"That my cackle!"

My 3-year old niece Leilani loves castles. It's mostly my mom's and my fault. For the first 2 1/2 years of her life, we took her to Disneyland because she was free. Even if it was just the 3 of us, we'd go for a couple of days. Eventually, Sleeping Beauty's castle became her "cackle." It didn't help that before every Disney movie - which she's being raised on, like my brothers and I were - they show the Disney castle. Now that she's 3 and we have to pay for her, she asks to go to Disneyland to see her "cackle" and "Mickey Mou." We're not going to be taking her to Disneyland any time soon because we're cheap and Asian, so we'll bring the castle to her.

I wasn't able to make it to Leilani's 1st birthday and she didn't have a 2nd birthday party, so I wanted to totally make it up to her for 3rd birthday. I offered my mom that I'd take care of the cake, which we decided would be cupcakes. I knew instantly I wanted to make it castle-themed. I had seen the big castle cake molds and the giant cupcake that can be decorated into a castle, but I wanted it to be more unique and special for her. After looking around online, I saw an Instructables page for a castle cupcake stand out of recycled materials. I knew that I could do that, but bigger and better.

I grabbed my sketchbook and found the best picture of the Disneyland castle I could find. Luckily, I had taken a really nice one during my 28th birthday trip to Disneland with my girlfriend. I took measurements and silhouettes and made a rough blueprint of the castle. I even had my brother - Leilani's daddy - take a look at the sketch. At my job, every night they have a box for the CNAs to get supplies. Instead of taking the box to the recycle bin, I took it home every night for about a week. I collected empty toilet paper tubes from work, along with my own. I eat Progresso soup anyways, so I didn't have to spend extra money for big cans to use for the support. And I went to Michael's for decorations. Since it's the holidays, there were a lot of sales.

For some reason, I always take a break from my building. Maybe it's to regroup my thoughts and evaluate my decision. I had made the tiers (3 layers of cardboard), stacked on the cans, and bordered the tier edges with scrapbook ribbon. I made a few towers and just placed them on the cupcake stand. Then my project sat for a while, maintaining a mess on my "craft table." Finally, I got my stuff together, and scrambled everything complete. Sadly, I didn't do as good of a job because I lost my tacky glue, and I forgot about using a hot glue gun until my dad pointed it out to me at the party. It was mostly ghetto rigged with Elmer's glue, scotch tape and bamboo skewers. I need to work on my stability issues...

What I was most proud of was my working drawbridge! I spent about an hour or so on it, mostly because I decided to do it last minute, then I had to figure out the logistics. But it worked! It could go down, then pull up with a string. Of course, it's the first thing my niece broke when she got to the castle. Note to self: working parts are NOT a good idea around 3-year olds.

The castle was a big hit. Especially because it was so big! The base was 21" x 21", and about 2 1/2 feet tall. But it looked so clean (from afar). Maybe because I was the artist, all I could see were the flaws. My mom bragged to all her friends that I was the one who made it; most people thought we bought it! Sadly, my 9-year old cousin ran into the table and the tiers came toppling over (remember: I forgot hot glue). She cried, of course, but most of it was salvagable. Plus, I got my picture before the accident.

The cupcakes were nummy! I made pink velvet (from scratch) with blue cream cheese frosting, and Pilsbury Funfetti with two frostings: strawberry Mickey Mouse heads and chocolate Mickey Mouse heads. My 11-year old niece and 9-year old cousin found my stash of plain Funfetti cupcakes and wiped me out. My mom was disappointed in me because I got lazy and used store-bought frosting instead of making my usual homemade cream cheese frosting. But my mom is hard to please. Everyone else enjoyed the cupcakes. I made about 80 cupcakes. I had 2 dozen left to bring to work for leftovers, and I even had to hide some for myself.

All in all, it was a success. I'm going to make some business cards. On one side, I'll have "RN, BSN". The other side will say "cardboard artist."

OMG!!! Free tacos!!!

I like to say that I've been a 49ers fan my whole life. Ever since Joe Montana was QB in the 80s. Watching my dad watch football was where I learned how to curse. Even better, that's how I found out that "dumbo" could be used as an insult. Before that, "Dumbo" was the flying elphant movie by Disney. I grew up and continued to follow my team through a string of quarterbacks that ranged from awesome to absolutely terrible. I took it personally when Jerry Rice went to the Raiders of all teams to retire. Battle of the Bay had never felt more necessary to win. And I hate to miss Superbowl, even if the Niners haven't been there for years.

