at an Easter celebration at our friends' houseby the Venice Canals, CA
3/23/08
3/16/08
Finding Face
It took me awhile to join social networking sites, such as MySpace, Friendster, and Facebook; since I was 
under the impression that it was only frequented by the peers of my nieces and nephews (teenagers to twenty-somethings). I kept out of MySpace, since I was worried that I would be easy prey to online pedophiles ... LOL.
But two months ago, I decided to join Facebook to search out old friends. Boy, am I glad I did! I finally found old friends that I have failed looking for via Google. I was able to find long lost friends that I had last touched based with ... all the way from the time I left the Philippines 13 years ago, from college, from high school. I even found my best friend during my sophomore year in the seminary, who I last saw when the priests finally kicked me out of the seminary, since they concluded that I would just be wasting my good looks if I became a priest ... LOL. My image of him was that of a 14-year old, and thus did not immediately recognize him in his picture of a man close to hitting his 40s. It feels exhilirating to even think where and how to begin to catch up on all the years that have gone by. Or who knows, perhaps friends don't really give a F+_)(*&^%$#@! about what each other has been up to... We'll see ... just elated to see "old" faces (and by no means am I referring to the wrinkles) ... LOL.
under the impression that it was only frequented by the peers of my nieces and nephews (teenagers to twenty-somethings). I kept out of MySpace, since I was worried that I would be easy prey to online pedophiles ... LOL. But two months ago, I decided to join Facebook to search out old friends. Boy, am I glad I did! I finally found old friends that I have failed looking for via Google. I was able to find long lost friends that I had last touched based with ... all the way from the time I left the Philippines 13 years ago, from college, from high school. I even found my best friend during my sophomore year in the seminary, who I last saw when the priests finally kicked me out of the seminary, since they concluded that I would just be wasting my good looks if I became a priest ... LOL. My image of him was that of a 14-year old, and thus did not immediately recognize him in his picture of a man close to hitting his 40s. It feels exhilirating to even think where and how to begin to catch up on all the years that have gone by. Or who knows, perhaps friends don't really give a F+_)(*&^%$#@! about what each other has been up to... We'll see ... just elated to see "old" faces (and by no means am I referring to the wrinkles) ... LOL.
3/5/08
Sleep Well Roy
Bill's father, John, unexpectedly died in 1987 from an aortic aneurysm, seven years before I met Bill, thus I never had the privilege of meeting him.By the time Bill and I met 12 1/2 years ago, his mother, Mabe, had found a new love in a man named Roy. Roy proved to be a wonderful blessing to Mabe and Bill's family. The couple was happily married for the next 13 years.
Well, one of sad days that we've been anticipating and fearing, which was one of the reasons I was kind of unexcited about this year, unfortunately has finally come to pass. Roy, Bill's step dad, passed away shortly after noon today at age 85 from bladder cancer.
Last Christmas, you couldn't tell that he had been battling cancer for the past year and half. But by Valentine's he asked to go back home to their main house in Grants Pass, Oregon, instead of finishing the winter season in Palm Desert, CA, as Mabe and he usually do every year. It was Valentine's Day and as I whispered to his ear that I love him, I knew it was the last time I would see and touch him. His local doctors later checked him again and gave him a month to live. Sadly his time came earlier, but at least he is mo longer in pain.
May he rest in peace. Please lift him up in your prayers and include Mabe and Bill's family during this difficult period. To our dear friends who have offered their condolences, "Thank you very much." Your thoughts and prayers are much appreciated. :-(
3/3/08
2/20/08
2/14/08
Happy Valentines Day 2008!
On some special occasions of the year, I volunteer and help out a friend who owns the local neighborhood flower shop and play florist. Valentine's Day, obviously, is one of the busiest days for florists, so any assistance offered helps. So at the end of this day I am hoping that the recipients of my flower arrangements (works of art or flora disasters) will be happy and return the giver with some cookie and nookie...LOL
Whatever helps to make you happy on this day:
Whatever helps to make you happy on this day:a job, money, roses, chocolates, love, sex...
