bread, meat, cheese, hold the typhoon please.

now that i'm through with september, i'll start with october's festivities.  from my knowledge there weren't any big reservations or events in october except for my uncle's birthday party, and that wasn't supposed to happen until the 23rd.  i figured i'd have a good chunk of the month to get myself organized, find a house, figure out closet space, do a few dives and just take on everyday tasks.  i was completely sent into shambles when events started rolling in, and as usual, i took on more responsibility than i should have.

for those who may not know, the philippines was hit with typhoon ondoy in late september leaving millions homeless, hungry and lost.  my staff organized themselves, and offered to donate portions of their service charge towards the cause.  a few of our guests also joined the efforts.  and i threw myself into the efforts whole heartedly.   i'll do a post about this soon.

in the 2nd week of october my uncle asked me to help with something called 'world bread day'.  a local bakery was the principle sponsor so JEDCO, our family's mother company (distributor of imported meat, deli items and seafood), co sponsored as well since it was publicity through one of the major grocery stores.  at first it was just going to be the owner of the bakery who was going to do the preparation of all the food.  i had a meeting with her and she openly admit to me that she didn't know how to cook, only how to bake.  uhhhhhh...  yeah, so that's how i got thrown into the whole thing.  

there was no cost to the restaurant since all of the ingredients were donated by the grocery store, JEDCO and the bakery.  i simply threw together a few sandwiches and pasta salad in order to highlight the both the bread and deli items.  the produce, i didn't care about highlighting.    the organizer of the event was a dumbass and sent a text to everyone that she was sick, the day before the event and that she wouldn't be able to do anything anymore.  then, on the day of the event shows up to boast about what a great success the event was.  to this day, i still want to kick her.  oh!  AND after the event was over she and her mom went into the back preparation area with grocery store plastic bags in hand to bring food home.  these ladies tag teamed with one pouring the pasta salad and the other holding the bag, then took a quick shuffle step around one of my guys to take handfuls of jamon serrano, cheese and bread.  wow, you're so classy.  

here are some pictures from the event taken by a photographer hired by the grocery store:

kathy cheng of kate's bakeshop (the one who doesn't cook, she only bakes)

the socialites of cebu.  it's like that sesame street game, one of these things is not like the other

the spread

doggie yoga.

usually i let the dogs sleep in my room with me, but ever since i started waking up with my eyes swollen shut, i had to keep them outside.  they don't really love me, they just love my air conditioner.  this morning i didn't hear scratching on my door so i figured they were already out running around.

when i opened the door, this is what i found:

barack sleeping

now i can't figure out how barack's leg got all the way up to his head or where he tucked his other leg since i've never seen a dog in this position before.  i figured he could have been watching my aunt do her yoga video and opted to join in, got tired and just plopped down to sleep.  if i had a wider lens on my phone you would have seen johnny (bravo), our other dog, standing in front of barack just staring at him.  

dancing in september.

i've been horrible about the blogging.  september and october have been incredibly busy months for me, forcing me to push the blogging aside.  i guess it's the fact that by the end of the day i literally plop on any bed i can find, fully clothed, eyeliner still intact and sleep.  only to wake up 3 hours later and do it all over again.  lately i've had a love hate relationship with this lifestyle, but the make up sessions are amazing, so i'll take it.

since the last time i blogged was early september, i must use this entry to recap on the memorable events of september, with the most important, and only, being my birthday (of course).

i opted out of a big party considering i still have enough alcohol in my system from last year's party.  i kept it low key, but my staff really made it special for me this year, surprising me with a series of small cakes throughout the day and topping it all off with a big cake at the end of the night.  then they drew on our com (communication) board, wishing me a happy birthday.  i never realized how truly blessed this business is to have a staff like this. 

here are a few pictures from my phone:

i felt loved.

p.s.  as a birthday gift to myself, i bought myself a new pair of sally's.  they are beautiful.  

life keeps me from blogging.

wow.  i haven't blogged in almost a month.  sorry to my regulars.  i'll cook you dinner the next time i see you.

a few things have been going down in the last month.  here's a short run down:

1.  my mom made a surprise visit to cebu.  awesome.

