Welpers, it’s the weekend again, and I’ve done a very poor job at keeping this site updated, haven’t I? To re-cap what’s been going on during this week: absolutely nothing. Heh. I did a whole lot of being achy, cleaning, working (on reports), a doctor’s visit, feeling Bean tumbling and rumbling inside my uterus, talking and hanging out with Dave, playing with Tink, revelling in the baby’s room. Rewind, repeat. It feels good not to have to go to work everyday, and wake up and sleep whenever I want to. Other people are doing things for their summer vacation, like making a Las Vegas travel or going to Australia (my SIL!). Me? I’m here waiting for a baby to be born. I’m 38 weeks along today, which means Baby Bean can come any minute now. I have absolutely no feeling regarding whether or not I think she’s gonna come early or late. I had thought she was going to come late (after July 12), but symptoms suggest otherwise right now (increased pelvic pressure pain, her head has already dropped down to my pelvic area, a couple of false contractions, my back hurting like a b*tch, more tiredness, etc.). So I don’t know. I will plead the 5th on what my gut feeling is. Dave thinks she’s going to come July 23. Seems like such a long way from now. Other people think she’s going to come this weekend. Realistically, the only one who knows when she’s going to make her debut is her. And maybe the Universe. But other than that, it’s completely random. We’re just sitting around playing the waiting game now.

I’m already getting several people email me, or call me up, asking, “Is the baby there yet?!!” Well, no, ya silly dorks!! With me being so hypervigilant with keeping baby news updated everywhere, do you think I’d have kept it from the internet world if Baby Bean has arrived? Of course not! You’d better believe that there will be at least 300 photos posted all over the place within the first 24 hours (okay, maybe not, but you get the idea). Heh.

I’ve been a little more grumpy than usual too. I believe it’s because of the physical achiness that comes with being so far along in the pregnancy. I’m trying to hold it together, but the other day, while watching Joy Luck Club with Dave (it happened to be on tv, and it’s one of my favorite movies), I ended up sobbing throughout it. It was kinda silly. It’s a sad movie to begin with, but dude, I was SOBBING. Dave came by and laughed at me and held me and said I was so cute and beautiful, and kissed my tears. And I sobbed even harder. And then the other night my back was hurting so badly, nothing I could do could’ve relieved it. No laying down position made it better, no side position made it better, no standing or sitting position made it better. I was so frustrated, I started crying. Talk about hormonal.

So, I now leave you with another little survey. I’m the self-declared survey queen.

THE SIGNIFICANT OTHER SURVEY

Just Basic Stuff:
Are you single?
No.

For how long?
I haven’t been single for approximately 10 years now.

Who should make the first move?
Whoever feels comfortable.

Who should pay on the first date?
I don’t mind going halfsies, but Dave paid for our first date.

Have you ever been in a serious relationship?
Oh yes. I’m in one now. Heh.

Ever been in love?
Very much so right now.

Ever have your heart broken?
Yes. A couple of times.

Ever break someone else’s heart?
Yes, a couple of times.

Ever been cheated on?
Yes. It ain’t fun. That pretty much ended my last relationship.

Straight/Gay/Bi?
I’m straight.

Best place to go for a date?
The beach? Or stay home and watching a movie together.

How many dates until it becomes a relationship?
Errm… until it’s discussed, I suppose. Maybe like, 5 or 6? I don’t know.

How many dates until the first kiss?
I kissed Dave on the first date, but we’ve known each other for 2 years prior to that.

How many dates until you go further?
Erm. It depends on the person, the chemistry, etc. I don’t have a set rule.

How long was your longest relationship?
This current one: going on over 8 years now. The one before this, approximately a year.

Does your family like your current/last bf or gf?
Yes, they adore Dave. I think they like him better than me.

What about your friends?
Yes, they all seem to like Dave, as far as I know.

Does it matter what people think of the person you’re seeing usually?
Yes, I think friends’ and family’s opinions matter. They know me best, outside of this relationship. I trust my friends.

Do you get jealous?
Nope. Not usually. I fake jealousy sometimes though. “Is that Susan calling again?!!!” (sorry, private joke heh)

Do you fight because of jealousy?
Nope. We never fought over jealousy. Weird, huh?

Do you stilll see your friends as much as when you are/were single?
Yeah, I should say so. I’ve always been a hermit though, but I try to make time for my friends.

How does the person you’re with feel about your family?
Dave likes my family. He sometimes doesn’t understand the culture, but he tries his best.

How about friends?
He likes all my friends. I make awesome friends.

Does it matter what they think about your friends or family?
Yes. I like everyone to get along. It stresses me out when people I love don’t get along.

Do you like when they surprise you with gifts?
Yes, I love surprises!!

Would you marry them?
I did marry him! Hee.

Would you have kids with them?
We’re having a kid together! Go Baby Bean go!

