As I'm sure you have all heard, Michael Moore's new documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11, premiered in theaters on Thursday. I myself saw it on Friday in NYC. I have to say that I really liked the movie. And furthermore, I loved seeing the movie with a theater full of New Yorkers. Never having seen any of his films before, I would say that on the whole I really like his style. To borrow words from my sister, he is very witty and entertaining. While I will fully admit that the movie is very one sided, and I'm sure that many things were taken out of context, it taught me a lot of things that I did not know previously. Example: the entire situation with Bin Laden's family. I didn't really have the patience or the interest to keep up with all that was happening at the time, mainly because it fell into the realm of politics to me, which I don't really follow all that well.
I think more than anything the movie made me angry and pissed off, for many various reasons. Or rather, it just made me angrier... at Bush, at being in Iraq, for all the uneccesary deaths, for the ignorance of some Americans. As much as I was laughing at some parts of the movie, I'm sure I cried as many times. Having all of the information and memories rehashed in 2 hours was just a bit much. It'll be quite interesting to see the effects of the movie in the days to come as more and more people see it. And to say one last thing, I really do agree with my sister and Felicia's view points when they say that this movie will not really swing people over to the anti-Bush side though... the movie is way too biased to do that. But then again, I guess it really depends what the point of the movie is.
Before make a decision on Fahrenheit however, see it yourself, form your own opinions. And as always, keep an open mind... That being said, let's get this idiot out of the oval office, shall we?

Saw Avenue Q today. I must say that it was one of the funniest things that I've seen in a long time. To give a short synopsis, without giving away any of the musical, it's basically like Sesame Street for adults. The actors/puppeteers were absolutely great, and I can't wait to see it again. Apparently rush tickets are only $20... anyone game?

Meant To Live

Fumbling his confidence
And wond’ring why the world has passed him by
Hoping that he’s meant for more than arguments
And failed attempts to fly, fly

We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside
Somewhere we live inside
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside

Dreaming about Providence
And whether mice or men have second tries
Maybe we’ve been livin with our eyes half open
Maybe we’re bent and broken, broken

We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside
Somewhere we live inside
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside

We want more than this world’s got to offer
We want more than this world’s got to offer
We want more than the wars of our fathers
And everything inside screams for second life

We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
We were meant to live
We were meant to live

The Fabulous Adventures of Tara, Leigh, Nicole, and Felicia

Ahhh. What a great day. After much thought and planning (ie: an hour before hand), I decided that it would be a perfect day for a hike. The weather was absolutely perfect, not too hot and not too cold. After calling around and a few minor setbacks, the four of us hit the road and headed off to Ringwood State Park. Not really having the best directions, it took us a little longer than expected to get there, but car rides are always fun wiht the girls so it was okay. I think we ended up getting to the park around 2 pm or some time around there. We hiked, or rather walked, around for a bit, stopped to eat lunch, walked around some more, and then decided to take our travels to another part of the park.

We decided to go to Shepard Lake, a part of the part that Leigh swore that we had been to before. It's basically a litte lake where you can swim and boat and picnic and what not. We got lost again, thanks to everyone telling me to turn left. As we have now learned, turning left is not always the right decision, ::coughcough:: nicole. We roll up the the gate around 3:50ish, and seeing that there was a toll, stopped and told the park ranger that we were just going to turn around. Heeelllooo Mister Ranger. Hahaha. Leigh told me to stop the car (I did) and ask him what time the park closed (which I also did). His reply? And I quote, "I should be getting out of here at 4." Now why would he answer my question in such a manner? I'll just let you mull that over for a bit... As soon as we got out of sight, we all burst out laughing. Leigh kept telling me to turn the car around so we could go 'talk' to the Ranger, but I was laughing way too hard to make and sort of decision at the moment. At Nicole's suggestion, we decided to go back a bit after four, she/we figured that we'd be able to just go park and not pay since the Ranger dude wouldn't be working anymore.

Lo and behold, the Ranger wasn't working when we went back a few minutes later, although he was standing off to the side with his car... haha, I almost didn't know what to do then. I'm silly, but we knew that already. We decided to check out the boating options ($10 per hour, per boat, fyi), and then decided to go mess around on the playground for a bit. Sometime after the boat-shtuff and before the playground, I stole one of Leigh's birkenstocks and proceeded to float it in the lake, and then she proceeded to empty the remainder of her water bottle on my back. Sorta not cool might I add. Hahaha, during this time (this is all according to Nicole), apparently the lifegaurd that was on duty, but not really doing anything, "was checking us out." Now I know this doesn't seem particularly humerous to you, but just the way that nicole described it, the entire sitting-and-then-leaning-back-to-look-at-something situation, it was extreemly humerous. :D trust me on this one. So to wrap up our time at he lake, we went to the playground, went back to the beach and played in the water for a bit, (the water was prety warm considering), and then headed home.

