I'm a Survivor!...well, we'll see

10K mi. on a 26.5 mo. old car of a 2 yr. old homeworker

I should normally, at the least, be at 10,000 miles at the end of a year on my car.
Today, as I reached my 2 year mark of working from home, my car (which I have had for 2 years, 4 months, and 13 days) has finally reached the 10,000 mile mark on the odometer. Ahhh...some of the perks of working from home: Save on money on gas expenses, mileage, normal wear & tear, and keeping my sanity from avoiding having to deal with the L.A. traffic. Woohoo! I am grateful for this opportunity.

9,999 miles and counting...

10,000 miles!

L.A. Kings do not always Rule

I really don't like Hockey as a sport because of the unnecessary violence that happens on the side. I also don't enjoy watching it on TV. But when it comes to watching it live, it becomes a different story. Bill was out of town, so my buddy, Nelson, watched the game of the L.A. Kings vs. the New Jersey Devils at the Staples Center with me. We lost 5-1. Waah...Boo-hoo!

1st Weekend Getaway of the New Year

Our friends Ian & Pedro from Canada & Mexico respectively, were visiting over New Year's, so we decided to take them to one of our favorite quick getaways, the Coachella Valley.
My buddy Carlos has a beautiful house in Indian Wells, so we usually have a place to crash.

goofing around in an open house

on the way back home to L.A.,
we always stop to buy a banana date shake at Hadley
and shop at Cabazon Outlet Stores.

End of the Year Newsletter 2008

I really was not looking forward to 2008 in the beginning of the new year for reasons that may read morbid.

Both Bill's and my parents are all octogenarians and were undergoing some health issues in 2007.

I have friends who also have some major health issues.

Our eldest dog, Besi, in July 2007, was given a few weeks/months to live due to being diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy.

So, as you can imagine, we were dead scared that 2008 had the potential to be a very sad year.

Unfortunately, we did lose Bill's stepdad, Roy, to bladder cancer early in the year and

an uncle of mine to heart failure and our goddog, Jack to pancreatitis, late in the year.

Fortunately, we still have his mom, Mabel, and both my parents alive and healthy.
Now, they all are stable and doing very well.

Besi, miraculously, with medication, exercise, and lots of love, is somehow better than ever and acts like a 12 1/2-year old puppy. Birdie turned 10, but still acts like a puppy. We also found a new puppy Maltese (who got lost during the L.A. earthquake), Sachi, for my niece to adopt. This year marked 10 years since we lost Koko in that tragic drowning accident.

This year also marked the start of my last year as a 30-something, and Bill had his big birthday. We celebrated 13 years of togetherness.

We decided to postpone our decision to get married or not until the end result of the elections.
As a 2-year old U.S. citizen, I was very excited to vote for the first time in my life.

The election result was bittersweet. We cried with tears of joy & hope with Obama's win and

cried with tears of sadness & disbelief with the passing of Prop 8.

Since 2007, I had already saved all my vacation days mainly for a trip back to my homeland, the Philippines, towards the end of the year 2008. We were planning to have a family reunion for X'mas back home to also celebrate my Mom's 80th birthday and my parents' 60th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, for various reasons, the family had to postpone all plans.

So at the last minute, I planned our main big vaca-sean this year to Ecuador and Peru. I mainly pushed for these destinations, since I gathered that their respective tourism boards were looking into limiting tourist access to the world wonders, the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu by the end of 2009. We had a blast! We also made some domestic trips to Chicago, Monterey, San Francisco, New York, and San Diego.

With the crashing of the market/global economic crisis, Bill was extremely busy, since all his clients were naturally in a state of panic. My company unfortunately had to lay-off some people. I am grateful that I was not one of the unfortunate few.

Here's wishing that things will turn out okay and be better for all of us in the new year.

Happy New Year 2009!

