One of the Happiest Weekends

Aloha everyone!

2017 has already kicked off to a great start. I am so blessed to be surrounded by love, laughter, and support. Sometimes it is easy to overlook the little things in life. I am really  hoping that this year, I can cherish the small moments as well as the big and to remember to always be grateful.

The first weekend of January, I had an opportunity for a whirlwind of social events that kept be busy, exhausting, yet all worth it. I was smiling from ear to ear the whole weekend. 

Here's how my weekend went down...in pictures...and of course, almost entirely food:

A chirashi bowl for me. Yes oh yes, please.

And my friend and her newborn <3

Uni

Ice cream flavors from all over the world - even the Philippines <3

Of course, I chose coffee. Country? I forgot :(

A reunion with my graduate school girls in a living room just talking.

Girl talk, pregnancies, engagements, marriages

Love, life, challenges

We talked about ERRRRRYTHANG

Sadly, I didn't get a chance to save my photos from Sunday. I Snapped the day, but did not save them. BOO! It was a lot of fun too.

I went to a Mexican bakery and purchased guava rolls. I love my Porto's Bakery, but the Mexican bakery totally beat Porto's because it was waaaayyyy less sweet.

I also went shoe shopping and bought Bobs. They were on sale. BOO YEAH. I bought a black pair with a leopard print lining. Fabulous <3

And you know what's awesome for my old lady feet? It has memory foam! It's like walking on pillows. Love. Love. Love. 

[ credit : www.zappos.com ]

[ credit : www.zappos.com ]

That was my weekend. And it was beautiful in all regards. I am so thankful for weekends like this. No major event. Just people who love each other, catching up, making memories.

<3<3<3

Mini Ventura Road Trip

Why hello there beautiful people!

In early October, a few of my girlfriends and I went to visit a friend of ours in Ventura. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2014 and the cancer came back this year after two years of remission. Her spirits have, understandably, been a rollercoaster of ups and downs.

My girlfriends and I had an idea to visit her. Three of us drove up together. The lady of the hour had no idea I was coming. I was the surprise. I waited at cafe table out on the street patio and when they walked by I had said, "Brenda, is that you?" Then were girly screams and shrieks of happiness. 

We ate some Thai food at Rice Thai cafe and got our nails done.  After that we had dessert and coffee at Palermo Cafe.

Done at All Star Nails salon in Ventura, CA

Spicy Thai beef salad :p

I had a pumpkin cobbler bar (far left) and a lavender mocha iced coffee

It was such a beautiful day from start to finish. I was living on the adrenaline for the whole week. My biggest joy was seeing how happy my friend was to see all of us. 

When you're going through a tough time, you can sometimes feel isolated. I am happy we were able to lift up her spirits. The smile on her face is something I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life.

Life is short everyone. Tell your loved ones you love them. And enjoy life. Overnight, life can change in an instant without any warning. 


Xoxoxo

November Grateful Challenge Part 3

Reflecting on the past week, there is always plenty to be grateful for. Let's get started :)

1. My little two year old nephew, Baby O. I totally adore this kid.  I spent all of last Monday with him. He's now taller, heavier, and just as cute! We were real Handy Mannys "fixing" things around the yard with his toy hammer. These baby toddler years go by fast. I am thankful I am able to share many moments with this little guy. 

(10/9/14)

2. Heavenly treats. I am a sucker for seasonal treats or any food/drinks that are limited edition. Those promos and gimmicks? They get me every time! DOH! 

(a) I found these Milano Pumpkin Spice cookies at Ralphs and bought one bag for my friend for us to munch on during our girls' night sleepover. DELICIOUS DOT COM. We went back the next day and bought 6. Granted, two were for me and of the 2, one was for my work party which they gobbled up! One coworker even "stole" the bag and brought it back to his office. LOL.  

