Yes, I’m fessing up — until last night, I hadn’t written in a week. Some of you may have figured this out, seeing as how I had time to watch RENT not once, not twice, but four times in the past four days. Seriously, when do I have that kind of time on my hands? But my obsession with this fabulous musical has indeed served me. It inspired me so much that I actually pulled out my papers and started writing again.

The setting of RENT and the relationships between the characters are very similar to my novel. Stories of friendship and love. Strong, passionate characters. I was most struck by the emotionally evocative quality of the play. How it was able to make me feel things, bring tears to my eyes, and fall in love, quite totally, with every single character. These are the hallmarks of excellent writing, and it has given me yet another example of greatness to asprire to.

So I started writing again and got flashes for three new scenes. Wrote a couple pages during the American Idol, so now I’m back in the saddle again. Thank God – I’ve got unrealistic deadlines to meet…

Yes, I’m fessing up — until last night, I hadn’t written in a week. Some of you may have figured this out, seeing as how I had time to watch RENT not once, not twice, but four times in the past four days. Seriously, when do I have that kind of time on my hands? But my obsession with this fabulous musical has indeed served me. It inspired me so much that I actually pulled out my papers and started writing again.

The setting of RENT and the relationships between the characters are very similar to my novel. Stories of friendship and love. Strong, passionate characters. I was most struck by the emotionally evocative quality of the play. How it was able to make me feel things, bring tears to my eyes, and fall in love, quite totally, with every single character. These are the hallmarks of excellent writing, and it has given me yet another example of greatness to asprire to.

So I started writing again and got flashes for three new scenes. Wrote a couple pages during the American Idol, so now I’m back in the saddle again. Thank God – I’ve got unrealistic deadlines to meet…

“525,600 minutes
How do you measure a year in a life?

How about love?”

Wow. I knew when I found myself replaying the opening scene of the movie over and over again that I was going to love this flick. Wow. Love is an understatement. This movie has easily coasted into my top 5 all-time favorite films, the kind of movie I could watch every day. That was the most satisfying two hours I’ve had in a while.

I’ve always had a love for musical theatre. I was exposed to it very early on when my 3rd grade teacher Ms. Vidulich scored our class front row seats to a showing of CATS. In the 8th grade I saw Starlight Express in London (a musical performed entirely on roller skates, amazing). Cried my eyes out during Les Miserables when I was fifteen, awed by The Phantom of the Opera a year later. San Mateo High also had a large performing arts department, and we were treated to several high-quality productions every year. SMHS’s Cabaret is one of the best renditions I’ve seen. I am a sucker for a great musical. And the Broadway version of Into the Woods (with Bernadette Peters as the witch) is the funniest play Ever.

My love of musical theatre influences my taste in movies as well. Also ranking high on my list are Grease AND Grease 2. A Chorus Line. Evita. And one of my favorite 80’s movies is Sing, a movie about a high school musical.

But back to RENT. A touching musical about love, friendship, following your dreams, standing up for what you believe in, and fighting against the Man, all while dealing with the very real-life problems of poverty, drug addiction and AIDS. It resonated very strongly with me, not just because it centered around the starving artist community, lol, but because I can identify with coming to that stage in life where your friends become your primary family… And how those bonds built in the trenches, and those people you leaned on while you were figuring it all out, hold pieces of your soul forever…

“I trust my soul…”

The cast had the most amazing chemistry – it was no surprise when I found out that all but two were from the original Broadway cast. It showed. I fell in love with all of them. Tango Maureen was hilarious. I did not think I could love Jesse L. Martin more than I did when he was on Ally McBeal but I do. And Rosario Dawson is the hottest stripper I’ve ever seen. Me-ow. La Vie Boheme!!!

“Hey Artist, you got a dollar? Didn’t think so.”

Then today, I watched the deleted scenes and found the Alternate Ending. Oh my God did the Directors mess up. I watched the Alternate Ending over a dozen times and cried every time. I do not agree with their explanation for changing it – they should have left it alone. Click here to watch the alternate ending on youtube.com.