Despite my love for the red and gold, I had NEVER been to a 49ers game in my life! In fact, this was sort of a last minute decision too. My wonderful friend Tatiana texted me one day and mentioned her boyfriend and she were getting some people together to go to the game in about 2 weeks. I didn't even consult my girlfriend; I just texted told her, "I'M GOING TO THE 49ERS GAME!!!" Better yet, we were going to watch our Niners try to keep their winning streak against Eli Manning and the NY Giants.

The next two weeks were full of excitement and some anxiety. As a girl, I was fretting over what to wear. The worst part was I had lost my Alex Smith jersey! I bought it a few years ago on eBay (hella cheap, but it worked), and now that he was finally earning the priviliege of having his jersey worn it wasn't anywhere to be found. I ended up getting a Niners T-shirt from Old Navy and a hoodie I bought at Sports Authority in the off-season (which my gf has a matching one too).

I was so excited about the game. The night before was the Manny Pacquiao fight. While all the other Filipinos at work were obsessing over the fight, I was trying to reign in my excitement to give my patients proper care.

So the next day, I made the trek to Daly City to meet with my friends. We met up with Tat's uncle and brother-in-law and we caravaned to Candlestick Park. Though we were drinking the case of beer Tat's bf James brought in his trunk, we were surrounded by people tailgating all around us. We weren't even parked in the proper Candlestick Park parking lot, but people were doing it big! I decided that I'm going to tailgate one day, but I wanted to get my first game under my belt before I try anything like that.

We walked about 10 minutes to the park, and after taking a potty break in the cleanest porto-potties I'd even been in, we were there! There were a lot more NY Giants fans that I had anticipated, but the excitement in the air was almost palpable. In the Bud Light Plaza were food trucks. We visited Kara's Cupcakes (delicious punkin spice cupcakes!!) and Senor Sisig. I had a coupon for $5, so I got a gigantic California burrito. When the lady asked if I wanted pork, chicken or tofu I was stunned. I looked at her like, "I'm Filipino. Of course I want PORK!" But I realized I had to say it out loud so after staring at her like dumbass, I said it. Enjoying a beer and my meal for the day, we joined the herd to reach our seats.

We were up in the nosebleeds, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. TV always makes it seem bigger than it actually is. And it was so fun up in the stands. There were a bunch of crazy guys I gave nicknames. "Shirtless Guy" had a tattoo of the CA state silhoutte with the Niner's "SF" over his right chest and he kept showing it off. "Guido" with his Christian Audigier wannabe-shirt and gold chain was drunkenly yelling Niners praise at everyone, similar to Harley on Epic Mealtime. "Gold Miner" with his miner's SF hat, beard and denim overalls started with a shirt on. Eventually, the shirt came off so he was shirtless under his overalls making him look even more like a miner.

Needless to say, I had a blast. There were a few NY Giants fans standing around us. In fact, the Giants fan in front of me was recording parts of the game with his camcorder. At one point, he turned it to face him. I hope the crazy face I was making made it into his video.
The best part, was the FREE TACOS!!!! The announcers said that if the Niners won the game, everyone in attendance would get 2 free tacos from Jack in the Box. They're only 99 cents, but that adds up. When the timer ran down at the end of the 4th quarter, the crowd went up in roars. Yet Tat and I were excitedly jumping up and down saying, "WE GOT TACOS!!!"

I can't wait to watch my next 49ers game! I just hope they don't move to Santa Clara before I get another chance.

"An aaaaaaarchery contest...?"

A month or so ago I was browsing GroupOn, and I saw a 2-for-1 deal on archery lessons in Daly City. I'd always wanted to learn archery. I really don't know why I'm so facinated with a bow and arrow. Maybe it's because I watched Disney's 'Robin Hood' a lot when I was a kid, and I love 'Prince of Thieves', and I can quote 'Men in Tights' in its entirety. And though Batman is my favorite superhero, I'd say Green Arrow is my second favorite. Still, I never really considered myself a Robin Hood fan, but I admired his skill. Once when I was little, I even made a bow and arrow out of a hanger and yarn. And it worked! If very crudely. I was so proud of myself, then I was embarrassed of it so I threw it away.