To sum it up, very fun day. Why do I feel that it's important to share this with you all? I don't really. I don't have this blog to cater to all of my non-existent adoring fans, it's more of a way to keep track of the interesting stories that occur during my life. If you know me well, you know that I have a bad memory, and this is one way of keeping some of my good memories alive. :Shrug: Nothing more and nothing less... do with it what you please, and have a nice day. :)

to all of my HS choir-mates...

"Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath."
~Michel Caine

I feel like watching The Last Samurai is especially pertinent at a time like this. I just watched the movie for the first time tonight, and I have to say it is one of the best movies that I have seen in a while. Something about the concept of honor so powerful to me. Hand to hand combat... actually knowing and facing your enemy... there's a certain nobility to it, a certain civility I know that war can never truely be civil, but in some cases, all you need to do is push a button and away your enemy goes. Sometime you never know who you are truely fighting... yeah. don't really know where I'm going with that thread. But to wrap things up, excellent movie. You should watch it.

Working in retail sucks for a few reasons. One of these problems is having to deal with shoplifters and potential shoplifters. As guilty as some people may seem, or actually are, I cannot bring myself to follow people around the store and watch their every move. I know it's part of my job, but I still can't do it. I remember how it feels to be followed around a store, and it's not a cool feeling. It's actually sort of degrading. But I guess it is the only way to prevent shoplifters. I just wish I could push that responsibility on someone else. I guess I also try to see the good in everyone, and ignore the bad things that they can do. How naive.

::Grin:: What a good weekend. My cousin Jasmine's wedding was this saturday in Long Island. The ceremony (it was actaully their second ceremony) was very simple, but very nice... using some of the filipino traditions. The reception was really nice too. Johnathan (Jasmine's new husband and my new cousin), is one of the nicest and coolest guys that I have met so far. Speaking of, he did the cutest thing at a the reception where he sang the L-O-V-E song, at at each of the four letters he had one of his brother's make the shape of the letter (think YMCA style) and then they all did a little dance for her. Haha, it was so cute! Can I marry someone that will do that at my wedding? ;) I also got to ballroom dance with my cousin Carlitos, which was the funnest ever (he used to compete fyi).

I think I enjoyed the wedding weekend so much because I was able to see so many relatives that I haven't seen in at least a few years. This is the first time in at 3 or 4 years that this many Espiritu's have gotten together. A lot of my cousins live in florida (my one aunt has 6 kids alone), and all of the kids in this one family are above the age of 26, and two of the brother's are married already. And my gosh, let me tell you my nieces and nephews are the cutest things ever! (The titles of niece and nephew refer also to the children of my cousins) The last time I saw any of them they were walking around in diapers, and now one of my oldest nephews, Christian, is 6!

Going back to the night of the wedding, after a bunch of us changed, me, my sister and my three other cousins went out to a diner and catch up with eachother. We ended up getting back at around two after sharing an odd assortment of food, and then all of us, minus my one cousin Tina, went back to our hotel room to sleep. Six of us intended in a room for four, haha, that's the way to do it. :D The following morning, we all had a final brunch at my Auntie Norma's house, an absolutely adorable house in L.I. After more munching and talking, it was finally time to go our seperate ways again. As much as I love my friend's, nothing really compares to family. The older I get, the more I appreciate the huge family and extended family that I have, and the more I cannot imagine having it any other way. With family you can joke about things that you did when you were little, or the odd idiosyncrasies that your parents share. There's a connection there that cannot compare to anything else, and that nothing else can ever fill.

Face lost in the crowd
Feet wandering empty streets
Voice crying out loud
Heart aching with every beat

Someone searching
Searching for someone
Everywhere and endlessly
Wishing, waiting
Could there be someone?
Searching for
Someone searching

Soul battered and bruised
Pride wounded and left for dead
Ears deaf to good news
Eyes tear-drenched and sleepless red

Oh I hear the cry
And I know the pain
Can it be denied?
That everyone has been
And will be someone searching

Love standing alone
Hands scarred by the nails of hate
Hope suffering long
Faith urging it's not too late

Someone searching
Searching for someone
Everywhere and endlessly
Loving, longing
Always there's someone
Searching for someone
Someone searching

oh the things you do when you're bored...

-- UNIQUE --

1. Nervous Habits? ripping things up, biting my skin
2. Are you double jointed? nope
3. Can you roll your tongue? umn, I can do the hotdog thing, but not the clover thing
4. Can you raise one eyebrow at a time? just the left one
5. Can you blow spit bubbles? i think so
6. Can you cross your eyes? - yup
7. Tattoos? - nope, as long as you don't include henna, which I'm guessing not
8. Piercings and where? - one in each ear, but I do pierce other people on a regular basis! >:)
9. Do you make your bed daily? - at school, yes. at home, never.

