Engagement

My cousin in France is engaged!  I'm super happy for him!!  Congrats Michel!! =)

Engagement celebrations!!!

I am looking forward to this weekend's dinner plans.  I hope that everyone enjoys it tho.  I was stressed about finding a place for my friends - affordable, local, and with at least decent food.  As long as ppl dress up, I'm happy.  There's a dinner w/ my friends tomorrow, then a dinner w/ Emmanuell's friends on Sunday.  Excited.   

It's been almost three weeks since we've been engaged.  I still reminisce the day my babe proposed to me... the morning of Sunday, June 6th, at Manhattan Beach.  I thought he was joking til he took out the ring and proposed.  Heh, the change of shirt, tie, and roses didn't convince me.  

Here is my fiance's story:

On 6/6/2010, at approximately 10:40 AM, I asked Susan Ly if she would marry me.  Foolishly, she has accepted.  I am most likely as shocked as many of you are, but I'm deciding to go with it. :)  It's been in the making for a little while now (we've been talking about it for the last couple of months).  This week, I'd been telling Susan how I wanted to go to back to Manhattan Beach since we haven't been there since last year.  I picked up the ring during the week and called my friend Sean to help me with the picture taking (driving an hour and a half to do it!).  Once we got to the beach and got settled with our towels, I told Susan that I'd left the camera in the car and needed to go back and get it.  I met Sean at the car where I stashed the ring, roses, and a nice shirt and tie in the trunk.  We walked back down to the beach, almost getting spotted by Susan as we approached.  Once I brought out the ring and convinced her that I was actually not kidding (I may have given her the impression that I might do a fake proposal at the beach), she said yes!

Just reminiscing that morning just brings smiles to my face and butterflies in my stomach.  If only I wasn't cussing while being recorded.  

I should really start doing some research.  All I've accomplished so far was ordering engagement photocards to send out to some ppl, mostly Emmanuell's relatives.  I really need to look into the photographers for Hawai'i.  Ahhh, time to work!

east coast trip to moving to ER to farewell

These last few weeks have been super busy - too many things going on.  On 3/19, I got my braces OFF!  It took a while, but it was worth it!  It was a busy day that day cuz it was also one of my best friend's going away dinner and my babe's friend, terri, was visiting.  The dinner was great.  Afterwards, we headed out to West LA to meet up w/ the boy's gang.  We just hung out and chatted til around midnight before heading home. 

A few days after that, we headed off to the east coast to visit his dad.  We took a day's trip to Brooklyn to visit his aunt.  Her cooking was AMAZING!  She was right about how great her cooking is.  I remember that she mentioned how delicious her cooking was during a "bonding" moment when we first met last summer.  I concur.  We flew back on Sunday morning and started packing when we got home.  Why?  Three days later, we moved.  It was a long day particularly because I was stressed w/ work and stayed at work til about 7pm the previous night having only eaten one meal the entire day.  Same goes for the move-in day.  Aside from eating a few Chips Ahoy! Peanut Butter Chunk cookies, we had only eaten one meal as well - dinner at Saladang.  Very tiring, I must say.  For the next couple days, we moved the small stuff from my storage and from the old apt.  Robert and Florence helped (our first guests!).  On Saturday, we moved my big stuff from storage.  It only took two trips.  Robert and Florence were available to help on that day, too.  There were only two trips, yet it took hours!  It was pretty busy since Odessa came up from SD for a final get together w/ Kel (plus 'Diva').  After the move and after Robert and Florence left (I'm soo glad they offered to help!), the five of us headed to Scoops to try some interesting-flavored ice cream.  I picked lavender honey and red bean.  I wish the move didn't take that long since we had guests, but I guess we're not like the pros who pack and move ten times faster than us.  Even though we briefly hung out, it was really nice getting together in the short amount of time we had.  

On Sunday, we went to get groceries for Qing Ming.  After all the shopping, we picked David and Chanelle up and headed to the AV.  The weather was windy and gloomy, and Sue hinted why that may be.  We had TONS of food, including two roasted pigs - 40 lbs and 17 lbs.  That meant lots and lots of leftovers.  I think we took home less than 2 lbs out of the 57lbs.  We just finished nearly half of it for a few meals in the last couple days.  Gulp, still more to go.  