I had only shot a bow and arrow once at Science Camp in 5th grade, for about 20 minutes. But boy did it stick with me. When I was older and living in Vegas, I drove across town to the only Sports Authority at the time to buy a youth bow and arrow set. I stood there for about 45 minutes trying to talk myself into buying it. I wanted it so badly, but it was little and I wasn't sure if it was worth the $25. If I was going to learn archery, I wanted to learn the right way.

Now here was my chance. I grabbed my favorite spontaneous buddy, Ronna, and I took her to Pacifica Archery for lessons as her birthday gift.

I had such a blast. It didn't take us long to learn the basics of form and how to shoot. We were only shooting at a target about 10 yards away, but once I started getting the hang of it, then I was able to really concentrate on what works for me and personalize my own shooting style. At times, I was so into my own world in my mind that I wasn't always paying attention to what my friend was saying.

We had our fun, then parted ways because she was going to a Sharks game that night. But shooting that afternoon just left me wanting more. Pacifica Archery had pretty good rates, and its walkable from BART so I don't have to drive across the bridge. It's a sport that I could get into and do it by myself or with others. I've been reading up a lot online and plan on going back to shoot a few more times. I found other ranges that I could try too. I did find online that Oakland Hills has an outdoor range where you can go hiking, and shooting with your own equipment. My goal is to one day be good enough to have my equipment, take my girlfriend up there for a hiking & shooting picnic.

Of course, Mady rolled her eyes at me and said, "Just add that to all of the other things you want to do..." Admittedly, I have a long "honey do" list around the house, plus things I have on my own. Well, we'll see. I'd love to learn archery and have it a permanent part of my life. It doesn't have to be my priority, but I'd like it to be my active physical hobby.

Witches and Broomsticks: Girls' Night Out

On the Friday before Halloween, my best friend and her mom dragged me to an event in downtown Tracy. I was a bit apprehensive about it, since it's Tracy, but I'd never gone to any community events before. For $18, you get a goodie bag, access to vendor booths, appetizers, wine and dancing with a live DJ. It seemed interesting, so I thought, "Why not?" I didn't have any other plans for Halloween.

What we got was a reusable bag with crappy old straight ladies magazines and coupons for stores I'll never go to, a nifty wine glass with the logo "Witches and Broomsticks", two drink tickets and a chance to watch old straight soccer moms out having fun. What was really cool was seeing all the different witches' hats. It must've been a thing, because almost everyone had decorated a witch's hat with all kinds of decorations. I saw one covered in cobwebs, one covered in alphabet letters (she must've been a teacher), and even one with flashing lights. Had I known, I would've made my own too.

Still... The vendors weren't very exciting. There was one where they had bracelets which could be opened up to be used as table-top purse hangers, and my best friend and her mom bought some. Otherwise, there weren't very many vendors and what was left wasn't very good. All the tables were in a tent which was SO CRAMPED with women. And the chatter was so high-pitched, it was almost giving me a headache. In the middle of the tent were tables of appetizers and the wine. Well, the wine was local from Lodi but the only two options were Chardonnay and "red wine" (I didn't catch what the blend was). Needless to say, we didn't use our second drink tickets. The appetizers were average, like they were bought at Costco. The DANCING. Ahahahahahaha.... That was hilarious. They used the lobby of the Grand Theatre in downtown Tracy and put in a live DJ. The DJ was terrible, they kept the lights on and it was so intereasting seeing what people pass off as dancing in Central Valley. I did happen to grab a Sam Adams Octoberfest at the bar.

It didn't take us long to realize that the event was for WOMEN (not ladies, or older girls) in Central Valley to have the chance to get out of the humdrum of their boring lives and have a space to go out with their girlfriends. It was obvious that the crowd was was too old for us. Hell, it was too old for my best friend's mom! There weren't any cute young girls there. There were a few women our age, but they were soccer-mom status. We had a couple of laughs at the whole thing, but ditched it for Famous Dave's.

