and getting back to National City. But it's been so fun having them here. We took them to have Vietnamese food and they were both very open to try pho and the bbq chicken. When we got home, Michelle showed them their surprise gifts - she got them sleeping bags! We are taking them camping next weekend. Roman has been asking us when he could go with us since we went to Zion National park in October. He's so outdoorsy. We asked him in the car what he would need for camping. He said, "a sleeping bag and fishing rod." LOL. When they saw the sleeping bag, Roman squealed with excitement! Now they're sleeping on their beds, in their sleeping bags. I just love it when they're here. I gave them their baths and they helped me clean the tub first. They're good kids. I was looking at them yesterday when they helped unload the car and got a little sad that soon, they'll be teenagers and I'll miss these times. But until then, I will enjoy every moment.

So little to talk about...

To be honest, nothing fun and exciting going on. Pretty much all I've been focusing on for the last two weeks is my run that's coming up - I have a 10K on 2/13, a half marathon in March and another one in June. When I'm at work, I'm surrounded by many coaches who all love to talk about sports, getting fit and improving performance so I'm blessed to have free consults all day long! I'm also glad that they never grow tired of talking about training and running. The hardest part for me right now is my nutrition. I try to get in between 2,000-2,200 cals per day. Any less than that I absolutely have no energy. So some may think, that's great! That I can eat a lot of food. But not so much. It has to be balanced and I can't just eat anything that has calories because it will affect my running. I've also given up fish so I have to make an extra effort to get my protein in. It hasn't been much of a problem, I usually have eggs, cheese, greek yogurt (so high in protein!) and umm, more eggs! =) Another thing I am focusing on is being injury-free. So I'm spending more time stretching, doing strength training and even got a deal on yoga classes so I'm excited! I want to be fit, I want to look strong, feel strong and accomplish my goal of running a good race. Because although I've done many events, I've only done them to finish, with no time in mind. So pray for me friends and family!

An update on an earlier post - I took it off this blog just in case one of my PF's stumble upon my site. I wouldn't want them to misinterpret anything. Thank you though, Jane and Grace for your inputs and suggestions! What I've decided to do is go to the training class that's coming up on Sunday to check it out, get a feel for the program then decide.

TGIF tomorrow!

Oh and just wanted to share a random picture of the twins from Christmas. I found it today as I was going through my files and just love how cute they are!

100 Things

I read this article not too long ago about people who only have 100 things at home. I wanted to challenge myself to not have more than 100 things in my room... but geez, within sight I'm already over that! Every time I clean my room, like today, I am shocked at how much crap I throw out. I don't even think of myself as a hoarder but it sure seems like it after bags and bags of things go out - to go to trash or donate.

How do you guys keep organized? I've given up many of my shoes, clothes that I haven't worn, little trinkets that I've kept over the years but I seem to still have so much.

"There, I said it. Dang, why did I say it?"

This is what I hate the most - I hate it when I say something and almost immediately regret the fact that I said it. I do it a lot at work; I get sarcastic, I kid around and most of the time, I'm telling myself "why the heck did you have to say that? You sounded like a fool!" It's worse during arguments. I am the argumentative type - if there's ever a type. I hate, hate that I can spew out an argument faster than I can ay that word "argument." I get frustrated with myself. It's like, did it even matter what I had to say? Often times, 90% of what I said didn't matter, so why did i say it?

I want to practice meditation more and learn to slow down. Learn to be silent. Learn to listen and not have the need to respond. Possible? I hope so.

In Summary...

I'm way over my head w/ Pathfinders - and I'm realizing just how much I do and don't delegate. My goodness, the club requirements/events and preparation is insane!! I pray every morning that God just takes over me; I just can't do it myself!

Work's been OK. I've actually applied for another job, but out of state. Yes, believe it or not, I'm willing to move... again. I'll blog more about that later.

Running is on hold, even though I have my half marathon in less than 2 weeks. Bursitis on the hip is crazy!! So I'm taking the rest of the year off from running after the 15th of August. I hope!

Philippines trip countdown is on. Less than 6 months to go! Now if I can just figure out how to go w/o having to spend so much money.

Starting next year, I want to go out of the country at least 2x. Let's see how that will go.