Would it bother you if they…

had a lot of tattoos? nope
piercings? nope, he has one!
dyed hair? nope
if they smoked? yes; thank goodness he quit
if they did drugs? depending on which kind
owned a motorcycle? I’d be worried about safety
joined the military? yes; I don’t like the military and what it stands for
drank alcohol? nope
had more friends of the opposite sex? nope
committed a crime? depending on what type
(like, if he stole from the rich and gave to the poor, I’d be like “GO HUSBAND GO!!” :P)
were rude to your friends? yes; thank goodness Dave’s the picture of politeness
had children already? nope
were ugly? huh? I don’t consider anyone I love ugly
were a different religion? as long as he’s okay with me not being that religion
had different political views? yes; I think political views are very important in a relationship
lived in another state? we used to; long term wise, it wouldn’t work out
lived in another country? we used to! hehe
had no job? would bug me, yes
were bad with money? depending on how bad: I’m not overly great with money either
were jealous of your friends? yes: what’s there to be jealous of?!

This or That…?

Light hair or dark hair? either: Dave has dirty brown hair
Taller or shorter? must be taller
Thin or Heavy? medium
Smoker or non? non-smoker please
Night in or night out? night in!
Brown, Blue, or Green eyes? any! Dave has hazel eyes
Punk or thug? either: dude, enough with the labels: just be yourself
Prep or Skater? whatever
Surfer or Thug? ugh
Funny or serious? both
Smart or Funny? both
Athletic or Smart? smart
Artistic or Athletic? artistic
Shy or Outgoing? shy
Crazy or normal? a little of both, please

What makes you laugh?
A lot of things. Subtle, witty humor. Children’s jokes.

Who is your hero?
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Jane Goodall, David Suzuki

Who would you want to be tied to for 24 hours?
Dave, most likely. Or maybe Jen. At least then I know we can stand each other and keep each other company. Heh. Anyone else, I think I may get a little annoyed at after a while. I like my alone time.

How many pairs of shoes do you own?
Around 10 or so. I usually wear the same 3 or 4 pairs, though.

Seriously… Where does the other sock end up?
In the dark abyss of lost socks. I don’t know. I’ve always wondered that myself. I just don’t get it. There are about 3 socks right now that don’t have their partners and I’ve done every single load of laundry (or so I thought), so where the heck are they?!

Who do you blame for your mood today?
Blame? Erm. Tink and Dave, for making me feel so darn good about my life. My mood is pretty good right now. Oh, and not thinking about things like balance transfer credit card probably makes me happy too. Heh.

If the Internet were sex… I would
probably screw it all day long: I’m pretty addicted, in another words. Hah.

Have you ever seen a dead body?
Only at funerals. They’re not cool. When the soul is gone, one can definitely tell the body just becomes an empty vessel.

What is something scientists need to invent?
Teleporting. And the cure for cancer.

What should we do with stupid people?
Stop them from breeding. For the love of Buddha, please let us create a way to stop them from breeding.

Have you ever broken a bone?
Yes, my right arm. I was put in a cast for about a month. This was when I was 5 years old. It hurt like frick.

Do you watch local news? Why?
Sometimes I do. Why? Because I can? I don’t know. Because it’s important. Yeah, that’s the right answer. Heh.

What happens after you die?
Whatever is supposed to happen.

How big is your bed? Big enough?
Queen size. It’s not big enough. We have more pillows than we have space for, but that is mostly due to my pregnancy: I can’t get comfortable and I need lots of pillows against me.

How long do you think you will live?
Hopefully well into old age. And hopefully just long enough before I become senile. That wouldn’t be fun.

How long have you been married?
- Almost a whole year. 11 months now.

Is this your first marriage?
- Yes, and my only.

Is it how you imagined it would be?
- Just that it will be just as lovely as our last 8 years together.

What would you change?
- Nothing. I’ve grown to really love him the way he is and we’ve accepted each other for our differences.

Are you married to your soulmate?
- Yes. Truly, he is my soulmate. My best friend. It’s almost weird how we found each other.

What do you argue about the most?
- His procrastination. Charming most of the time, annoying at other times.
- He also complains that I’m sometimes *too* on top of things too, though. Haha.

What do you see eye to eye on the most?
- Politics, parenting style, our guts about people, etc.

Where did you meet your spouse?
- On the internet. ;D

Where was your first date?
- Hm… I don’t remember - we had a “first weekend date” really. We went on top of the science building at UCI.

Where were you when you became engaged?
- In our home right now, in our pajamas.

Did you live together before marriage?
- Yes, for about 5 years.

What was your wedding song?
- “Answer” by Sarah McLachlan.

Who was in your wedding party?
- No one. I didn’t have a wedding party. I didn’t want to exclude any of my close friends, or have to choose.

Do you get along with the in-laws?
- Oh yes, very much so.

Whats your view on children?
- We want children. Definitely. Probably two.