2.  my back decided to give out.  i have a degenerative disc on my L3 or L4 (i don't remember which one).  not awesome.

3.  my head chef resigned.  this puts me back in the kitchen.  somewhat awesome.

4.  my grandma got pretty sick.  totally not awesome.  

here's a quick picture to make you all smile and say, "what the?!?!"  i'll just give you a little background information.  b money sent me this picture of her sister and cousin playing with sausage.  apparently there is an entire roll of film with sister, cousin and sausage.  ummmm....

seda. alpha. beta.

this should have come a few weeks ago, but....

CONGRATULATIONS SEDA!!!!!!

allow me to school you all on why the congratulations is necessary.  seda just obtained a juris doctorate degree from U.C. Hastings Class of 2009.  it won't be long before she'll be sitting next to sotomayor.  so proud of my homie, it's ridiculous.  

makin' it rain, just makin' it rain

shaking my fist.

i have a major bone to pick with my orthodontist.  she calls it "shifting the midline", i call it "giving me a ghetto gap".  not too sure about this look...

doing the papaya earns you gifts.

it's a pretty late night for me, not because i'm working, but merely because i can't sleep.  to pass the time i've been trying to organize the files on my computer and while doing this i came across a few videos that i thought i had lost forever.  i'm sharing with you one of my favorites from christmas of 2007. 

you're totally allowed to laugh because i sure as hell do every time i watch it, but allow me to explain.  every christmas the grandchildren are required to put on a show.  this show always consists of two parts:  a reenactment of the nativity scene and a performance.  these requirements have to be fulfilled before we're allowed to open presents.   this was our performance for the 2007 christmas season...

JD and his pineapples performing "the papaya dance"

YOUR last supper.

i keep browsing pages of the one book that i want a copy of, but can't seem to get myself to buy.  i can't figure out why i won't spend for it because every time i go into a bookstore i sit for hours reading it even though i've read it 10 times before that.  

so i ask all of you, from the book "my last supper": 

what would your 'last supper' be?  who would you be sharing it with?  who cooked it?  where are you eating it?  what time of day is it?  what are you drinking with it?

that's more than just one question, but please share.  reading these will make me smile.

a juicy conversation.

a conversation between two friends posted here simply for your entertainment.

1:54 AM juice box: you got any tips on falling asleep?

1:57 AM queen juice: insomniac!

 juice box: well i just got home

  but i'm not buzzed this time

 queen juice: hahaha!

1:58 AM juice box: last night was pretty bad

 queen juice: uh oh. por que??

1:59 AM juice box: no i just had a few beers and was buzzed

  hella buzzed

 queen juice: oh! hahaha. sorry this time difference hecka throws me off.

  but u weren't sick right??

 juice box: oh no

2:00 AM just buzzed

  and wanted to dance

  but knew i needed to sleep

 queen juice: hahaha

2:01 AM juice box: i almost started busting out with janet in my room

  by myself

 queen juice: oh man, i just picture you doin' that thing with your fist hahaha.

  omg i do that all the time!! hahaha especially since i have full closet mirrors.

 juice box: what thing with my fist?

 queen juice: my own personal dance studio. =)

 juice box: hahahahahaha

 queen juice: where it looks like you're banging on a wall.

  u know, that dance move you do.

 

 queen juice: and ur eyes are closed with a smile on ur face, and ur shaking ur head.

 juice box: where i bite my bottom lip a little bit?

 queen juice: come on! u know what i'm talking about!

  oh yeah u do do that!

2:02 AM biting the lip hahahahaha

 juice box: hahahahaha yes i know that move

  i was trying to teach my friend lauren that move

  it's small precise movements with the fist in order to conserve energy

2:03 AM queen juice: what a dork!

 

 queen juice: so is this ur "green" way of dancing.

 juice box:  DUHH!

 

 me: i can be green with dancing

 queen juice: if you do that move while driving a prius, then you'll be ultra green!

  with solar panels on ur back.

2:04 AM juice box: whilst chewing on an organic carrot

  we're geniuses!

 queen juice: whilst!? wtf?

  hear ye hear ye.