Ended the year by going to the doctor to get my annual routine physical exam results and to find out what is up with this cold that I've been nursing for 11 days now. I received a clean bill of health (Whohoo!) and antibiotics for this cold. Being drugged up with codeine, I really didn't feel like partying like it was 1999 earlier in the day. But since we were entertaining friends visiting from Canada & Mexico, we felt compelled to go out and party. Ended up getting all split up from each other during the countdown...Sigh. Forgot to jump up and down so I could grow taller for the new year...Double Sigh. Then had to bribe the bouncer to get in the club without having to wait in line. I guess, "face value" has also gone down with the economy...Triple Sigh. The bouncer then did not card me to check if I was over 21 years old or not...Quadruple Sigh!...LOL

Happy New Year!

For Besi & Birdie's greetings, please click HERE.

Happy Holiday Greetings 2008-2009

From my family to yours,

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon!
Feliz Navidad y un Próspero Año Nuevo!
Joyeux Noël et Une Bonne Année!

Make the Yuletide Gay!

Happy Hanukkah!
Happy Kwanzaa!
Happy Boxing Day!
Advanced Kung Hei Fat Choy!

iPostcards from Survivor X'mas

For the past few years, we've hosted Christmas gatherings for both sides of the family living in California. This year was different. With Bill's mom now in a retirement home and not fit to travel down from Oregon, and with my sister & niece celebrating with my siblings in the east coast, we were left not knowing what to do. It was our first year that we didn't go out to buy our live X'mas tree. We entertained experiencing X'mas in Hawaii, the Caribbean, or with friends in Paris. But we then felt guilty about parting with our "girls", Besi & Birdie, so soon after our trip to South America. So, we decided to go on a road trip and take them skiing. But at the last minute, we got an invitation from a friend to go up to her home in Tehachapi. As soon as we arrived, it started snowing. Yehey! It was the "girls"' first white X'mas. The guests were composed of Americans, Scottish, English, Brazilians, and a Filipino. Talk about conversations filled with different accents.
Just as we were getting ready for dinner, the power went out. With the outage, that meant no gas for the stove, no hot water, no heat to keep us warm, no phone line, no cell phone signal, no Internet connection. We were snowed in - no way out! Dinner was delicious, albeit cold, and in a way romantic, with the candle light and fireplace as our only source of light & heat. It was actually very nice and refreshing. Kinda like Jesus' first night in a manger...LOL.
Then all of a sudden a family argument developed right in front of us in the dark between our Brazilian host and her spoiled 31-year old son. I've always found Portuguese to be a very sexy sounding language. Not this time. I guess the holidays wouldn't be complete without any family drama. Ayayyay...LOL


or please click HERE for a bigger slideshow of the album.
If you prefer to view the thumbnails, please click on the link below:
iPostcards from Survivor X’mas 2008

Todo Azul's "Santa Baby" - Tribute to Eartha Kitt

My niece, Czarina and her band, Todo Azul, performed their rendition of "Santa Baby" at Molly Malones, exactly a week before the sultry diva died at the age of 81 on Christmas Day. Spooky...tehnahnahtehnahnah...The Twilight Zone.

Happy Hanukkah 2008!

Our friends, the Boroditskys invited us, once again,
to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah.
It was a lovely festive affair at their beautiful home.

Happy Hanukkah to all my Jewish friends!
If there was such a thing as a Filipino Jew,
this is how he may look like...LOL

Jack & Me

We feel very sad.
Jack, our Black Labrador goddog, passed away today.
We treated him like our very own third dog.
If our Besi, as a pup, was rambunctious like Marley,
Jack, on the other hand, was like Beau.
He was a very good dog all throughout his 12 1/2 year life.
Please click on the title or HERE to be directed to the posting.

iPostcards from Venice Canals Holiday Boat Parade 2008

or please click HERE for a bigger slideshow of the album.
If you prefer to view the thumbnails, please click on the link below:
iPostcards from Venice Canals Holiday Boat Parade 2008

iPostcards from Ecuador & Peru

Posting is under construction. Please check back again.

