blah,blah,blah...

A World War II Japanese soldier...

2009-11-01T15:08:00.001-08:00

Once when I was little, I saw the ghost of a Japanese soldier. It almost dark and we were playing hide and seek at one of our friend's house. His house was very isolated and it had this long dirt driveway leading up to the house. There was tall grass on the sides of the road and that's where my other friend and I were hiding. I got up to peek and that when I saw him, the Japanese soldier. He had some kind of stick in his hand. He lifted it up and then brought it down on something in the grass. No one else saw this but later, one of our friends said that something fell out nowhere and hit him on the head when he was hiding in the grass. It was the very spot I saw the Japanese soldier. No one believed me. They say it was too dark to see anything. I think they were too scared of the possibility of a ghost.

Tales of the third child...

2009-08-16T20:50:00.001-07:00

I'm somewhat of a middle child. I'm the third child out of four. I used to be the baby until I was five, and my mom came home with no belly poking out and a little sister. She was cute, but I lost my position as the baby of the family! Didn't affect me that much, I was still daddy's little girl. Oh my gosh, I could do no wrong in my dad's eyes! Looking back now, I feel bad about my brothers! They were accused and blamed for everything! :-)

Surprise! Happy Birthday!

2009-08-13T18:15:00.001-07:00

A suprise birthday dinner at a local Chinese restaurant. It was so awesome! I was a little down that day. I was in training to spend a whole year in Iraq. I was away from my family. My ex-boyfriend who coincidentally had the same birthday got a cake from his new girlfriend in shape of her boobs. My friends totally came through! I didn't have cake but I had a ice cream sundae complete with bananas in cherry sauce. Rainbow sprinkles!

I tried to read 'Lord of the Rings'....

2009-08-13T18:06:00.001-07:00

Gosh! This book! I never made it past page 6. I tried so many times to read this book! Finally, I just gave up! Maybe one day, I will find my way back to it. Hopefully, I will find the patience,too.

My invention: phone robot to call my mother.

2009-08-13T18:02:00.001-07:00

I would invent a phone robot. It would remind myself to call my mother, then turn around, call my mother at the appointed time, and pretend to be me. We both win! My mother can get it off her chest what a disappoint I am to her and how perfect my oldest brother is... and my self esteem doesn't suffer!! Yay!

I hope they say she could be a real bitch at my funeral...

2009-08-13T17:57:00.001-07:00

she could be a real bitch
Because I can be when provoked. But seriously, I want them to tell stories about how I fit in their lives and their favorite memories with me....

Everybody wants to be remembered, right?

I wish I'd been there for the whole college experience....

2009-08-13T17:51:00.001-07:00

University College London

What experience did you miss out on and wish you'd been a part of?....

It would have to be the whole college experience. Living in dorms, living of my parents hard earned money, having no real responsibilities, meeting new people and making new friends, frat parties.... It's not too late for it, but in a way it is...

I want to be proficient in sign language...

2009-08-13T17:45:00.001-07:00

If you had to lose one of your senses for a year, which one would it be? I pick hearing. I want to learn sign language. When I was little, I learned the alphabet and my friends and I used to sign words across the classroom. When I was in high school, my guardian had his voice box taken out due to cancer. I learned a little about reading lips. But mostly, I want to see if I can easily learn sign language. It's not the same when you can hear the words. I want the whole experience.

Family ritual #1: Christmas Reunion at the Grandparents..

2009-08-13T17:35:00.001-07:00

Christmas Reunion at the Grandparents..
My grandparents had 12 children. So every Christmas, we would have a family style reunion event at their house. It always ends up the same. Enough food to feed a whole army, children everywhere, and that drunk uncle we always have to pick up from somewhere. Fun times. :-)

Frosted Flakes.

2009-08-13T17:32:00.001-07:00

Frosted Flakes Box

Frosted Flakes or Corn Pops. Just dry, no milk. When the dining facility is far and it's a 130 degrees outside... those cereals are great meals! They made my 15 months in Iraq!

Have I told you about the time I won free jewelry?

2009-08-13T17:27:00.001-07:00

I was in a department store and they were holding a raffle. I got my and the instructions was to say a word they gave you when they called your number. They called my number but before I could say anything, this old lady started yelling that she won! It was kind of funny because she was 5 numbers off. They still gave her a prize, and I still got my a gold necklace with a Swarovski crystal pendant. Win win!

Let me tell you a secret....

2009-08-13T17:22:00.001-07:00

Let me tell you a secret....

I think this every single day... Pack up my favorite shirts and my jewelry and leave. To not think about the consequences. To not care about the people that are left behind... because some times I do think they are holding me back from happiness. From adventure.

Journals, books, pillows, and maybe candy...

2009-08-13T17:14:00.001-07:00

My journal kit
This includes numerous journal books, pencils, pens, colored pencils, markers, and crayons. I love writing down random ideas and drawing pretty flowers and butterflies.

A book: To Kill A Mockingbird
My favorite book. I can read it over and over again.

My giant body pillow
I'm one of those people that needs a ridiculous amount of pillows. I figure my giant body pillow will have to do. If not, I might have to steal or bribe people...

I remember matching outfits!

2009-08-11T21:26:00.001-07:00

Red Dress Jump

I remember matching my outfits with next door neighbor girl for kindergarten. Our houses were quite near so instead of using the telephone, we would yell out the windows. "What color underwear are you wearing today?! Wear the purple dress!"

It's hard to apologize when I've hurt someone's feelings

2009-08-11T21:19:00.001-07:00

I can be a real jerk sometimes. Most of the time,they deserved it. But when I know I hurt their feelings and I'm wrong, it's really hard to apologize without looking like a real jerk. That's why now I get all the details before I do or say anything.