(b) The Franken Frappuccino from Starbucks. This was a Halloween promo that I finally had last week. Oh my word, oh my word. This was definitely heaven in a cup, or rather diabetes in a cup. It definitely has a lot of sugar (Green tea frap, 3 pumps white mocha, 3 pumps  peppermint, java chips, whip cream, and mocha drizzle). I got the lighter version (green tea frap, 1 pump of each white mocha and peppermint, java chips, whip cream and light mocha drizzle). It was absolutely amazing!!!!! I will definitely order this again but with just 1 pump peppermint and java chips as a once in a while treat (and gulp a bottle of water after, lol). It tasted like mint chocolate chip heaven. YUM.

3. Friends that just get me... Self-explanatory. This has been a rough week. To top it off, I'm PMSing (TMI, sorry) so I'm more emotional. Stepping back, I feel so blessed to have people stand by my side through the storm. They get me, they feel me, and they love me anyway. 

4. Meeting Mindy Gledhill. I talk about it in detail in my post here but I feel so grateful to have been able to attend Mindy's concert. I adore her! I love her music, especially her albums Anchor and Winter Moon. She is definitely a true artist and one of my favorites.

5. My parents are off to the Philippines. They left today! They will be gone for a little less than 14 days. I'm not so much celebrating their departure. I'm celebrating their return to their motherland. My dad hasn't been to the Philippines since he came to the US in the late 1970s. My mom hasn't visited since 2007. The occasion for their return is not happy as they are visiting my Lola Mommy's grave. My Lola Mommy (my grandmother) passed away in August. I feel eternally grateful that I was able to see her in April before she got really sick. Although their return will be sad, I am sure my parents will be so happy to be back home to see family (well, my dad's family are all here in the US). 

May you all have a beautiful week <3

<3<3<3

November Grateful Challenge Part 2

Here is part 2 of my November Grateful Challenge! Check out part 1 and why I'm doing this challenge here.

So far, this experience has been a great one! We don't really realize (until we really think about it) how blessed we are. 

Let's get started!

1. EMPLOYMENT. I love what I do and I love my employer. I have been so blessed to have been able to make and keep the friends I have made in all my jobs. My current employer is a wonderful place to be. It definitely feels like a second home. This week we celebrated my office "roomie's" birthday. She received a heart bouquet of flowers from a secret sender ;) We have an inkling of who it may be. The smile on her face was priceless. 

2. MY HEALTH & STEPPING OUT OF MY LUPUS SHELL. My health is not in the greatest shape due to my  diagnosis, but I am thankful that it is at a manageable level. I am living and functioning like any other "normal" person. There are struggles, but there are also triumphs and still a feeling of normalcy. In the 4 years of having Lupus, I finally attended my first (well second if you count a Lupus walk as my first) Lupus fundraiser. It was an event held at the Sofitel Hotel's Riviera 31 Bar & Lounge in Beverly Hills where, oddly enough, my high school prom was held. Ohhh the nostalgia!

The Purple Carpet

Channeling my bae, Queen Bey

3. FRIENDSHIP. I've known this girl since I was 9. Nearly 20 years of friendship! She was my date to the Lupus fundraiser event. We had so much fun looking at all the celebrity lookalikes. Without my glasses, I saw people that looked like Kobe Bryant, Chris Brown (with tats and all!), Common and Nicki Minaj. I was in faux celebrity heaven. My friend's vision is 20/20 so she was quick to burst my celebrity fantasy bubble. Haha. I love this girl!

Lupus Awareness Fundraiser

An unflattering photo of us laughing at something! Makes me smile anyway :)

4. CHILAQUILES. My most favorite Mexican breakfast ever!! I've tried many a places that serve chilaquiles. This is from Casa Chocolate in Arlington Heights in Los Angeles. BEST I'VE EVER HAD (cue Drake's Best I Ever Had)

May you all have a beautiful beautiful weekend <3

<3<3<3

Freedom Party: CSUN Edition

This past June, I sent in my final payment for my graduate school loan. I am officially DEBT FREE and it feels quite dandy. Since I love any excuse for a party, I decided to throw myself a party called "Freedom Party: CSUN Edition" as CSUN in the school I attended for my masters.

I just love parties. I love organizing and hosting! I definitely enjoy putting together party favors. They are probably the thing I look most forward to in hosting a party! My party isn't meant to show off by any means. It's more of a celebration of finishing off my loans and being released from the ball and chain of the Department of Education. It's about honoring my friends, family and colleagues who have cheered me on and supported me along the way. It's about celebrating with the people that are rooting for me. I would do the same for them in whatever their triumph would be. 