Does your spouse feel the same way?
- See above.

Are you a 2 peas in a pod or an opposites attract couple?
- We’re generally two peas in a pod. Our differences are pretty minor.

Do you go out without your spouse?
- Sometimes, when it’s my friends and he doesn’t wanna tag along.

How long are you away from your spouse before you start to miss him/her?
- Omg, usually a few hours. It’s kind of pathetic. Heh.

Have you ever compared your spouse to someone you have dated in the past?
- Yes, it can’t be helped. He tops ‘em all. Gentle, intelligent, kind, compassionate, etc. etc.

Do you trust your spouse?
- Implicitly. One of the few I trust unconditionally.

Does your spouse trust you?
- Yes. I think I’m the only one he truly trusts. Well, and his mother.

How well do you know your spouse’s favorites?
- Pretty well. I’ve had many years of practice.

How well does your spouse know your favorites?
- He knows me too dang well. Heh.

Do you get along with your spouse’s friends?
- Generally — they’re his family. Hehe.

Does your spouse get along with your friends?
- Yup. I have very likable friends. ;D

Did you go on a honeymoon?
- The Mayan Riviera in Mexico! We’d love to go on one of those European cruises one day.

Do you watch the same TV shows?
- Generally, but I watch more than he does.

Can you agree on Pizza toppings?
- Most of the time, though he likes his pizzas more “colorful” than I do.

Who takes out the trash?
- He does, most of the time. Sometimes I do.

Who does laundry?
- I do most of the time, though he’s been helping out a lot lately.

Who cooks dinner?
- We both do. We take turns.

Who is the first one to wake up in the morning?
- Depends on the day.

Do you have any traditions?
- Erm.. Christmas is a good one, and acknowleding our anniversaries.

Is there anyone in your spouse’s family that you can’t stand?
- Not really. I love ‘em all.

Anyone in your spouses family you adore?
- Oh yes, all of ‘em! I specifically adore his mother and grandmother most.

Do you know your spouses passwords/pins?
- Yeah I know them.

Does your spouse know your social security number?
- He hasn’t memorized it no, but he has access pretty easily.

Do you ever nag your spouse?
- Yes, he says I do.

Do you admit wrong doing?
- Oh yes, we both do. We try to, to keep the compassion going.

Does your spouse?
- Yes. Not right away — he needs his time more than I do. Heh.

How would you grade your sex life?
- Hot. Especially when I’m not gigundo with baby.

When is the last time you or your spouse bought each other flowers?
- Mother’s Day.

DO YOU SNORE?
No. Unless my nose is stuffy that night. Then I may.

LOVER OR A FIGHTER?
Usually a lover, but can fight with love and words.

WHAT’S YOUR WORST FEAR?
Losing people I love. And headless ghosts?

AS A KID, WERE YOU A LEGO BUILDER?
Oh yes. I’m STILL a lego builder. I wish I had more time to, though!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF “REALITY TV”?
I thought it was cool when it first came out, but now it’s overkill.

DO YOU CHEW ON YOUR STRAWS?
Not generally, unless I’m nervous.

WERE YOU A CUTE BABY?
Damn straight.

HOW IS THE SINGLE LIFE FOR YOU?
Non-existent. Being married does that to ya.

WHAT COLOR IS YOUR KEYBOARD?
Black. On my laptop.

DO YOU SING IN THE SHOWER?
Not generally, no. I’m too damn tired in the mornings.

HAVE YOU EVER BUNGEE JUMPED?
Nope.

ANY SECRET TALENTS?
Ummm… the talent to make people do what I want them to. Dave calls it the “Jedi power.” Hehe. I use it at work primarily. It’s a big responsibility.

WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL VACATION SPOT?
On the beach somewhere.

HAVE YOU EATEN SUSHI?
Nope. I think it’s weird. I’ve only tried California rolls, which barely counts.

HAVE YOU SEEN THE MOVIE “DONNIE DARKO”?
Who, wha?

DO YOU GIVE A DARN ABOUT THE OZONE?
Yes. I do.

HOW MANY LICKS DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO THE CENTER OF A TOOTSIE POP?
Who cares?

CAN YOU SING THE ALPHABET BACKWARDS?
Nope.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON AN AIRPLANE?
Many many times.

ARE SPEEDOS HOT?
No, they’re disgusting. Might as well be naked, yo.

WHAT’S YOUR STAND ON HUNTING?
Don’t do it, unless it’s for survival or food. Hunting for sport is the sickest thing I’ve heard — ever.

IS MARRIAGE IN YOUR FUTURE?
It’s in my present. Haha.

DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Generally, yes.

WHAT ARE YOU ALLERGIC TO?
Dust mites.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAID, “I LOVE YOU”?
Last night, before bed. And again I will this morning before leaving for work.

IS TUPAC STILL ALIVE?
Er, no. I thought he was dead? He’s alive in his music, I suppose.

