Picture this...

I started my Black & White Photography class last Monday. I am so excited to be able to relearn my photography skills and work in a darkroom again. The only issue that I'm having is my camera.

She's over 20 years old; my mom bought her when the Olympics were in Los Angeles. My brother had poked in the shutter with his baby fingers and jacked it up. We had it repaired in time for me to use it when I started taking photography, and when I became yearbook staff photographer. I thought, great! I can dust her off and use her again!

Nope. She was working absolutely perfectly, until today. Yep. TODAY! The day that I need to use her for my first assignment! ARGH!

So, I went to Target and bought a 35mm Rebel K2 this evening and shot my roll of film. I hope they turned out. *sigh*

This new class is eating into my new iMac fund...Yeah. It's now just the iMac fund. I've dropped the "One day I'll live in Woodbury" and the "I drive a X5" fund. For now I will live in my parent's non-air conditioned home and drive my Mom's freaky hood likes to open on it's own car because she wants to drive Ava. Her car isn't even worth naming...even if it is a Benz. I'm a BMW girl!

Smile. *click* What do you mean I have to wait until the film is developed!? I want to see it NOW!

Pain in the ASSessment District

I don't know what it is about this year, but work is really kicking my ass. Actually Boss-Lady is really kicking my ass. She yelled at me today. YELLED. She had asked me to edit a document for her, so I did, printed it out, and locked my computer. I handed her the edits and left for lunch. When I got back from my long lunch (oops), there was the document with her infamous red lines. Along with it was a note that read "I was going to make the edits and email this myself, but you locked your computer with the document open... - J"

I quickly made the changes to the letter and emailed it out. She comes up to me 10 minutes later with an envelope full of more work and says, "Penance for earlier" as she hands it to me. She then gets all Boss-Lady and starts yelling at me. Actually It went more like this:

Me: I'm sorry
BL: Why do you lock your computer? No one, except for maybe your sister, locks their computer.
Me: I've always locked my computer, I thought it was company policy to..
BL: I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THAT POLICY. You should not be locking your computer. Who would want to look at anything on YOUR computer?! You are locking the rest of the staff out of your system when you do that!
Me: But I...
BL: And I'm not allowed to ask you for your password. So you should not be locking your computer!
Me: Ok.

I love that Boss-Lady is going on vacation for the next two weeks. Unfortunately, the time before she leaves and shortly after she comes back is hell on Earth. I've been working here for 4.5 years. There is no changing her. She even says, "This is how I am, deal with it". Why am I dealing with it? Every year its the same stuff. Every year its the same projects, the same stress, the same busy season, the same people.

It has to be me. I've changed. I can't deal with this shit anymore. No, actually I can deal with it, because I have been for the past 4.5 years. I don't want to deal with this shit anymore. I'm being careless at work and it shows. I'm frustrated and annoyed. I'm coming in later, taking longer lunches, and leaving work with an armful of work to do at home. Drinking has never been a big thing for me, but this year I find myself drinking more often. In fact, as I write this I am drinking...this Friday, it's just a beer...normally its lots of something with RUM.

My New Theme Song

For the past month or so, my theme song has been "Big Girls Don't Cry". While they shouldn't, I do and have been for a while now. There have been several "la da da da" moments, "I hope you know" moments, and tons of "myself and I" moments. I'm still a work in progress. While I may still trip, flip, and shut down, the frequency and duration of those events are a lot less.

So. "Big Girls Don't Cry" is still my song, but I've added another one to the mix. I don't have a video, but here are the lyrics. Whether or not this fits a "pattern", I dunno, but I'd like to think that it shows that I do have some hope that one day that someone will hear me...

Kelly Clarkson - Hear Me

Hear me / Hear me

You gotta be out there / You gotta be somewhere
Wherever you are / I'm waiting
'Cause there are these nights when / I sing myself to sleep
And I'm hopin' my dreams / Bring you close to me
Are you listening?

Hear me
I'm cryin' out / I'm ready now
Turn my world upside down
Find me
I'm lost inside the crowd / It's getting loud
I need you to see / I'm screaming for you to please
Hear me / Hear me

Hear me
Can you hear me?
Hear me

I used to be scared of / Letting someone in
But it gets so lonely / Being on my own
No one to talk to / And no one to hold me
I'm not always strong / Oh, I need you here
Are you listening?

