"FIJI" Sings the National Anthem - 10-28-12

 

On October 28, 2012 "FIJI" the Polynesian Island Reggae Artist was honored to sing the National Anthem at the beginning of the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Washington Redskins game at the Hines Stadium in Pittsburgh. What a great opporunity for one of our own, a Poly brother at heart and blood to sing in front of millions of viewers. He is a very talented singer, entertainer and composer who has appeared as a guest artist for hundreds of other polynesian artists who are trying to make it in the music industry. He is indeed a man of many musical talents with a personality and heart that is most welcoming and heartfelt. He is not proud or boastful; he is GRATEFUL and APPRECIAIVE of the musical talents he's been blessed with. His style is pure island reggae with a touch of his own FIJIAN ROOT CHANTS. When one listens to the chants, you can't help but be mesmerized by the melodic rhythms, the authentic sounds of the island in acapella form. Each chant has a significant meaning to the different tribes and traditions which are still upheld in his homeland of FIJI.
He has been in the business for 20 years, and yup you better believe he knows his stuff, because if he didn't, he would have been done a long time ago.
 I've had the opportunity to know this man on a personal level and he is indeed a man of RESPECT of CULTURE, of PURE GOD GIVEN TALENT, COMMITTED TO HIS MUSIC, LOVES FAMILY, EMBRACES OPPORTUNITIES TO SING WITH OTHERS, SHARES HIS MUSICAL TALENTS WITH OTHERS- WILLINGLY, AND MOST OF ALL IS A GOD FEARING INDIVIDUAL! This is what I see when I'm in the presence of this man! For to see one person for his outward appearance, is just an inkling of what lies beneath. When you look underneath the surface and discover the genuine beauty and characteristics of an individual, you will find the TRUE MARKINGS OF THAT PERSON! This I believe... I wish you all the good fortune and fame that comes your way and I know you will not stray or forget who gave you those gifts! Nurture your talent, embrace it as it has brought joy and solice to many people all over the world! May you take your music to a whole new level and enlighten the minds and ears of those who choose to hear your sound! Be grateful and God Bless in your future endeavors...
To see FIJI sing the National Anthem go to youtube, type in FIJI sings the National Anthem.
P.S. - FIJI water is the best tasting water I've ever had! Just sayin!!

"The Dark Highlander" by Karen Marie Moning

This book was a good read, although I must add that I thought "Kiss of the highlander" was more of my pace as far as reading a book. The last 3 chapters of the dark highlander really caught attention and that is when I started feeling all my emotions and feelings get all tied up in Dageus and his undying love for Chloe.
Its funny how the SCOTS, can really feel who their mate will be, and Chloe was the total opposite of Dageus. She was a small little thing, with curly hair, curves, and a Scottish background. Dageus knew he could get any woman of his choice and seduce her with his animalistic sensuality, but there was something about Chloe that no other woman had and that drew him to her. Maybe it was because she was intrigued and studied the old myths, legends and was madly in love with artifacts dating back to Dageus' time the 15th and 16th century. She knew all about the ancient history of the Scots and simply loved to learn more and more about that era and this is what helped her to understand what was  behind Dageus all that manly build of a man.
Their love was deep aND new, but as the story progresses we see how Dageus treats his own mate, his love and doesn't just love her for the moment, but for the eternities. He didn't mesmerize or seduce her, he merely let her make her own decision to loving him and indeed she did! Like I said before the last 3 chapters really made the story come alive for me. Dageus having to fight off the 13 evil spirits within him, loving Chloe the way he did and trying to protect her with all his might. He did the only thing he knew was right to save not only Chloe his love, but the world in general.
I loved how Dageus put his heart and soul into the people whom he loved, his brother, thus sacrificing himself to the black side so that his brother Drustan could live with his wife in the 21st century and giving of his own life to see that evil would not return to the earth and destroy everything and anyone in it! By doing so, he was given a rare second chance at life and embraced it as he returns to Chloe, who suffered a torturing 3 1/2 weeks thinking that her Dageus was gone forever. Oh the horrid emotions Chloe must have felt, how she endured that, I don't know, but I would totally not want to endure such a loss or such pain - no, not me!
A good read, so one of the places I would like to visit on my list to vacation is definitely Scotland..Aye-lass! Gotta find me a cherry picker (words of Gwen from "Kiss of the highlander)..

