Tears For A Cop - God's Version

Submitted by Ruth Benallie. Author Unknown.
(Featured in the Bridge Newsletter -- National Police Suicide Foundation.)

When God Made Peace Officers

When the Lord was creating peace officers, he was into His sixth day of overtime. An angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of idling around on this one."

And the Lord said, "Have you read the specs on this order? A peace officer has to be able to run five miles through alleys in the dark, scale walls, enter homes the health inspector wouldn't touch, and not wrinkle his uniform. He has to be able to sit in an undercover car all day at a stakeout, cover a homicide scene that night, canvas the neighborhood for witnesses and testify in court the next day. He has to be in top physical condition at all times, running on black coffee and half-eaten meals. And he has to have six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands....no way!"

"It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord. "It's the three pairs of eyes the officer has to have."

"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.

The Lord nodded. "One pair that sees through a bulge in a pocket before he asks, "May I see what's in there, Sir?" (When he already knows and wishes he'd taken that accounting job) Another pair here in the side of his head for his partner's safety. And another pair of eyes here in front that can look reassuringly at a bleeding victim and say, "You'll be alright, Ma'am....when he knows it isn't so."

"Lord, " said the angel, touching his sleeve. Rest and work on this tomorrow."

"I can't", said the Lord, "I already have a model that can talk a 250 pound drunk into a patrol car without incident and feed a family of five on a civil service paycheck."

The angel circled the model of the peace officer very slowly. "Can it think?" she asked.

"You bet", said the Lord. "It can tell you the elements of a hundred crimes, recite Miranda warnings in its sleep, detain, investigate, search, and arrest a gang member on the street in less time than it takes five learned judges to debate the legality of the stop...and it still keeps its sense of humor. This officer also has phenomenal personal control. He can deal with crime scenes painted in hell, coax a confession from a child abuser, comfort a murder victim's family, and then read in the daily newspaper how law enforcement isn't sensitive to the rights of criminal suspects."

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the peace officer. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."

"That's not a leak," said the Lord. "It's a tear."

"What's a tear for?" asked the angel.

"It's for bottled up emotions, for fallen comrades, for commitment to that funny piece of cloth called the American flag for justice."

"You're a genius," said the angel.

The Lord looked somber, "I didn't put it there," He said, "It comes with the job."

Sad day

One of our guys at work died yesterday. He was doing a routine thing, something that is common for his job. Then he jumped a fence and he was gone. It brought back to the front of all our mind (in the department) just how short life can be and how quickly a person can be gone. Psalms 144:4 "Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow." So that is why I'm posting these two articles. May we take time during this joyous holiday season to remember those who serve us and keep us safe even at the cost of their own life.

Tears of a Cop - Under Pressure

I have been where you fear to go...
I have seen what you fear to see...
I have done what you fear to do...
All these things I've done for you.

I am the one you lean upon...
The one you cast your scorn upon...
The one you bring your troubles to...
All these people I've been for you.

The one you ask to stand apart...
The one you feel should have no heart...
The one you call the man in blue...
But I am human just like you.

And through the years I've come to see...
That I'm not what you ask of me...
So take this badge and take this gun...
Will you take it? Will anyone?

And when you watch a person die...
And hear a battered baby cry...
Then so you think that you can be
All those things you ask of me...?

"Tears Of A Cop" - author unknown

Which Jane Austen Character am I most like?

Going back to the grind

I just finished my first week of going back to work since my nice long vacation. Man is it hard getting back into the grind of daily life again! Even my muscles don't remember exercise again, which explains why I am so sore right now. But my trainer enlightened me to "muscle memory" and how after a period of not doing the exercise routine then you get back to the gym again. Your muscles apparently have a memory of when you were fit and can return back to the size you were then given time. That's the tough part is time, you could be in serious pain for a few weeks depending on how long ago it was you were in shape and want to get back to that shape.

And speaking of getting back into the grind at work. I get back and they toss me right into the hurricane again. They give me a trainee and committee meetings begin again for our big banquet in April. Also to top it off, I applied for being a radio dispatcher so I can go in the radio room and just deal with the units directly. I get the test date in the mail and it just happens to fall on the busiest day of the week for me...Monday. So come December 17th, I will only have about 4 hours of sleep that day what with taking the dispatcher test, working out with my trainer and still doing a full shift that night at work. But I hope you will pray for me, I really need to pass the test and be in the top three. This new position will be a new challenge and help out in the finances department too. Also if I know how to use the radio then I can go to any law enforcement and ambulance department and work for them. What I do isn't "just a job" it is a profession. Not many people can be a 911 Dispatcher and handle the job with all its stresses, so if you have the skill you are marketable. But I digress =)

Hockey Tradition

Yesterday Anne and I went to a hockey game. San Jose Sharks versus the LA Kings. It was a good game but the Sharks lost in overtime during the shoot-out. They don't have the best record of winning during a shoot-out but that is okay because the Sharks still got one point out of the game. Going to a hockey game after Thanksgiving is becoming a tradition with us.

We had to leave Modesto early so that we could take our time on the road. First we stopped at the Barnes & Noble in Livermoore and peruse the shelves. Then we ate an early dinner at Boda (this great Chinese food place that my family used to eat all the time when we lived in San Jose). Dinner was deep fried oysters, salt and pepper squid, house special fried rice and prawns with snow peas. Delicious! Then we stopped by the mall near the HP Pavilion since Anne wanted to do some Christmas shopping. The last thing we had to do before going to the game is Christmas in the Park. It is a San Jose tradition right in the middle of downtown at Ceasar Chavez Park. Various schools and organization have Christmas trees they decorate on display at Christmas in the Park alongside some Christmas dioramas and displays. It is pretty cool to walk around and look at the various displays.

