the end of an era

i've been somewhat cutoff from cyberworld seeing as though my laptop is not functioning properly and david took his from me, but i can't say i'm all that upset because of it. it's nice to get away from the internet once in a while, especially if there are more important things to do...

like finishing harry potter and the deathly hallows. i think i cried at least once during every chapter. i really wanted to read this one slowly, perhaps so as to bide my time seeing as though this is the last book, but i simply could not put it down. what a wonderful piece of literature. as i read through the series, each book had more to offer than the last -- more action, more excitement, more lessons on how to be a courageous, how to be a good friend, how to love. and boy, the intricate connections throughout the entire 7 books...she is a genius. and i want to become a writer. or a witch...

the other thing that's keeping me busy lately is my cousin's 18th bday party. it's going to be the bash of summer '07 for real. and the dioneda family is going to do it up, hollywood style. we're having a red carpet walk, paparazzi, and black and gold everywhere. the cousins are even doing a weight loss challenge!!! so far i think david's winning...he already lost 3 pounds in like, 2 days.

summer is definitely winding down...i think the party and the best friend's visiting in august are the last two yahoo's for summer 'o7, then it's back to reality. i can't say i'm not excited about this upcoming school year at a new place, but i suppose i'm just not ready for summer to end. alas, we shall not dwell on that at the moment...there are still great memories to be had.

enjoy!

CAUSA party @ the Radisson, LA

Partying in Walnut Creek

Chrystal's sister's wedding, 777

they had this tight photo booth where guests could take pics for free!!! it was soooo cool. i'm definitely getting myself one of these! =)

multi.racial

http://www.myheritage.com

wow. black, white, & asian! what a great mix! :)

the order of the pheonix

david, my bro, & i watched harry potter and the order of the pheonix yesterday. i absolutely loved it. i actually was so anxious to watch it that i was about to go to the theater at 12:01am and watch it by myself! it made me want to re-read the fifth book again...i think i'm going to read half blood prince before deathly hallows is released.

my favorite part? when dumbledore takes off with fawkes...me and my bro kept doing his pose afterwards. haha! only those that watched would probably get the joke...

anyways, GO SEE IT. NOW!!!!!!!

i will write you a song...

10 random reasons why i love you:

1. you work all night long while i am sleeping away, get off your shift as i get ready for work, and still have the energy to drive to where i am and bring me my morning coffee.

2. you always let me have the last piece of food. even when you are still hungry!

3. at the airport, you stand in line for me while i take a seat in front of the tv screens and wait for our plane to depart. not to mention, you (most of the time) graciously let me sit next to the window.

4. if my room gets too messy, you clean it without asking. you even sweep the hair off the floor, and i know you hate doing that.

5. every decision you make involves me, whether i want to be involved or not. you value my opinion.

6. you support my job and the long hours it takes away from "our time."

7. when you gave your coach's speech in front of all those people, you weren't afraid to mention stuff about me.

8. you are concerned for my health. albeit sometimes a little "too" concerned (like when you tried to force me to take an asprin on my plane ride to phils. so that i wouldn't have a blood clot/heart attack?), but concerned nonetheless. like when you vacuumed your newly cleaned carpet because i was getting asthma attacks.

9. you absolutely love making me laugh. and laugh at you, i do. especially when you do the "pop, lock, & drop it" dance. that's my fave.

10. you love my family.

some guys give their girls flowers every day or maybe buy them expensive things...write them poems or songs or take them out to nice dinners. but for me, i'd give up romance for #10 any time...

i love you.

I don't know how to make lots of money

I got debts that I'm trying to pay

I can't buy you nice things, like big diamond rings

But that don't mean much anyway

I can't give you the house you've been dreaming

If I could I would build it alone

I'd be out there all day, just hammering away

Make us a place of our own

I will write you a song

That's how you'll know that my love is still strong

I will write you a song

And you'll know from this song that I just can't go on without you

I don't know that I'd make a good soldier

I don't believe in being violent and cruel

I don't know how to fight, but I'll draw blood tonight

If somebody tries hurting you

I will write you a song

That's how you'll know that my love is still strong

I will write you a song

And you'll know from this song that I just can't go on without you

Now that it's out on the table

Both of us knew all along

I've got your loving and you've got my song

I don't know how to make lots of money

I don't know all the right things to do

I can't say where we'll go, but the one thing I know

Is how to be a good man to you

Until I die that's what I'll do

I will write you a song

That's how you'll know that my love is still strong

I will write you a song

And you'll know from this song that I just can't go on without you

overwhelmed.