"Caressed by Ice" by Nalini SIngh

 

OK, so I'm new to the whole PSY CHANGELING SERIES, but by golly gee I'm enjoying this RIDE its taking me on. One moment I feel like I'm in love with a controlling PSY with mind powers and the next I'm in total fascination with a WOLF or CAT PACK. Whichever one it is that I choose to side with at the moment,I get totally enthrawled in the close knit bond of the WOLF and CAT PACK and the affection they show each other is totally touching, literally! When the PSY find their way out of the Psy Net, its such a calming sensation to know that even without their connection to the Psy world, there is hope for them to find individual FREEDOM, to mate, to touch, to learn without being programmed, to live off of internal emotions and human instincts, just takes my breath away!

Judd Lauren - Arrow Killing machine, fully equipped and trained to KILL, use telekinetic and telepathy skills to destroy anything that comes in his way. He was trained like all the other PSY to not have emotions, no feelings, cold as ice expressions. He could be tortured, but you wouldn't know it because he's a trained killiing machine that shows no emotions.
Brenna Kincaid- CAT Pack- full of emotions, need touch to feel alive, needs to be loved, needs to have a mate, was taken captive by Enrique Santano (PSY COUNCIL MEMBER) totally raped her mind and did physical and mental damage to her being; but he failed because she SURVIVED all his cruel tactics and he died at the hands of her PACK ( a very slow and torturing death; a well deserved death)

This book was wonderful! My heart went out to Judd, "He was an assassin by choice. He was one because he couldn't be anything else." What he physically went thru to show his love for his mate Brenna. I totally gave mad props to Judd for his strength to mentally be abused to give his mate what she needed, love, touch and the emotional hunger to be fed and could only be given by him. He was my Knight and Shinning HERO throughout the whole book. I'll be sharing parts of the book that moved me in ways mentally and physically- use your imagination peeps..lol! HERE WE GO:

The Alpha Cat- Hawke, he is talking to Brenna; she's upset that her brothers and Judd are overprotective because of her abduction by Enrique. Hawke tells her, "I'm your alpha . My job is to make sure you're a healthy member of the pack, not a crippled one." So true, he knew she could take care of herself. Her brothers being the loving brothers that they are, were very protective and wanted to make sure that her every move was monitored, but only her Alpha knew that she didn't need babysitting.

Brenna is havng one of her moments where she feels like (Enrique Santano) permanently damaged her for life, but her mate Judd tells her, "You will defeat this as you've defeated every other thing he did to you. You are not crippled, not now, not ever, 'He'd kill anyone who implied otherwise. "You survived once and you'll keep spitting in his face by continuing to survive again and again." What a loving thing to say to his mate to make her come out of her self pitty party.he brought her back to reality.

Judd is in love with Brenna and he's' getting frustrated that he and Brenna cannot feel their supposed to be mates. " He was a psychic being, He would have seen it had it been present in any form. That it wasn't, was a sign that though they might be drawn to each other, they weren't made to fit. he didn't give a damn. He was keeping her." HOly goodness, he was keepin her and that was FINAL! She is all yours for the taking JUDD!

Sascha was talking to her mate Lucas, "If you try for perfection, you become exactly like the Psy." A cold, robotic, race witout the ability to laugh, love or cherish. No race is perfect." So true, the Psy's able to escape the Psy world and find their freedom are adapting to their new world. Enjoying the bond with their cat and wolf packs, touching, embracing, loving and feeliing an OVERLOAD of happiness they could never have experienced in the Psy world.

Judd was not liked very much by the PACK because his own kind was the one who abducted Brenna and violated her mind and physical being. Judd was nothing like his kind. He slowly had feelings and emotions which did cause him great pain, but despite it all, his love for Brenna outweighed the pain he endured.

It was evident in this book that Brenna was a very strong willed and determined young lady. She knew who she loved and would stop at nothing to get him! She knew he was the enemy and was a heartless, cold being, but deep inside it all, she could feel with her HEART, that JUDD was the one for her. There was no going back. Even Judd told her once you make that decision that you choose me to be your mate, there are no doubts or second thoughts and she knew with every fiber in her being that he was the ONE! Though they had so much against each other, they were not compatible according to their different worlds, but when LOVE is the central key to their relationship nothing else mattered. They were destined to be togther.

 

I marveled at their love and how in the end, Judd was safe and found his bond with Brenna in the deepest parts of his Psy Mind. He was accepted into the PACK as he earned their trust by helping to heal Brenna and by literally saving Brennas brother when he should have been dead. It was good to know his PSY training came in handy for something of good!