Requirement #1 for a good day: Festival or a Carnival on a sunny day!

2009-08-11T21:08:00.001-07:00

Festival or a Carnival
Sunshine. Carnival rides. Colorful customes. Funnel cake. Giant corndogs. Snow cones. Brisket sandwiches. Lots and lots of handmade jewelry booths.

All of my favorite things in one place!

I'll finish 'The Historian' one day...

2009-07-21T11:57:00.001-07:00

I have been struggling to read this book! I have started it, but it seems the only time I read it is when I'm in the waiting room of a hospital or clinic! It's very interesting but it's starting so slow!

'IT' was a scary movie

2009-07-15T21:05:00.001-07:00

I am terrified of clowns. That movie did not help at all!

Redbull gives you... wiiiiingsssss....

2009-07-14T13:21:00.001-07:00

Lego® Creator 4939 - Gull Wing Car

Wings...

I'm the biggest procrastinator.

2009-07-08T19:01:00.001-07:00

School children singing, Pie Town, New Mexico (LOC)

What are you avoiding doing? Why haven't you done it yet?

School. Looking for a real job. Laziness. Scared that my brain stopped working. Don't want to start all over. Suffering anxiety attacks at starting something new. Brainwashed. Don't know how to even start. Depressed. Need new friends. Need to lose weight. Addicted to the internet. Love free time. Need a to find the right place to start. Need to gather energy to start. Need motivation.So many reasons why not...

If I had to, I'd spend a week in a treehouse... or a tent

2009-07-08T18:56:00.001-07:00

If I had to, I'd spend a week in a treehouse... or a tent.... but never in a underground bunker. Very claustrophobic. In the treehouse or the tent, at least there's a possibility of two or more open spaces, more escape routes, more exits, and definitely no chance of being buried alive.

Randomness. Just total randomness.

2009-07-06T19:22:00.001-07:00

Randomness. Just total random ramblings, opinions,ideas, suggestions and observations. And sarcasm, but it has to be funny sarcasm.That's what makes someone funny to me.

One of my friends when I first met him, I thought he was such a serious person. Then one day he made a totally random funny observation about this woman who had robot hair in the dining facility. It was so dead on! I swear every time I saw that woman, I could still hear him!

Sometimes people are just funny without even trying. One of our friends was so klutzy that whenever he came in with an "oh no!" look on his face, we knew he had dropped or ran over something. It was a long running joke to blame him for whatever was destroyed. Don't feel bad for him! 97% of the time, it was his fault!

Some people just have it, some work hard to be.

I don't get fractions...

2009-07-03T08:07:00.001-07:00

Tessellation Postage Stamp Mathematics Deutsches Museum

Mathematics! I can do simple math like addition and multiplication but I draw the line at fractions. Fractions and beyond, I start losing all my math knowledge. It starts making my head hurt and when someone tries to explain... it's all mumbo jumbo. I've tried and tried to understand it! I even got a tutor! That didn't help at all. I barely passed my math classes in high school! Algebra classes made high school hell!!

I would not do high school again.

2009-07-01T18:38:00.001-07:00

I would not pick a specific group to hang out with in high school. The thing is, my high school was very very small. The whole student body came to 200. Basically,you knew everybody in the whole school. I was a "floater". Never really in any of the groups.

* Jocks: everbody was involved in some kind of sport. Even me, who not very athletic, was in paddling (home is an island surrounded by water).

* Math nerds: a group I never ever fit in. I was a great student but my math skills pulled down my grades. Luckily, the guy I sat next to for 4 years was a math whiz. He was horrible at english which was my best subject. Trade!

* Band geeks: everybody was in band! I played clarinet, not good though but enough to be in the mandatory christmas shows.

* We had no drama but we had Japanese language. I can say: Hi! My name is... Yup! 2 years of Japanese! I wish I had actually paid attention...

* Popular crowd: I had friends in that group. I hung out with them but when they start doing drugs, getting crazy drunk or something stupid like that, I just go back to my nerdy peeps. :-)

* Stoners: yup, had those, too. They went to the public high school. They introduced me to the joys of mary jane but I wasn't very impressed... Okay, maybe one time when we were out kayaking and we had some really really good weed!

I would not do high school again.

Not a hero...

2009-07-01T00:43:00.001-07:00

I have never been a hero but I have been very outspoken numerous times for people that were not treated right. Let's just say I have made a enemies that way. I believe in equal rights, and I am outraged when people are screwed over and are too scared to speak for themselves. I do it for them but not always in the most tactful or respectful to the people that did the screwing.

Scarlett is definitely worth the read...

2009-06-28T14:02:00.001-07:00

Because it's a sequel to Gone With the Wind! If you were like me and skipped two days of shool to read Gone With the Wind, you didn't want it to end just like that. You'll want closure! I spent weeks looking for this book! I also skipped school to read it! It's closure to an awesome book.

I'm saving up for a Palau....

2009-06-27T13:44:00.001-07:00

Shade

An awesome camera and ticket home....

My life would make a great comedrama movie

2009-06-25T11:52:00.001-07:00

I totally made that up! Here's what I want my life movie to be: a mix of comedy with action-adventure! But truthfully, it's all drama.

One of my quirks: Road Rage

2009-06-23T13:43:00.001-07:00

Road Rage
If I'm driving, I have a slight case of road rage. Only against really really really bad drivers!

If I'm not driving,I'm probably knocked out 3/4ths of the driving part of the trip! As much as I am excited about road trips, it always happens!

Buying eyeglasses online!!