DO YOU CRY AT WEDDINGS?
Oh yes. Even my own.

HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR EGGS?
Over easy most of the time. Other times, fried.

ARE BLONDS DUMB?
Nope. I’ve met some very smart blonds.

WHERE DOES THE OTHER SOCK END UP?
In the sock abyss of nowhere.

WHAT TIME IS IT?
9:34am - gotta leave for work soon.

DO YOU HAVE A NICKNAME?
Pixie. But only Dave can call me that.

IS MCDONALD’S DISGUSTING?
Yes. Very much so.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WERE IN A CAR?
Yesterday.

DO YOU PREFER BATHS OR SHOWERS?
I prefer baths, but haven’t had one since I got pregnant.

IS SANTA CLAUSE REAL?
In many children’s hearts, yes. But not in mine.

ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?
Yes. Heh.

WHAT ARE YOU ADDICTED TO?
Oh so many foods. And love. And my husband and family. And life.

CRUNCHY OR CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER?
Crunchy!

HAVE YOU EVER RIDDEN IN AN AMBULANCE?
Not that I can recall.

HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BRUSHED YOUR TEETH TODAY?
Once so far.

IS DRUG FREE THE WAY TO BE?
Yes. I’m “straight edge.” Hehe.

ARE YOU WEARING SOCKS?
Yes.

HAVE YOU EVER HITCH HIKED?
Nope.

WHAT COLOR ARE YOUR EYES?
Brown.

WHEN’S THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Yesterday, while watching “Dancing with the Stars.” When they cry, I cry.

DO YOU LIKE YOUR LIFE?
I love my life!

WHOSE LIFE IS BETTER?
No one’s life is “better.”

ARE YOU PSYCHIC?
Not generally, but I have good intuition.

HAVE YOU READ “CATCHER IN THE RYE”?
I don’t think so.

DO YOU PLAY ANY INSTRUMENTS?
Nope.

CAN YOU SKATEBOARD?
Nope.

DO YOU LIKE CAMPING?
Yes, but not in the rain or snow, please.

DO U SNORT WHEN U LAUGH?
When I laugh really really hard. Hehe.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC?
Everyday is magic! Corny, huh?

IS A DOG A MAN’S BEST FRIEND?
No, he has many best friends.

YOU BELIEVE IN DIVORCE?
I believe it exists yeah.

CAN YOU DO THE MOONWALK?
Not very well!

DOES YOUR MOM KNOW YOU HAVE A MYSPACE?
She doesn’t really care, I think. lol

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Cereal.

DO YOU WEAR NAIL POLISH?
NO. I hate nail polish.

DO YOU LIKE SOMEONE RIGHT NOW?
Dave!

WHAT’S THE MOST ANNOYING TV COMMERCIAL?
All of ‘em.

DO YOU SHOP AT AMERICAN EAGLE?
Sometimes.

FAVORITE BAND AT THE MOMENT?
The Raconteurs.

THE LETTER A

Are you available?
Nope. Happily married to my best friend, Dave.

What is your age?
27 years young, yo!

What annoys you?
Ermm… slow drivers when I’m in a hurry. Heh.

THE LETTER B

Do you live in a big house?
Nope. A decent sized fourplex. Three bedrooms. Sometimes I think it’s too big for us.

When is your birthday?
October 30.

Who is your best friend?
Besides Dave? Jenbug.

THE LETTER C

What’s your favorite candy?
Probably anything chocolate with hazelnuts, or smarties candy.

Who’s your crush?
Dave. ^_^

When was the last time you cried?
Omg, today. While watching a bridal show on TLC. Brought back all these memories. lol

THE LETTER D

Do you daydream?
All the time. Too often. Heh.

What’s your favorite kind of dog?
Small, hypoallergenic kind? Jenbug’s Peeka comes to mind!

What day of the week is it?
Sunday.

THE LETTER E

How do you like your eggs?
Fried, most of the time. Or runny, but I can’t have runny eggs right now.

Have you ever been in the emergency room?
Not that I can recall. Everything’s been scheduled.

What’s the easiest thing ever to do?
It used to be sleep, but now I’m having a hard time. Reading is easy.

THE LETTER F

Have you ever flown in a plane?
Many, many times.

Do you use fly swatters?
Nope. I just let the flies out. Or Tink helps catch ‘em.

Have you ever used a foghorn?
Er, nope.

THE LETTER G

Do you chew gum?
Once in a while, sure.

Are you a giver or a taker?
I’m usually a giver, but I like to take too.

Do you like gummy candies?
Just gummy bears, and it has to be the specific brand.

THE LETTER H

How are you?
I’m doing well, thanks. Getting hungry… again.

What color is your hair?
Black.

THE LETTER I

What’s your favorite ice cream?
Mocha Almond Fudge, and Vanilla.