A great read, so much was going on in this book and seeing that there were 48 Chapters I thought I would never get thru it, but as I continued to read page after page, those 48 chapters eventually flew by in a blink of an eye! Thank you for a good read, and like before I'll be looking forward to completing the PSY Changeling Series soon.. TEAM JUDD AND BRENNA - CAT WOMAN and PSY ARROW LOVE!!

"Visions of Heat" by Nalini Singh

Book #2 of the Psy Changeling Series. I enjoyed reading this book and getting to know Vaughn and Faith. Vaughn from the Wolf Pack did not like Psy at all. As a matter of fact, their 2 different worlds were known as enemies, yet for some reason these 2 worlds outside of the Psy Net World found mates within the PACK WORLD!

Vaughn was known as a straight faced Jaguar who had the strength of his Alpha was purely all MALE and MASCULINE! There were plenty of mates he could have in his pack, but none that really called to him or that lured him to be his soul mate. Its one thing to bed another woman, but to find and feel who your MATE IS, can run deep in your blood and you just know and feel that she's the one for you.

In comes little Miss Faith Nightstar - A F-PSy (Foresees things, predictions in the future). She climbs the walls of her area to step outside the real world in search for Sascha Duncan, (A E-PSY), she feels things and heals others emotions when gone bad. Faith comes in contact with the JAG- Vaughn. He takes her to see Sascha and for some reason, he can't quite let go of her and holds her with touch as a prisoner. He feels something when he touches her and she feels the same way.

I enjoyed getting to see how the packs work and how they are LOYAL to their own, their young and their mates. I was in awe reading about how the Packs have the need
of touch, which comes so freely. While speaking to other pack mates, they would caress their cheeks, or hug each other, just the mere touch anytime they were around each other. I could feel the INTENSE BOND with the packs.
For the Psy, this behavior was unheard of, totally pushed or totally wiped out from their minds or hidden deep beneath in their memory. To feel, react, touch or love was a sense of weakness and branded as being flawed in the Psy world, Can you imagine? Nope, not me...

With Faiths skills, they were able to take down the murderer who was killing off innocent women for the mere thought of being able to feel power over the vulnerable; what a coward. I was so relieved when the killer was caught and put to death and a brutal one at that.(He deserved it!)

Within these 2 worlds, there were emotions and MATES were bonded and as love would have it, they defeated all odds and came out on TOP being able to live with each other, touch each other, and love each other till the DEATH!

A good read and I find myself falling in love with the PACKS! What I would give to have my own personal CAT or WOLF CHANGELING - what an emotional ride that would be lol! Hey, who said a girl couldn't dream, after all this is a Para- Normal love story right? NE-ways, looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

"Flipped" by Wendelin Van Draanen

This book was AWESOME! I don't think they had this book out when I was in grammar school, but it sure is a good read for kids now a days. So my friend let me borrow the book and I brought it home. As I was reading, my nephew who is in the 5th grade says, hey I read that book already for book club and I think I'm gonna read it again for Independent reading. I was saying to myself whoa- this book must be good stuff if he's willing to read it again, but then again he's a reader like me ha!

I loved this book for its content, for the author keeping it real, for the innocent crush, the families that seem like they are one way, but inside it all, they are not the way everyone perceived them from the outside. I loved the new found friendships that developed, the truth and understanding all unveiling itself at its own time, the courage and confidence of a young girl, the typical boyish attitude and male stance and the realization that what you didn't see before has always been right under your nose. It was just turned up so high at one point that you couldn't see beyond it!

Juli Baker crushed on Bryce Loski since the second grade. When she saw those big blue mesmerizing eyes, she was all putty in his hands. Juli had the smarts, the whit, the confidence and the boldness of a young girl that totally caught my attention. From the first day Bryce and his family moved into her neighborhood she knew, he was the one that held her "FIRST KISS." I just love how Juli was so confident, so sure of herself, fun, loving just like a young girl should act. Bryce on the other hand, was not having it. He was annoyed by Juli Baker his across the street neighbor. He tried to avoid her at every cost, but Juli wasn't having it, she was right there where he could see her and where she knew he needed her. I like how the author took both POV of Juli and Bryce.