I'm Alive

Sorry if I caused anyone to worry. I was unable to get internet access from my laptop during my last 3 days in Thiland and the whole week in Cambodia. But I updated my www.offexploring.com/travelingchamelon blog now that I am in Hong Kong and have internet access again.

Waiting

Seems like when you travel you tend to do plenty of waiting. You wait in line to check in the bags, you wait to go through security, you wait to get on the plane, then you wait to get off the plane, you wait in the immigration line and you wait in the baggage claim. I spend about 3 hours just inside Bangkok International’s Baggage claim waiting for my cousin. Do you know what three hours of doing absolutely nothing to someone like me does? It drives me bonkers! By the time my cousin showed up I was jumping up and down trying to not look like a crazy person. Of course when you start talking to a stuffed bear, people do give you the LOOK. LOL

Once my cousin collected her bag we went out to find our ride. Pastor Acosta was nice and very patiently waiting near the information desk. Stepping outside in the warm weather of Thailand was a surprise, of course wearing a dark black jacket didn’t help reduce the heat. But I found it was surprisingly not humid like in the Philippines. The traffic can be compared though the fact that over here they drive on the ‘wrong’ side of the street was enough to make me grab the seat and hold on tight. I found that the cars tended to obey the lanes and was nothing like the traffic in Manila. The place where we are staying is the Bangkok Christian Guest House, which is located near one of the main roads in the business section of Bangkok.

There are plenty of shops around and we found several malls connected together via overhead walk ways. Plenty of street vendors provided many opportunities to see things you don’t normally see i.e. uncooked meat out in the open, sticks of fish balls and little noodle shops on the side walk. Speaking of which there much of a side walk isn’t to begin with so walking is very much a people touching sport.

We ate dinner at a nice restaurant that the guy at the front desk recommended. Looking at the pictures you can only imagine the delicious taste of the food. Yummy!! It wasn’t too spicy since it is our first night here and we do want to enjoy being able to tastes the food for the next few days. Overall after a day spent waiting it was nice to finally settle in our new home away from home.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Off Exploring

I'm going to have to put this blog on hold while I travel. My brother is unable to read this blog and so I am going with a different website. You can check up on what I'm doing during my vacation by going to http://www.offexploring.com/travelingchamelon/

Please feel free to leave messages or comments! It would be wonderful to hear from y'all. So I will post updates when I get back at the end of this month!

Earthquake

Tonight there was an earthquake here in the Bay area. Fortunately growing up in Earthquake land AKA California, I'm used to it that I really didn't notice it. After a day of classes and doing "group activities", my co-workers decided not to join me for a small field trip across the Bay. I wanted to check out Fremont Police Department's Comm. Center and one of the guys in my group at class was a Sergeant for that department. His wife was a Supervisor at the Comm. Center and I got to visit. Their facility is very nice, looked like a mall inside. But the Comm. Center was much nicer than ours, my co-workers were right in warning me that I would be jealous. And I was! They have new equipment, a really nice room but I also realized and appreciated the things we have in our Comm. Center. I decided to go back to my hotel by 8pm and talked one of my coworker to joining me for dinner. He decided to just drink and I needed food so we went to the Japanese Restaurant on sight. Just as he ordered the SAKE it was when the quake hit. I thought it was just the movement of the water affecting your senses but the waiter told us it was an earthquake. Boy I didn't even think twice about it! I was so hungry and focusing on the food. LOL But I am okay and Lord willing it will not happen again tonight.

Business Trip

I'm on a short business trip for the next three days. Our Captain invited two co-workers and myself to attend a training class in San Mateo. So today we left Sacramento and checked into our hotel at Foster City. The class is held at San Mateo Community College which is like 10-15 min. away from the hotel. So far I am liking this way of travel, using the company money. =) The hotel is very nice and I'll take more pictures tomorrow. We got into San Mateo around dinner time and after unpacking, we went to look for where our class is going to be held tomorrow. Here are some pictures of our first day.

Culture Shock

One of the greatest pre-trip tools I use is the Culture Shock books. Reading up on the culture of the country I will be visiting helps me understand it so much better. I am equipped to see the country and how they do things without being too overwhelmed on how different it is from American culture. Right now I am currently reading "Culture Shock:Thailand" and it is very fascinating. The whole Asian 'saving face' custom is so prevalent in Thailand from what the book is explaining. One of the motto that the country has is "a country of a thousand smiles".

Now from reading the travel books there are basically two things a person will decided after spending time in Bangkok. You will either love it or hate it, and my Culture Shock book gives the same resounding thought. I am only half way through reading the book but so far it has provided me with some enlightenment on the culture and how things are the way they are. I only wish I could've found the Culture Shock book for China and that they made one for Cambodia. Right now my only perspective on Cambodia is that they have a bloody history. As for Hong Kong my thoughts are that it seems like a Westernized Asian country, trying to blend two very different things together and turn it into something harmonious and beautiful. So right now my only background information is for Bangkok. The other two places I will visit (especially Cambodia)will just have to surprise me. But then again that is one of the great things about traveling, the unexpected experiences.