2009-06-18T22:03:00.000-07:00

This crazy website I found! You can buy eyeglasses for less than $20.00! All kinds of face flattering shapes! They have a very user friendly website! I ordered some eyeglasses for my husband, and the total cost was $30 some dollars! And that was with shipping cost! The website is www.optical4less.com!Ben with his awesome glasses...

Dreams. dreams, and bad dreams...

2009-06-18T13:40:00.001-07:00

Being murdered. Someone cut my throat and left me to die. I bled to death.

It was a little awkward. It could mean...

Murder

Violent end.Loss of control over a situation.Sorrow and failure.

Death

End of a cycle. Something is finally over.

It was about a month ago. But I don't have anything that ended.

Maybe it was the end of my dreams. Lately I can't remember my dreams when I wake up.

Life lessons....

2009-06-17T17:43:00.001-07:00

Treat others the way you want to be treated.
Very self explanatory.

Always keep an open mind.
Don't judge.

Honesty is the best policy.
A lesson I learned from my dad. He's in politics but he's so ruthlessly honest that the other members hate him. They even went out of their way to slander him. The funny thing is my dad won by a landslide!

Buy cookies and watch the sunset....

2009-06-15T15:48:00.001-07:00

Sunset balloon flight

Sugar, spice, and everything nice! I will sell cookies and awesome pictures of sunsets!

A Flight to the Fiji Islands

2009-06-11T11:02:00.001-07:00

tropical island. warm weather all year round. next to australia and new zealand. blue waters everywhere.c'mon it's a great place to spend your money and days just lazing around!

'Jane Eyre' all the way!

2009-06-10T11:43:00.001-07:00

In high school, my guardians were English Lit. teachers. They had an awesome collection of the classics. I read most of the them. I feel like now is the time to go back to reading those kind of books. Besides this is an awesome book.

Free Concerts In Iraq...

2009-06-09T12:33:00.001-07:00

Avant
Free concert in Camp Liberty,Baghdad. 2008.He sounds way better live!

Baby Bash
Free concert in Camp Victory, Baghdad.2008. His dancers were very energetic!

The Purrfect Angels
Iraq.2007.Some kind of dance group.

Hello, my name is... I hate it and I want to change it...

2009-06-08T16:45:00.001-07:00

This was when I was little. My parents wanted a unique spelling for my name but I think they went a little crazy. It always ended with people mispronouncing it. It drove me crazy. I wanted to change my name to Gardenia. Looking back it's not any better than my given name.

Talents include...darts, photography, and spelling.

2009-05-31T09:18:00.001-07:00

Darts and cobwebs

Not a talent, and not hidden. I am pretty awesome at darts. Call out a number or spot, and I can hit it! I am pretty good at taking awesome pictures! And I'm great at spelling! I used to earn my money in high school by joining the spelling bees. C'mon, a $100 in an hour is easy money!

Eclectic Wedding Mix!

2009-05-30T22:03:00.001-07:00

Bob Marley by Turn your lights down low

This is so awesome!!

Jack Johnson by Banana Pancakes

Listen to the lyrics!!

Come Away With Me by Norah Jones

Such a great song!/p>

People are jerks!!

2009-05-30T21:48:00.001-07:00

I like to think that there is a little bit of goodness in everyone... until today! I went out only to find out that someone hit my parked car and didn't even leave a note! I was so mad that I was shaking! I woke up my poor husband(he works nights and he was knocked out). I called the police. I asked my neighbors. Of course, no one saw anything! Finally, the cop arrived and I filled out a report. Then he started to look around... That's when the woman who hit me came out and told him she hit me. Are you freaking kidding me?!!! A note with your insurance info on my windshield would have been the right thing to do!! I wanted to sue her and have her charged with hit and run, and fleeing the scene of the crime. Test my knowledge! I watch a lot of crime dramas! My husband told me that if they give her a citation her insurance would go up. I'm sorry but someone like that deserves something bad to happen to her!

Wardrobe by ROSS, OLD NAVY, Forever21...

2009-05-30T06:15:00.001-07:00

I love their awesome prices on dresses, shorts, tops, and flip flops!!

I love cotton t-shirts from Old Navy.

I love jewelry from Forever21 and CharlotteRusse.

I used to love jeans from Aeropostale... they had short for me...

Ignorance should be a crime...

2009-05-26T10:16:00.001-07:00

ignorance

Ignorance. At least make an attempt to gather information before passing any judgment, opinions, or suggestions.

'Monster's Inc.' deserves to be watched over and over

2009-05-26T10:11:00.001-07:00

It's freaking awesome!

A great sense of humor is a must in a friend!

2009-05-24T01:02:00.001-07:00

A great sense of humor
I rather have someone laugh with me than just stare at me crazily when I say something or see something funny! It has happened! The stare crazy part.

Get lost in 'To Kill A Mockingbird' at the beach

2009-05-21T11:21:00.001-07:00

It's a classic! It's a beautiful book!

Martha will love my A simple fried rice or homemade potato salad..

2009-05-19T10:19:00.001-07:00

A simple fried rice or homemade potato salad..
Uuuhh... those two are the only things that I can make.

To the graduating class of 2009...

2009-05-17T22:34:00.001-07:00

My sister is graduating this year. My advice to her...Treat others the way you wanna be treated. It's gonna be lost on her because she's so gangster but one can hope. And one more thing, make true friends. And don't join the military right after high school!

'Tis better never to have loved at all

2009-05-16T16:08:00.001-07:00

You can't miss what you never had in the first place!

I heart books..

2009-05-15T19:44:00.001-07:00

book shelf project 1 ~ striatic {notes}

Reading, reading, and reading books! But always fiction!