Hope you get it this Valentine's.
Happy Valentine's Day!
I love you!
Mahal na mahal kita!
2/7/08
1/18/08
"We're Brothers Forever!"
I had not caught up with my TiVo viewing,
so I did not get to watch this performance last night.
I started getting calls from some of my facetious
"politically incorrect" non-Asian friends,
to tease me that they saw me on American Idol.
I know "we" may all look alike in "your" eyes,
but that was not me ... that was my brother!
Damn him, I wrote that song on the boat on our way to America
and he stole it from me...LOL
Presenting Renaldo Lapuz and his audition song,
"We're Brothers Forever!":
Check out one of the several dance remix versions:
1/5/08
Caught Another Bug!
No, I did not start the year by getting sick.
On the first weekend of the new year,
we helped my niece, Czarina,
get a great deal on her second car.
She replaced her 2004 VW Golf GL
with a fully-loaded 2008 VW New Beetle.
Presenting "Bullet", the Platinum Gray Metallic Beetle!
the new kid on the block with turbo engine, heated leather seats, and 18-inch alloy wheels
parked inside the garage for the first month only
***
Check out the interior details:
comes with a laptop
flat screen TV
mini-bar
reclinable heated leather back seats ***
Yah, right! LOL
1/4/08
P.S. My Bucket List
I really wasn't excited about the New Year 2008.
In some way I've been scared to "death" of it.
I'm not afraid of dying. But since we never know when that day will come, I try to live my life as if time was running out for me. Even before 9/11, we had experienced some close calls, such as almost drowning, getting lost in the woods, etc., which made Bill draw up a living trust and me write down a "bucket list" (list of all things we want to do in our lives before we kick the bucket.) Perhaps because of these experiences, I began to have this wanderlust or desire to do and see as much as I can, while I'm still young/er.
What I'm afraid of is people I love dying on me.
Sorry to sound so morbid, but in 2007, we were surrounded by several health scares and
were constantly reminded to value the concept of "health is wealth":
The day after Christmas 2007, I got some scary news that my father, who is in the Philippines, was rushed to the ER. He had suffered from vertigo caused by an atrial flutter. Thankfully, after a few days the doctors let him go back home and with medication is now doing better.
As the youngest child born to parents who were already in their 40's when I came into their lives, I somehow always worried that I would not have the privilege of enjoying them as long as my older siblings. As I child, I would often lay awake at night waiting for my Dad to come home (which was almost always pretty late at night due to his work). Since social drinking was an inevitable part of these late nights, I would always pray that nothing bad would happen to him on his drive home. My paternal grandparents lived close to their 100th birthdays, so longevity, fortunately, does run in my veins. But my dad still drinks whisky, smokes cigarettes, and eats fried oily food. He is an anomaly, since he has outlived most of his peers who lived healthier lifestyles.
Bill's Mom, Mabel and Stepdad, Roy (just like my Dad), are in their mid-80's and are not at the peak of good health. Roy battled bladder cancer by undergoing extensive chemotherapy and Mabel is suffering from a leaking heart valve.
Mike Pohjola, our good friend, who we have been watching over, has Parkinson's Disease. All his treatments have not had promising results.
Besi, our Yellow Labrador had been diagnosed last July with Degenerative Myelopathy and was given a few weeks/months to live. Somehow she has temporarily overcome this hurdle and is still with us.
All our plans for out of town/country trips are on hold due to the fear that something bad may occur while we are away. I know death is inevitable, but here is to keeping strong until those sad days comes and hopefully beyond.
Just by chance, the first two movies we saw during the first weekend of the year were, "The Bucket List" and "P.S. I Love You". Both films were marketed as light comedy/love story films and I almost forgot about the "death" aspect. I guess with what I was feeling, both films hit a nerve and I found myself breaking down in tears inside the theater restroom.