Bangkok Plans

My Asia trip is coming up shortly just under two weeks now. I was originally going to stay with some friends of my parent's in Bangkok. But being "westernized" now and all I need a place that has air conditioning and is safe for two females. So I booked with the Christian Guest House in Bangkok after a recommendation from one of my friends. The price wasn't too bad about $50 a night for a room with two beds and a bathroom. I figure that the room will only be used to sleep in and change since there is so much to see. I'm also starting to make a list of the places I want to visit and where I want to eat. There is this one restaurant called "Cabbages and Condoms". Here is a website that explains the interesting name of the place. www.sli.unimelb.edu.au/pda/ccrest.htm

My co-worker also recommended the Q-Bar and Pawandang (sp?) as great places to eat. Then there is the Grand Palace, the Golden Mount, Laying Buddah, Chinatown, MBK shopping center, Jim Thompson's house that are a must see. So if you have any other suggestions on where to go and what to see in Bangkok I would greatly appreciate it!

Vanna White

After my class on Monday I think I can relate a little to what Vanna White feels like on "whee of fortune". All I did was use my finger to hit the computer button for the power point while my co-worker talked and lectured. I only got about 15 minutes of talking in while my co-worker (who was sick and feverish, but still wouldn't give up control) talked most of the time. All I needed was the sequined dress like Vanna since I was already wearing heels. I wonder if she ever gets tired of being just an assistant?

Another hat

For the past 12 days I have showed up to work every night. It seemed like I was living at my workplace. Even my supervisor noticed how much I spend up there and tease me about living in a back room. But this week I get a break from work, instead I will put on another at . . . the teacher's cap. For the next three days a co-worker and I will be tag-teaming in teaching at our in-house academy. Now I've never taught the topics that we'll be covering this week, but I deal with it every night at work. The various databases and access that I have at work is what will be taught in class this week. Last time I taught a class the subject was very simple and I thought it could be taught in an hour instead it ended up being 2 hours and I didn't even have activities planned. For this week, my co-worker and I planned it within three weeks using the previous teacher's power-point presentation and modifying it to fit our teaching style.

Right now however, I feel like I am just the "Vanna White" in this team and my co-worker is Pat Sayjack. He does the speaking and interacting while I just point and smile. LOL My co-worker definitely put in more time and effort into this, he is more of a teacher than me. I admire that in him but at the same time I feel like I am not doing much. Tomorrow is the first day and so we shall see how it goes. We have 3x more the people in this class than in the previous class, so more personalities are brought in. The interaction will be interesting to see. I think I might just have to wear my sassy red shoes tomorrow. After all I'm going from being a graveyard person to a morning person, which is enough of a change to shake me up. So who knows what my comfort level will be in the morning? I'll let you know how the day goes.

Countdown

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I'm here

Myspace Hello Comments & Graphics

I am still alive continuing on my 12 day work week. The Pastor whose house my cousin and I will be staying in Bangkok is visiting us this week, so I'm getting plenty of information on Bangkok. So far I am looking forward to the food, the various palaces and the fact that they have 3 Build-A-Bear stores in Bangkok. Sebstien (my ever faithful companion) will definitely be sporting an Asian outfit when he comes back. One of the books I read about on solo traveling suggested that you bring one totally impractical item from home to help ease the homesickness, for me it is my bear. It may seem a tad silly at times for a grown woman to be carrying a teddy bear, but Sebastien is my comfort and he gives really good hugs. I've also discovered that no matter how brown and Asian I may look, as soon as I open my mouth my accent will give me away as being American. Now the practical solution to blending in would be for me to just not open my mouth, but we all now how futile that will be. LOL So instead I have a Phrase book on Thai and Cantonese (when I get to Hong Kong that is their main language) that I am studying and trying to memorize some Key Phrases. Things like "hello", "good-bye", "please", "thank you", "what is that?", "where is the bank" and of course the most important phase to learn in any language "where is the toilet".

Church anniversary

Today our church celebrated its 6th Anniversary. The church has gone a long way from being held in a house or garage to a barn with no wall to what is it is today. A real building with walls, lighting, carpets and a nice altar area. We had a special guest singer-Eddi Mesa, who is famous in the Philippines and among the Filipinos. He used to be called the "Elvis of the Philippines" with his voice and singing style. Several friends from other churches attended this event. We started it by baptizing 8 church members. Then it was off to fellowship and share what God had done to our church. The guest speaker was very long winded and his sermon (which our Pastor to him to limit his sermon to 20-30 min!) lasted almost 45 min. By the time we got to the good stuff of eating it was 1:30pm and the services started at 10am! But the fellowship was great and so was the food, which I didn't really have any because I was too busy socializing. There was plenty of people there that I hadn't seen in years, some from our old church and friends from out of town. I think everyone had a good time even if the services was 3 hours long! Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Just Jane

I have been a big fan of Jane Austen's work ever since I read Pride & Prejudice and fell in love with Mr. Darcy. That book got me hooked on her writing and I continued on reading Sense & Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Emma, Lady Susan and Sandition. My favorite hero's are Mr. Darcy in P&P and Mr. Knightly in Emma, I like how they are so secure in who they are and their place in this world yet it isn't like they are perfect because they still have flaws. Their counterparts are rather inspiring ladies too. Elizabeth Bennett with her strong personality and Emma, a character you could watch grow into maturity while reading her story, they both balance out the men they fall in love with.