I'm gonna share parts of the book that really moved me. This part is where Bryce and his grandfather take a walk in the neighborhood after his family got into a big argument during dinner. Bryce never felt close to his grandfather, but things changed and this is part of the conversation, his grandfather told Bryce, "Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss..." He turned to me. "But every once in a while yo ufind someone who's iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare." I liked what his grandfather said to Bryce, he was referring to Juli. She had a spark in her that no other person he could see had. He wanted Bryce to really try and see Juli for the person she was and not for all the annoying things he judged her by.

Bryce is talking to himself, " I'd spent so many years avoiding Juli Baker that I'd never really looked at her, and now all of a sudden I couldn't stop. This weird feeling started taking over the pit of my stomach, and I didn't like it. Not one bit. To tell you the truth, it scared the Sheetrock out of me." Yea baby brother, thats what I'm talking about. All this time you were worried about ditching Juli or getting away from her and now your eyes are finally open- TAH DAH! She's beautiful, smart, caring, has a mind of her own and for so many years she's adored you and all you did was try to avoid her- I say to you, EAT MY SHORTS! haha..I love when guys finally see the light- takes forever, but it happens ha!

I loved the part where Juli's parents got into an argument and Juli was sitting at the table listening to them argue and she started to cry. She explains that her parents came to her room one at a time and told her why things were the way they were and she says to herself, " I felt sorry for my father. I felt sorry for my mother. But most of all I felt lucky for me that they were mine." What a loving and comforting thing to say about her parents. That comment right there moved me to tears. I know we don't say it enough to our parents, but I know I'm lucky to have had great parents just like anyone else. I'm now left with one parent, as my father has returned to the man in charge up above. I'm lucky to have a remaining parent, and I gotta be like Juli and be grateful and lucky she's here! (sigh..)

This part is where Bryce's grandfather (CHET) is talking to Juli. She asked him how he fell in love with his wife (she passed away). He told her it was by accident. He spoke of how beautiful his fiancee to be was and how she was a vision of an angel, and he tells her for a time all he could see was her beauty. But lucky for him, he saw the true beauty and it was not her, he found even more beauty in his wife RENE,who had inner and outer beauty; she was the WINNER! He said" Its easy to look back and see it, and its easy to give the advice, but the sad fact is, most people don't look beneath the surface until it's too late." Whoa, so true papa CHET! For some people, catching whats really real underneath the surface can be saved and changed, but for others they find out too late and by then, families fall apart, hearts are broken and life takes on a whole new challenge, but lets focus on the POSITIVE SIDE! We'll hope that folks find out in the nick of time whats really underneath the surface!

Coming to realization: Bryce is in his room saying, "As I lay in my bed staring out the window at the sky, I thought about how my dad had always looked down on the Bakers. How he'd put down their house and their yard and their cars and what they did for a living. How he'd called them trash and made fun of Mr. Baker's paintings.And now I ws seeing that there was something really cool about that family. All of them. THEY WERE JUST...REAL! And who were we? There was something spinning wickedly out of control inside this house. It was like seeing inside the Bakers' world had opened up windows into our own, and the view was not a pretty one. Where had all this stuff come from? And why hadn't I ever seen it before.
This was a turning point in the book. Bryce was finally realizing that his dad was one of those men who would belittle everyone and anything around him so as to make it easier to put himself high up on the pedistal. NOt kool, in my book at all! Bryce's Sister Lynetta, yelled at her dad for judging others and saying rude remarks about people and all these years Bryce just sat there and his mother just didn't bother to make a big deal out of it. But, finally Bryce see's what kind of man his dad truly is and he does not want to follow in his footsteps.
Bryce's grandfather mentioned before that sometimes its too late to see beneath the surface and I know for a surety he was referrting to his daughter who married Bryce's father. What a patient and loving father to step aside and even though he knew what kind of a man Mr .Loski was; he couldn't tell his daughter not to marry the man she loved. In this case, he had to let her see for herself what was revealed underneath the surface which surfaced at the family dinner with the Baker's. NOt a pretty sight, but the Bakers being who they are and well mannered, they took all the low blows that Mr. Loski threw at them like CHAMPS! TEAM MYSTERY PISSERS - LOL!!