Meers Restaurant has the best peach cobbler and homemade ice cream!!!

2009-05-14T13:25:00.001-07:00

OMG! You have to be there to appreciate it! It is so GOOD!It's ridiculous!! It's a cliche but... it's like heaven on earth!!!

They have pretty awesome burgers too!!

I can't travel without My pink blanket from Old Navy..

2009-05-12T23:51:00.001-07:00

My pink blanket from Old Navy..
It has a big green moose/deer in the middle of it. It's the right size for me. It's so nice and warm. A couple years ago, I was in an airport in Houston waiting for a flight to Iraq when I had my pink blanket. I was huddled on the plastic chairs with it when this lady wanted to tell me that pink wasn't such a soldier's color! That it wasn't in regulation! Are you serious, lady?!! I been stuck here for 9 hours and you wanna talk about regulations?!!!!

15 months in Iraq wasn't as bad...

2009-05-11T22:11:00.001-07:00

A 15th month tour in Iraq wasn't as bad. It started out bad. I just came back from a year tour there. After 6 months, I was told I was going back with people I didn't even know! And for longer! I was so angry and depressed. I made up my mind to be nice and friendly though. It isn't much of a choice when everybody has a weapon and live ammo. It turned out good though. I made some awesome friends, got better at my job, learned to drive heavy machinery, and did some great shopping over there! :-)

A horribly sprained ankle....

2009-05-10T20:18:00.001-07:00

A horribly sprained ankle! It's so awful! Even putting it in a bucketful of ice water made me cry even more! It was so painful that I had no control over my tears! I was bawling my eyes out getting on the bus, limping in to the clinic, and that hour long walk to my tent! It wasn't even a mile away!

Paper!!

2009-05-10T04:26:00.001-07:00

Journal

I love writing on paper. For me... It's really about the kind of pen. I heart heart pens and random office supplies.

But I do love writing on paper... I have journals everywhere!

I'd fit in well in 'Seinfeld...Not exactly a movie character..... '

2009-05-08T22:24:00.001-07:00

The characters of Seinfeld makes you wish you had friends like that. It will never be boring ever...

Or mebbe the characters from Scrubs... so funny!

My shoes says I'm an island girl...

2009-05-05T22:09:00.001-07:00

I am a flip flops kinda girl! It says that I'm an island chick through and through!

Dogs are freaking awesome!

2009-05-04T14:55:00.001-07:00

Dogs are freaking awesome! They are always happy to see you!

For as long as I can remember, we always had dogs. At any given time, we had a minimum of two dogs. One time we had four! It was crazy! I always wish they stay puppies forever! I had one named Rambo when I was 4; and another named Sparky when I was 11. I miss them.

Totally drama free at 10!

2009-05-03T01:45:00.001-07:00

Honestly, I was so nice that I had no arch enemies. I was such a good girl nice!

But 11 is a whole other story.... this chick told everybody that I liked her cousin. It was such a horrible thing at 11. I got someone to chase her down the street with our pet snake from agriculture class!

Payback's a bitch!

Some wannabe Disneyland amusement park in Japan wasn't as fun as you'd think

2009-05-02T00:11:00.001-07:00

just what it was! i do not like roller coasters! the best part of the day was the spinning tea cups!

Ricky will dance you to the ground...

2009-05-01T01:10:00.001-07:00

Ricky Martin!
What?! He can sing and dance! What?!

Stupid people make me angry!

2009-04-29T14:27:00.001-07:00

Ok let's just be honest here first. I have a smart mouth. I am really good at comebacks ansd insults. I spent a 15 month deployment in Iraq and my crew was all guys. I had a lot of time to come up with sarcastic stuff.

Well, one night one of the girls came to work and found us resting. Mind you, we have bee working non stop since we came in 8 hours ago. She cme straight in the office where I was to complain to the supervisor about how we did nothing. Of course, the supervisor didn't listen to her. He knew my crew made him look good every night. I was so disgusted by her I went out and told everybody what she has done! Everybody was so tired an so angry. But like I said I had a big sarcastic mouth. We ended up in a screaming match. I wasn't angry that she called me a "fat bitch"; I was more upset over the "lazy bitch" cooment. I told her that when she can fit in my size small uniforms thwn come talk to me about being fat. As for "lazy", I told her when she gets as much experience as me, then talk to me! Please I had two tours under my belt and I could work every where in that place! As for the bitch part, I can be. Ooooh, I was so mad. But my friends told me not to get down on her level. When everyone heard that story, they were so mean to her. I kind of felt bad for her.

Did I mention that I was really nice and everybody like me?! That taught her to be crazy to me next time!

It started right after high school...

2009-04-27T19:20:00.001-07:00

4 1/2 years in the Army which included 2 tours to Iraq! And now I'm here..

Military uniforms are taking over my extra bedroom!

2009-04-27T19:09:00.001-07:00

Colorado Army National Guard

A lot of military stuff! Uniforms everywhere... from BDUs, DCUs, and even ACUs! Should really get rid of them but too lazy!

Luigi's!!!

2009-04-25T23:20:00.001-07:00

Their bread! Pizza! Awesome prices for really great food!

Lions are freaking awesome!

2009-04-23T02:26:00.001-07:00

I dunno. Just seems to be the answer.

I'll settle for a flying car or a Hovercraft...

2009-04-21T13:58:00.001-07:00

A flying car or mebbe a the hovercraft.

C'mon, a flying car... no more road rage bhind some slow driver!

A hovercraft... you can go on multiple surfaces!!

The rock islands are awesome anytime of the year!!

2009-04-19T22:22:00.001-07:00

so many rocks islands so many different names... so they all will be "The Rock Islands".