I just finished reading this book, Just Jane:A novel of Jane Austen's Life by Nancy Moser. Now I've read books on people writing about what happened to the main character or secondary character in Jane Austen's books. For the most part they are ok and a decent reading but the writing style is still different and the characters don't seem like they are in the original book that Jane wrote. But this book Just Jane focuses on the author herself and is like an autobiography in fictional form. The book starts when Jane is around 20 or so and doesn't really mention her childhood unless it is a memory. I won't spoil it for you but I must say that the author does use letter written by Jane Austen and spins a good story about how Jane truly became a writer. She doesn't just portray Jane as a "perfect" character but shows her flaws like all human beings. You can read about how selfish Jane was at times and how her relationship with her sister-in-laws and parents. But at the same time the author does a good job of portraying the passion Jane has for writing and how the characters in her stories grow in her mind.

It was an excellent book and I highly recommend it. It is a nice night time, right before bed and relaxing reading.

Reporting in

Okay so there isn't much to to report in right now. Between work (which there is plenty of including some mandatory overtime and prepping up to teach in our in-house Academy), going to the gym and trying to manage getting in some time for sleep, I'm keeping pretty busy these days.

Why I'm still single:
“They keep saying the right person will come along, I think mine got hit by a truck.”

“I think men are afraid to be with a successful woman, because we are terribly strong, know what we want and we are not fragile enough.” ~ Shirley Bassey

Why family is so important:
“The family is the corner stone of our society. More than any other force it shapes the attitude, the hopes, the ambitions, and the values of the child. And when the family collapses it is the children that are usually damaged. When it happens on a massive scale the community itself is crippled. So, unless we work to strengthen the family, to create conditions under which most parents will stay together, all the rest — schools, playgrounds, and public assistance, and private concern — will never be enough.”-Lyndon Baines Johnson

“To maintain a joyful family requires much from both the parents and the children. Each member of the family has to become, in a special way, the servant of others.” -Pope John Paul II

The importance of friendship:
"Every person is a new door to a different world."
- from movie "Six Degrees of Seperation"

"No love, no friendship, can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever."
- Francois Mocuriac

Working out

I'm sorry that I haven't updated this thing in a while. But when I got back from SC I had to input my plan "surprise Jeriah" into action. Now I'm sure most of you can relate to the "battle of the bulge" here. =) But I have been trying to find ways to exercise since my job requires me to sit down about 10 hours of the day and then of course when you are sleeping you are still stagnant so that is about 8 hours which leaves 6 hours in the day for me to get active. So when I got back I decided to put the gym membership my dad signed me up for to good use. I met with a trainer who set up a weight loss program for me at 24 hour Fitness. So now I walk around with a bodybugg attached to my right triceps, which is an amazing gadget that counts how many steps I take, how many calories I burn and then I plug it into my computer.



Then I go online to www.myapex.com where I sign in and it uploads the data, compares it to what I input for my meals (I have do that manually entering every item I eat) then comes out with the balance of how many calories I burned versus how many calories I intake each day. The key is to make sure your out take is more than your intake. Now I haven't measured my weight since I started the program last week, but I have been meeting with my trainer 2x a week and I can feel my pants are a little looser. And man it is so hard to cheat on this program! Which is what I need, someone to make sure I stick to the program.

When I'm huffing and puffing during a workout with my trainer or on my own I found certain Bible verses come to mind. Philippines 3:14 and 2 Corinthians 12:9 are the two most common verses that keep repeating through my mind. Also that famous saying of Dr. Panosian "this too shall pass" comes to mind. Originally the plan was to surprise my brother since he keeps teasing me about how I'm too lazy to get up and move, but then I realized that isn't enough motivation. You can only do so much to please someone! So I've had to re-group and re-focus myself on why exactly am I allowing someone to torture me like the Isralites in Egypt at the time of Moses. =) And I realized I want to be in good shape due to the congenital heart problems that run through my family history and to relieve my stress since it all seems to accumulate on my shoulders. Now the focus isn't on my brother but it is on me. And there are times when a person has to be selfish and take care of themselves before taking care of others. Otherwise you will find yourself pulled in many directions and be so exhausted and running on empty. That is when you know you have hit rock bottom and must go crawling back to the foot of the Almighty and ask Him for grace to be filled in your cup until it is overflowing.

Reminiscing

I was scanning in some pictures for a CD that a member is going to make for our church anniversary and my mom brought out these old pictures. Man it seemed like college was so long ago! I can still remember coming into the room my freshman year and seeing this tall Russian girl and a lot of boxes, then this other tall girl comes in quietly looks around and leaves and I was thinking "Oh no! I have a Bojo for a roommate. I remember hugging my mom and sending her off with a wave telling her I will be home for Christmas and feeling really excited about finally being on my own. I only knew like one Filipina girl at that time but looking forward to discovering who I am. I remember that all four years I had memorable roommates, most of which I am fortunate enough to still keep in touch with and maintain a long distance friendship. The various science classes and projects like Vibrio, where we had to call our professor late at night and tell him the bad news about how we messed up and put the cultures in the wrong incubator so he had to come in on a Sunday and open up the building for our group to count and finish the report! Dissecting for two hours in the morning in Comparative Vertebrate, where we would go do that Breakfast-to-go thing and sit outside in the alcove of the Science Building eating breakfast then returning back to lab and dissect some more. Attending Basketball games, soccer games, late night Ice skating parties and Society Christmas parties.

So here are some pictures giving you a blast from the past. Enjoy!