The Loski's invited the Bakers over for dinner: Juli was not happy about it because she over heard Garret (Bryce's BFF) talk about her and her retarded uncle. She was so upset and told Bryce she never wanted to speak to him again. At this time Bryce is already falling for Juli; so he's feeling like KING KONG JERK FACE right now haha! Bryce isn't good at standing up for himself at all.
After dinner Juli's father says, "You boys showed a lot of restraint tonight. I don't know if I could've kept my cool that way." "Aw,he's just, you know...entrenched." Matt said. "Gotta adjust to the perspective and deal from there." Then he added, " Not that I'd want him as my dad..." Mike practically sprayed his milk. "Dude! Can you imagine?" Then Matt gave my dad a slap on the back and said, "No way, I'm sticking with my main man here." My mom grinned from across the kitchen and said, Me too." I'd never seen my father cry. And he didn't exactly sit there bawling, but there were definitely tears welling up in his eyes." I loved those parts in the book where you could see how the Bakers genuinely loved each other. It didn't matter that they didn't have all the luxuries that the Loski's across the steet had, what mattered was that they were together, getting by, not complaining and not feeling like they were missing out on anything. They were taken care of, fed, loved, nurtured by good parents and therefore the Bakers were absolutely fine. The Loski's on the other hand, appeared to be happy having all the fine paintings, nice clothes, nice cars yet there was something missing. They weren't a family unit. Bryce was scared of his father, couldn't talk to him. His sister Lynetta didn't want to talk to him because he was too busy putting people down and finding faults in everyone. His wife was one of those ladies who just loved her husband but never really dug underneath the surface to see what was really brewing up down there. Her father (CHET) saw it all along, but with his help and his new found friendship with Juli by gosh there was hope for Bryce to see the light!

The light gets brighter and brighter each time I think about Bryce - YES! So people, this is the last part Im' going to share since I think this review is like way long, but oh well. Gota let it all out and so it is said: this is the part where is Basket Boy Lunch takes place and there are oike 10 boys I believe that the girls in school can bid on and that boy has lumch with her and they are excused from class the whole day. Each boy brings a basket lunch for the auction. Of course, Bryce is one of the boys being auctioned and he is bid for $122.50 by (2) of the most popular girls, but before he gets bidded on, Juli bids $18 on Jon, who is a nice boy. She really doesn't like him, but she put his name on the ballot to be one of the basket boys. She felt bad when noone was bidding for him, so she did and he was all hers for $18. She had lunch with him and was having a good time, when the unthinkable happens...wait for it....wait for it....BAYUM...Bryce grabs her by the arm and says he needs to talk to her, she's like what's wrong. Bryce says, do you like John and she says yes he's nice, but not like that. Bryce says, "No! She said no! I didn't care where I was, I didn't care who saw. I wanted, just had to KISS HER. I leaned in, closed my eyes, and then.... she broke away from me. Yup ladies and gentlemen and thats how it happend, Bryce Loski had FLIPPED for Juli Baker- (SCORE!!)

This is the part where Bryce is talking to his grandfather (CHET) about what happened or what didn't happen at school with Juli. Bryce says, " It started with that stupid newspaper article. And I don't know..I've been weirded out ever since. She doesn't look the same, she doesn't sound the same, she doesn't even seem like the same person to me!" I stared out the window at the Bakers'. " She's ..she's just different." My grandfather stood beside me and looked across the street, too. " NO Bryce," he said softly. "She's the same as she's always been; you're the one who's changed." He clapped his hand on my shoulder and whispered. "And, son, from here on out, you'll never be the same again."

During the story, Juli climbs up this big Sycamore tree that his been in the neighborhood for years. One day he owners wnat to cut it down and build a new apartment over it. Juli is furious and stays in the tree and refuses to come down. Eventually her father persuades her to come down and the tree is cut! A very sad day for Juli. She wasn't the same since the tree was cut. It was like a little spark of hers was gone with the tree when it was cut down.
To make this long review short(I HOPE) to show Juli that he's truly sorry for the bad things he's done to her which I dind't mention in the review, he decided to ask her dad if he could plant a sycamore tree in their front yard. Juli's father agrees and Bryce surprises Juli with the little tree which in time and years the tree will sprout up to be an amazing and beautiful SYCAMORE TREE!
At the end this is what Juli says, she's still not talking to Bryce for trying to kiss her in front of everyone and she's confused he was never really her friend and now he wants to be her boyfriend, she says" So maybe I should go over there and thank him for the tree. Maybe we could sit on the porch and talk. It just occurred to me that in all the years we've know each other, we've never done that. Never really talked. Maybe my mother's right. Mayber there is more to Bryce Loski than I know. Maybe it's time to meet him in the proper light."