Have you ever ice skated?
Yup, a few times. It’s hard!

Do you play an instrument?
Nope, I wish I did!

THE LETTER J

What’s your favorite jelly bean brand?
None. I don’t like jelly beans.

Do you wear jewelry?
Just my necklace right now. None of my rings fit anymore!

THE LETTER K

Who do you want to kill?
Er.. no one.

Do you want kids?
YES. Hehe.

Where did you go for kindergarten?
Ynez Elementary School in Southern California.

THE LETTER L

Are you laid back?
Generally so.

Do you lie?
Nope.

THE LETTER M

What’s your favorite movie?
Mary Poppins

Do you still watch Disney movies?
Sure! I love ‘em.

Do you like mangos?
OH yes!! It’s one of my pregnancy cravings right now.

THE LETTER N

Do you have a nickname?
Pixie. But Dave is the ONLY one who can call me that.

What is your real name?
Helen.

Whats your favorite number?
4.

Do you prefer night over day?
Night.

THE LETTER O

What’s your one wish?
For a healthy baby.

Are you an only child?
Nope. Oldest of three.

THE LETTER P

What one fear are you most paranoid about?
Losing those I love.

What are your pet peeves?
When people drive really slow when I’m in a hurry. That’s the only one I can think of right now.

What’s a personality trait you look for in people?
Compassion, kindness.

THE LETTER Q

What’s your favorite quote?
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Gandhi
“Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.” Roosevelt

Are you quick to judge people?
Sometimes I can be, sure.

THE LETTER R

Do you think you’re always right?
Nope. I think my perspective matters, though.

Are you one to cry?
Oh yes, I’m a crier.

THE LETTER S

Do you prefer sun or rain?
The sun, definitely.

Do you like snow?
Sure, to look at. It’s too cold to be in, though!

What’s your favorite season?
Summer!!

THE LETTER T

What time is it?
6:46pm

What time did you wake up?
Today? About 10:30am. Bliss!

When was the last time you slept in a tent?
Last summer, at Gabriola Island.

THE LETTER U

Are you wearing underwear?
Yup. I’m not wearing kinky body stockings, though. Just pajamas. Hehe.

Underwear or boxers?
Boxers on Dave, definitely. Rawr.

THE LETTER V

What’s the worst veggie?
Celery

Where do you want to go on vacation?
Vietnam.

THE LETTER W

What’s your worst habit?
Clearing my nose. I can’t stand when I “feel” boogers in there. I’m always blowing in a tissue.

Where do you live?
Upper northwest region.

What’s your worst fear?
See above.

THE LETTER X

Have you ever had an x-ray?
Yup. And will again soon.

Have you seen the x-games?
Nope.

Do you own a xylophone?
Nope.

THE LETTER Y

Do you like the color yellow?
Love it! It was one of our wedding colors.

What’s one thing you yearn for?
July to get here so we can meet Bean!

THE LETTER Z

What’s your zodiac sign?
Scorpio. Be afraid.

Do you believe in the zodiac?
Only the true parts. Hee hee.

Favorite zoo animal?
I’m not sure I have one.

Ah, le Saturday! This week, quite honestly, has been a week from hell for both Dave and me. We’re handling it pretty well, and we chalk it up to the universe reminding us that life is short and love is real. We’ve got our health, we’ve got our marriage, we’ve got our love, we’ve got our family, so that’s really all that matters. Everything else is icing on the cake. Still, it seems like each day of this week presented a different obstacle, a different type of “shit” that hit the fan. To put it bluntly, this week really sucked butt. And sucking butt isn’t a pretty thing. I’m glad the week is over. Now we can move on with the rest of our lives and hope next week is better!

We get to see family this weekend, so it’s a good ending to a bad week. Nick is staying overnight tonight, and we’re going to Wii it out like there’s no tomorrow. Mario Kart, Boom Blox, Mario Sports, etc. The Wii is so fantastic — it’s the greatest video game invention ever. I love being able to be active and zombie-like at the same time. Hah! Then 7pm tonight, we go out to dinner with Dave’s dad and his fiance, so that should be good. Good food is always a plus. Mongolie Grill, here we come! It’s one of our favorite places to go to, and it brings me back to the beginning of our relationship when we were still traveling back and forth between countries to see each other. Every time I visited Dave here, from California, we would end our time together with lunch or dinner at the Mongolie Grill place. So that food and that restaurant chain is very special to me. Now, it’s become an extended family restaurant. We go there every chance we get with his family.

Last night, I got a pleasant surprise in my email box. Sylvia Ma, our wedding photographer, just launched her new site, complete with a beautiful new design using flash. After going through it, I realized that our wedding was featured in many of her photos. She took such beautiful photos of our special day last July. I’m so honored to have some of those photos there on our site! Check it out and see if you can find us! There are lots of pictures of the kids too (Chelsea, Reilly, and Jaeden), not to mention a couple of our detail shots, like our rings. She does beautiful work. If you are ever in need of a wedding photographer in the lower mainland area, B.C., definitely go with Sylvia. Great price with fantastic results.