I die, without you… I die, without you…”

This movie did something to me I could not have anticipated… It actually moved me. Touched my soul. I can’t guarantee it will have the same effect on others, but I definitely recommend checking out this movie if you can appreciate a good song and a good story…

There’s Only Now
There’s Only Here
Give In To Love
Or Live In Fear
No Other Path
No Other Way
No Day But Today

I frequently joke that I’m a terrible excuse for a Black person, lol. Truth be told, I’m a pretty terrible excuse for an Asian person as well. I suppose that’s a biproduct of being biracial — you can never fully immerse yourself in any one culture. Lucky for me, my good friend John seems to have made it his personal mission to bring out the Asian in me…

Though he’s not Asian himself (he’s actually Black and White), he sure does know how to cook a lot of Asian food. His stepdad is Filipino and Native American (how’s that for a sweet mix) and John picked up a thing or two growing up with David around. And now he’s passing on his knowledge to me.

Being one of those non-domestic breeds of women, I’ve never been much of a cook. And until I met John, I couldn’t cook a Filipino dish to save my life. Then he taught me how to make Adobo. I’m not going to lie, being able to make Adobo makes me feel like a bonafide Filipina. It’s not Papa’s (which I’m convinced is inimitable), but it’s pretty damn good if I do say so myself.

Last week John came over with the mission to teach me how to make yet another Asian delicacy — gyozas. Gyozas are the Japanese version of potstickers or wontons. And they are freakin’ delicious.

So impressed was I by the feast we whipped up last week, I decided to try and make it myself tonight, to see if what he taught me stuck. Cranked up my new Marc Broussard CD (which I Love!!!), and set to work on food preparation. I started by preparing the filling — a mix of ground beef with garlic, green onions, carrots and cabbage diced as fine as I could manage. I made a pot of brown rice using the rice cooker John was kind enough to give to me. Terrible Asian that I am, I didn’t own one before. Then I roll the beef mixture into the little wrapper thingys to make to wontons – an incredibly time-consuming process. All of a sudden I’m remembering why I don’t cook very often. Once the wontons are rolled, there are several ways to cook them. You can steam them or fry them. I like it both ways, so that’s how I prepared them. Looks good, don’t it? I can assure you, it tasted damn good as well.

So John, on behalf of my future husband and children, thank you for helping me get in touch with my Filipina roots by adding yet another recipe to my limited culinary repertoire… Actually, now that I think about it, weren’t you also the one who taught me how to cook black-eyed peas, cornbread, and collard greens for New Years??? Thanks for keepin’ it balanced buddy 🙂

Alright, so I’ve been getting complaints from my regular readers that I don’t post frequently enough, lol, so I’m going to try to find a better balance 🙂 Here’s something I came across that I thought was cute. I’ve bolded the items that apply to me, to see how grown up I really am 😉

25 Signs You’ve Grown Up…

1. Your houseplants are alive, and you can’t smoke any of them. LOL!
2. Having sex in a twin bed is out of the question. (Well, if that’s all that’s available…)
3. You keep more food than beer in the fridge. (Granted, this only became true in the past year 😉
4. 6:00 AM is when you get up, not when you go to bed.
5. You hear your favorite song in an elevator. (I was just telling Meg that grocery store music is the BOMB!)
6. You watch the Weather Channel.
7. Your friends marry and divorce instead of “hook up” and “break up.” (Sad but true…)
8. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 14. (I manage to get more than 14 though, lol)
9. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as “dressed up.” (They don’t???)
10. You’re the one calling the police because those %&@# kids next door won’t turn down the stereo. (SO me.)
11. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you. (though my mom has been traumatizing us with Sex Jokes since we were pre-teens, lol)
12. You don’t know what time Taco Bell closes anymore.
13. Your car insurance goes down and your car payments go up.
14. You feed your dog/cat Science Diet instead of McDonald’s leftovers.
15. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt. (Sleeping anywhere but a bed makes my back hurt!)
16. You take naps. (Never been much of a napper)
17. Dinner and a movie is the whole date instead of the beginning of one.
18. Eating a basket of chicken wings at 3 AM would severely upset, rather than settle, your stomach.
19. You go to the drug store for ibuprofen and antacid, not condoms and pregnancy tests.
20. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer “pretty good stuff.” (Dude, the top of the line wine Carlo Rossi will NEVER go out of style!!!)
21. You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time. (I’m working on it…)
22. “I just can’t drink the way I used to” replaces “I’m never going to drink that much again.”
23. 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work. (LOLOLOLOLOL)
24. You drink at home to save money before going to a bar.
25. When you find out your friend is pregnant you congratulate them instead of asking “Oh S*$# what the hell happened?”