And that is how the story ends, but what an amazing book. It was well written catering to a younger crowd, but the principles being taught in this book are marvelous. Don't judge other people because you don't know their situation, when dating or preparing for marriage, please look beyond the beauty and look for whats underneath the surface; for what rises above the surface, might not be what you expected, make the most of what you got, be happy and grateful you have what you have; for others who have more than what you have, may not have nothing at all!

Thank you for a great read and I'll be recommending this book to so many of my family that all we'll be talking about for the holidays will be a book called "FLIPPED!" A great read with realistic situations and tons of stuff to relate to in the real world.. I think I've been FLIPPED with a better attitude after reading this book...Thanks again Ms. Draanen for a good read

"Speech Festival"

Thursday, October 24, 2012- we had a speech festival at church. Teens agers ages 12-17years old were sharing their speeches. It was a good day to learn a few things from the speeches prepared that night.
 A few things I came away with that night were: "Language", be careful with your language, if others are using profanity around you, you can simply let them know it makes you uncomfortable and if they could try and refrain from using it when you're around, you would appreciate it. A no cuzzing club was developed by one boy in his school and that soon turned into thousands of members and other schools decided to start their own no cuzzing club.  Another topic was: "FAMILY". You gotta live with them and you can't get away from them, so why not make the best of it. Families are like fudge, they are sweet with nuts. Of course, we all have a few nuts in our families, but thats what makes all of our families unique. If we were all the same, without nuts, what a boring family life we would have. Topic: "Divine Nature" - Be glad you're you. Stop trying to be like her or him. "JUST BE YOU, EVERYONE ELSE IS TAKEN."  I like that saying presented by a young woman. You are you for a reason, so don't play copy cat and act like others just be YOU. Topic: "Service" - its not the big things you do that are always considered service, its those little simple acts of service - helping a teacher with her books to class, helping a fellow student on a test or a question in class- saying hello to people you don't know- a smile can go a long way. "When you are in the service of your fellow being, ye are only in the service of your GOD."
Alot of good topics being covered that night, and I was filled with a greater appreciation for self-worth, service, and trying to be a better Me. A good night!

"Joel and Victoria Osteen" October 26, 2012

October 26, 2012 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. It was my first time in the big Staples Center and I was so excited, you better believe. I always imagined that my first time in the Staples Center would be for a Lakers Game, but no, it was for a totally different event. One that inspired, uplifted and motivated me spiritually- it was a "NIGHT OF HOPE WITH JOEL AND VICTORIA".
When my cousin invited me to the event, I gotta say that I just wanted to go to experience the Staples Center. When we got our tickets we were all the way up in the nose bleed section and I was thinking maybe we're all the way up here so we can be even closer to the LORD..lol. But as time went on, the seats were getting filled and  I was thinking really, all these people are here to hear one man and his wife about the WORD, amazing!!  By the time the event began every seat was taken so there was no way that we could have tried to upgarde at this point. I wasn't expecting anything spectacular or anything that would be worth blogging, but oh was I wrong! What an unforgettable night!
First of all, let me just start off by saying that all the odds were against us. I got to my cousins house after work and his car didn't start up, so we jumped in his other car and it worked. When the event was over, we jumped in his car and his car wouldn't start. For some reason, after the amazing night I was calm, at peace and filled with positivity. We waited for like 30 minutes and kept starting the car and sure enough it started. We made our way on the freeway and the car started jerking and my cousin was getting worried that we weren't gonna make it home. Well we made it to our exit, but as we were driving on the streets the car died out, but lucky thing we were close to home. We pulled over and started the car again and sure enough it started up. I wasn't worried at all and I knew we would make it to the house. After a great night like that, nothing would have upset me, and nothing did! Can't say so much about today, but Friday night, it was all good - lol.