Travel agents

There is a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction every time I book a trip. I like having my ticket or a receipt of my ticket in my hand, it gives that extra bit of assurance that I really am going somewhere. Now I do most of my research for my trips about 1 year in advance or 6 months at the very least. There are plenty of resources available to a person going on a trip. The internet is your biggest source with travelogues, blogs, sites like tripadvisor.com or expedia.com famous travel websites like fodors.com or frommers.com also the Travel Channel's website is a great resource to use. There are travel magazines, books, travel agents and people who have gone to the place you visit

Now I have used various methods of booking a trip before but I must say that my travel agent has been the best way to book at trip. I'm sure you have heard plenty of myths about booking and doing it yourself to save money. But my thing is . . .why bother with the hassle if you have someone else that can take care of it. Now the key in booking with a travel agent is finding a good agent. One of the best ways to do that is my word of mouth, this is how I found my travel agent. A co-worker recommended this travel agency and Linda is who I ended up working with, that was over three years ago and now for my major trips I use her. The thing is you need to find someone you are comfortable with, who listens to what you want and need and who works with you. It is just like choosing a hairdresser, you don't just pay them for their service they become one of your friends. I do research on my trips and then pass the information along to Linda, she does research on her end with the resources she has and I end up making the final decision based on a wide array of information. Look into www.travelstoreusa.com that is the company my travel agent works with and see if there is an office nearby. Go in meet with the agents and talk to them, get a feel for them and then use them as a resource. IF you lived in Sacrament I would highly recommend my travel agent, Linda. :-)

As of now she helped me book my next trip in November. I used Linda to book both of my trips to Hawaii, my trip to Paris and now South-east Asia.

Friendships

As I visited BJU and met up with some friends living in town it made me realized how varied my friendships were. I mean there was the fun loving Society guys-Phi Beta Bulldogs like Joey. Then there was the Science Building people like J.God, "Bob" and Peter who have these idiosyncrasies which makes them fascinating. Also you have the most unpredictable people like your new roommates every year and you never know who you get along with the people in the prayer group. I've been blessed to have been able to keep in touch with most of my former roommates and for the most part they were all very nice girls whom I've developed a friendships with like KB, Beth, and Ratchet. I think only the roommates my Junior year were the one's I never really befriended. We were total opposites then, I mean talk about a room that has four people exhibiting the four temperaments! Now if you've watched Under the Tuscan Sun, there is this one line that stuck in my mind. " You have to live spherically, in many directions." And if you look at my Christmas Card list, you will notice a variety of people from around the country working in various fields. But I digress...going back and seeing some of my friends who live in the area after five years was great.

Joey was still himself and marriage life didn't change him too much. His wife is so perfect for him and they balance each other out, she loves to laugh. Joey was telling stories about the guys side and all throughout dinner we were laughing. Darla was the same as ever, so sweet and with a big heart. She loves her kids, her ministry in West Greenville, and is kept busy with all her various activities. Beth was still full of energy and married life has been good for her. She has a good head on her shoulder. It was also great to see Laura again. I was pleasantly surprised that she is now a dorm supervisor but then she has the patience and heart for all those girls. And then there is J.God. . .whom I've managed to keep in touch with since graduation through e-mails, AIM and leaving plenty of voicemail on his cell phone so that he will eventually answer. Darla and I got to see him in his environment at Clemson. Well I hope you enjoy the pictures.

BJU pictures

I have been on campus at least once a day since I got here. So here is a collection of some of the shots I took around campus these past two days.

Eleanor's Wedding

Today was Eleanor Callison's wedding day. The main reason why I arrived in Greenville before my mother and brother. But before that Darla and I ran some errands on campus. One of the girls from my prayer group is now a Dorm Supervisor in Margaret Mack (according to the kind guy who helped us at Bellis Copy center where Darla had some laminating done). But when we stopped by she wasn't there, however I did get to see Miss Sarah. This lady is one of BJ's school fixtures, she has been working at the school when I came and it was lovely to see her again.

Eleanor's wedding can be summed up in one word: simple. There was hardly any decorations and we were there for only 50 minutes. (Of course we didn't see them cut the cake or throw the bouquet!) But it was short and simple, Eleanor's grandfather married them. Their wedding day was also the same day as Eleanor's grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. So the grandpa was pretty emotional. There were only 4 bridesmaids and then the bride walked down the aisle. A nice sweet message about the meaning of marriage, ring exchange, signing of the wedding license and then the kiss. Boom! They were hitched. Short and sweet.

For dinner we met up with God, who is still the same crazy person. I forgot how tall he was but he wouldn't let me forget it. I took him and Darla out for dinner to celebrate his 30th birthday at Outback steakhouse. Then I went with Darla to her church and met all the wonderful people she has been telling me about. I also got to see her classroom. After church we wandered around downtown and ended up at Marble Slab. I had parked the car down by the Reedy river area and it was at least a 5 block walk up to Marble Slab. But as Darla pointed out, we walked off the calories we just ate from the ice cream going back to our car. All in all a nice pleasant day.

Back in Greenville

I must say my first impression of coming back was being hit in the face with the thick humidity and then I thought “the airport hasn’t changed”. In Houston you still had to go to that small round terminal for small “express” planes and in Greenville they still had that same ugly carpet in that weird geometrical pattern and that glass partition wall as you go down stairs. My flight was early going into Houston and then it got delayed leaving Houston for Greenville. But that worked out well because Darla had a class and wasn’t sure she would be there to greet me so the delay was nice because she was right there as I got out of the passenger area only. They did make a few changes like a new parking garage but that was all I noticed for the airport on the way into town was another matter. There were more stores and buildings and people learned how to use the merge lanes. I still recall being close getting involved in an accident as people would stop in the merge lane and let traffic pass until it was “clear” to get into the lane. Instead of being an offensive driver like I was used to being from California you had to be defensive. One major change was the front of campus is done and they definitely improved it for the better. Tomorrow Darla and I will wander around campus in the morning and I’ll take plenty of pictures the. I did see the Public Safety people and it made me chuckle.