It's like those beach scenes from the Travel Channel... but so much better!

The water is so clear and so blue! The trees are so green! The sky is endless! The beach sands so white! It's like the whole place is saturated in colors!

If it all sounds too good, google it! :-)

When the rescue ship comes, I'll tell 'em: Take me home

2009-04-17T11:29:00.001-07:00

If there is no tv to watch mindless crime dramas, then I am not staying! If there is no freezer full of ice cream, then I am not staying! The whole one companion thing is gonna drive me crazy!! You need different people for different kinds of conversation! But I might be convinced to stay awhile if they had millions of books.... i heart books :-)

3 words: CRIME DRAMA TELEVISION!!

2009-04-17T00:52:00.001-07:00

So many things to do but I'll probably just end up watching crime dramas! I know it's so awful but I tell myself that I'll need that "knowledge" one day.

The next scene features

2009-04-15T09:42:00.001-07:00

I put the bloody knife on the counter and turn to walk away...

First rule of relationships: Don't make someone a priority when they only consider you an option.

2009-04-12T18:27:00.001-07:00

Don't make someone a priority when they only consider you an option.
Self explanatory.

Honey, sugar, ice tea...

2009-04-12T00:28:00.001-07:00

I am so horrible at sweet-talking! It always ends up as blackmail or a bribe. :-)

A Random Act of Kindness Made Me Wear Shoes

2008-07-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

at 118 degrees at noon time, no one has an appetite. the other day this was the case so i decided that for lunch i was going to sit in my trailer and cool off. i had just walked in and took off my boots when someone knocked. i open the door and it's one of my neighbors. looking at him, you knew he was foreign and of middle eastern descent. he spoke good english with a heavy accent. we had been neighbors for about year and we have never been anything but polite. i knew he drove an older model bmw and i assumed he was a intrepeter. in his hand he had a broom and a dust pan. he proceeded to tell me that he had seen a snake go under my trailer, he wanted to me to stay in my trailer and not be bothered if i hear him under the trailer. a couple thumps later, he knocks again and shows me this baby ( he was big for a baby snake) snake that he had killed with his broom and dust pan.he didn'tknow if it was poisonous but he didn't want us to walk out there late at night going to the bathroom and get bitten. we do that a lot. just walk out there in flimsy flip flops. i thought that a really kind thing to do. he could have just let it go under my trailer, not even tell me, and just mind his business. he went out of his way to gather his broom and chase it down. before he left, he told me to tell all my battle buddies to wear shoes and leave the outside light on at night. it doesn't get any kinder than that. so now whenever i go outside, i wear shoes. for those who know me, you know i'm an island girl who has been wearing flip flops since like forever! that random act of kindness has made me wear shoes....and not only that, it made me paranoid. just last night what i thought was the baby snake's momma out to get me was just a corner of a sandbag sticking out of the ground! talk about crazy paranoid! i grew up on a island, and i never really put too much thought into snakes when i was trailing behind my father in the forest or when i was going through tall grass. sometimes i was just barefoot! i come to iraq and i start freaking about snakes...ain't that some...

One can pay back the loan of gold, but one dies forever in debt to those who are kind. ~Malayan Proverb.

dedicated to my neighbor who's random act of kindness made me wear shoes....

"Big and Perky"

2008-04-25T02:20:00.000-07:00

We all know which organization I belong to. Wait, make that enslaved to for the next couple months. Eight months to be exact. Well, let me tell you one of the reasons why I'm definitely getting out. This morning at about one a.m., I was told that I had a weigh in at five thirty! For all you out there, it means that if you don't weigh what "they" say you're supposed to weigh, you get taped. Basically, you're going to get measured. This is all done to a set of regulations and stuff. I'm short and according to rules and regulations, I'm supposed to weigh a certain amount. I'm not even going to tell you cause it's ridiculous. I haven't even weighed that since I was in the third grade or something. Well anyways no big news I got weighed and taped. Who cares if I passed? There are way bigger people than me in this organization! Let someone try to tell me I'm fat!

After all this craziness, I decided that since I was up already I'll go to the PX (fancy-schmancy name for military store). My roomate decides she wants to go to. We're in front the frozen food section. And yes people, frozen food has made it to Iraq! My roomate who lives on lunch meat, was grabbing frozen bread or something when I spied something. Tortillas! I was animatedly telling her this when she stopped to ask me what she was going to do with them?! I went into this crazy rant about how she was a fake Mexican. Some guy was passing by and he couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing. Same thing happened in the canned food aisle. Same guy just happened to be there while I was ranting to my roomate. She put back a can of soup because it had BEANS in it! I 'm not racist at all, but I noticed a pattern in all my Hispanic friends. They barely speak a smidgen of the Spanish language, and they're not very gung-ho about the food. It's cool though. Because I get all the Mexican candy!

We were waiting at the bus stop when we noticed this girl. She looked like the rest of us. Black shorts, grey short sleeved shirt, and tennis shoes. Except she had these really long and big eyelashes, and tons and tons of eye makeup. It's so hot out here that there's no point of makeup. It'll just melt off your face. She gets up to leave. As she's passing by, I couldn't resist a closer inspection on her lashes. We had a male co-worker across from us who looked, too. We were talking about whether her lashes were fake or not when both my roomate and the guy started looking confused. They asked me what the hell was I talking about. Her lashes. They just looked at me and burst out laughing. They were talking about the authenticity of her breasts! The whole time I'm going on about her lashes! Who noticed she had breasts?! Apparently, the guy did and my roomate was calling him out. According to the guy, they were a little too "big and perky" to be real.I should mention that this girl was skinny, too. After I looked, I decided that they did look awkward on her frame. So "Big and Perky" gets on the same bus, she's talking to one of her girl friends about how she came about. Get this! This girl remembered to bring her I.D. card and her tube of MASCARA, but forgot her wallet! Are you serious?!!! Nothing suprises me anymore!

