"f.a.m.i.l.y."

i still remember that dinner at denny's after a crosstrainer meeting where pat, fred, dennis, christian, and i first conceived the ACE concept. it flourished during the october retreat. and yeah...it became more than a concept. it became the ace family. with james, tiff, bobby, jen, clarissa, ana, nick, betty, mike, russell, maddie, matt, katrina, and so forth...ACE expanded. over the years...people have come and gone but there was a family still standing strong and resolute. now...ACE has become more of a memory than anything else. awhile ago...i was watching sytcd and saw the mia michaels piece that katee (who is so #$^*#% beautiful) and joshua did to adele's "hometown glory." other than the fact that the dance was absolutely amazing and clearly one of the best i've ever seen...it inspired me to remember the yesteryears of ACE. no matter what it originally was or meant...ACE ultimately became one of the greatest manifestations of love in my life. it was and still is. we've all changed...some for the better and some for the worse. some of us have moved on...the rest of us manage to stay together. we're a family with walls...with gaps...with flaws we can't seem to overcome. i don't know about everyone else...but i can't let this go. ACE is not dead. i thought it was but i realized that over time ACE became LOVE and that doesn't die. yeah...we all haven't lived up to the name/meaning then like we should but that doesn't mean we don't still have a chance to make something good happen...to start again or get back what was lost. i'm going to do what i can to bring ACE back. i know it won't be easy and it will take some miracles and grace. it's going to take time and a lot of action but i'm going to "show that we ain’t gonna stand shit. show that we are united. show that we ain’t gonna take it. round my hometown, memories are fresh. round my hometown, oh the people i’ve met are the wonders of my world."

"significant."

everyone has their daily essentials and the things they can't do without. these are mine:

1) jack black lip balm (and blistex lip infusion). a lip balm designed just for men but i know a grip of women that use this. it's that good. green tea + vitamins + shea butter + peppermint oil + avocado oil = lip therapy. and if i don't have it on me...i'm bound to have my other choice, blistex. it's important to protect your lips...and lip balm also enhances any chance encounters that involve kissing.
2) canon sd850is. i live for cinematic moments. and if i can't capture such moments through video...i'm down to settle for pictures. yeah...slrs and what not are much better and i would like to have one...but my camera is small and powerful enough to keep up with my adventures. and paired up with my 4gb card...i can take literally hundreds of photos without worrying about running out of space.
3) lg vx8600. in this day and age...a cellphone has become a must. my phone right now for me is a like/dislike relationship. great call quality, convenient size, and sleek looks but lousy speaker phone, fragile charger connection, and poor tactile buttons. i need internet connection on a phone now more than ever since i can only access a computer early in the morning and late in the evening. and as one of my summer goals prescribe (see past entries)...it's time for an upgrade (lg dare).
4) rosary scapular. i got my first one from fred when he went to the philippines. i gave it to rachelle as a memento of loved ones she has here before she flew back to the philippines to stay there until she finishes nursing. i got another one from my mom...which bianca still has from retreat. i don't feel the same without it and i love to wear it wherever i go. i haven't worn one in weeks...so i either have to get mine back from bianca or get a new one...perhaps one i can attach a miraculous medal of mary to. that would be great.
5) yves saint laurent l'homme/victoria secret very sexy for men/versace eau fraiche/viktor and rolf antidote/l'eau par kenzo for men. yeah...i have "a lot" of colognes. but trust me...it's not too much. my dad raised me on the old-school gentleman swagger of having cologne. use one that compliments you and use it lightly...and you'll get a good and heavy effect (heavy like how marty mcfly says is in back to the future). each one of these scents bring about a reflection of who i am (and obviously what i like to smell like). different scents for different events/experiences/moods/times. c'mon now...no one would use 5 colognes at the same time...that would be very much busted.
6) listerine breath strips (and eclipse polar ice gum). i've made sure to have these on me whenever i go out for about 6 years now. the best way to get rid of bad breath on the run. eclipse gum is something i don't always have...probably because i like it so much i run out of them easily. they've been my gum of choice since i bought them to use for my first prom. a gum like this comes handy in taking someone's (bad) breath away.
7) vitamins. a tradition since childhood that will go on and on. no day feels the same mentally and physically without them. legitimately essential to my life. i've come a long way from those flintstones chewables and centrum for kids stuff.
8) aveeno face wash/scrub + boots quick thinking wipes. aveeno got the pureness on lock. i believe that the more natural ingredients and less chemicals...the better the product. exfoliation is good once a week...so my mom tells me and i've abided by that advice for years now. if i'm on the go...quick thinking wipes do the trick.
9) jack black oily skin defense lotion. let's make it simple. i have oily skin...and this lotion solves my problem. the end.
10) tumi wallet. it was a dream of mine since i was a kid to have a nice wallet. tumi always stood out to me as a brand that made durable and quality goods. after all...they were the clintons' choice for luggage and gear. mine is made mostly out of ballistic nylon...so it's durable and water-resistant. it's also slim enough that i can carry about as much as a card case can (which i previously used) and still not look like a tumor on my leg when i take it around.