And now, to end this post with our regularly scheduled memes (when I’m stressed, memes are my thing — filling out questionnaires and surveys somehow really de-stresses me).

Another High School Meme:

1. Can you sing the fight song?
Nope. I don’t care for the fight song. I barely even know what it is.

2. Who was your favorite teacher?
Mr. Griffith was probably my favorite. He was our honors Chemistry teacher. He was a cutie, and he was also very nice.

3. What was your school mascot?
The lion. El Monte Lions, woohoo! Rowr.

4. Did you go to the Prom?
Nope. Instead, my girlfriends and I went to a theme park on that day. Hehe.

5. If you could go back, would you?
Not on my life, hell no. High school was hard. The only thing that kept me afloat was the academic part. Everything about high school was hard. I was severely depressed and at times, suicidal. I kept a good front though, since no one knew and even my “best” friends at the time would be surprised to hear me say that.

6. What do you remember most about graduation?
Unfortunately, it was my father screaming at me after the ceremony, because I forgot to put the club on my car. See, high school was hard.

7. Where were you on Senior Skip Day?
I was in school. I didn’t skip. I was a good school girl.

8. Did you have a job your senior year?
Not that I recall. My parents didn’t allow me to work.

9. Where did you go most often for lunch?
We usually went off campus for lunch — most of the time just across the street to the Tasty Freeze diner. Sometimes to Taco Bell a couple of blocks away. Sometimes we stayed on campus if the campus lunch was good.

1. Are there any causes you strongly believe in? 
Free Tibet Foundation, UNICEF, The Lucky Foundation (eventually), World Wildlife Federation, Amnesty International

2. Are you a virgin? If not, how old were you when you lost your virginity?
Yeah, I’m a virgin. Baby Bean is the product of immaculate conception. Hehe. Actually, I gave my virginity to Dave when I was 18. It was never “lost.” I know exactly where it went.

3. Are you addicted to anything?
Love, peace, and rock n’ roll, baby. And food in general. Food is addictive.

4. Are you afraid of ghosts?
Heck yeah. At least with humans, you know their general limitations and physical boundaries. With ghosts, you don’t. They can do anything and be anywhere. It’s scary!

5. Are you short tempered?
I can be, yeah. Though these days, I’m rather calm and level-headed. Jenbug says I’m really very easy-going, so I’m gonna trust her and believe it. These days, it takes a lot to get a rise out of me. It takes even more to keep that rise going. Heh.

6. Can you dance? Do you like dancing? 
I have two left feet most of the time, but can find general passable rhythm after dancing for about half an hour and letting my nerves relax. I wish I can dance a lot better than I do. I don’t generally like dancing, but I think it’s more of a self-conscious thing than anything else. Too bad I can’t have a HDMI switch in my brain to just make me a better dancer or something.

7. Do you believe in life afther death?
Sometimes. I don’t find myself having too much idle time to think of such things. I’m more into living the life I’ve got right now. Whatever will come later will come regardless of what I “believe.”

8. Do you believe in marriage? Why?
I should, since I’m married. It’s a psychological and legal thing, I suppose. Marriage just psychologically confirms a whole bunch of stuff for me. A piece of paper shouldn’t say anything, but my and Dave’s excuse is that we’re a little traditional when it comes to that. The whole “meet, fall in love, get married, have children” kinda come in that order for us. To each their own.

9. Do you consider yourself a neat or messy person?
I’m generally a neat person. Sometimes anally so.

10. Do you consider yourself lazy?
I can be sure. Like right now, instead of doing this silly survey, I should be working. But am I? Of course not.

11. Do you have a role model?
I do. Lots of ‘em, actually. I have my supervisors, Sylv (my mother in law), Gran (my grandmother in law), the Dalai Lama, etc.

12. Do you like cooking?
Only when I’m in the mood, which isn’t often these days, unfortunately.

13. Do you like eating out at restaurants?
Other than it costing a lot of money, I LOVE eating out at restaurants! I think it’s such a treat.

14. Do you like going window shopping?
Yup, but I like it more when I’m actually buying stuff. Heheh.

15. Do you like partying? Attending parties? Giving parties?
Nope, sometimes, nope.

16. Do you like to go dancing?
Not particularly.

17. Do you like to travel? Which has been your best vacation so far? What made it so special?
I love to travel! Our honeymoon to the Mayan Riviera in Mexico was the best vacation so far. It was special because it was Dave’s and my first trip overseas together, to an unfamiliar place.

18. Do you read? Has any particular book influenced you or left a life-changing impact?
I read a lot. The Secret Garden continues to be a life-altering children’s novel for me, for whatever reason. I also particularly love politically driven novels, as they make me think and make me question my lifestyle, choices, and viewpoints.