Hear me
I'm cryin' out / I'm ready now
Turn my world upside down
Find me
I'm lost inside the crowd / It's getting loud
I need you to see / I'm screaming for you to please
Hear me

I'm restless and wild / I fall, but I try
I need someone to understand / Can you hear me?
I'm lost in my thoughts / And baby I'm far
For all that I've got / Can you hear me?

Hear me
I'm cryin' out / I'm ready now
Turn my world upside down
Find me
I'm lost inside the crowd / It's getting loud
I need you to see / I'm screaming for you to please
Hear me / Hear me
Hear me / Hear me
Can you hear me?
Hear me / Hear me
Hear me / Can you hear me?
Oh, oh, oh, oh...
Hear me / Hear me
Hear me

Fun in the Bay Area

On Sunday, since we were already in the Bay Area for the wedding, we decided to do some sight seeing around some of my parents' favorites places. They met in the bay area in the late 70's. My dad has family up here and when we were little, my parents used to drive us up here at least once a year.


First stop was Pacific beach. We stopped by the Seacliff Apartments where my Dad used to live when he first came to the States. Pretty swanky bachelor pad dad-doo. Next up was the beach down the street. There we decided to try out the "sports" feature on my camera. Here are Diana and Andrew's attempt at doing a chest bump. Well...they definitely made contact...



Next up we drove down to Half Moon Bay. We looked at the little beach houses and the people surfing on the beach. We drove back the way we came and headed towards San Francisco. We took several pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge...here are some of my favorites..

Alex & Janette's Wedding

On Saturday was my cousin Alex and Janette's wedding in Vallejo, CA. It was a very traditional Filipino-Catholic Wedding...and an equally traditional Filipino Reception (aka, LOTS of booze, dancing, more booze, loud talking, booze, money dancing, booze, and we must not forget the electric slide!) Here are a few pictures from the reception...and not a single one includes the bride and groom..or even anyone at our table...or my parent's table ...

OC Fair, Take Two

More fun was had at the Fair on Saturday. Yep, I went to the OC Fair for a second time over the weekend. This time it was with my Sister, Brother-In-Law to be (aka BIL), and my Brother. Oh, and I must not forget, LuLu was there too!

Initially, our main objective was to get some fun pictures of the happy couple doing fun fair stuff. I really wanted to take pictures of them going down that HUGE potato sack slide. Dee was totally down for it, but BIL was not. So then our main objective was to eat. We didn't waste any time. First stop was BBQ - we had several pork sandwiches, BIL had a super long hot dog which he covered with a bowl of chili, there was an onion petal, a huge order of chili cheese fries, and a couple of beers (for me and BIL). It was a lot of food.

Next up, the Photo Booth. I didn't think we could all fit in one, but we did...On the 3rd one down, Andrew's there, just hiding from embarrassment..hehehehe.

After photo booth fun we had our dippin dots. Which resulted in some boob touching...

Me: Seriously? You do realize you just wiped something off my boob?

BIL: Yeah well I got a dippin' dot on you.

Me: Umm..on my boob?

BIL: Yeah.

Me: You can't touch my boob, we're not officially related yet.

BIL: You're no LADY!

Me: First of all, I said "related", not "Lady." Secondly, I am so a lady!

Dee: You guys are jacked up.

So after that, we walked around and looked at all the crazy people riding the crazy fair rides. Do they realize these things get assembled and disassembled all the time?? SCARY. I tried to convince them to go on the slide or something. Nope. Not even a game.

Round 3 was the deep fried snicker's bar and the frozen banana. That was washed down with an iced tea.

After spending $100 on food for the four of us, you'd think we would have eaten more, but no. I didn't even get my Australian battered potatoes...

F is for....

Friday, Fair, Fried Food, and Fergie Ferge!

On Friday, MC-licious and I went to the OC Fair for more fun, and sun, and music. The Fergie Concert was at the Pacific Ampitheatre at the OC Fair. I LOVE FERGIE! The concert was great and she sang all my favorites!

La-da-da-da....