Fast forward to Tuesday.  So my stomach (since before Qing Ming) was feeling weird but I thought I was either hungry/stuffed.  After getting home Tuesday night, I started to get sharp pains in my stomach.  I thought it was just gas cuz someone told me that that causes sharp pains.  Emmanuell ran to Ralphs to get me some medicine.  I took a couple.  Result - more sharp pains.  I hardly slept that night due to the intensity of the pains jolting me left and right.  At about 2am, I wounded up on the couch hoping that sitting up would help.  Nope, nada!  My babe woke up at around 6 to find me huddled on the couch w/ my arms wrapped around my stomach.  He took me to ER over at Kaiser.  Luckily there were just a couple ppl there besides us.  After checking in and the routine blood pressure and health questionnaire (if I smoke, when was my last menstrual period, etc.), the nurse grabbed a wheelchair and wheeled me to the emergency room.  I entered the room thinking "this is the same room as the time when Ang and Odessa dragged me to the hospital after I got hit by a car walking home!"  (Yes, that really happened.)  First, the urine test came back negative.  The doctor decided to hook up the whole IV thing and inject me w/ some morphine.  Emmanuell held my right hand as we watched the nurse poke the needle into my left arm.  She took some blood for some lab tests then watched her set up the IV bag and inject the meds through the IV line.  As we waited for the blood test results, I observed the room I was in - the IV bag dripping and traveling through the line and into me, the monitors, the buttons on the wall.  It felt like a long wait for the results.  The doctor returned and announced that the blood test results were negative and that I would then go for an ultrasound.  I drank my pitcher of water then they rolled me to the ultrasound room as my babe looked manly w/ my BR purse, hehe.  The ultrasound took a while.  My bladder wanted to burst.  They couldn't locate my ovaries.  After some further searching for ovaries, still no luck.  Eventually he let me get up to go pee, hoping that I would be able to hold some of it for more ultrasound pictures.  Nope, I couldn't hold any of it any longer.  I returned w/ an empty bladder.  Shoot, then they FOUND my ovaries!  So after that was over, they rolled me back to my room to wait for the results.  By then we were nearly falling asleep.  The doctor came back to tell us that they found a cyst on my left ovary.  The cyst leaked, causing the sharp pains.  Time at home w/ some meds will be needed for my recovery.  WHEW!  No surgery needed for this one!  After waiting for an hour to get a prescription and doctor's note to be excused from work, I got discharged!  We left the hospital at about 1pm, went to Porto's to get some food, then headed home to rest.  My sweetheart did some stuff (I assume he watched anime) as I napped.  During the time I was in ER, I texted most of my siblings and a couple close friends informing them of what was going on.  Every time I felt worse or when I got scared, I turned and my honey was there by my side.  THANK YOU BABY FOR BEING THERE THROUGH IT ALL.  I LOVE YOU!!!  <3

Even though I was drained and weak from the 5+ hrs in ER, it did NOT stop me from seeing one of my best friends one last time before she headed off to the peace corps.  We headed to Culver City to meet up w/ Kelly and some of her other friends @ Father's Office to enjoy one final dinner and take one last photo together.  ("Our last pic together til your wedding" - Kelly)  I'm gonna really miss Kelly... well, I already do.  I'm glad she accepted to be part of my big day... til we meet again.

december is finally here

i'm back in the west coast, got back wed night.  unfortunately, i came back w/ a full blown cold, didn't even go to work on thurs cuz of it.  i've been sick for a week now, ugh.  i think i got sick last sun night.  it was just a bad night falling asleep w/ tears down my face.  after that dinner, i just had a completely different mindset.  i'm not sure if i'll be able to get those images out of my head, i really don't.  i was completely disrespected, it was just unbelievable.  honestly, i will never ever be okay w/ any of that behavior in the future, even if i'm not present to see it.  the damage has been done.  that was just a rude and careless stunt, and i'd be stupid to forgive for that.  i'm not sure what will happen from now on, but all i know is that it has become a problem.  i'm not gonna put up w/ any of that sh!t.  ugh, this just makes me extremely angry and want to do some clawing and punching.  go away!!! 


w/ all of that added drama, i'm soo glad that december is now here.  altho i've been sick all week, just being w/ my babe just makes me sooo happy.  he's been taking good care of me, and even w/ the stuffy nose and moments of breathing difficulties, i enjoy every moment in his arms.  yeah yeah, it's cheesy (yuck, cheese), but that's just how i feel.  yup, i love my baby. =)  


so i got my xmas gift early... i love love love love love it!!!  i smile whenever i look at my finger.  days before our philly trip, i got some bad news and emmanuell took me out to cheer me up.  we went through 5 different jewelry stores.  at store #5, i started to grow attached to their styles and designs.  all i'll say is that it's beautiful.  he spotted it before i did!  the more i looked at it, the more i loved it.  i'm just excited and happy and in love, and i don't want anyone/anything to interfere w/ that.  honey, i love you very very much.  i can't wait for our first xmas together!  <3 <3 <3 


now i'm hungy.