19. Which are your favorite authors?
Linda Lay Shuler, Kathleen & Michael O’Neal Gear, and various others.

20. Have you ever been on a blind date?
Nope.

21. Have you ever been on the wrong side of the law?
Only with traffic tickets. Heh.

22. Have you ever had a narrow escape from death?
Been in a particularly life-altering car accident when I was 16. That was a pretty narrow escape, with the car flipped upside down and all.

23. Have you gone through therapy of any sort?
Yup. I’ve been through mental healthy therapy a couple of times. I can’t call myself a good therapist if I’m too afraid to seek therapy for myself, right? There’s something incredibly comforting about having the permission to spend about an hour talking about strictly yourself and your struggles to someone without having to feel guilty that you’re bringing them down, or being silly, or whatever. In therapy, the client can lead the conversation to what she wants to talk about, and she doesn’t have to feel badly for it. It’s really cool.

24. How ambitious are you?
Incredibly so. Sometimes too much, since I have a lot of crazy out-there goals I’m still planning to achieve in this lifetime.

25. How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Quietly, with my family.

26. How do you like to spend New Year’s Eve?
Quietly, with my family.

27. How important is money to you?
Important enough to help me pay the bills I need to pay and put food on my table. Outside of that, I could care less.

28. How important is your family to you?
What a silly question. I don’t know anyone who would answer this question by saying family is not important. Family is what drives me, moves me, and wills me to do what’s right. Family is my motivation for everything good, for achieving my goals. Because I want my family taken care of is the primary reason why I want to change the world and bring peace and joy in my community.

29. How long are you on the internet every day?
Oh, goodness, way too long. Probably every waking hour if I could. I’m always on, regardless of doing something else — work, watching tv, eating, etc. Heh.

30. How patient are you?
I’ve grown a lot more patient towards other people, but still am working on being patient towards myself. These days, the only person who can truly let me down is myself.

31. How romantic are you?
I’m a sap. Incredibly romantic, but I try not to let it get to me or let the expectations run too high. I look for the little things of being loved and loving.

32. If you could change one event in history what would it be?
I wouldn’t change anything. Changing anything in history would dictate what is happening today, and that’s a scary thought.

33. If you could go on a vacation anywhere in the world where would it be?
Vietnam. I miss Vietnam.

34. If you could know one historical figure very intimately, who would that be?
The Dalai Lama. I really wish I could just call him up and meet for a cup of tea or something.

35. What did you do during the summers when you were growing up?
Avoid being screamed at. And rode my bike a lot, with my brother and sister.

36. What do you consider the five biggest drawbacks of your personality?
High expectations of myself and my friends (or so I’ve been told), being a hermit most of the time, sometimes being too passive aggressive, impatience with myself, and various bouts of self-consciousness, I suppose.

37. What do you consider the five biggest strengths of your personality?
Loyalty, patience towards others, compassion, motivation/ambition, intelligence.

38. What do you consider your biggest achievement to date?
Creating life.

39. What is the most adventurous thing you’ver ever done?
Taking a leap of faith in forgiving people.

40. What is the most stupid thing you’ve ever done?
Probably talk without thinking first. Sometimes things come out of my mouth that I regret later on because people mistake it for ill intention when it’s really just me being honest and trying my best to communicate.

41. What is your idea of a perfect evening?
Being at home (which is all nice and clean and all the house chores are done) curled up on the couch with a good book.

42. What would you do if your best friend disapproved of me?
Disapproved of who? I’d seriously take anything my best friend thinks into consideration, seeing as how she’s my best friend and her opinion matters. Though, in the end, I do what’s best for me.

43. What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?
“You’re very kind and I feel comfortable talking to you.”

44. What’s the worst thing you ever did to a friend?
Say goodbye.

45. What’s your earliest childhood memory?
My ears getting pierced. I was talking to my mom the other day and I told her detail by detail images in my head of that day. Apparently, I was only 3 months old, and I remember it almost precisely. She was kind of freaked out. I told her I remember it because the pain was almost unbearable. Heh.

46. When was the last time you cried?
About a week or so ago. I’m so darn hormonal now.

47. When was the last time you felt really proud of yourself?
Everyday.

48. When was the last time you really laughed?
Today. Minutes ago.

49. When was the last time you told a lie?
Umm… I don’t remember. I think that’s a good thing.

50. Where do you see yourself in five years time?
Happy.

51. Which body part are you more likely to notice first in someone of the opposite sex?
Eyes.

52. Which has been your longest romantic relationship, so far?
With Dave. Going on 8 years romantically, almost a year of marriage, 10 years of friendship.

53. Which personality traits do you want your partner to have? Which of these are an absolute must?
I would love it if Dave is less of a procrastinator. Heh. An absolute must is intelligence, which Dave possesses tenfold. And kindness.