-- CLOTHES --

10. Which shoe goes on first? I don't know.
11. Speaking of shoes, have you ever thrown one at anyone? all the time, but never out of real anger.
12. On the average, how much money do you carry in your purse/wallet? in terms of cash, anthing from nothing to around 80 bucks
13. What jewelry do you wear 24/7? - does my cross count?
14. Favorite piece of clothing? - hmmm i dunno my flip flops maybe

-- FOOD --

15. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it? - twirl
16. Have you ever eaten Spam? - dude, I'm filipino. of course. it's really not that bad
17. Favorite ice cream flavor? - choco chip cookie dough and coffee royal (coffee with fude swirls) ... yummmmm
18. How many cereals in your cabinet? right now, I think just two or three
19. What's your favourite beverage? vanilla chai lattes, iced or hot
20. What's your favorite restaurant? mmm... it used to be East, but I'm not sure anymore.
21. Do you cook? yup, but I like to bake more

-- GROOMING --

22. How often do you brush your teeth? at least twice a day
23. Hair drying method? towel and then hair dryer
24. Have you ever colored/highlighted your hair? yup, I used to semi-permantently dye my hair all the time.

-- MANNERS --

25. Do you swear? sometimes when I'm really pissed. I try not to though.
26. Do you ever spit? haha, yeah. I got that bad habit from soccer. oh well.

-- WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE --

27. Animal?- puppies!!
28. Food?- chocolate or pasta
29. Month?- August just because it's when I was born
30. Day?- saturday
31. Cartoon?- mmm, don't have one. I love disney stuff though. and pixar (if that counts)
32. Shoe Brand?- don't really care. it really depends what I'm going to be using the shoes for.
33. Subject in school?- math or science. last semster it was ASL though.
34. Color?- blue
35. Sport?- Soccer!!! or Football as it's more commonly known.
36. TV show?- ALIAS all the way.
37. Thing to do in the spring?- enjoy the nice weather
38. Thing to do in the summer?- work, hang out with friends and family, relax, read... whoops, thats more than one. is that allowed?
39. Thing to do in the fall?- play soccer!
40. Thing to do in the winter?- go sleding and get in massive snow ball fights

-- IN AND AROUND --

41. The CD player?- Furthermore by JoC
42. Person you talk most on the phone with?- hmm... maybe Julie
43. Ever taken a cab?- yup
44. Do you regularly check yourself out in store windows and mirrors?- occasionally
45. What color is your bedroom?- white, pink, green, blue, and purple. (I sponge painted my room all these bright nasty colors when I was eight... don't ask)
46. Do you use an alarm clock? ? mhmm
47. Window seat or aisle? ? window usually

-- LA LA LAND --

48. What's your sleeping position?- usually on my side
49. Even in hot weather do you use a blanket?- always
50. Do you snore?- I don't think so
51. Do you sleepwalk?- nope
52. Do you talk in your sleep?- haha, yes. Apparently I had a 5 minute long conversationg with Kerry once...
53. Do you sleep with stuffed animals?- always. Puffy(my rabbit), Bobo(my bear), Emily(my mouse), and my baby pillow
54. How about with the light on?- no, I like it really dark
55. Do you fall asleep with the TV or radio on?- sometimes with the tv on, but hardly ever.

-- WHICH IS BETTER --

56. Coke or Pepsi? can't taste the difference
57. Oranges or apples? either
58. One pillow or two? Two
59. Deaf or blind? well I'm already partially deaf. I think I would be really sad if I lost anymore of my hearing because I love music so much. But honestly, I really don't know.
60. Pools or hot tubs? pools
61. Tall or short? short!
62. TV or radio? tv
63. Beach or pool? beach of course. You can't body surf in a pool
64. Tic-Tacs or Certs? tic-tacs (the orange and ligh green ones)
65. Snooze button or jump out of bed? snooze and radio. I only jump out of bed after I've hit the snooze a few times and I'm late.
66. Sunrise or sunset? both are breath-taking
67. Hamburger or cheeseburger? cheeseburger
68. Morning or night? definitely a child of the night
69. Sports or news? news, unless it's soccer.
70. Indoors or outdoors? outdoors
71. Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Eve
72. Cake or ice cream? ice cream
73. Spearmint or peppermint? peppermint, spearmint is gross
74. Bath or shower? shower usually.
75. Book or movie? love both, but you can't beat a good book.
76. Green or red apples? green
77. Rain or snow? warm rain
78. Nike or Adidas? adidas

-- WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU --

79. Took a shower? last night
80. Cried? friday night
81. Talked on the phone? a few hours ago
82. Read a book? last night
83. Punched someone? Don't remember. I've never punched someoen with the intention of hurting them though.

-- THE FUTURE --

84. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? lets see... when I'm 28 I think I'll be married. besides that, I have no idea. Working probably if I don't have kids. I have a feeling that I'll be a stay at home mom eventually.