"i plead the fourth!"

by the way...the fourth amendment guards
against unreasonable seizures and searches.
basically...you need a warrant and
our good ol' friend, mr. probable cause.

anyways...yesterday was the most chill
fourth of july that i can remember.
i got to sleep in and get the right amount of hours
i need as supposed to the four to five i usually get.
bbq with my parents during the day then
a bbq with the homies during
the night at brother bear's house.
good food, good drinks, good people,
good volleyball, good swimming...grrrreat fireworks haha.
it was an awesome way to celebrate our nation's
declaration of independence. yeeeeee-hawwwww!

summer has seriously been good to me thus far
and i'm definitely lovin' it.
but this just can't be summer love...you'll see.

"all is full of love."

first and foremost...check out bjork. her song/video is crazy good.

driving to victor valley community hospital
was not as bad as i thought it would be.
with good driving conditions...
i can get there in an hour or so as proven by today's trip.
it's around 60 miles one-way
and the hospital is in the
middle of old town victorville...
which is nothing like old town pasadena.
we're way into the desert so it's freakin' hot.
apart from all this...the day was quite chill.
the first day on the units will be monday...
so aside from being in victorville by 6:50am,
i'm going to be excited.
but then again...i'll be going to victorville
on tuesday and wednesday too.
ouch.

tonight...i bought kanye west's new book.
entitled "thank you and you're welcome,"
it features his perspectives, quotes, and lessons
laced with humor and irony.
this purchase led me to remembering
that he's performing at nike's human race
at the end of august in la.
that being said...
i have just registered to join the race.
i'll be running to support the
united nations' refugee agency.
it's a 10k race which is something
i've never done before.
simply said...
i'll be pushing my body
harder than ever before
for a good cause with a good show at the finish line.
i'll be making a race profile in the near future
so people can support me by donating
to the refugee agency.

for now...visit http://www.ninemillion.org/ and http://www.nikeplus.nike.com/
for more information on donating and the human race.

i just found out pat and christian are
planning to try out for american idol in san francisco
and there's a bay area trip planned for it as well.
is good as this all sounds...i can't go because
i would be missing schoool for a week
which is the equivalent of academic suicide.
what a bust...a bay area trip
is on the cusp of being actualized
and i won't be a part of it.

moving on to more positive things...

i was able to finally eat at the panera bread
at the shoppes today with betty,
which is also something i was able
to finally do since i've never really
chilled one-on-one with her.
we also went to barnes and noble where i bought her
the kite runner in hopes to encourage
her to read more fiction and she bought me cunt to
expand my knowledge in women's studies.
i think the transaction worked out beautifully.

tonight was myrna velasco's viewing.
i wanted to go since i couldn't attend the funeral
due to school obligations.
she was a truly remarkable woman that
is a great example of faith, hope, love, and passion to us all.
i didn't know her as well as most did...
but she inspired me as much as everyone else.
my moments with her were unique and special.
please pray for her soul and for her family.

that's all for now.
have a great and safe
fourth of july weekend.

"acuteness."

i narrowly passed cardiovascular by 2%.
i won't be lazy about homework again.
going to victor valley hospital for clinicals tomorrow...
it's going to be a drag of a drive.
i'm not looking forward to making that commute
a couple a times a week for months to come.
however...it's an acute care hospital which means
there's going to be a lot more action and
a lot more to learn and do other than
the usual CNA stuff.
i hope that makes the drive worthwhile.

got out of school two hours early...which was good news.
the bad news was i had to still wait for dad since
we carpooled. i spent three hours finding things to do
all over san bernardino. you won't be surprised to know
there's not much to do. it's quite ghetto and barren.
i still can't believe i go to school here...
but i suppose i got to suffer before i thrive.

so the burden of not having a job is now upon me.
my funds are quite low and i finally was able to establish a budget
until the end of august. bills to pay. a camping trip to fund.
possibly buying a ticket for rock the bells.
july is going to be a financially tough month.
once august comes things will be okay but until then...
it's going to be baller on a tight budget status.
oh...i hope my financially future is brighter than the present.

turned in my returning application for crosstraining.
it's going to be a very different year for me.
i won't be as active as i usually am and
i won't be around as much as i would like.
this year will be all about being a crosstrainer
without retreats...far from home and st. paul.
it will be tough but i know it will also be very rewarding.

alright alright...i need to sleep.
the trip to victorville demands that i rest well
because i will defnitely not enjoy the drive there.

bon mot!