Darla looked the same and her family was as gracious as ever. We met with Mr. and Mrs. Roue and Galen for dinner at Olive Garden and did the “Italian thing” where we sat around the table and talked over a delicious meal. I had forgotten that here in the South you had an option of sitting in the smoking or non-smoking area. Another reason why living in California has so spoiled me (besides the weather). Smoking inside an eating facility was abolished a few years ago in California. It’s all about that whole “healthy Californians are happy people” thing we have going on. Galen certainly changed from when I last saw him, of course he was still in high-school then. He now has earrings and a goatee. Fortunately Mr. and Mrs. Roue were still the same and they told me about their experience in China. It made me want to go! Darla and I stayed up watching Discovery Atlas: Australia on my computer while trying to figure out how to get to the church for the wedding tomorrow. Finally we gave up and decided to just find a place where we can hook up my laptop to a wireless network and go from there.

Family Game Night

Have you seen those commerical encouraging people to have a family game night? Or spend more time talking over dinner at the table? Well tonight we had our family game night. My dad doesn't play games, it is just not his "thing". But he does sit with us while we play and talk. I challenged my mom and my brother to scrabble. My mom is very good at this game, when I was little I used to think she memorized the dictionary since she knew all these words that would earn her a triple word score. The last time we played scrabble my brother beat me and my mom didn't play since she was helping us both. Trying to be neutral. But tonight . . .I finally beat my mother in scrabble!
It is a nice feeling of accomplishment that covers this, even if it is just a game. But this will be the last family game night with my brother fora while. He is leaving for college next week and won't be home until Christmas break. So this is another nice memory for him and for us too.

IKEA

I took a friend to IKEA today. She had never been there before and just got a new house. Now if you have never been to an IKEA store before, you should know that it is huge! It is like this warehouse but you don't feel like you're in a warehouse because they set it up so that there is a variety of rooms. It is like being in several different houses. They showcase different rooms in the house filled with items you can order in the store or online. They have a living room area where they put together several living rooms using the IKEA furniture. Then there is the kitchen area, which I love to walk throug and see the different styles and new items they have for the kitchen. After that you walk through the bedrooms, some of which have bathrooms attached with more things to see and possibilites. Downstairs they have all the small accessories including lights. Now I used to think that lights were just bulbs you put in a lamp or overhead. No, when you visit this store the whole "lights" concept is totally different. You have wall art lights, funky ceiling lights, modern lamps and all sorts of small lights that you can hide to add emphasis on certain objects or decor. Then there is the art/pictures area. This place always gives me ideas on what to do with the travel pictures I take. I saw this picture of the Eiffel Tower that they blew up to about 4 ft by 4 ft size, and I realized that I had a similar picture I took when I was in Paris. So you can create a totally modern room filled with your own individual taste at reasonable prices from stuff you find at IKEA. Normally I only spend about two hours max in this store, but I didn't count on my friend's indecisivness. By the time we left, it was four hours and my feet are aching. They need to add more benches in the store though. But overall the day was good, just hanging out with a friend and getting ideas for my house that I shall someday have. =)

The Importance of Toliets in trip planning

I've been thinking and planning about my up coming trip to Southeast Asia this Winter. One of the things I learned from my trip in Paris was that where you went depended on the availability of a toilet nearby! At first I began planning my day by what I wanted to see but at the end of the first day that idea was crossed off. It was all on where the nearest bathroom was and if it was clean. Afterall you don't want to get stuck in some strange scary neighborhood needing to use the facilities and yet all you have is a few shady bars. The look of the place will deterimine the sanitariness of its bathroom. Museums and office buildings will most likely have nice clean bathrooms, while you take a risk at the public bathrooms in park areas. I did find that the bathrooms in the Jardin Tuillieries were some of the cleaneset I've been too.

My experience with bathrooms in Asia is very limited to what the Philippines had to offer. It ranged from the hotels which had a western style bathroom with the ability to flush your toilet paper down to an outhouse with a hole in the middle and a place to put your legs but no toilet paper (so you have to be creative and find a new use for the tree leaf or whatever you have on you!). But I googled 'toliets around the world' and found this great website:
http://www.thebathroomdiaries.com/search.html

I suggest you check it out! =)

Woman Equation

My Travels

As I get ready for my up coming trip back to my alma matter, I was going through some pictures. They reminded me of all the places I've been to since I graduated. Amazing how time flies! A year after I got my job, I went to Italy with Allison. The following year I finally made it back to the Philippines where we celebrated my parent's 25th wedding anniversary. Then I met up with Allison and Rachet to go visit Hawaii and the Big Island. And last year I was in Paris. So I put together the pictures from my travels and put together a slide show. It made me realized how blessed I am!

Get Here by Brenda Russell

This is a beautiful song that always reminds me of traveling.

