Off They Go Again...

Mark's ship left today for another deployment. I was planning to go to the pier to see him before they leave and watch the ship sail off like I normally would, but he called me early this morning and advised me not to go since he was tied up with work and I wouldn't be able to see him. Had I not stayed up late the night before, I would have gone anyways, but I was so caught up in my sleep. Now that I think of it, I regret not going. Emailing has been our primary communication. Thank God, we were born in today's world! Imagine having to write letters that will take weeks for them to receive and additional weeks for them to write back?! Sometimes, we don't realize how fortunate we are. : )

A Birthday Week

I thought my birthday was extra special this year thanks to Sherilyn and Ian and above all, my HUBBY. ^_^ I didn't have a birthday, it was a birthweek! We spent a lot of $$$ BUT making good memories is what counts. We stayed at Sherilyn and Ian's pad for four days and made some great discoveries!




* * * * Sunday * * * *
We headed to the O.C. in the evening and had a late dinner at Chili's - One of Mark's favorite restaurants.

* * * * Monday * * * *
Aha! Happy Birthday to me! Unfortunately, I had very severe cramps early that morning and prayed that it wouldn't last, atleast not on my birthday. Thank God the Tylenol helped. Came late morning, the pain had suppressed, and I was feeling so much better! First thing was first... we headed to Circuit City and Mark bought me my DSLR Camera KIT (Nikon D-80 with 18mm-135mm lens)! I've been doing DSLR related research these past weeks! I almost came close to choosing a Sony DSLR. And believe me, I'm soooo glad that I didn't! I haven't really focused on playing with my new camera, but I know for sure that it's a good investment! That's WELCOME TO OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHY for me! Finally... Eversince God knows when, I have always loved taking pictures and thus that is why I have developed a passion for photography. I have yet to read the manuals and figure out this amazing gadget. I plan to focus on flower photography first.

Here's a picture of my DSLR camera:







After buying my birthday gift, we ate lunch at Panera Bread Cafe. It was my first time to sit and eat there. Their soups are pretty darn good! I had their Broccoli Cheddar and the Bacon Turkey Bravo Sandwich.



We felt full so we went to South Coast mall to walk and shop around. Mark bought me a new make up bag. This time it was Hello Kitty. My heavy duty MAC bag seems to be wearing out. I think it has served its duty... I've had it for 3 years now... time for a change!

Then we bounced back to the pad and I took a short nap. When I woke up, it was time to get ready for dinner, but part of our plan sort of changed last minute. We decided to take pictures at this cool booth that Sherilyn had discovered. WE found this very amusing!!! ^_- I'll post the others soon.




Mark made reservations at the Melting Pot . I had high expectations for this restaurant due to excellent ratings but honestly, it wasn't all that great... it was just "ok." But the Yin-Yang drink and the dessert was absolutely devouring! ^_^ We all agreed to go there next time for just dessert. The whole fondue experience though was fun!












We could only do so much since it was a Monday so the long awaited evening ended there.


* * * * TUESDAY * * * *
We woke up early and made our way to Knott's Berry Farm. It's one of the few amusement parks that I have never been to (but I've been to Knott's Soak City) here in So-cal. I felt excited and surprised that their adult rides weren't that bad. My husband and I are coaster fans and we'll just go about on any. Anyway, we spent most of our time riding these roller coasters. We took advantage of the lines since they were short. Woohoo! Also, we had Mrs. Knott's chicken for lunch. That was something I've been wanting to try for so long and it was yummy!











We ate at Macaroni Grill for dinner. That was quite an experience too as we got to create our own pasta and draw on the table! We also lovvve their bread. Then they took us to YOGURT LAND. My goodness, this is the bomb! Yogurt that doesn't even taste like yogurt and always seem to hit the spot. My favorite is Cheesecake and Peach with almonds and mochi on top. Right on! : )

* * * * WEDNESDAY * * * *
Sherilyn took us to the mall. I forgot the name, but like always, it was fun. We had lunch there and took us a long time for us to decide what to do next. Had some Jamba Juice and went to Barnes and Noble. I was excited to get a book on DSLR's... Sherilyn found a good one for me and hopefully, I can read and learn quickly.

We had dinner at a Korean BBQ place nearby. It was soooooOoOooOoo goooOooood! The only downfall is, it's NOT all you can eat like most Korean BBq's. I was surprised because we ordered a little more than enough for the four of us.












* * * * THURSDAY * * * *
Thursday came, and Mark kept asking what I wanted to do next. Actually, I didn't know what to do anymore. I was completely clueless. I guess we were all tired and didn't want to think so Mark and I decided to go back to San Diego. Before going home, we stopped by a couple of Japanese shops. Guess what I found? PRISON BREAK SEASON 2. Gotta have that without a doubt. And must I not forget, we made a quick stop at YOGURT LAND again, and I took me some Yogurt to go.

* * * * FRIDAY * * * *
Mark and I spent most of the day watching PRISON BREAK 2. For those who haven't started watching it, WATCH IT!!! Oh and Wentworth Miller a.k.a. Michael Scofield... he's MINE!

So there you have it... my birthweek celebration! Oh, and before I go, I would like to say THANK YOU for all of the birthday greetings and gifts! That was very thoughtful and sweet.