"Lemme just grab my mascara just in case, my face melts off in that heat. Yeah, I probably won't need my wallet."

strawberry scented shampoo

2008-04-22T19:23:00.000-07:00

she thought to herself i could just walk from him. i could just walk away. but what is holding me back she asks herself. she's in the shower washing her hair with strawberry scented shampoo at 5 am in the morning. she should have been asleep a long time ago. she lost track on her train of thought in sweet fresh strawberry scent. she goes back to it as she washes it out. if i walk away, where would i go? i have nowhere to go. no one to lean on. all i have is superficial connections that are fragile already. it's better to stay. that was her last thought as she steps out of the shower.

Can I have a dollar?

2008-04-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

tell me why everytime i go to cinnabon there's always something going on? always! last time i went, i had my mind set on a small caramel chillatta. the cashier goes, "sorry ma'am, no caramel." why?! why?! why?! i told him i wasn't coming back. he just looked at me knowingly. ok, fine, i was gonna come back the very next day. so!

back to what happened today... we do this every once in a while when things are slow, we do a "cinnabon run". i give my order and cashier gives me the total : $15.70. then i realized i didn't have enough money! so i turn around to ask the other person i came with for a dollar. mind you, it was a busy night for cinnabon and it was crammed full of people! he comes up to me and tells me that he doesn't have cash. in all the confusion, a kbr guy gave a dollar. i said thank you in my most beauty pageant voice. i even threw a "you're so nice!" in there, too! i even gave him back his change in pogs complete with a breathless "thank you". he got his order first, turns around and thanks us for "everything that we do and for supporting our country". or something along those lines.

i wonder, am i gonna be one of those people when i get out?

later we were talking about how that stranger was so nice to give me a dollar. when this question came up... was he just being nice or was he being nice because i was a girl? the guy i went with to cinnabon said it was because i was a girl. he says he's never ever been extended such courtesy. i don't care. he was being nice. i absolutely believe in random acts of kindness. besides that, i don't genderize kindness.

the Purrrfect Angels

2008-04-16T16:27:00.000-07:00

i started my day off with 13 hours of sleep. my roomate said she came in and out of the room several times i did not even stir. it was some good sleep, too. very much needed!

i woke up at 6 pm cause i really really had to use the bathroom. i took a nice shower and put on my summer PTs. for all of you out there enjoying your civilian clothes, believe me count it as a blessing. i wear my uniforms all the time, so a chance to wear PTs is just heavenly. it was awesome weather too! balmy with just the right amount of breeze.

every wednesday is steak and shrimp night at the dfac! it's the only day of the week where the dfac is so crowded that even the most non claustrophic person feels a bit claustrophic. i convinced my roomate to go with me. it wasn't hard. all i had to do was tell her it was steak and shrimp night.

after i ate my steak, catfish, and most of my roomate's shrimp, we decided to go to the px to buy some cherry m n' ms. limited edition and my new obsession. we got there and we found out that there was a show going on at 2000. we decided to stay a bit and see it.

it was the Purrrfect Angels. and no, i have never heard of them. apparently they are a group of girl dancers that have shows all over the country. we were standing there when my roomate decides to make an observation. we were among the very few population of chicks in the whole crowd. there was us and then there was a group of five girls.

let's talk about the crowd which was 98.2 percent males. you think they would be very excited and loud about a bunch of scantily dressed dancers?! no! they were the most unresponsive crowd ever! god military crowds are the most unresponsive!! i wanted to jump around, yell, and play air guitar! something to liven up the crowd. i couldn't do it. it would have been awkward. i was standing by myself (roomate's in the phone center). it would have looked crazy.

well whatever, i got to do it. not the jumping around or the air guitar part. the yelling and clapping really loud. i saw my friend pulido and then his twin brother came over. so i decided it was safe to be loud cause i convinced them to do it too.

here's to the Purrfect Angels and their crazy dances routines that made me kinda slow. but totally envious of their civilian clothes. and totally awed at how fast they changed wardrobes. and oh yeah, definitely cool points for the song: "save a horse, ride a cowboy!"

a myspace message from my husband about our turtle...

2007-10-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

Date: Oct 16, 2007 11:20 PM

Subject: wellll..

Body: Ted put his big boy pants on today. during his hated tank cleaning today he took it upon himself to believe that he didn't need to stay in his tupperware bowl. i saw him just in time and shook it to get his front legs off so he wouldn't go tumbling out. he's already outgrown his cup and now he's too big for his bowl. i need to get him a deep dish bowl for tank cleanies. and Freckle still hates me for a full 24 hours after his tank cleanies. he doesn't even want food for a full day. when he sees me he glares at me and refuses to eat food. until he forgets the day after. he's the most tank clean hating grudge keeping fish in the world. well it's late as the world and i'm going to sleep. i love you mine. gnite :)

he makes me laugh with his little messages about our pet turtle...
i miss him so much :(

Yesterday....

2007-10-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

This is from yesterday... October 10, 2007

Attack at US base in Iraq kills 2
AP - 1 hour, 15 minutes ago
BAGHDAD - A series of rockets or mortar rounds struck Camp Victory, killing two members of the U.S.-led coalition and wounding 40 other people on the sprawling headquarters for U.S. forces in Iraq, the military said Thursday.