Birthday Fun

 
I had a lovely, low-key birthday.  Originally I had planned on having a party. The only problem was that I end up dreading party days because I do too much.  I have this strong urge to accommodate everyone in more ways than one.  You know, gotta think about the vegetarians, the non-vegetarians, the picky eaters, the kids, the elderly etc etc.  My brain just does not turn off when I’m planning something.  So I decided to just make my day simple and do what I like to do – cook food!  Hehe.  I made a big pot of corn chowder and had fixin’s for sandwiches:  turkey w/ havarti, or pesto and basil w/ mozzarella and invited my small family.  =)  There were two highlights on my day:  One is Michelle making me a s’mores ice cream cake and baby Ian’s butt nekked picture on Facebook!  I got a good laugh throughout the day out of that little guy and of course Michelle’s ice cream cake was a hit!  I actually gained 2 lbs during my birthday weekend since I was having dessert everyday for 5 days!  LOL.
 
Michelle, Lizz and I took Monday after my birthday off.  We planned on going to La Jolla and just relax.  We slept in that day – til 9AM – and headed to The Cottage (http://www.cottagelajolla.com/) for brunch.  That place is yummy – I had a bowl of chipotle corn chowder and they gave me raspberry bread pudding for dessert!  Afterwards we went to Title Nine (http://www.titlenine.com/ ) store and I got 2 dresses and a purse.  Momma Lizz got me one of the dresses and Michelle the purse.  I felt spoiled! Hehe.  We then decided to go for a long walk, looked for Kate Sessions park.  We walked 10,000 steps by the time we were done!  One downside is that I dropped my iPhone while walking and it totally chipped on the sides.  I got a case that day so now it’s not visible.  And last, we went to meet up w/ my mom and her boyfriend for dinner at King’s Fish in Mission Valley.  Again, there was dessert; this time it was key lime pie.
 
Overall a wonderful non-celebration.  I still want a big birthday party – perhaps for the big 3 – 0!!  HAHA.  I’m so grateful for another year of life, for God richly blessing me in several ways and for my friends and family who have been loving and supportive in all the things that I do.     
 
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Sleep, Work, Eat, Repeat.

This weekend has been particularly nice. Went to PV Church on Sabbath, had lunch then we headed to L.A. to see family. Even though we did quite a bit, I still didn't feel as tired as I have during Sabbaths when I'm running around church trying to get something done, get home to catch a one hour nap then get back to church again. I'm guilty of sometimes not looking forward to the Sabbath because of all the things that need to be done. So perhaps, in the next year, as the Director of the Pathfinders I can work on getting everything done ahead of time so by Sabbath I just show up. That's the best case scenario, no? Hehe.

Other than that, just been working working working. Finally got our plane ticket for the Philippines and going there on New Year's. I'm super excited. Now when I pay off that plane ticket I just put on my credit card, I'll be even more excited. I've just been really workin' on being debt-free. I think I have enough student loans to last me a lifetime so I'm trying to just not owe anymore than that. And can someone tell me how it's possible that I can spend my whole paycheck, every time when I live at home?! Geez. I do pay (some) rent I suppose. HAHA. Anyway, gotta spend more time in prayer so I can let go of a lot of the worldly things I love that just gets me in trouble i.e. gadgets and food!!! Well, I don't think I can let go of food, but at least eating out so much. I swear, I spend half a paycheck on just food!

Happy 4th to everyone out there! I enjoyed sleeping in til past 9AM today. =) I hope I can do it again tomorrow.

But some pictures for fun:

Me and YanYan.



Lala after watching Shrek w/ her 3D glasses on.



The kids like hanging out in my room. Coz I'm the cool aunt. ;-)



@ Sea World, this pig cracked me up going through the obstacle course!

Running Woes

For the third time in the last week and a half, I'm struggling to complete my runs. I don't know if it's dehydration, GI issues or what I'm eating before a run (which I don't always do) but I'm finding myself in agony after about 20-30 min. of running. I'm talking severe abdominal cramps that makes one want to go to the bathroom. Sorry if that's TMI. What the heck is this?? One thing different is that I'm running faster. My usual 10 min. miles have gone down to 9-9:30 min. miles. I have no confidence for my upcoming event. How do I do 13 miles when I can hardly do 3 miles right now. WHat sucks is that I'm even enjoying my running these days and it's such a bummer when I have to stop. =*( Blah. Will try again on Thursday.