54. Which was the last really impulsive thing you did? Are you an impulsive person?
I bought some shirts at the mall on Thursday. I’m not generally an impulsive person, but I can be.

Friday 5:

1. What makes you feel old?

Being married and pregnant. Hehe. Old in a good way, though. Oh, and having bills to pay and responsibilities and a savings account.

2. What makes you feel young?

Everyone telling me I look 14. Yeah, even while pregnant, and after gaining about 25 pounds, I still get this comment. I also exercise a lot and still read comic books.

3. What was better when you were allowed to do it the old way?

Math. I think we’re losing our grasp on doing simple math in our heads. When I ask someone what 10% of something is, they can’t seem to answer me. Dude! 10%!! I’m guilty of this though, since I carry a little handheld calculator with me everywhere I go, for such emergencies as lackage of brain power.

4. What’s better now that you do it the new way?

Blogging. Doing it html-style, manually coding everything, was really really tiring, not to mention a very long process. I coded every single entry separately on a separate subpage. That was a long, long time ago, before livejournal, wordpress, movabletype, etc. I don’t really miss those days, though I still do appreciate html and being able to code by hand.

5. What’s something you are old school about?

I still want to code my layouts manually. Wordpress and PHP don’t really make that easy. I think I’m more able to be creative when my site is completely hand coded by me and designed from scratch. I like that blank slate to work with. Haven’t done that in over a year though. Some people think it’s as boring as hanging curtains, but I like it that way.

Now for a bit of fun. I was tagged by Liz and I kinda like the meme. Heh. Here we go.

1. Go to www.photobucket.com (don’t sign in)
2. Type in your answer to the question in the “search” box
3. Use only the first page
4. Copy the html and paste for the answer.

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your relationship status?

3. What is your favorite color?

4. Who is your celebrity crush?

5. What band are you listening to right now?

6. What is your favorite movie?

7. What is your favorite Disney Princess?

8. Name your favorite alcoholic beverage.

9. Where is your dream vacation?

10. What is your favorite dessert?

11. What do you want to do when you grow up?

12. What do you love most in life?

That was kinda cool. I tag Ciana, Teesa, and Ronni!

I finally re-did my “about” page. Go check it out. I tried something different, so let me know what you think. It took me a while to come up with something, but I kinda like it. The format is a bit boring and may have to change, but the content is pretty good.

On to the meme that Danni tagged me with! It’s the 2008 New Year’s Questions.

Here’s the rule: Remove 1 question from below, and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag some people in your list, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged.

1. What is your favorite food?
Noodle soup. I love making my own noodle soup. It’s Asian style (I don’t eat any other styled noodles ;P).

2. Where is the place that you want to go the most?
I want to see my family again in Vietnam. Haven’t been back in about 10 years.

3. Which part of you do you hate the most?
I don’t hate any part, but if I were to choose my least favorite part, I would probably say my teeth.

4. When you encounter a sad moment, what would you do?
Cry.

5. What are you afraid to lose the most?
My family. My friends. Those I love. Heck, even those I no longer keep in touch with. I’m terrified of losing people I’ve known and loved.

6. If you win $1 million, what would you do?
Pay back my parents, my education debt, Dave’s credit debt, buy Gran a house, and use the rest of the money to finally start my own non-profit agency to help abused children around the world (THE LUCKY FOUNDATION, I have forgotten).

7. What’s your wish for the year ahead?
A healthy Baby Bean.

8. How did you celebrate the New Year?
I spent it with Dave, my sister, my cousins, and my sister’s boyfriend, Michael, at his house. During the day we spent the last hours with my family in NC before we got on the flight back home.

9. Till now, what is the moment that you regret the most?
Not sticking up for myself when I was younger.

10. Which type of person do you hate the most?
Snobby people who go out of their way to make others feel badly when it’s absolutely not necessary.

11. What is your ambition?
To get a PhD eventually.

12. If you had one wish what would you wish for?
A healthy Baby Bean.

13. Name one of your body part your hubby or boyfriend tells you he adores:
My boobies. He loves my boobies. Hehe.

14. What is the best gift you can give someone this year?
I can give the world Baby Bean. That will my best gift to society.

15. List two of your Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions.
a. Read more.
b. Write more.

16. What was a memorable moment in 2007?
One of them was our wedding in July. A long time coming, and it was perfect and beautiful.

17. What are the Top 2 things that you are most thankful for the year 2007 that made you even more happier for 2008?
a. Baby Bean
b. My husband

18. What was the best lesson you learned in 2007 (be specific)?
Relax, go with the flow, change the things you can and accept the things you can’t change.

19. In this very moment, are you doing what you thought you’d be doing at this stage in your life?
I’m not sure. I didn’t really have a plan for what I would do at 27. I think I got exactly what I’ve always wanted, deep down: a family who loves me.

20. What is the most shocking thing that happened to you in 2007?
Losing George.