There is nothing but something like this to happen that jars you back to reality. It just grabs a hold and yanks you violently back to reality. I was just starting to think that this was just going to be like my last deployment. Laid back. A mortar attack every now and then. One died from an IED in my entire battalion. I was really just starting to think that this wasn't going to be too bad. Shows that you should never be too complacent.

Back to REALITY now..

the manuscript says....

2007-10-07T10:28:00.000-07:00
"...whenever people cross our paths, there is always a message for us. Chance encounters do not exist. But how we respond to these encounters determines whether we're able to receive the message. If we have a conversation with someone who crosses our path and we do not see a message pertaining to our questions, it doesn't mean there was no message. It only means we missed it for some reeason."

from The Celestine Prophecy
by James Redffield

blue ice cream

2007-10-06T12:34:00.000-07:00
recently we had to attend a stress management class. the army's big on those kind of things. classes for everything out there. in the stress managemnt class, thye are about one of the stressors... our chief/main boss has a reputation of being a difficult lady to work with. everybody's feelings about her came out in that class. even some violent ones. the lady who was teaching the class told us to concentrate on something besides our violent feelings toward her when she's speaking to us. the lady teacher was trying trying to cage just how far our feeling s for chief... she told us to imagine what we would hink if chief came up to us and said "blue ice cream". let me tell you how awful all our thoughts were: "fuck, where am i gonna get blue ice cream?", and "i gotta get her blue icee cream fast!". we didn't even stop to think if it existed. that's how crazy she is. the chief.
this happened a couple weeks ago but i just remembered how crazy it was.

Iraq... 3 Months Later...

2007-09-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

so we been here for like three months now.... still living in tents and still no days off. lemme talk about what happened last nite at work. actually it starts way before last nite. it start the nite before last nite when i fell out a storage connex and twisted my ankle really bad. i should have taken it as a sign of what kinda day it was gonna turn out... it turned out i couldn't walk and i cried when i was trying to get on th bus to go to the aid station. all they did was immerse my foot in ice water (very painful and traumatic experience), and to add insult they gave 325mg tylenol!!! i was in pain and that's all i got. oh yeah and an ankle brace. so last nite when i hobbled to work it was hurting bad :( . so like i said i should have taken it as a sign when i fell... so last nite at 2 am when the electricity went off in the warehouse and the entire post, i shouldn't have been suprised. i was scared out of my mind. did i mention that i'm really scared of the dark? when the lights started to off one by one i thought it was my co-worker trying to be funny.

when i found out it wasn't him, that's when i started to really freak out. we had no way of communicating anyone and no where to go. we haven't been briefed on what to do in that situation. after a while we decided he needed to tell someone since i was in no position to go. he left finally after bringing me my weapon (M16a4) and a big spotlight. i slowly hobbled my way to the middle of the yard armed with a flashlight, a spotlight, a radio tuned to the ecp channel...

i was so scared out of my mind! after a while, the lights came back on. my co-worker came back and told me that the commander had delayed him by asking him why he joined the army and something else about leadership literature!!! i was pissed! there i was in the dark terrified out of my mind and that loser wants to get deep! after while,it was okay but mind you, i still had the flashlight next to me the whole time until sunrise.....

The Walmart Incident

2007-06-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

So today the funniest thing happened to me... Today is Ben's birthday, and all he wanted was a mini sd card for his phone. He said the only place we can get it is Walmart electronics section. So late afternoon, we go off to Walmart. So when he off to find his mini sd card, I decided we needed some cookware. So there I was in the cookware aisle, when this ssg started talking to me about enlisting in the army. Oh he was slick with it. He first started asking if I was still in school. I immediately corrected him. Army. Three years going on. He started asking me if I knew anyone who would want to join the Army. I told him that I would not even wish it on my enemies. Then I walked away. Later when I told Ben about the recruiter in Walmart, we had a good laugh about it. You see... we really would not wish it on our enemies. It was just funny the way recruiters try to tell me about the army life. Believe me; I know. Too well.

A Little Johnny Classic Joke

2007-06-10T18:21:00.000-07:00
Little Johnny asked the librarian how to use the card catalog. After pouring over the little drawers full of cards he approached the librarian again, wanting to know how to spell "tequila.""T-e-q-u-i-l-a," spelled the librarian, and Little Johnny went back to his search.A short time later he came to the desk, looking quite upset. "I just can't find it." he said."What book are you looking for?" the librarian asked."Tequila Mockingbird."

The Escape of My Fishy.....

2007-05-11T19:00:00.000-07:00
Today I got married to my boyfriend Ben of a year and half. Well actually, it'll be exactly a year and half in three more days. We rushed to the courthouse right after work. It was like three thirty p.m.; Ben had called earlier and had been told that the judge leaves at four thirty. When we got there,the lady told us that there was a sixty dollar fee for the license. Cash. No checks. Between the both of us, we had $43.oo. We ran across the street to an ATM machine. Got the cash. Got our license. Went to the fourth floor for the judge to officiate it. He was a nice judge. Ten minutes later, I was Mrs. Daniels.
So today was good so far. Then when we were in my room, I noticed my fish' tank was dirty. I decided I was going to change it. Before I go on any farther, I have or had a dark purple with a tinge of blue beta fish named Mr. Grumpy Gills by Ben. I picked up his tank, brought it to the bathroom sink and proceeded to pour out the dirty water. You know what happened next... before I could put him in the backup container, he fell into the bowl and wriggled halfway into the drain! I tried to grab him but ended up scraping his side. I looked and saw the purple skin under my fingernails and cried out for Ben. He tried but couldn't get it. Then we called my roommate Ana. She, in her attempt, actually pulled out the drain thingy and next thing I know....Fishy's gone! I felt so bad. Mr. Grumpy Gills ( I call him Fishy) thought he was escaping to a better place. That's what my roommate said. " All drains lead to the ocean." Is that what Fishy thought? Was I a bad human? My roommate and my newly wed husband thought it was funny to throw in phrases from " Finding Nemo". It wasn't funny to me. I really wanted to it to work out. New husband, new apartment, and new pet. The really sad thing is I never took a picture of him. My Fishy, I miss you.