I'd never been to Famous Dave's before, though my parents in Vegas often get a tray of ribs for parties. There was so much food, and I'm so in love with their corn fritters. The even may have been kind of boo-boo, but the night wasn't a waste. I was able to hang out with my best friend which we haven't done in a long time. And next time, I'll be a little bit more picky about the community events I go to. I'll try something in the Bay Area, and stay away from Central Valley events. I mean, I left it for a couple reasons, and lack of cool stuff to do is one of them.

Old Enough for Pulutan

Pulutan is Filipino for "drunk people food." Well, that's not the translation but that's the meaning. Especially in my family. I can remember lots of Filipino parties where I'd run around playing with my cousins until late at night, when I would accidentally run into the garage where the uncles are all drinking and eating food not at he rest of the party. One time, one of my uncles tried to get me to eat his version of sisig: pig intestines in vinegar with onions and calamansi. I was disgusted, especially when my dad laughed, reach his hand in to take a bite and say, "See? It's good!" I never thought I'd eat sisig again in my life.
However, people grow up and tastes change. And I finally had GOOD sisig with edible parts of the pig and other seasonings. To add to that, with the whole food truck craze, one of the most popular Filipino dishes found is sisig. (I love you, Senor Sisig truck!)
I love experimenting with new recipes, so I thought I could try to make my own sisig. I searched and searched until I found a decent recipe. You can read the 'I Love Sisig' blog where I found the recipe for the history (and recipe) of sisig.
The reason I chose now to make sisig was because Whole Foods had pork shoulder for $2.99! Whole Foods! Cheap meat! I KNOW!!! And I'm turning into my mom, because I basically got the butcher to give me the already cut pork shoulder (which was more expensive) for the $2.99 price. I'm becoming more and more Filipino with age!

I invited my friend Ronna, who's like a little sister, to come and help me experiment with my new recipe. I was trying to show her how to cook, but that really wasn't happening what with the World Series on and all.... And, since alcohol is pretty much a requirement, I enjoyed some vodka in my calamansi juice.

My sisig was AMAZING!!! Not as good as the sisig my friend gets in Santa Clara, but better than my local food trucks. (Blasphemous, I know!) Ronna was also impressed with my cooking abilities, and we both hella chowed down. We ate it with rice since I didn't buy any tortillas, and I figured we should eat it the pinoy way. What I love about cooking something new is that I don't know what to expect. I know what sisig is supposed to taste like, but, like in any culture, there are a thousand recipes for the same dish that each version can taste different. Like many Filipino dishes, the base was soy sauce and vinegar, with garlic and onions. But I think the biggest difference in this dish is the technique of cooking. I got to bust out my indoor grill, practice my dicing skills, and use my mom's old seasoned wok with the love and resin of 25 years of Asian cooking. Plus, there was a 4.0 earthquake while I was cooking. I stopped, looked at my friend, called to my gf in our bedroom and said, "Honey, are you ok?" Then, I went on with my business while Ronna and I laughed at the earthjiggle. I didn't even feel the earthquake earlier today, but I felt this one. But it didn't phase me. I truly am a Cali girl.

It was only hampered by the fact that I had a crazy case of the hiccups after. And, for $6, I still have enough for leftovers. We'll see if my Filipino coworkers think my cooking is as good as I think.

First post of a new adventure

Welcome to my first blog post.

Why am I starting a blog? Because I'm vain and narcissistic; something inside of me makes me think the many random things I do should be shared.
Well, really, I've been suffering from severe writer's block. As a writer, I fail. As a nurse, I'm surprisingly lacking free time. Even as a friend, I'm not very good. Still, I manage to squeeze in a lot of new and random things I do. From Star Trek conventions, getting lost on Treasure Island, experimenting with new recipes, expanding my insane Vinylmation collection by standing in line in SF Union Square at 6AM.... There's lots I do, and even more to try. If anything, I want a record of all the fun things I do because I'm only getting older. I want something to prove to my nieces (and children I may have) that I once had a life. =D

In fact, starting a blog is a new "adventure" for me, if you will. Like 95% of the world, I'm hooked up to all kinds of social networks so it's not like my personal information isn't secret anymore. But I have a lot of interests. A LOT. So, it'll be interesting how someone as random as me will be able to tie everything together, and how long my child-like attention span will be able to keep this up.

Until next post.... Enjoy this picture of an apple my mom grew in her garden.