"Tita Grace"

I just love being a tita (auntie). I never get tired of my nieces and nephew calling me that. When I call Philippines, my oldest niece gets excited and goes "Tita Marreee!" Whenever the twins visit, I love getting hugs and kisses from them. I don't know how I was away from them for almost a year. I miss them when I don't see them in a week. I can't wait to see Yza and Youie on New Years. I get sad when I think about how I only see them every 2 years. I get even sadder when they're closer to their other titas. I take being a tita seriously. I want the little ones to know that I love them very much, will protect them and will always be there for them. My co-worker told me last week that I should have a kid of my own since I'm so "nurturing." But besides the fact that there's no prospective husband at this time, I really don't mind not being a mom because I find so much joy in being an aunt. Today I got to hold my new nephew, Ian. I just love this little guy - even though he doesn't really know who I am yet. I remember when Yza, Roman and Bizz were as small as him. Time flies! So basically, the point to my blog is just to say - I really am blessed to be a tita and am very happy. =)

Yza (5) and Youie (3)



Roman (4) and Bizz (4)



Yan2 (2 weeks)

Burrito in my Belly

Just had a whole bean burrito and now I'm stuffed! I ran for a little bit after work and I was just absolutely starving. Now I'm laying down, just chillin'. Last night I didn't sleep so well. I just could not shut my brain off. I fell asleep at around 10PM and woke up at midnight. That was pretty much it for me. Tomorrow I start my 5:30AM-3:30PM shift. Hope it's good times. I find that working out at lunch helps give me energy so I'm planning on doing some sort of physical activity to get me through tomorrow. I know I'm not going to be making much more money with 3 hrs of over time, but hey, it's extra cash, right? Anyway, La Jolla half is in a month and I still have not decided whether I'm running the event or not. We shall see...

Hot Hot Hot

First of all, I'm THE worst at keeping blogs. So, I'm not letting my friends know I'm at this again, just in case I quit again. Which is very likely. However, I've been wanting to put some thoughts on paper (or online) and sometimes writing it as a status on my FB just seems too long.

In any case, today was a super hot day in San Diego. Am I the only one who does not like weather this hot? It's rough going for a run starting at 7AM and by the time 8AM hits, it's just too hot! Chelle and I were gong for a 7 mile run this morning, but somewhere between mile 3 and 4, I stepped off wrong on a drive away and jarred my left hip, which I felt all the way on my R hip. We walked the rest of the way home since I was feeling a terrible soreness on the L hip. I will try again tomorrow, run during lunch and see how it goes. By Tues I'm hoping that I get in and see my chiro guy.

Got back home and didn't have time to catch breakfast because we had to head to the base for the easter egg hunt. It was ridiculously hot and way too many kids. The kids got some cute little things, got on two rides, which one of them almost made me hurl. But, I wouldn't trade for the world the giggle and laughter I got out of Roman as he was spinning us round and round.

Late lunch w/ the fam at Coronado Brewing Co. Their food is pretty good but service always sucks. In any case, I GRUBBED. I ate a salad, half a black bean burger, 2 slices of pizza and Roman's leftover pizza crust. Can you say carbo loading?! HAHA. Then we headed home, and what I haven't mentioned is that I had a headache from the heat throughout the day so I crashed. I still have that headache 6 hrs later so I'm hoping it goes away.

I'm glad this week is a 4 day week for us. I am however doing overtime. Only 3 hrs though. I'm coming in at 5:30AM and leaving at 3:30 PM on Tues, Wed and Thur. Work is hectic. I've been stressed and wanted to quit once or twice. But, God is good and I just hang in there. It could be worst. I paid off 1 credit card, almost done with another and then 1 left. God is good! I can't wait til I"m debt free (minus student loans) so I can enjoy traveling and seeing my niece in the Philippines more often.