I'm gonna share a few things that touched me that night from Joel and Victoria Osteen. He said we need to be grateful to be who we are. There are so many of us who walk around saying, I wish I were like her, or i wish i were thinner, but let me tell you, you are exactly the way the Master designed you. If he wanted you to be a little taller, he would have made you a little taller, if he wanted you to be a little skinnier, he would have made you a little skinnier - but you are exactly the way the Master wants you to be, so stop trying to be like someone else- you are UNIQUE and were blessed with your own talents and gifts. Use them and be glad you're YOU! You are painted the way the Master Painter of the World desigend and made you.  He said you are not a victim you are the VICTOR! I am a Queen with qualities and talents that only I posess. Walk with your head up and be confident- the inner you and your inner beauty will radiate to your outside appearance. People will see your inward beauty as yo ucarry yourself with self assurance and confidence!
Whatever you have done wrong, or whatever people have done wrong to you, "LET IT GO", forgive them and forgive yourself. We are our worst critics. If you're doing something you shouldn't be doing, stop it today and re-focus, re-direct your path on the right path. Life is too short, let it go and move on. The LORD is a forgiving LORD and if he forgives you, then forgive yourself. Don't bring up things that happened in the past and re-surface them to bring yourslef down. Do what you need to do TODAY and move on! You are not being judged on your performance, you need to be you and be confident in doing whats right.  Fill yourself with the Word and the scriptures everyday before you leave the house. Accept the Mercy of God, and move on. Dont dwell on what was done, but move forward on what neends to be done. There were so many things that I learned that night and I appreciate the way Joel and Victoria delivered their messages that night. They weren't screaming, they weren't being fake, they were simply sharing the WORD the way they knew how to and that was by merely talking with RESPECT, SIMPLICITY in a w ay that everyone who was there that night could appreciate and understand.
I had a great time that night and I went into the Staples Center with one attitude and came out of there with a better attitude! Indeed, a great night of upliftment and spiritual awakening! A great experience!






























 
















A

"RIGHT IN THE NICK OF TIME" THANK YOU!

So i'm coasting along just living it up one day at a time and I get a call from one of my cousins who wishes me a happy belated birthday! I say, thank you girl- you know how it is, getting older and still ROCKIN IT- LOL! So she tells me she's sending a birthday card, and i'm like sure thing- thanks! I really appreciate it. Then she tells me no, I want to give you a little something to celebrate your birthday- so check the mail. So I'm telling her via Facebook, cuz we're messaging now- I say, hope he has a bow around his neck with a smile, and she jokingly says, sorry - there's no bow around his nose, but I'll keep on looking for ya! Buahah we know how to have a good laugh!

So I'm thinking to myself, self, why is cousin so adamant about sending you a little good fortune, its all good, but in my mind, I'm saying- I sure could use a little suh um suh um to get me by till the next pay day- of couse I dont' tell her, but its like she's reading my mind.

Then she calls again today and tells me, well I don't really trust the mail with funds, so I'll put it directly to your account. I'm thinking umm thanks cousin, but the mail is probably way safer than my account. That mug might be in OVERDRAFT a word I am way too familiar with these days ugh! So I'm telling her, just mail it, its all good in the hood- lol! She's still kind of iffy, then I get a call back- ok its all ready to go. Go to Western Union and get yo man with the bow wrapped around his neck, his name is Washington or Jackson or watever the dead presidents name is..haha! I"m thinking to myself, can she read my mind, does she know that I'm borrowing from my little sister just to survive until payday?

 Whatever the case may be, I say its another blessing from above. She was not giving up on sending me the birthday funds and for that I'm most grateful! Thank you cousin for thinking about me on my birthday- because it truly came "Right in the nick of time."
Its always good to know even though we don't talk everyday and we don't Facebook all the time, but we know how we are- and it goes without words- but a word here and there is very beneficial to the mind and spirit! Thanks again cousin for the gesture of LOVE! Like I tell my siblings, "ESE LE FAIGAKA O LE ALOFA"..Thanks again love ya!! You rock...O le ma'a..lol!

