dear two thousand twelve,

It has been a fantastic three hundred sixty-six days with you, but it is now time to move on. Don't worry because I will hold you dear to my heart always.

sincerely, Precious

hi, two thousand thirteen

PLEASE BE MAGICAL :)

Take Me to Anywhere!

I just took my last out-of-town trip of the year. It was an overnight trip to Monterey County with one of my favorite families in the world - the Sanchezes. We visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which was equally fun for the adults as it was for the kids. I hadn't been there in years, so I was pretty excited to go back. We also stopped by Carmel Beach for a little bit of photo ops, but it quickly made me miss my puppy. There were so many dogs there, and they were all so playful. On top of it all, it was a food trip -- Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, (the oh so fancy) Portabella, and Korea House just to name the mains.

This could be a good a time to recap my year's vacation trips.

January - Anaheim, CA
February - Anaheim, CA (I took a leap and didn't sleep)
April - Philippines
June - Los Angeles County. Orange County. Las Vegas, NV. Grand Canyon, AZ.
September - Anaheim, CA
October - Seattle, WA
November - Pacific Coast. LA County. Orange County. San Diego, CA
December - Long Beach, CA. Anaheim, CA. Mexico. Monterey, CA. Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA.

I took a lot of trips to SoCal, but that's predicted. :) I also took a handful of day trips to the Bay Area, but those don't really count since I'm from there. Haha. The end.


Now, I'm on a search for an insurance company for my pet. There are so many to choose from, but I don't want to settle on just any. It has to be the best if I'm paying the luxury for my baby girl. Sigh.

This Christmas

The thing with getting older and having a stable job is that you become the gifter. To the kids, to the oldies, to everyone! It's a pretty good feeling until you sit down and realize that you should have started shopping sooner, or better yet, saving more. It's true, and it's still a good feeling in the end. This season, I barely had time to do any shopping -- in person and online. I've been so busy with work that when I finally have a day off, it's spent resting, watching football (because it's usually the default Sunday), and giving my pup its much deserved attention. I'll be better next year.

This Holiday season feels like it just came and went, but was definitely filled with so much love. It was also filled with lots of joy and good cheers and food. ;) Being with my family and dearest friends was more than I could ask for. Christmas parties every weekend was awesome! As a matter of fact, let me recap.

12/1 Christmas party for work! (see Perfect Audit post)

12/7-10 Weekend cruise to Mexico! :) It was short, sweet, and so much fun! Where else can you find two margaritas and a shot for $5?! Or, 2 beers and 2 shots for $1.50?! Or, FREE SHOTS?! Only in Me-hee-co. Hey, hey, hey.

12/15 Annual Berks Christmas Party. Always fun, always entertaining, always a must-go.

12/22 B2K Christmas in Sacramento. Secret Santa exchange was funny, but I think it kinda went wrong midway. "Name three..." "Chicken Joy!" Doesn't Chicken Joy count as Filipino food? I mean... haha, nevermind. Good, good times.

Ahh. I can't even deny that even though I only had to work until 3p on Christmas Eve, it felt like it 3 o'clock took foreeever to come. I was too excited to be with family and eat good comfort food. Warm, homemade bibingka was a hit in my tummy. ;)

ps. If you can't describe well or get creative doing so, please don't be on my team while playing Taboo. I get pretty competitive! Lol. Jk, sorta.

12/12/12

Just because it's the last in my lifetime, I guess.

How did I spend my day? Well, I had a Cal North ABM meeting for most of my day. Although it extended an extra hour, I was thankful for the free lunch. Yum! My branch was also among those recognized for a perfect audit. Holla! :) Then, I went to the nearby mall to hopefully get some help from the Apple store. THEY SUCK... or at least the guy I approached did. A big fat zero for customer service nonetheless; it was so unfortunate. Wandered around Nordstrom for a little bit before grabbing coffee and jetting off. I love Nordstrom's customer service. They're fantastic, for the most part. On my way home, I picked up some stuff for my pup. $38 for four items. Dogs are expensive.

Ok. I've been debating for quite a long time. I need a new phone. My phone has been malfunctioning on me -- turning off on its own, freezing on a screen for hours, and my power button is buried. I want another iPhone, but... there are so many other options. Plus, today's experience at the Apple store made me second guess my options. But then again, maybe they'll be nice to me once I'm "under the warranty" again. Ugh.

Ok, this is just a just to blog post, and I should get off. So boring. Heh.

Perfect Audit

Thanksgiving week was one to remember. My manager was on vacation, and I faced my very first audit as an ABM. It makes me sad that I wasn't there nor did I get credit for my previous branch's audit. That was mine. I worked hard. Of course, God always has a better plan for His children. In my new branch, I am (on paper) credited with a perfect audit. It felt good to hear the news. It felt even better when the higher ups and colleagues alike are sending us congratulatory emails and phone calls. I sort of can't wait to hear my name on this week's ops call. :)

With that said, we had an early Christmas dinner for work. White Elephant, Mexican themed catering, and games for days. Seriously, Taboo is one of the funnest games ever. Apples to Apples too. "Know your audience!" Eat fresh. A type of wax. Crap! And the kids. Oh the kids. They were all so adorable and so cute. Buzz.

[Currently watching 49ers vs Rams. Another OT?! Fcuk a tie. I want a WIN. Let's go Niners!]

December is going to be one busy month for me. Every weekend is filled with Christmas parties. I have yet to finish my Christmas shopping. After all of this, I promise to be better with my finances. Oh the irony.