Part of my Old Bucket List (*as also shown in the movie):
*Go skydiving - checked
*Go on an African safari - checked
*See the rest of the New 7 Wonders and other exotic/ancient places - checking
*Learn to drive an 18-wheeler truck (in lieu of race car driving) - unchecked
(don't ask me why, 'cuz I don't know the answer myself...LOL)
Run a marathon - unchecked
....etc.
Added to my Bucket List:
Visit Mike more often in the nursing home.
Spoil Besi even more.
Spend more quality time with Mabe & Roy, as often as we can.
Call my Dad & Mom more often and visit them in the Philippines at the end of the year.
P.S. I love you!
In some way I've been scared to "death" of it.
I'm not afraid of dying. But since we never know when that day will come, I try to live my life as if time was running out for me. Even before 9/11, we had experienced some close calls, such as almost drowning, getting lost in the woods, etc., which made Bill draw up a living trust and me write down a "bucket list" (list of all things we want to do in our lives before we kick the bucket.) Perhaps because of these experiences, I began to have this wanderlust or desire to do and see as much as I can, while I'm still young/er.
What I'm afraid of is people I love dying on me.
Sorry to sound so morbid, but in 2007, we were surrounded by several health scares and
were constantly reminded to value the concept of "health is wealth":
The day after Christmas 2007, I got some scary news that my father, who is in the Philippines, was rushed to the ER. He had suffered from vertigo caused by an atrial flutter. Thankfully, after a few days the doctors let him go back home and with medication is now doing better.
As the youngest child born to parents who were already in their 40's when I came into their lives, I somehow always worried that I would not have the privilege of enjoying them as long as my older siblings. As I child, I would often lay awake at night waiting for my Dad to come home (which was almost always pretty late at night due to his work). Since social drinking was an inevitable part of these late nights, I would always pray that nothing bad would happen to him on his drive home. My paternal grandparents lived close to their 100th birthdays, so longevity, fortunately, does run in my veins. But my dad still drinks whisky, smokes cigarettes, and eats fried oily food. He is an anomaly, since he has outlived most of his peers who lived healthier lifestyles.
Bill's Mom, Mabel and Stepdad, Roy (just like my Dad), are in their mid-80's and are not at the peak of good health. Roy battled bladder cancer by undergoing extensive chemotherapy and Mabel is suffering from a leaking heart valve.
Mike Pohjola, our good friend, who we have been watching over, has Parkinson's Disease. All his treatments have not had promising results.
Besi, our Yellow Labrador had been diagnosed last July with Degenerative Myelopathy and was given a few weeks/months to live. Somehow she has temporarily overcome this hurdle and is still with us.
All our plans for out of town/country trips are on hold due to the fear that something bad may occur while we are away. I know death is inevitable, but here is to keeping strong until those sad days comes and hopefully beyond.
Just by chance, the first two movies we saw during the first weekend of the year were, "The Bucket List" and "P.S. I Love You". Both films were marketed as light comedy/love story films and I almost forgot about the "death" aspect. I guess with what I was feeling, both films hit a nerve and I found myself breaking down in tears inside the theater restroom.
Part of my Old Bucket List (*as also shown in the movie):
*Go skydiving - checked
*Go on an African safari - checked
*See the rest of the New 7 Wonders and other exotic/ancient places - checking
*Learn to drive an 18-wheeler truck (in lieu of race car driving) - unchecked
(don't ask me why, 'cuz I don't know the answer myself...LOL)
Run a marathon - unchecked
....etc.
Added to my Bucket List:
Visit Mike more often in the nursing home.
Spoil Besi even more.
Spend more quality time with Mabe & Roy, as often as we can.
Call my Dad & Mom more often and visit them in the Philippines at the end of the year.
P.S. I love you!
12/25/07
Happy Holiday Greetings 2007-2008
Sean & Bill
Birdie, Besi, & Sean 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!
Have a Nelly little X'mas and a Happy New Queer!...
Make the Yuletide Gay!
Happy Hanukkah!
Happy Kwanzaa!
Happy Boxing Day!
Advanced Kung Hei Fat Choy!
12/20/07
Philippine Idol
Forget American Idol, check this out!