i finished packing up the rest of my stuff in my old classroom today. i was lazy to finish cleaning my classroom out right after school because i was just so anxious to start my vacation. since then, i've spent a week in socal and a week in vegas. i'll also be in socal this weekend for my dad's association's (CAUSA) party. tomorrow i'm going to bring all my stuff to my new classroom...my new school. stopped by there today, and this is what i found:

* tons of teaching resources
* multiple supplies (something i was lacking at my previous school)
* a thick layer of dust along all the bookshelves and files
* file cabinet drawers filled to the brim with lessons and units
* old & faded posters on the walls and bulletin boards
* miscellaneous desk decorations, none of which i particularly like

it's only my second year teaching and so i am still fairly new to the game. i'm not sure what to do because a part of me wants to sweep out everything from the classroom and just start anew. that's what i did last year (although there wasn't too much to sweep out) but it's just soooo much work to do for just one year! what if i don't end up staying at this school? and i'm the kind of person where my environment has to fit me and be comfortable. i don't know how comfortable i'll be with other people's stuff around...stuff that i really don't want to use.

oh well, such is the life of a teacher. i'll figure it out. right now i'm just a bit overwhelmed with the whole thing.

however, i'm also very excited for some other stuff coming up! i'm teaching 8th grade religion next year in addition to other subjects, and i'm sooo looking forward to it. so much you can do with 8th graders and faith. i'm also excited for this and this. summer '07 is proving to be very exhilarating thus far.

all star game was today. pretty exciting that it took place in the bay...i kinda wanted to go and party tonight with all the fans. too bad barry didn't hit any homers...ichiro's was pretty cool, though.

VEGAS was truly amazing. =) my cousin, pj, who turned 21 last friday, my bro, and my other cousins were pretty much drunk the whole time we were there. fyi - flying home after drinking all night and not sleeping is not a good idea. i had to navigate my 18-person group through the las vegas airport, check them all in at the counter, and get them through security. it took us almost an hour. by then, my hangover caught up with me. in the air, i was nauseous and throwing up the whole time. good thing i was sitting next to strangers...

i'll post pic's later...




* by the way, i'm having the same problem that gian is having...it won't let me post any titles! so weird...

it is summer, isn't it?

today i woke up at 10am and didn't get out of my pajamas (or take a shower, for that matter) until 7pm to get ready for church. you may be thinking that i had a lazy day, which i most certainly did not. the whole time i was working on my dad's souvenir program, which is really starting to stress me out. i've been working on it a lot yet i feel like i've made very little progress. on top of it all i have my dad who is even more stressed out than i am, breathing down my neck to see where i'm at with the project. ay nako.

the only thing that's giving me a bit of sanity is that we're leaving for BEGAS (aka, vegas) tomorrow! and we rollin' 18 deep, too. it's gonna be craaazy. but what's a dioneda family vacation without a bit of crazy? i can remember the last time we all were together on vacation together...they came down for my graduation 3 years ago and then we drove to vegas. before then, we took a trip to the east coast...now that, was crazy. try walking the streets of ny with 20 people in your group, half of them under the age of 18. luckily, most of us are over 21 now. i'm really excited...

i started the memory keeper's daughter a few days ago and am just beginning to get immersed into the story. it's about this woman who gives birth to twins; her husband delivers them and discovers that one of the babies has down syndrome, so he gives her away to the nurse who is ordered to drop off the baby at an institution (it's 1965, that's what they did with "abnormal" kids back then). the nurse ends up raising the daughter on her own. crazy. just the way i like it.

on a side note, i feel accomplished in the world of scrapbooking. i finished the scrapbook i was working on; i used ali edwards' everyday beauty kit and since it's a small book i had an easy time with the layouts. i dedicated it to my lola, and it is filled with pics of my cousins. i may decide to scan some of them and put them up. anyway, just waiting on some cj's to come my way...





** david wants us to buy grillz instead of rings. filled with diamonds. and engraved with a date. oh, what has the bay area done to my boyfriend?!?!