Bonus:
26: You read this entire list looking desperately for one sign that doesn’t apply to you and can’t find one to save your sorry old butt. Then you forward it to a bunch of old pals & friends ’cause you know they’ll enjoy it & do the same.

Haha, so maybe I’m not TOTALLY Grown up yet… And while I miss the simpler days of childhood….

I’m loving my adulthood!!!

🙂

Alright, so I’ve been getting complaints from my regular readers that I don’t post frequently enough, lol, so I’m going to try to find a better balance 🙂 Here’s something I came across that I thought was cute. I’ve bolded the items that apply to me, to see how grown up I really am 😉

25 Signs You’ve Grown Up…

1. Your houseplants are alive, and you can’t smoke any of them. LOL!
2. Having sex in a twin bed is out of the question. (Well, if that’s all that’s available…)
3. You keep more food than beer in the fridge. (Granted, this only became true in the past year 😉
4. 6:00 AM is when you get up, not when you go to bed.
5. You hear your favorite song in an elevator. (I was just telling Meg that grocery store music is the BOMB!)
6. You watch the Weather Channel.
7. Your friends marry and divorce instead of “hook up” and “break up.” (Sad but true…)
8. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 14. (I manage to get more than 14 though, lol)
9. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as “dressed up.” (They don’t???)
10. You’re the one calling the police because those %&@# kids next door won’t turn down the stereo. (SO me.)
11. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you. (though my mom has been traumatizing us with Sex Jokes since we were pre-teens, lol)
12. You don’t know what time Taco Bell closes anymore.
13. Your car insurance goes down and your car payments go up.
14. You feed your dog/cat Science Diet instead of McDonald’s leftovers.
15. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt. (Sleeping anywhere but a bed makes my back hurt!)
16. You take naps. (Never been much of a napper)
17. Dinner and a movie is the whole date instead of the beginning of one.
18. Eating a basket of chicken wings at 3 AM would severely upset, rather than settle, your stomach.
19. You go to the drug store for ibuprofen and antacid, not condoms and pregnancy tests.
20. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer “pretty good stuff.” (Dude, the top of the line wine Carlo Rossi will NEVER go out of style!!!)
21. You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time. (I’m working on it…)
22. “I just can’t drink the way I used to” replaces “I’m never going to drink that much again.”
23. 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work. (LOLOLOLOLOL)
24. You drink at home to save money before going to a bar.
25. When you find out your friend is pregnant you congratulate them instead of asking “Oh S*$# what the hell happened?”

Bonus:
26: You read this entire list looking desperately for one sign that doesn’t apply to you and can’t find one to save your sorry old butt. Then you forward it to a bunch of old pals & friends ’cause you know they’ll enjoy it & do the same.

Haha, so maybe I’m not TOTALLY Grown up yet… And while I miss the simpler days of childhood….

I’m loving my adulthood!!!

🙂

Are we having fun yet??? 🙂 So today is the Lunar Eclipse in Virgo/Pisces… A highly emotional week, full of unexpected events (like snow in Santa Cruz, lol). Double that if you’re a Virgo or Pisces (huh Sponge? 😉 Anyways, the Eclipse rule is not to ACT on an Eclipse day. It’s okay to REACT, but try not to initiate any important projects or conversations until we’re out of the path of the Eclipse. Try to lay low if possible.