For the sake of my non-Filipino friends and/or for those who were not aware of this,
I wanted to share two talented Filipino singers who have recently been discovered by America via Youtube:
Presenting Arnel Pineda! As the lead singer of The Zoo, a cover band from the Philippines, he was discovered by Journey's guitarist, Neal Schon in YouTube. Journey was in search of a new lead singer and flew Arnel to the U.S. to audition. In early December, the band announced that the talented Filipino is the new front man for the New Journey.
You'll be amazed at how he sounds so much like Steve Perry.
For more info, click on the band's website and here and here.
Here is one of their videos that helped Arnel be discovered:
Presenting Charice Pempengco, a 15-year old girl from the Philippines
performing at "The Ellen DeGeneres Show":
For the sake of my non-Filipino friends and/or for those who were not aware of this,
I wanted to share two talented Filipino singers who have recently been discovered by America via Youtube:
Presenting Arnel Pineda! As the lead singer of The Zoo, a cover band from the Philippines, he was discovered by Journey's guitarist, Neal Schon in YouTube. Journey was in search of a new lead singer and flew Arnel to the U.S. to audition. In early December, the band announced that the talented Filipino is the new front man for the New Journey.
You'll be amazed at how he sounds so much like Steve Perry.
For more info, click on the band's website and here and here.
Here is one of their videos that helped Arnel be discovered:
Presenting Charice Pempengco, a 15-year old girl from the Philippines
performing at "The Ellen DeGeneres Show":
12/15/07
London Calling - Missed Call/Bad Connection
Please click on the title to be directed to the posting.
12/14/07
iPostcards from Saint Martin/Sint Maarten
We're back!
Had a fabulous time!
Please click on the following destinations to be directed to the specific posting:
12/9/07
iPostcards from New York, NY - Winter 2007
Please click on the title or HERE to be directed to the posting.
Baby Got Back!
A few days before we left for NYC, while getting ready for work, I caught a glimpse of this couple on The Today Show giving a live performance of their first wedding dance, which has been a very popular video posting all over the web.
During the intermission of Legally Blonde, I got to chat with the lovely couple beside me. It was their first time to visit the Big Apple. When I asked what brought them to the city, I soon realized that they were that same couple on TV! The Today Show flew them in for an all expense paid trip to tour the city and to appear on their show. They were very nice and I could tell they were a fun couple, who knew how to laugh at themselves. My kind of people.
In case you have not seen the video, here is John and Michelle Brubaker and their wedding dance to "Baby Got Back," which has been seen by more than 3 million people on YouTube.
12/7/07
Out on my vaca-SEAN/SABA-tical DEC07
I will be out of town on my
vaca-SEAN/SABA-tical
in New York City,
in New York City,
Saint Martin, Sint Maarten,
Saba,
and London
from 07DEC07-17DEC07.
In case of emergency,
In case of emergency,
please contact my manager/agent/publicist.
12/5/07
Happy Hanukkah 2007!
Wearing a yamaka for the first time for Hanukkah/Chanukah.
To all my Jewish friends, "Happy Hanukkah!"
11/26/07
A Different Coming Out of the Closet
OK, I admit it, I am a "pack rat". I have the tendency to keep almost every single little thing I come across in my life. This, of course, drives my super neat freak partner bananas.
Well, since we have been practically living out of boxes for the past several weeks, due to moving/storing most of our stuff for the painting of the inside of the house, I figured this would be the best time to admit myself to my own version of "pack rat rehab".
I did it! In the course of several days, I finally learned to let go of a lot of my personal junk and donate them to thrift shops. I came out of my closet and cleaned it out. Included in the several trash bags were very old clothes that I had brought with me on my move to the U.S. more than 12 years ago. I think, the clincher in letting go was when I discovered that I could no longer fit into all my size 28-inch waistline jeans. Waaahhh! LOL
Well, since we have been practically living out of boxes for the past several weeks, due to moving/storing most of our stuff for the painting of the inside of the house, I figured this would be the best time to admit myself to my own version of "pack rat rehab".