***

We're back!
Had a fabulous time!
It was an eye-opening trip of a lifetime!
Please click on the following destinations to be directed to the specific posting:
Will share ipostcards/travelogue/pictures soon.
Ecuador
Peru

Out on my vaca-SEAN/SABA-tical NOV08

I will be out of town on my

vaca-SEAN/SABA-tical
in Ecuador and Peru
from 15NOV08-29NOV08.
In case of emergency,

please contact my manager/agent/publicist.

Prop 8 - The Musical

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Marriage is a Question of Love

Bittersweet. It is the only way to describe how those who voted "No on Prop" and at the same time voted for Barack Obama felt, after the results were all in during last week’s historic U.S. election. We cried with tears of joy & hope with Obama's winning and cried with tears of sadness & disbelief with the passing of Proposition 8 (52% to 48%). Ironically, at a time where we voted for the first African American President, the exit polls reflected that Black voters came out in favor of the proposition, more than any other voting group, by a 70/30 margin. As many as 90% of Black voters supported Obama and the Democrats. A large majority of them also voted "Yes on Prop 8". Once again, organized religion was the key influencer that drove many of them to vote the way they did.
I remain dumbfounded and speechless to this day. I was very touched as I watched Keith Olbermann voice out his opinion on this matter on the Special Comment portion of his program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Allow me to let this straight intelligent beautiful human being speak more eloquently for me, my partner, and my friends. Please view the video below...you might learn a thing or two and perhaps be enlightened.

Frank - R.I.P. - Left Behind

Frank, the wonderful husband of my Mom's youngest sister, had a heart attack last month. We were allowed access to see his unconscious body in the ICU at the hospital 2-hours away. He was able to hang in there until he passed away on All Soul's day. We went to the wake yesterday. I helped my Aunt fix his tie. It's been a long time since I've touched the cold skin of a loved-one who had gone before us. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the funeral services today. After my sister shared what my aunt was feeling inside, this sad song which seemed to convey her exact sentiments played in my head:

Rest in Peace, Uncle Frank.

Diary of a 39-year-old first-time voter

I am a bit embarrassed and yet at the same time very proud to admit that this is my first time to vote in my life. From the time I was eligible to vote at age 18 and left my beautiful homeland, the Philippines, at age 25, I failed to vote on only one Presidential Election. My memory as to why I did not vote during that election where Fidel V. Ramos won the Philippine presidency has completely abandoned the inner recesses of my brain. The succeeding 11 years marked my journey of being a citizen living away from his motherland and my struggle of trying to belong to the land I now called home. Exactly two years ago, I finally became a U.S. citizen, and since then I have been looking forward to this day when I finally get to exercise my right to vote.
I set my alarm to go off unusually very early today and was planning to be there when the polls opened at 7AM. Bill convinced me to wait after 9AM, when most likely most of those who have to drive to work would have already voted and left. I was very anxious to go and worried that there might be a very long line and would have to eventually call in late for work, but I gave in to trusting his experience. He was right. Damn! I was in and out of there in 10 minutes. Woohoo! I am very excited to be part of this historic U.S. elections.

"really" putting country first and
hoping for the change we can believe in

no question about it

Voting "NO" on Prop 8

voting for equality and against discrimination

casting my ballot

I am optimistic that we will be celebrating tonight!

This could be the future, had I not voted:

One day more! - Les MisBarack

One Day More!


Do You Hear the People Sing?

Spring Awakening in the Fall

Each time I was in New York City within the past 2 years, I would always try to get tickets to the Broadway musical, "Spring Awakening", but it was always sold out. So I got excited when I found out they were coming to the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles. The Sunday before the most historical U.S. elections, we went and finally saw "Spring Awakening", the 2007 Tony winner for Best Musical. It is the "Rent" and "Hair" of today's generation.
We really enjoyed the show and immediately recommended it to all our "cultured" friends (lol). (In fact, we went to see it again before the tour ended.)
The edgy themes of coming of age, sexuality, and suicide surely brought me back to the days when I was undergoing puberty, living away from home, in an all exclusive boys school, studying Latin in preparation for the priesthood, under the strict guidance of my religious superiors... :)

Happy Halloween 2008!