If you haven’t already, read my rant on the Eclipses and Mercury Retro.

One more Eclipse (Solar) coming on March 29th in Aries. Hang in there Peoples, and don’t forget to Breathe…

WRTING UPDATE: I hit 15,000 words last night! Go Me!!!

Happy Happy Birthday to Heff and DC ~ two of my most Favoritist Pisces men… Since the Eclipse happens to fall on your Birthday, expect a landmark year ahead! Big things in 2006!

This is insanity folks. Last night Megan and I were huddled in front of the fire watching Walk The Line when we got treated to the most insane thunderstorm I’ve ever experienced. Thunder that shook the house, lightening that lit up the night, and buckets and buckets of hail. This is what we found when we thought to pull back the curtains and look outside…

Insanity.

Then I awoke this morning, looked out my bedroom window, and found everything covered with snow…


Now the weatherpeople have informed me that this is technically hail or sleet, not snow, but I don’t care. Looks like snow to me…



The whole neighborhood was out bright and early, playing, taking pictures, staring around in awe. And it is truly AWESOME. Click on the pictures to see the full-size versions. The tiny pics really don’t do it justice.

Meg and I are about to head out to look for more pretty stuff, so don’t be surprised if you find more pictures here tomorrow. 🙂 Freakin’ snow in Santa Cruz…

Wow, I’m in a really great place right now. My creative juices are flowing and I am writing, writing, writing. And it’s good! My characters (some of whom I am meeting for the first time), are really starting to develop in my head, and the dialogue is flowing. Everyone’s respective backstory is starting to reveal itself. I even have compassion for Angela, something I never thought I’d feel. I am having so much fun writing this book, it is practically writing itself.

It’s easier this time around, because I learned so much in writing the first book. Armed with my handy outline, I’m plowing forward at a pace that amazes me. It was totally wishful thinking when I set that goal to write WHEN LOVE in the next six months. But now I’m feeling like maybe that’s not so ridiculous…

Whoa, I am writing my second book. There were times when I didn’t think I’d finish the first one, and now I’m 10 chapters into the second one? I’m sorry, but that seriously blows my mind.

I’ve been a reader and lover of books all my life. I thank my grandmother for that. She was a teacher back in the Philippines, and since she pretty much raised us, she instilled in me a love of reading and learning at a very young age. I have no doubt that being an avid reader has greatly contributed to my skill as a writer, and overall intelligence.

Before I started to think of myself as a writer or author, I was a consumer of books. I have my favorite authors, and I’d like to think I know good writing when I see it. Since I started writing my own novels, it has been a challenge to find a balance between reading and writing; I mean, there are only so many free hour in a day. But I make it a point to buy books and read books to 1) support fellow authors 2) research the markets 3) study my contemporaries and 4) improve my own writing.

Having finished Edwardo’s NEVA HAFTA, I’ve picked up the next book in my “To Be Read” pile. This book, (which shall remain nameless since I don’t feel it’s classy to bash other authors in public) was published by a big name publisher, received several positive reviews, and made several Bestsellers Lists. It’s in my genre. And four chapters in, all I can think about is — MY BOOK IS SO MUCH BETTER!!!

Seriously, if this chick can get a book deal, I know I can. This is the second book I’ve read recently where I felt the writing was weak (if not altogether riddled with terrible grammar), and the plot lagged. On every page I want to reach for my red pen and alter sentence structure (really, do their editors even read these things???). It’s amazing to me the amount of Crap that gets published.

So even though I feel like I’ve wasted hours of my life reading this terrible piece of cleverly-marketed garbage, I am uplifted and encouraged knowing that I CAN make it in this business. I know the difference between good writing and bad writing, and while I don’t claim to be the next Alice Walker, I do feel confident that I’m leagues above some of the other authors out there making a living as writers. I’m gonna make this happen.

On that note, I’m proud to report that I cranked out two more chapters this weekend. I’m still trying to finish WHEN LOVE ISN’T ENOUGH before I leave for my trip this summer, and things are lookin’ good. 🙂 Get ‘Er Done!