The Wedding at Waikiki

The wedding was today. It was a quick 30 minute ceremony which to me seems short but it seems to be the average in America. I am used to the long traditional Filipino wedding that take over an hour to two hours. We couldn’t hear the preacher talk because of the noise of the waves overpowering him. There were also some “uninvited” guests at the ceremony, the beach goers who were curious. I saw one person take a picture but then I was like that person in Rome when I saw the wedding. No one can really resist a bride and a wedding! It invokes the sense of romance. The food was very good my uncle bought me a mai tai and I must stay it wasn’t too bad. I couldn’t refuse because that would insult him, but I think he did it on purpose J he was trying to get my dad to drink. LOL but knowing my uncle that is him being himself. The bride looked beautiful in an Alfredo Angelo dress that had the navy blue cloth. It was like the wedding dress of one of the actors on my favorite shows Mcleods Daughters. The groom was grinning and it had been well over a year since I saw him. He seemed very happy to see us and the grin never left his face. A true groom indeed he was!

The food at the reception was delicious! They had a buffet which included a salad, several different cheeses, mahi-mahi with this banana sauce, chicken with macademia nuts and a roast. Yum! The grooms cake was in the shape of a basketball and had chocolate covered strawberries painted with the LA Lakers logo. There was also a picture board that showed the groom through the years. I remember that picture of him in a little sailor outfit when he was about a year old and then right at the other corner was a picture of him in his Navy sailor suit. J We teased my aunt about that! There was a father daughter dance and then bride’s parents danced but that was all. My cousin, Jena, caught the bouquet and the only grooms man not related to us caught the garter. I didn’t stand in the single women pile! No way, no how!

Pearl Harbor

We woke up early this morning so we could be among the first people in line to Pearl Harbor. I had heard from some people that the lines are really long and you spend all day there but if you got there around 6:30 am you would be out by 11 am. We left the hotel around 6 o’clock and were in line by about 6:45am. There was a line already but we made it with about 30 people in front of us. The memorial park usually opens around 8 am but they opened the gates to get the ticket (which was free!) around 7:45 am. The ticket tells you what group you are in and we were fortunately in group one. Before you get on a boat that will take you to the USS Arizona memorial you have to see a movie in their theater that tells you all about Pearl Harbor. The video had clips from both USA and Japan side and collaborated together to form a very informative movie. I got goose bumps when they showed the film of the bombings and destruction. They even had clips of both Hitler and the Japanese Prime Minister together. Once you see the film you take a short boat ride across the harbor on to the memorial. There were 29 Marines from the USS Arizona that survived the attack on Pearl Harbor and as they each die, they requested their ashes to be thrown out over the USS Arizona so that they could be with their fellow soldiers who died on board ship. It is very solemn walking around the Memorial, everyone is so quiet and it just makes you think. The sacrifices of those men buried below you so you could be free, the cost of that freedom and what it takes to keep it. It made me proud to be an American and to see those men in uniform so willing to serve their country. The war going on right now with all those people protesting against it makes me wonder. Do they not realize the fact that they can protest against the war is because men and women are serving our Armed Forces and sacrificing themselves to keep our freedom of speech? How insipid they seem! The fact that people i.e. Jay Leno, David Letterman, etc. can joke about the president without fear for their lives or their families is a gift that most people now a days take for granted. Okay, I could go on about this top but I will stop my digression.

After Pearl Harbor it was around 9:30 am, since Jeriah and I didn’t eat breakfast on our way to the restaurant where I wanted to eat lunch (Sam Choy’s) we pulled over to a McDonald’s. And yes, I try to avoid McDonald’s when I’m traveling abroad but technically Hawaii is part of the USA and so I wasn’t breaking my own self imposed rules. But they have Taro Pie here and let me just say that my mouth was in utopia this morning. Taro is a root vegetable that they cut into small bite size pieces with some sugar and then make it into a pie. It is so yummy! My brother kept moaning in delight with each piece. We found the restaurant, Sam Choy, which was recommended to me by a friend from work. When I looked it up in my “Oahu revealed” book and they gave it a good recommendation and mentioned a ship inside the restaurant. They do have a small fishing boat in the restaurant and plenty of tables. The food was pretty good, nothing spectacular and it came in a large size. I am a foodie and to me food isn’t just “food” it has to be an experience. You could have this little shack on the side of the road that serves you some good food and that in itself is an experience which beats out a fancy high priced restaurant with poor service and bad food. I have found that in most American food place they don’t know how to make the food look good. What I learned in Paris is that food doesn’t have to just be appealing to the taste buds but also to the eyes, the place adds the sense of hearing to your dining experience.

My mom wanted to go visit the International Market and get some souvenirs before dinner. I wanted to go find where “Duke’s” Restaurant is so we split up. Dukes is located right at the beach! And that was when Jeriah and I first stepped onto Waikiki beach. I must say that the only thing that impressed me about that beach was the fact that there were so many people on it. A mass of humanity! But the view of Diamond Head was gorgeous. Then we found my parents in the Market bargaining. It was rather amusing to see. But they got some touristy t-shirts and some Hawaiian print shirts. Dinner was room service out on our balcony with a view of the Ocean. J

Mom and I went for a walk after dinner to check out the Waikiki night scene. So many people around! There were various entertainers around and plenty of places to spend your money. Word of advice here, carry cash and keep the credit cards locked up in the safe. Otherwise you would be spending a lot of money and not realize it until you get back home and receive your bills! I thought I learned my lesson last time but I guess I didn’t. Oh well. The day of shopping was exhausting!