2:05 AM juice box: yest whilst

2:10 AM queen juice: do u have something really really boring you can watch??
the conversation ends here because i fell asleep.

cover models, continued

i just wanted to update everyone on what else i found on facebook.  prepare yourselves, because it's a WOW.  ohhhhhh man.....

i still can't stop laughing!

pleasant surprises.

my computer often gets left on one of the tables in the dining room, in the office, on the bar, in the kitchen, in my sister's room, in my cousin's room, pretty much anywhere i can carry it, it gets left.

i'm guilty of leaving it vulnerable to the elements, a.k.a. anyone and everyone in my family.

considering i own a mac, young non-mac owners are always intrigued with the photobooth application.  i do have to agree with them, it is quite amusing at times, but this intrigue has left me with a plethora of pictures and videos on my computer that i just can't get myself to delete. i figured i'd share with you a few of my favorites and some commentary behind them.

i can't remember for the life of me why this picture was taken on my computer.  i don't know why justin felt the need to take a picture of himself with a fu manchu.  he looks like he has eye liner on too.   

my sister's thought it'd be funny to leave me with a series of pictures after i fell asleep first.  i'm asleep behind them and this is hands down the best one.  

miren and ela were testing out one of the effects.  mommy had no idea what she was walking into.  her marge simpson hair cracks me up!

the lax international terminal can be a very boring place while waiting behind 50 filipinos, each with 2 balikbayan boxes taped up, roped up, filled with corned beef and chocolates, ready for check in.  this is how my dad and i chose to pass the time.

very much like his older sister, this guy is a tricky trickster.  i was kissing him to say goodbye and i hear a flash.  this is the picture that popped up on the screen.  he's awesome like that.

cover models.

so a couple of weeks ago two of my little cousins told me they had a photo shoot at school.  they didn't say they were taking 'school pictures', they specifically said 'photo shoot', so i was curious as to what the heck would arise from it.

i was just browsing facebook and came across an album entitled 'Proper School Uniform and Haircut'.  i've been on my computer for the last 15 minutes, and without exaggeration i've been laughing the entire time.  in no way am i laughing at them, although it is tempting, i'm merely laughing at the fact that THIS is the 'photo shoot' my little cousins were oh so excited to be in.  

i guess this is how wild and crazy private school photo shoots get...

everyone, meet JD.  he's in the 2nd grade, if his t-shirt hadn't given it away yet.

i'm still trying to figure out why they take side view shots

little kid fake smile

now everyone, meet miren, she's in the 6th grade.  i have a feeling she was the MOST excited about the shoot.

she's about an entire head taller than this boy.  is that how it was at that age?

distractions.

i haven't blogged in a few weeks.  this was brought to my attention by an avid reader, whom, even with her busy schedule still checks for updates everyday.  it's flattering to know that i've become a part of someone's daily computer ritual.  i guess i should stay consistent with my blogging so i don't lose followers.

the last few weeks have been quite eventful to say the least.  i had a little run in with a jeepney, one of my nearest and dearest friends, miss lauren rodriguez, dropped by cebu to say hi (see picture below), and i discovered that not sleeping for 48 hours makes you say weird things.

since i still haven't fully recovered from the lack of sleep i have to end it here, but i will leave you with this question... is there a 'classy' way to pick food from your teeth?

12 years later and we're still awesome

my buddy.

i now have a partner in crime.  yesssssssssssss!!!  we'll be styling rainbow colors by next week.  

dirt and dresses.

lately i've been getting requests from a certain cousin of mine, whom shall remain nameless, to post more pictures of her and me.  there was no specific request as to what decade these pictures had to be from and she even sent me her multiply page to ensure that i had a plethora to choose from. 

bottom line is that her and i are very close in age, but were completely different beings as children.  i liked to wrestle while she just wanted to dance.  i played basketball while she played the flute.  she put glitter on her while i just rolled in dirt.  see the differences?