CSUN's colors are red, white and black. For me, it is a must to incorporate the school colors in the color scheme of my party. When I had my Freedom Party: UCLA Edition in February, my color scheme was blue and yellow. 

Here are just snapshots of some of the party favors:

It's a must for my guest to wear party hats! I attached red, white and black string to the tops

Chocolate covered strawberries drizzled with white chocolate: again, red, white and black

I braided red, white and black string

I used to braided string to attach a little thank you card to the little white and black polka dot bag I put the strawberry in

I was very pressed for time in organizing my favors due to my crazy work schedule. I even finished assembling my party favor bags right before my party so I was unable to take final pictures of the complete package. 

In red gift bags, I included silver tissue paper, a small black and white polka dot bag with a chocolate covered strawberry inside that was tied by the braided string and thank you card, a chocolate chip walnut cookie, and black mardi gras beads. Each bag had a white ribbon on the outside. 

I'm very excited for the next party to host :) I just need another excuse for a party :)

<3<3<3

OOTD: Being Bold(er), Being Me

I had an adventure day with one of my best friends and her toddler last Monday. For my outfit, I was feeling "different." I wanted to wear something out of my element. I wanted to put a style together that I've always wanted to do, but wasn't so gutsy to pull off. My best friend is very retro, very vintage, very hipster, very feminine, very indie, very hippy, very eclectic all combined into one. She's such an inspiration because she rocks everything she wears with such confidence. She's just bold and stands out in a crowd and is very secure with being herself. She's awesome!

Whenever I hang out with her, I am inspired to be more bold and step it up a notch with my wardrobe or makeup. I'd love to be as bold as she is, but part of me gets insecure about standing out. I've always played it "safe" and have always been so "mainstream" because it was easier. I knew that part of me wanted to express myself in bolder looks, but I was too timid to let it loose. Because of her, I'm learning to be more comfortable in my skin and in my style. 

you don't have to tell me. i know they're a bit blurry. oops =/

This is what I wore to the park which is funny because I spent the day with a toddler at a park, going to Costco getting "everything-on-it jumbo hot dogs" wearing basically all white. That just sounds like a recipe for stains and getting dirty! Somehow I walked away stain free!

Here is my outfit in detail (and sans blur):

Front:

It's a sheer two-toned sleeveless blouse with gold buttons for detailing

Back:

The upper two thirds is a beautiful lace of flowers

Gold buttons

Lace back

Close up of my pants

Top: Papaya Clothing

Pants: Leggings that my aunt gave me when I was in the Philippines

Shoes: JCPenny

Sunglasses: Marshalls

Earrings: Charlotte Russe

Lipstick: NYX

I'm sorry I forgot to take a picture of my makeup close up. My makeup was very pinup girl-esque. My best friend, who's amazing at makeup, even gave me kudos for being "on point" with my makeup. And those words coming from her was definitely a compliment and validation! 

This was also the first time I ever worn a red lip! I've always been so insecure about wearing a red lip, thinking it didn't suit me, thinking I could never pull it off. But this day, I decided to stop over thinking and just do it. 

Anything can look good on you if you feel good in it. 

This is something I hope to continue on no matter how insecure or how doubtful of myself I get at times.

I will do me. 

<3<3<3

Because I'm Happy

Last week, one of my best friends from childhood and her baby surprised me at lunch with a beautiful and tasty belated birthday cake. Afterwards, we all went to the local park where I had the honor of buying his first park popsicle! It made my heart happy. 

My friend and I each have fond childhood memories of going to the neighborhood park, playing, and then getting an ice cream from the ice cream truck.

As simple as this picture is, I feel truly blessed to share this moment with this little guy. When they are this small, every "first" is an exciting milestone, big or small. And I feel incredibly happy to knock out one "first" from his life list.

As a kid, my favorite truck ice cream was a Sonic the Hedgehog popsicle. And for nostalgia's sake, I picked that one. He enjoyed a Jolly Rancher popsicle. Mmm

This past weekend so happened to be my best friend's birthday. We are 8 days apart. One of her best friends/childhood neighbor and I decided to plan a surprise birthday brunch at Bottega Louie in downtown LA. 