I did it! In the course of several days, I finally learned to let go of a lot of my personal junk and donate them to thrift shops. I came out of my closet and cleaned it out. Included in the several trash bags were very old clothes that I had brought with me on my move to the U.S. more than 12 years ago. I think, the clincher in letting go was when I discovered that I could no longer fit into all my size 28-inch waistline jeans. Waaahhh! LOL
11/25/07
Happy Thanksgiving 2007!
Spent the Thanksgiving weekend in Palm Springs with my B's:
Me and my bitches, my dogs, Besi & Birdie
***
Me and my biatches, two of my best buds, Jojo & Caloy
11/15/07
Moderate Makeover: Home Edition
Since both of us now work from home, last August, we entertained the idea of moving out of Los Angeles for a change of scenery. After a month of deliberation, we figured an interior makeover of our house would seal the deal to keep us here and postpone any further thoughts of moving in the near future.
Well, a makeover that was supposed to take only 2-weeks while we were traveling, is finally finished after a month over the due date. We are quite happy with the changes, but unfortunately, we are left drained and traumatized with our "living with toxins and in paranoia" experience with our first painter/artist. We had to hire a real painter to redo the walls and ceilings. After living in our dream home that we designed and built 9 years ago, we finally changed the old carpet to new carpet/hardwood, the living room sofa, and the interior paint. During the building process, the idea for keeping the interior color white/neutral was for resale purposes. Now it felt right to give a splash of soothing colors. With this moderate makeover, I can say we are definitely not moving for quite a long while.
Here are some before and after pictures
(double click on pic to enlarge):
blue front door painted to look like natural wood finish
and painted to look like bordered with mosaic tile:
changed living room from carpet to hardwood floor:
from a navy blue to cactus green custom-made sofa:
living room before & after:
fireplace painted to look like marble:
ceiling painted to match the blue sky:
new carpet to match the earth:
bedroom entrance changed from carpet to hardwood:
master's bedroom painted to
some brushed watchamakalit puke green:
fountain painted to look like marble:
my office painted to more earthy tones:
guestroom painted to some kinda of Frenchy blue
and the bathroom painted to look like it was wall-papered:
powder room made to look like your inside an aquarium:
Well, a makeover that was supposed to take only 2-weeks while we were traveling, is finally finished after a month over the due date. We are quite happy with the changes, but unfortunately, we are left drained and traumatized with our "living with toxins and in paranoia" experience with our first painter/artist. We had to hire a real painter to redo the walls and ceilings. After living in our dream home that we designed and built 9 years ago, we finally changed the old carpet to new carpet/hardwood, the living room sofa, and the interior paint. During the building process, the idea for keeping the interior color white/neutral was for resale purposes. Now it felt right to give a splash of soothing colors. With this moderate makeover, I can say we are definitely not moving for quite a long while.
Here are some before and after pictures
(double click on pic to enlarge):
blue front door painted to look like natural wood finish
and painted to look like bordered with mosaic tile:
changed living room from carpet to hardwood floor:
from a navy blue to cactus green custom-made sofa:
living room before & after:
fireplace painted to look like marble:
ceiling painted to match the blue sky:
new carpet to match the earth:
bedroom entrance changed from carpet to hardwood:
master's bedroom painted to
some brushed watchamakalit puke green:
fountain painted to look like marble:
my office painted to more earthy tones:
guestroom painted to some kinda of Frenchy blue
and the bathroom painted to look like it was wall-papered:
powder room made to look like your inside an aquarium:
10/30/07
Living with Toxins and in Paranoia
Just me...grumbling about our frustrations
and traumatic experience with this eccentric painter,
we had hired to paint our house, while we were traveling,
who apparently had some kind of unknown skin disease,
and failed to inform us about it
prior to our invitation to live in the house during the project.
10/23/07
Southern California is Burning!
We are surrounded but fortunately far from all the fires plaguing Southern California.
Let us pray for the safety and recovery of all of those affected.
view of the glow of the fires in Malibu from our rooftop
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