Thursday

Today we left the North Shore. I was sad to leave Turtle Bay; the North Shore was so peaceful and calm. Just the kind of vacation I had in mind when I planned this, calm and relaxation first before the hustle and bustle of city life. We went down the highway on the Windward side (East) of the island. I planned to visit the Valley of the Temple, which has a replica of an old Japanese temple built in the 900’s and without using any nails. The place is situated at the foot of the mountains and you could still see some clouds from the Morning’s rain lingering around. It was very picturesque. After the Valley of Temples we stopped at Foster's Botanical Garden. My mom grows orchids and enjoys gardening. This stop was for her. We saw various flora that grow in the tropical climate of Hawaii.

We stayed at the Sheraton Princess Kiualani. I had requested a deluxe ocean view room and I must say that our view was spectacular! We had a view of the ocean and the beach was just across the street from us. The room was spacious but it was on the top floor of the old wing. We met up with the rest of the family in front of the King Kamehameha statue right across from the Ioalani Palace.

What people say about Waikiki is all true. It is busy and full of life, lots of noise and very expensive. There are name brand stores around here but then there is the ABC store, which is a local chain and just about everywhere in the city. I like that store it is cheap and full of kitschy stuff. But tomorrow is a busy day; we have Pearl Harbor and then shopping. I need to get brown sandals and a pink shawl for the wedding.

Explaination

During the last half of our vacation we moved from the North Shore to Waikiki and the hotel we were staying in didn't have a free wi-fi connection. I wasn't going to pay an exorbitant amount of money just to use the internet! As they say in the guide books, there are plenty of places where you could spend your money. So I apologize for the delay but I hope you enjoy the rest of the vacation.

Hook, line and sinker

Have you ever wondered what a fish felt like just after it bit the bait and got stuck on a hook? Well I could imagine what that fish felt like after this morning's unexpected purchase. I had talked to my friend, Juvy, online and found out that she lives on the island so we decided to meet up today before she went to work. We left the hotel around 10am and slowly wandered our way through the North Shore on Kamehameha Hwy. We had to stop at Waimea Bay because during winter this is where the surf gets really high and you cane see 20-foot waves. If you get here early enough there is parking space but come later on and you might just have to park on the highway. There is a jumping rock at Waimea Bay and you could see people sitting on top of the rock waiting for their turn to jump off the cliff. On the way down to Juvy's place we passed the town of Hale'iwa where they have a beach park. You could see some sailboats on shore as well as in the water. It is definitely one of those post-card picture beach.

Then we took the highway into Central Oahu and found the Dole plantation. They have a maze there where you could get lost, but the view from the top of this hedged maze shows a pineapple design in the middle. There is also a train that goes around the plantation and explains how a pineapple is born. We didn't do either activity, instead we just entered the shop. Bathrooms are located in the large store and you found all sorts of pineapple related items for sale. I saw pineapple flavored tea, dried fruits, pineapple candies with chocolate, the usual t-shirts, magnets, and key chains. They even had shirts for stuffed animals, of course I had to get Sebastien a shirt! =) Now while my brother and I were browsing we passed by this jewelry display they had in the children's section. Before I knew it I was baited, hooked and about ready to be fried. The sales lady was very shrewd and read people well because she sure read me! One minute I'm walking around the store and the next I'm pulling out a piece of paper from this lotto ball mixer thing that read "40% off a pearl from an oyster" and pulling out an oyster from a container which had a pearl in it. As soon as the sales lady started pulling out jewelry settings to put that pearl it, I knew I was baited. I felt like it is only in Hawaii that I buy real jewelry for myself and it is never done purposely. Oh well, I had intended to buy a right hand ring for myself this trip, just not there at the Dole plantation! Well, now I can relate a little bit to that fish who was just swimming along happily minding its own business when a twitch from the side view caused it to jump right on the hook and be fried.

After that whole discomfiture at the Dole plant, I thought the rest of the day should go smoothly as planned. I was going to pick up Juvy, drop my parents off for lunch with their friends, hang out with Juvy and then pick up my parents, drop off Juvy and go back to the hotel where my scheduled massage at the spa would finish off the day. Boy was I in for some more unexpected events. First I got lost going to Juvy's house, went on the wrong highway and completely missed her exit so I had to call her up and get the directions again. This happened twice! What should have taken me only 10 minutes to get to Juvy's place from the Plantation ended up being about 40 minutes instead. (Those of you who know me and have ridden with me, I can see your eyes rolling now! =) But eventually we ended up making our way to Juvy's house and picking her up. Then when we got to the Mall where my parents were meeting their friends, we got invited to join them. So we ended up eating at this buffet place where there was plenty of good food, including a crepe making station and a chocolate fountain [sorry no picture of the chocolate fountain] The meal was good by buffet standards but the conversation was fun. Juvy and I reminisced about our college days and gave my brother some advice on how to survive his freshman year in college.

After lunch Juvy took us to get some real Hawaiian Shaved Ice. Where better place to get it than Matsumoto's of course! I had seen this place raved about on Travel Channel and read about it in my "Oahu Revealed" guide book. The book mentioned that this place is so good, they have lines forming out the door and down the road. Fortunately when we got there the line was only out the door.
I got their Rainbow combination with beans at the bottom instead of ice cream. Yummy! The ice didn't melt so fast and the flavor stuck around so you weren't just sipping the stuff from your cup, you could actually scoop the ice out.

Juvy had to go to work so we dropped her home and headed back to our hotel. We had a picnic lunch consisting of sandwiches and pie from Ted's bakery. Then I headed to my spa appointment, where my muscles were pulled, pushed,
and pinched until they relaxed. It was a nice ending to the day.