Life Lessons...

2007-05-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

1. No man or woman is worth your tears, and the one who is, won't make you cry.

2. Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

3. A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.

4. The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them knowing you can't have them.

5. Never frown, even when you are sad, because you never know who is falling in love with your smile.

6. To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.

7. Don't waste your time on a man/woman, who isn't time on you.

8. Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one, so that when we finally meet the person, we will know how to be grateful.

9. Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened.

10. There's always going to be people that hurt you so what you have to do is keep on trusting and just be more careful about who you trust next time around.

11. Make yourself a better person and know who you are before you try and know someone else and expect them to know you.

12 Don't try so hard, the best things come when you least expect them to.

REMEMBER: WHATEVER HAPPENS, HAPPENS FOR A REASON.

I dream of the perfect day...

2007-05-03T20:24:00.000-07:00

This picture is what I imagine a perfect day would feel and look like. Absolutely perfect. :)

Jaded

2007-05-02T20:16:00.000-07:00
Most days is not a good day for me. I used to be an optimistic person. Always looking for the bright side. The rainbow after the rain. I guess the places especially the most recent, and some people you meet along the way break you down. I know what you might be thinking. That if you are strong enough then you'll overcome anything that tries to bring you down. I used to be a firm believer in that. Not so much anymore. On some rare good days, maybe. It's just that when the same shit keeps happening over and over and the serenity prayer stops working... you get jaded.

25 Reasons Why McDonald's Is Better Than The Army

2007-05-01T20:35:00.000-07:00
Right now, I'm not to keen about being in the Army. So here are some reasons why Mickey D's looking real good...

1. If you have to take a piss, you can go take a piss. No questions asked.
2. Better pay.
3. The ability to quit!
4. McDonald's doesn't deploy.
5. They have actual janitors.
6. No McDrills.
7. The grill breaks....You CALL someone to fix it.
8. No time at McDonald's will you hear your boss give a 30 minute dissertation over the P.A. on the importance of being 15 minutes early.
9. McDonald's will eventually fire the ***REALLY*** stupid employees.
10. If McDonald's catches fire, you leave.
11. Personnel inspection requirements are written on the door. (no shirt, no shoes, no service)
12. At McDonald's, dislocating your shoulder is not considered getting the "good deal".
13. If you want to buy your boss a beer, thats okay.
14. If you want to tell your boss to "fuck off and just die, just fucking die" that's okay too.
15. There is no Uniform Code of McDonald's Justice to deal with.
16. No one will wake you at 2 in the morning to start the grill.
17. Chances of you getting called back after you get off work are pretty damn slim.
18. $2.99 is a meal price, not a daily wage at McDonalds
19. McDonald's doesn't require a 24 hour Charge of Quarters Duty and Staff Duty.
20. MCDonald's employees get paid for overtime.
21. You don't have to come in to work at 7am only to wait around for an hour for your boss to tell you things you already knew.
22. If you burn a hamburger, they won't take away half a month's pay for two months and restrict you to the playground.
23. You don't have to take apart the shake machine once a quarter, JUST BECAUSE.

The Truth of the Reality

2007-04-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

So it is all true. You come to a certain point in your life and then you realize you are becoming that very person you did not want to become. It's like when you were young and you see a someone or something in a rather bad or awkward situation, and you tell yourself you'll never be that person. That you'll never be in that same situation. You think of what you would do different if God forbid, you would ever for some reason find yourself in that situation. Then you grow up and you do find yourself in the very same situation that you swore you would never be in... Let me tell you... The truth of the reality is very humbling. All those different solutions you thought of long time don't seem to make sense anymore. You realize that way back when you saw that person in that situation, you really didn't understand what that person was going through. And now you are faced with the same situation. In that very person's shoes... The truth of the reality is cold water in your face in the morning at your deepest sleep. It is that screeching cry in the quiet of the night. It jars you, and scares you. Understanding is one of life's hard lessons. Only learned through experience.

The White Cow

2007-04-29T00:21:00.000-07:00
Last week, I made Ben promise to bake a turkey for me this weekend. ( Ben's my boyfriend soon to be husband.) I go through these food cravings. So we bought a turkey yesterday. It was our first time baking a turkey. We didn't know we had to defrost it first. Oh yeah, and take out the gizzards. So it's been in the oven for 5 minutes when he finally read the directions about defrosting the turkey first. So into the fridge the turkey goes, for tomorrow. We forgot ingredients for the gravy. So an early trip to Walmart was planned.
So this morning, we woke up early and went to Walmart as planned. We walked out of Walmart with everything we needed plus extra. A mini German chocolate cake, a whipped cheesecake, and a tray of fried chicken to tide us over until the turkey's done.
On the way back to the apartment, we pass a field full of cows. I think they belong to the owner of the casino next door to the field. I'm always fascinated by the cows because where I grew up we didn't have cows. Well, this one particular Sunday morning I noticed that in the sea of black cows, there was this one white cow. Just one. It got me wondering if they had a racism problem. If that one white cow had problems with the other cows. After all, he is the only white cow in a sea of black cows...
Oh well, the turkey's starting to smell really good.

Never Stop Fighting...

2007-04-28T23:05:00.000-07:00

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.

-e.e. cummings