Index of Characters: A Mini Guide

Since I blog about life, and those who are in my life...

I have made the decision to abbreviate/nickname the names of my family and friends on my blog.

As some of you know, I am a Bay Area girl who is living in this island (Hawaii) world.. So my friends and family live mostly in one of these two locations, but I may refer to others who have chosen to venture outside those perimeters.

My blogs consist of family, friends, co-workers, and ghosts of Christmas pasts, who have all, in some way (be it positively or negatively) helped to shape the "charming, endearing, awesome and sometimes kind" person that I am today!

To make things less complicated, I have decided to put together a mini-index of those that I refer to.  I will continue to update this guide as more characters added into my adventures!

In order of appearance (for now):

• PW:   The Hubster.  We met when I first moved to HI in 2001, and we recently got married in August 2008.  He is a cancer survivor (4yrs cancer-free! Praise God!), and an amazing cook who also hogs the television.

• Tigger:   The (sometimes annoying) little (by one month) brother I never had.  I tend to drag him along on many of my adventures.

• BFF:  Exactly that.  We have known each other since the 6th grade, and we talk 3-5x a year (I'm working on getting better at that).  We live in different states, different time zones, and have totally different circles of friends.  And regardless of what happens between those talks, she still knows me best. I hate and love that - all at the same time.

• Wally:  My ever-faithful, big, ball-of-love dog.  He's a toy fox terrier/chihuahua mix, a.k.a. TACO TERRIER.  Such a character...

• Kuya:  "Kuya" is a filipino term used as a sign of respect to an older male relative, in my case, my brother.  He's 9yrs older, and he pretty much raised me to be the charming, endearing and awesome person that I am :)  No, seriously.. I pretty much owe him my life.

• Japapino:  My inspirational traveler who has the free spirit to pick up and go whenever he feels compelled to :)  He is Japanese and Filipino (hence the name), and he also happens to be one of my favorite gay friends.  He is a tell-it-like-it-is kinda guy, and I appreciate that.

• Sweet D:  My fellow blogger and Shokutopia dweller. We share similar loves, such as blogging, Coca-Cola and The Wonder Years. Whatever you do, do not call her a "dork." ;)

• Ghetto Mocha:  This guy has become my new Bikram accountability partner!  Our thoughts happen to always be on the same wavelength.  It's truly creepy how similar we are... and you know how the saying goes, "Birds of a feather..."

For the Love of Liquid

So.  I've said this several times, to several different people... I LOVE LIQUIDS.

Seriously.  If I were forced to go on a liquid only diet, I could TOTALLY do it.  

Happily.

I'm not as crazy as I used to be.  When I was still in school, this was my daily regimen:

1 12oz glass of skim milk

1 12oz-16oz glass of orange juice

1 can of coke

1 grande coffee (maybe 2 if it was a rough day)

2-3 liters of water

...and an occasional, 16oz Tropical Awakening from Jamba Juice.

I have definitely toned it down.  I no longer drink milk daily, and the Jamba thing happens only 1-2 times a month.  Maybe.  :)

Anyways, on a coffee break awhile ago, [Tigger] and I decided to go to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

I ordered my usual Hazelnut Latte.. and I decided to try the new Green Apple Breeze thing (which was too sweet for my taste, BTW).  As I'm paying, a pretty bottle catches my eye:  BORBA.  BORBA Skin Balance Water, to be exact.

[photo courtesy of eds]

Sounds interesting, right?  How could I resist??

There were 4 different flavors/areas of concern:

• Pomegranate = Clarifying, for oily skim
  
• Acai = Age Defying, for aging skin and wrinkles
  
• Guanabana = Firming, for body/firmness
  
• Lychee = Replenishing, for dry skin
  

I plan to try all 4, so I picked the one closest to me:  Pomegranate.

Here's the lowdown:  (an excerpt from borba.com)

photo taken from www.borba.com

BORBA's skin balance water blends contain an array of exotic fruits, antioxidant ingredients, and essential vitamins and minerals that work in tandem to help improve and protect skin, from the inside out!

When we're young, our skin is mostly comprised of water- giving us a poreless look, softened texture, and firm feel.

As we age, our skin's ability to hold onto water or moisture greatly decreases, revealing visible pores, rougher and dryer skin texture, and a less firm appearance.

Unlike topical skin care products, BORBA Skin Balance Water provides the added healthy benefit of internal hydration.

Sounds like a bunch of CRAP to me.  But it tastes good! :)

PW Files, 03.16.2003

My old car ('93 Miata) still lives (is dead) in my garage.  I haven't touched it since I bought my new car over 4yrs ago.  You can only imagine the creepy, crawly things that have now taken residence in my old pimp mobile!  I asked [PW] to do me a HUGE favor:  Go into the car and empty out the glove compartment.  (I was looking for an old insurance card)

It took him 2 days later to actually do it. (I didn't even need the darn insurance card anymore!) But to my delight, this is what he found in my glove compartment:

**This card was dated exactly 1 week before our first kiss**

Hey Eds,

This is a thank you for the memories you have provided me on my thirtieth birthday.  Your gifts are always so thoughtful, I feel that it is an indication of how observant and considerate you are and I wanted to acknowledge that.  (Actually the whole time I have known ya!)  The amount of effort you put into both gifts made me feel appreciated, just imagining you potting the stalks, transporting it in the Miata, carrying it up to the office, and trying to be STEALTH about it all is a third gift you have given me.  That is a memory that I will hold dear, because it is perhaps the cutest I have.  These are very rare and special qualities to have and you have to know that you are a very rare and special person to me.  Although, I have been wondering why you choose to remain less opinionated, mind you it does not detract from your uniqueness, just makes you more coy (adj. shy, demur, affecting shyness, evasive).  I looked it up.  Your listening ability is something I treasure and I will admit that I can't read you as well as you may believe.  I can't even begin to express my gratitude in words, only hope to reciprocate the acts of kindness and provide you with pleasant memories.

Knowing you has enhanced my existence.

Love always

_ _ _ _ _

( [PW] )

Yes, I'm married to him :)  AND he cooks!  Could you blame me for falling for the guy?