I'm hoping to start posting pics on here too. I just need to figure out how. =)

Hmm.. what to blog

I haven't really blogged coz I don't know what to blog about. Kinda sad, no? Lately I've just been doing work, then running. It's kind of obsessive actually. Unfortunately I've been getting annoying headaches quite often too. They don't feel like migraines, but annoying enough. One thing I realized in the last week is that I'm not eating enough. I know, hard to imagine. I had a "consult" with one of the dietitians at work and we went over my nutrition. She said with all the running, I should to eat around 2,000 - 2,200 cals per day, with 60% from carbs. I laughed and almost hung up on her - thought she was kidding. We finally compromised at 1,600-1,800 cals with 1,000 cals from carbs. Okay, I know I'm half asian and all and eating carbs shouldn't be an issue, right? Yeah, no. It's hard!!! It's totally throwing off my routine. I did a food log for a week and a half and I was only eating around 1,300 - 1,400 cals with about 600 carbs per day. I'm not even on a diet!!! Yesterday was a terrible day for me. I did a long run (long by my standards, 6 miles) and physically crashed at around 6PM. When Chelle and I did the Math, I was on negative cals by dinner. I'm going nuts here. So I'm thinking it's my nutrition that's causing the headaches. yes, I like to self Dx. So now I'm trying to make a huuuge effort to get all the food and nutrition in. I'm no longer trying to lose weight here. I mean, I wouldn't mind being 10 lbs lighter, but I'm in for a long run in August and the mud run in March so I'm more focusing on being strong, not skinny. Any suggestions out there for some good, nutrient-densed foods that I can eat during work days? I have all the resource at work but I don't use 'em. I should right? Anyway, that's what's been bothering me lately. I missed out on game day at a co-worker's house because my head was hurting again today. =( Oh p.s., it's not my hydration; i drink lots of water.

So what else is going on with me... mm, see I can't even think of anything else! Oh, I had a good time at dinner last night at Olive Garden. My favorite part is eating 3 breadsticks and all of my whole wheat pasta w/ marinara! YUM!!! I want to hang out with people more - I really had a great time. Too bad Chelle and I are weak and are unable to stay up late to play "Rock Band." Let's do a game night guys! I want everyone to come, but you guys know our house is small, but if you guys don't mind, maybe in a couple of weeks?! =)

I wish everyone a good week. V-day is next weekend so I all you happy couples out there enjoy your day. =D

I've Gone Mad

I think I just allowed my co-workers talk *ahem coach me into running a half marathon! A few of us are thinking of doing the Disneyland half marathon in August. I suppose it gives me plenty of time to train. I was originally thinking of doing America's Finest City half marathon in August, but a co-worker of mine who did the Disneyland last year said that one was so much fun. Hmm, something to definitely think about. Not to mention the $150 fee. I suppose it costs more to get Mickey & friends to cheer you on. I need to get used to the idea that I'm going to run a half MARATHON. Yikes!

In less than 2 months I have the SD mud run. It shouldn't be too bad considering I'm only doing the 5K. We were hesitant to do 10K because last year they said it was too hot and uncomfortable to run for a long time. I'm excited and looking forward to gettin' dirtee. Hehe. I started lifting weights as part of my training. Something about being stuck in mud... it's embarrassing just thinking about it so I want to be prepared. Hehe.

Ok, will blog more later. I'm hungry. =)

Juggling

Time flies! I hate that that tells me I'm aging. When I was a kid, I couldn't wait for time to pass and now, I'm asking for it to slow down. Please. I've gotten myself in so many different projects, I'm having to make multiple lists everyday. I've even taken to ranking things in order of importance. And when there's something that frustrates me, I go through what I can and cannot control about the situation and just let go. I must say, my stress level is at a 3 on a scale of 1-10, 1 being very low. =) I've been praying a lot too, asking God to help me be more patient, loving and have peace. God is good and has been answering my prayers!

This week is a little crazy - trying to finish projects at work, having to step up as head deaconess and getting things organized, having to finally get into the assistant mode for Adventurer, get back to my workout routine and clean room/organize mess at home. I come home and usually knock out after work and don't wake up til 8PMish. Which makes it hard for me to go back to sleep, especially when my bed time should technically be at 9PM. I slept all weekend so I don't know why I just can't shake this off. Oh well. =)

So, I just wanted to share that our family is so excited because in March, Marlene and the fam are coming to San Diego for a week!! I've miss them so much!! We're planning on going to Disneyland which I'm looking forward to since it's been since 1996 when I've last visited the park. Our house is gonna be so packed! Marlene, John and the 2 kids are coming, plus a good family friend (considered family of course) Sultana, her husband, Matty (4 y/o) and Yaya (1 y/o). Not sure how we'll fit 8 adult and 4 kids in a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1 living room house, but hey, I just came from the Philippines so I know it's possible! Hold on, is it even legal to have that many people in a 3 bedroom house? Haha. It's gonna be inneresting! =D I don't care, I just can't wait to see them all!! I miss the twins' hugs and hearing their giggles. Sigh.