We all spent the afternoon enjoying each other's company and making more memories together. After lunch, we went to Little Tokyo where my surprise party co-planner purchased the cutest little umbrella for our nephew. 

I spy a little umbrella with legs. 

It was the cutest thing watching him figure out how to walk with the umbrella. Poor guy was bumping into things! Adorable!

The little things in life make me so happy! They are definitely life's greatest treasures.

Thank goodness for cameras, camera phones, and social media to allow us to document these moments and share them :)

<3<3<3

Lupus Awareness Month

Happy Lupus Awareness ACTION Month!

(credit: www.mdjunction.com)

Once again, May has been designated Lupus Awareness ACTION Month - a time to bring awareness to this horrible autoimmune disease that affects the lives of millions. Even with the growing Hollywood spotlight on Lupus (thanks to Snoop Dogg as his precious little girl has lupus), there are still millions of people out there who have never heard of lupus. And this is NOT okay.

Hopefully, this  month can produce the awareness and education, which produces support and donations, which funds research to find more effective medication at maintaining lupus, or even better, CURING lupus.

Sounds simple right? Kinda...Awareness only works if we actually start that discussion about lupus. 

How can we start that discussion? you might ask.

Simple! 

May 16 is "Put On Purple Day." I'll be wearing purple and so will my friends, my family, and my coworker who knows. They will tell their friends, their family, and their coworkers to wear purple on May 16. Their family, their friends, and their coworkers will ask "Why? What does purple mean?" And TA-DA! Discussion started.

Awareness doesn't mean expertise. I'm not asking a lot from you who may be reading this.
I just want you to know that lupus exists and oftentimes it hurts. Lupus is not typically something you can "see" in a lupus patient. Lupus patients are often told "you don't look sick" by those that don't understand. We need to stop this ignorance.

If this post is all you read then I'm okay with it. At least you know it exists. If you got this far into this blog post, thank you.

And if you want to be an even greater super star, check out the links below to learn more.

Lupus Awareness ACTION Month
What is lupus?
Frequently Asked Questions About Lupus


Lastly, please don't forget to PUT ON PURPLE on May 16. If that's all you can do, that'll make my heart happy.

<3<3<3

Three Year Purple Anniversary [Belated Post]

I am one nearly year behind in writing this post. Time just flies by! Sometimes I feel as though I cannot keep up with life. If you haven't read about my previous posts (Year One and Year Two) on my Purple Anniversaries, I'll give you a quick summary what a Purple Anniversary is:

I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (S.L.E.) or just simply Lupus for short. I was hospitalized from July 12 - 17 in 2010. Every year, I like to celebrate life in July as way of saying, "I conquered you, Lupus! I am alive and I am healthy as can be." It is merely a celebration of life. My case of Lupus is, thankfully, a mild one, but it can progress over the years without warning or cause. That's just what Lupus does. So whatever the case may be year after year, I would like to celebrate life and still being here.

Lupus patients are sensitive to the harmful sun's rays so we avoid the sun at its peak if possible. I love the ocean, I love the beach. I grew up going to the beach with my family. And I must admit, it makes me sad knowing I can't go to the beach midday and just stay there all day. 

Each year on my Purple Anniversary, which I usually hold in July if possible, I gather my friends together, make them all wear purple (Purple is one of the colors to commemorate Lupus), and enjoy some good food!

Since I cannot go to the beach the way I used to because of the sun, I do try to make it out to the beach during late afternoon just to be able to go to the beach. It's my way of saying, "Ha Lupus! You can't stop me from enjoying the beach."

For my three year Purple Anniversary, I had a bonfire with my closest friends who know that I have Lupus. We all wore purple. We cooked hot dogs over the fire pit, we had all kinds of beverages, and we made s'mores over the fire. 

It was a really great time. I was surrounded by an abundance of love, support, and positive energy. 

I am very grateful that I have the health that I have given the circumstances I am in. That is what my Purple Anniversaries are about.

<3<3<3