Please click on the title or HERE for Birdie's costume.

Please Vote "NO" on Prop 8

I believe in love and marriage. Since I was six years old, I have participated in several weddings in different capacities. I have played the role of ring-bearer, altar boy, best man, prayer leader, lector, wedding singer/choir, witness, event planner, consultant to the designer, music organizer, photographer, and (had I never left the seminary) most likely would have also played officiating priest on more than one occasion. I always felt it was an honor to be part of one of the happiest days of several couples' lives, regardless if it was out of love (for friends & family) or was being paid for it. I used to wonder if I would ever experience that same kind of joy of being able to marry the one that I love.
Alas, last May 15th, a landmark event in history, the California Supreme Court overturned a state law that allowed only opposite-sex couples to marry. Bill and I were excited but cautious, and decided not to immediately take advantage of this, since it still does not cover federal benefits.
Then Proposition 8, an initiative measure to Eliminate Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry, was added by an out of town special interest group to the California General Election Ballot. I worried that if we got married and "Yes on Proposition 8" was passed after the elections, then we would only end up heart-broken.

I still am not sure if we will get married or not, but I am doing this not for me, but for those who have already gotten married and are/may be planning to do so in the future.
For those in my life who use their faith as their only moral compass, I implore you to think about the fundamental rights of those "happy" people (known or unbeknownst to you) who in some way, shape, or form played a role in making your wedding day one of the most memorable days of your life (like your brother, cousin, friend, hairdresser, make-up artist, wedding gown designer, stripper, event planner, choreographer, caterer, waiter, videographer, driver, honeymoon travel agent, best man, and yes, even perhaps your priest.)
Fellow Californians, regardless of how you feel about marriage, it is not fair to treat people differently under the law, so on November 4th, Election Day, aside from voting for the right person to lead our nation, please consider voting "No on Proposition 8", vote for love, equality, and not for discrimination.
If you disagree with me, speak now or forever hold your peace, so I can, therefore, save on wedding invitations, if ever. :-)

I've compiled some of the best videos on this subject matter:
For all videos by http://www.noonprop8.com, please click HERE.

From a group of independent citizens using sarcasm as a tool
to deliver their message:

Procreation:


Icky:


From a very smart young man named Dan Brown:

Last Dance as a 30-something

She has never admitted it, but my youngest sister, Sari's wish for her 14th birthday (aside from getting big boobs) was to have another brother. So God decided to truly bless her by sending me to this world a day before her birthday.

10 years ago, a week before both our birthdays (29th for me and 43rd for her), we had a family reunion in the Philippines to celebrate our parents' 50th Golden Wedding Anniversary. During the reception, all of their children and grandchildren rendered a song or dance number for the couple. Since the theme for telling their love story was "dance of the past five decades", Sari and I decided to represent the 70's (the decade of my childhood) with a disco swing dance number to the music of Donna Summer's "Last Dance", as our present to our parents.
If you wish to see what possibly could have been the inspiration for "Dancing with the Stars",
please click on the video below:
(Note to the judges/critics: This was choreographed and rehearsed in only one hour the day prior to the festivities and I had to be very careful since she wasn't wearing any panties...LOL)


By coincidence, exactly 10 years later, the only big show in town was An Evening with Donna Summer at the Hollywood Bowl. So my sister and I decided to celebrate our birthdays (39th for me and 53rd for her) by watching the disco queen perform live. Our poor respective partners, Bill and Richard, both disco haters, had to sit through the whole ordeal...LOL. Donna's finale song was naturally, "Last Dance". We had a blast!

When I said I wanted a bike for my birthday...

... this is not what I meant...LOL

@ the launch of
Indian Motorcycle Apparel Collection at Fred Segal:

Evite

Sean on a 2009 Indian Chief motorcycle

Sean modeling an Indian motorcycle jacket & helmet

My new grand nephew

Sachi with his Grand Uncle Sean

For the full story behind finding Sachi and more pics,
please click on the title or HERE to be directed to the posting.