my other cousin, who shall (i) ALSO (like corn) remain nameless, was my idol growing up.  i would follow her around or do things for her, like run up and down the stairs 3 times just because she thought it was funny that i was trying to beat the pretend time she was taking.  i think to this day i still do stupid things with her, like eat ice cream that tastes like perfume (we blame bahar and her people for this one).  

but without further a doo-doo, here are the highly anticipated pictures:

i think we were holding hands and i was told to show off my dress.

i think mena's dress is on backwards and cristina just thought she was, as seda would say it, daaaaaaaaaaaa baaaaaaaaaam!!

the story of the sally's.

a little story for all of you:

one day a girl named tessa went to boston.  whilst in boston the cinco de mayo j's (pronounced sally's) were released.  tessa and her friend patty felt festive and bought themselves a pair.  considering there's no tax in boston, the purchase became that much sweeter.  the girls wore them that night, after meticulously lacing them, as only those who appreciate j's (pronounced sally's) would do, and fully took in the glory of the fresh pair of j's (pronounced sally's).  

now after fully appreciating them once, young patty decided to treat her feet to another glorious day of j (pronounced sally) wearing.  but this day did not turn out as glorious as she had hoped.  with tessa being in cebu, and patty in boston, the fateful message came in the form of an email sent from patty's crackberry.  the email read: 

 Soooo....while I was walking to the library just now it started baby drizzling. I'll give you ONE guess as to what shoes I'm wearing today.  :(

this filled tessa's imagination with visions of deep, ankle high puddles to which the j's (pronounced sally's) would completely drown in.  forgetting the resourcefulness of her friend, a response to the email was sent asking what condition the shoes were in.  patty's response came in the form of a picture:

THE END.

p.s.  good luck on finals, to my fellow j (pronounced sally) loving friend!!!!!

mama's day.

this is a special mother's day shout out to the woman who raised me, lourdes vicenta ligot escaño fernan.  she's the only one i know with more names than me.  HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

circa 1983

also, happy mother's day to all the mother's, father's who have double duty as father and mother, and most especially all the soon to be mothers.  the world is much better off with the love and patience of moms.

give me an R!

i opened up ESPN, as i do every morning and this was the picture on the front page.  what a great way to start my day.  bad news though, my mom is a rockets fan.  when did that happen?!?!  BOOOO!

sorry artest, but your hair is reason enough for kobe to elbow you.

kaylee's missing bunnies.

i spent the bulk of the night cleaning out my email because having over 4,000 emails in my inbox, 1,658 of which are unread, really puts a damper on life's progress.  of course in my spring cleaning, i found the email my mom sent me that made me laugh so hard tomato soup came out of my nose.  

here's the 411 on this picture.  for babies, such as myself and her best friend's children, she always makes a cross stitch with cute little toys or dolls or bunnies (there we go again with cute bunnies), and the baby's stats.  if you know my mother, this alone would make you laugh considering she's not the most fru-fru, cutesy, let's sew things for babies kind of woman.  she's more of a whatever your problem is, deal with it, type of woman.  oh i love her. 

this one is for my god child, kaylee who is now 4 months old.  she works on it during her lunch, sitting in her office with her door closed.  she took this picture on her blackberry and emailed it to me with the message "soooooo slow...this is only 1 of 3 that's done".  she's got 2 more bunnies to go.  i'd say my mom is waaaaaay behind.  ma, stitch faster!

kaylee and her first bunny

life is good.

i just spent an amazing weekend frolicking around boston with these four lovely ladies.  don't let the pictures fool you, they are four of the most intelligent, good-humored, generous, opinionated, independent, down ass women you'll ever meet and i'm so thankful to have them in my life. 

disclaimer:  pictures were taken with my cell phone

judge seda

counselor tep

dr. salazar

mama aesh

official pictures taken with an actual camera can be found HERE!

the days of cute.

this post goes out to my cousin miss cristina elena paredes tangonan.  she's in the middle of making a HUGE decision about her future and needs things to make her smile.  such as, pictures of her and i when looking cute meant wearing pastel colored outfits with bunnies on them.  

my first. definitely not my last.

my little cousin has this camera that does interesting things, like forcing people to smile.  when pictures were posted, this is what i found...

 

 

i'd say she's a high tech trickster.