Lingonians

Have you ever heard of www.lingo.com? It's a way of calling unlimited to the U.S. and Canada for a fair amount of charge. My brother purchased one of their plans before he left. I think you plug their modem into what you're suppose to have - a cable router, so for those who have internet dial-up cannot use this... Uprade to cable if you must. For the past days, my momb and brothers have been calling me and we've been talking endlessly and taking our time is what's best! No need to worry about the "You have one minute remaining." Sadly, we've run short on stories and what not, but that's alright since time is never constant. Being able to talk to them almost everyday makes it seem they're just around the corner. I gotta say we're enjoying Lingo!

Happy Anniversary: Take TWO!

I woke up this morning knowing it was the 14th of April. Nothing really popped in my head. No appointments, no errands, no meetings.. just some important phone calls I had to make and that was it besides the "normal" stuff. It was just a very ordinary day for us... the same, the usual. The hubby came home in the afternoon and we stayed home. While watching t.v., the mom knocked on the door and handed us an envelope with giftcards in it. Mark and I looked at each other with questioning eyes. He had thought it was for my birthday, but to our SURPRISE, it said HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! We both looked at the calendar and thought, how could we have forgotten?! And we just smiled.

Not that we intentionally forgot, but some of you may not know that we have been and will continue to celebrate our civil marriage - January 27, just because it's more meaningful to us. Two years later, that's when we finally had our church wedding - April 14, 2007. We've been married for a little more than 3 years now (not 1). Needless to say, we could not have had it any sooner, but as most of you know the hubby is in the service and working around the schedule isn't all that easy. If you're also a military spouse, then you'd know and understand what exactly it is I'm trying to say.

Anyhow, this year for our anniversary, Mark surprised me by taking me to Big Bear Mountain/Snow Summit. It was both our first time there and driving took almost 3 hours. Funny how it was all sunny driving in the valley, but the scenery changed once we made our way to the top. From Spring to Winter in an instant! It was amazing... the trees were full of snow and the lakes were icy...it was just beautiful! Mark rented out a cabin. It has been a terribly long time since I last went camping and this brought back many memories. I won't get into details since it'll only make this blog longer, but yes, it was definitely a joyful experience!

The Heat is On!

It's been hot these past few days. We're up in the 80's and the temperature might even go beyond that. Looks like summer days and nights are here to stay, but I am NOT a summer person. For those who know me know that I love rainy days and the winter season!I can also enjoy the beach and walk the sands, but I prefer singing in the rain and making snow angels and catching snowflakes... Those sorta things.

It's actually still spring-ish, but it sure does feel like summer! I don't know of my summer plans yet, however we're going to be busy with conventions again. It's going to be lotsa fun!

The Crave

So lately, I've been craving for this entree that I always used to order when we'd go to a friend's house for lunch during college school days. I began to crave for it after chatting with a cousin, who happened to be eating something similar to "it." Oh, and by the way, the name of this entree is pork pinya. Oooooh... Yummy!

Actually, I tried cooking it, I believe that was last month. And how did it go? Well... my brother Richard tasted it and just smiled and nodded saying it was good. But ofcourse, he was just trying to be nice. Later on that day, he started to criticize my cooking, and as for the truth, it wasn't so bad! I just felt something was left out. I couldn't figure it out in an instant, so I tried to search the recipe on the internet.

Unfortunately, the net left me empty handed, then that's when I started asking family and friends. They did NOT know what in the world I was talking about. But someone had to know, and out of the blue, indeed someone knew... I had thought of Angela - a good friend and classmate, who was always with me when ordering.

Anyhow, she was kind enough to teach me to cook it the RIGHT way. Yesterday, I took another shot at it, and this time it tasted a whole lot better! It tasted like PORK PINYA!!! Yippeeee! Thanks to Angela! ^_-

Pullip Shoot

I recently bought new clothes for my Pullips. I figured they'd need different styles if I decide to do a photoshoot one of these days.  In fact,  I've been wanting to take pictures since last week, but the weather hasn't been cooperating and with that being said, I've become more the less impulsive about it. I don't have many dolls yet, though others who've seen them, think I pretty much do... BUT I have the ones that I really really like! My husband says he is going to buy me another display show case for them, perhaps this weekend. ^_^  I'll be able to spread out my dolls and viewing them will be so much better ... yay!  

Birthday Wishlist

It's that time of year when I'm going to turn another year younger ^_-  Here' my birthday wish list  for those who love me ( in no particular order ) ... tehee! I'm just kidding... just thought I'd share what interests me at the moment.

• Nikon DSLR d-80 (18mm-135mm kit)
  
  


• DAL -  Cinnamaroll Doll 

       

• Apple iPHONE
  
  
  
• Rozen Maiden DOLL CASE
  

            

• A cute Shihtzu puppy that's NOT hyper.
  

            

• SHADE - Taeyang-Namu DOLL 

            

 

•  Blue Sapphire Sofa for Pullip Dolls  
  

            

• LEAD  - Taeyang-Namu DOLL
  

            

Shades of B!

I've been wanting these BVLGARI sunglasses since two weeks ago!  But ofcourse, there are more important things to buy. On the other hand, it usually comes down to what Leslie wants, Leslie gets! Yeah, yeah... I can be spoiled by my eversodearing and crazy hubby, but the problem is I DON'T take advantage of it. lol  Perhaps I won't buy it just now, but maybe in the immediate future... ^_^

 

Saying Goodbye...

Today, Richard flew back home. Unfortunately, he had to go for some specific reasons. Seeing him go was sad enough for me, although surprisingly, I did not cry the moment he left.  Everything happened so fast, and I was worried since it was his first time to ever travel alone. Well, there's always going to be a "first" in life, so that was his first independent travel. I don't know how he felt about it, but for sure, he has learned something. I miss him a lot! He's such a good brother to me. : )