Well, I hope everyone's having a good week. Philippines pictures have been posted on Facebook (most of them) and I've asked Chelle to also upload them on webshots so I can directly link it on my site. We're so slow about it though. Hehe. Oh and does anyone have any plans for Superbowl Sunday? Can you guys recommend a nice restaurant/bar that's not too rowdy? I'm not cheering for either of the team, but I thought it would be fun to watch it with other fanatics.

Have a great rest of the week everyone!!!

Back to my reality

I'm fighting, so desperately against jet-lag. I fell asleep at 7PM last night and woke up at 1:30AM and couldn't sleep anymore after that. Had to start getting ready for work at 4:30AM and was at work at 6. Work wasn't bad... I only had 1 cup of coffee. =) There was a hot minute there when I thought I wouldn't survive the day, but thanks to a lot of emails I had to respond to, it made time go by faster. After work I was out of it, total gonner. I fell asleep in the car drive home and Chelle said I was talking non-sense. I went to bed as soon as I got home and slept for 2 hrs. I hope I'm able to sleep through tonight. Speaking of that, I should take some evening drugs to help. hehe. I'm just happy that I'm only working 4 days this week and next week is only another 4 day work week.

Pictures are being uploaded right now, and since there are tons, it's taking a long time. Keep checking back. =)

My short update

Sorry for lack of updates. I am not very patient w/ the internet cafes here. Connections are slow, and usually very crowded. We've taken hundreds of pictures and I've yet to post them. But, just to let you guys know, we are having a great time here! Currently Chelle and I are in Puerto Princesa, Palawan province. We've been here since Monday and will be leaving today, Friday. We were supposed to leave yesterday, but my cousin and childhood friend weren't able to book tickets back to Manila yesterday and my friend had to be back to work, so we traded seats. Puerto Princesa is beautiful and I can't wait to show pictures! We went to an underground river and have gone island hopping. This city is gorgeous... well taken care of, no trash anywhere. A local told me that they have been trained well because if they littered or even spit on the ground, they get fined 200 pesos, equivalent to $4! I would definitely come back here. It's nothing like Manila and it's been such an adventure. We even rented motor bikes yesterday! That was interesting trying to maneuver through traffic w/ all the motorcabs and jeeps who don't seem to grasp the concept of lanes. hehe.

Anyway, gotta pack for our 12PM check out. What Chelle and I are planning to do once we're back in Cali is to post blogs of our trip every 2 days w/ pictures. Please pray for CHelle and I's trip back to Manila this afternoon, as well as our trip to California back. I miss fish burritos!!! Hahaha.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you and your family!! I'm sad that it's gonna be another year until I hear non-stop Christmas songs on the radio.

Today was another half day at work. Woohoo! We were off by 10AM. =) We did a lot of last minute errands and then napped for hours. hahaha. It was nice to wake up and see the twins in Illinois open their gifts via webcam. I heart Skype. Roman was so excited about his train set and Bizz w/ her doll and doll set w/ crib, stroller and some other things. Chelle and I are officially on our 2.5 week vacation!! It really doesn't feel like Christmas. No gifts under the tree, no big meal to plan for, not out seeing all the hustle and bustle. It's just very chill at home right now. The parents are getting ready to make tamales (vegetarian for me, yea!!) and I have to do lots of packing tonight for our trip... tomorrow!!! It really hasn't sunk it yet. Maybe when we're done packing, or maybe when we get to LAX. I'm praying for no flight delays. I just cannot do without showering for more than 24 hrs. hehe. Since our flight is close to midnight, I'm gonna try hard to sleep as much as possible. I just know that once we get there it's gonna be go go go!!

Hopefully while we're in the Philippines I can update this thing w/ pictures. Hopefully it's not hard to do. Please stop by often to check and see. We arrive there on the 27th (26th here around 6PM PST). We are meeting w/ Christine (Arboleda) on the 1st or 2nd and see the Barizo's on the 3rd at AUP.

Anyway, please pray for safe trip for Chelle and I. We can't wait to share our vacation with all of you, and hopefully we can see you guys early in the new year. =) God bless.