"WHEN IT HAPPENS" by Susane Colasanti

Its been a while since I've read a YA book and after reading this book, I'm ready to dive into more YA books. I'm thinking where in the world were these books when I was in high school? I think the authors were probably in school like me trying to figure out what we were going to do with our lives ha! I'm so glad the world of books has expanded into something that is totally unstoppable, whethere with the physical books or efiles- all is good in my eyes.
When it happens, totally brought me back to my high school days, back in..oh I don't know..a few years ago ..lol! The moments captured between Tobey and Sara were so cute and innocent. The arguments so realistic, the plans to try and get noticed by the opposite sex, so REAL! I enjoyed this book immensely. Some might think its a book for puppy love, but its with the puppy love that we develop our true love. Like they say, gotta start from the bottom and work your way up.
Step by step and take your time; don't rush love - its complicated, delicate and a MUST!
I like the way the author had Tobey and Sara's Point of Views.I must say I understood more about how boys really think and how they function in high school or Heck even now in the present.
Along comes my man Tobey- a musician, a slacker to everyone else, but he knows he's capable of becoming anything he wants to be if he puts his mind and studies to it. He's got one goal in mind, to make Sara fall in love with him. He tries to make his move, but he's too slow and Dave(the jock) already asks Sara out- what a bummer! He makes his plan and decides to try to get to know Sara in class and they both find out that they have so much in common and BAM- there is indeed " A CONNECTION!" So much for Dave, she dumps him and realizes she has nothing in common with him at all! HOORAY- Dave is your typical JOCK beats up on others for no reason and cares way too much about what his friends think- a follower!
I really liked Tobey. He was so into Sara that he knew almost everything about her and with Sara it was the little things that mattered. One thing I know I wouldn't do which they both did, was dip their onion rings into mustard, can you say not tastey ugh! But hey, it was their thing. I liked Sara's BFF's Laila- the NERD and Maggie- the BEAUTY. They were a great threesome, did everything together and it just reminded me of how in high school, you always have those few girls that you can call your friends, or homies; this is TRUE! Tobey tells Sara's BFF that he's looking for "SOMETHING REAL" and he can see that in Sara. And they indeed find their something real in each other!
A good, nice and fluffy read!
 

'TELESA" The Covenant Keeper

I really enjoyed this book. I'm samoan, born and raised in California, but lucky for me, my parents brought SAMOA into our home in the states. I'm greatful for the heritage and culture I know and cherish for life.
So the book was a great read! I loved how I was so familiar with everything that Mrs. Young was describing and I couldn't help but feel at home with this book being that everything was set in Samoa, how good is that! I love, love, love me some DANIEL..He's one of those samoan boys that still holds true to the traditions and unwritten rules in Samoa. Its very safe to say that DANIEL is one CHUNK HUNK and very old fashioned which is fine with me YES! I love his character how he RESPECTS his elders and respects girls.
Leila is from the states and is not accustomed to the Samoan way of life! She is in for a culture shock in a good way. She doesn't hit it off right away with DANIEL, as a matter of fact, they get into a class debate and they are on opposing sides and get into it, something fierce..She makes some friends at school SIMONE ( a shim= she+ him= SHIM) He becomes a very good friend of Leila and helps her with the ins and outs of the samoan life and expectations on the island and in school.
TELESA speaks of women who have an affinity of powers of the earth elements AIR, WATER, FIRE and Leila not knowing is one of them. Leila was born to a palagi (white) man and a samoan telesa lady. Her mothers name is Nafanua. Her father took her away from SAMOA where she was born when she was 4 months. Her father didn't speak much of her mother but requested that she never go back to SAMOA. Leila loved her father and it was just her and him against the world. Her father was a "FOLGER" a man born into the Lawyer family business and a family with no financial hardhsips, well off in that area. Her father was in the Peace Corp in Samoa and met Nafanua, fell in love and they had Leila Folger. Leila's father meant the world to her and she didn't quite fit into the prestige world of the FOLGERS.  She was made fun of in school as the brown girl with thick hair. She found herself getting into fights and not fitting in when school kids would tease her about not having a mother. So tough in a teens life when you don't have any info on your mother..Leilas father died due to a brain tunor and Leila's life was in shambles, absolutely devastated her world. What would she do now that her father has passed away?. Her grandmother Mrs.Folger of course would take care of her, but she felt such a void in her life without her father to lead and direct her life. She turns 18 and decided to go against her fathers wishes, she sells her car and purchases a ticket to SAMOA in search of her family roots, to find out about her mother and what she was like. This is where the story begins her, trip to Samoa..
I loved the love story in the book as well as the legends of the TELESA.I loved how Mrs. Young described the lush gardens and delicious foods in Samoa. I must say after reading this book, I was already in love with DANIEL and planning a trip to the motherland..There's alot of action that takes place in the book which caught my attention right off the back, so it doesn't disappoint at all.If you haven't read this book, you ought to..I highly recommend the book to readers..
Thank you for a good read Mrs. Lani Wendt- Young..I thoroughly enjoyed myself..LOVE IS BEING ABLE TO DO AND DEFEAT ANYTHING TOGETHER...

"HIT AND RUN TURNS INTO HIT AND FOUND"

I was on my way home from work and I'm almost home, driving on the street and having the right of way, out of nowhere a car that was at a stop sign decides to cross the street and hits me on the passengers side. I'm driving my moms old green van and I'm so thankful I had no passengers with me this day. The impact was so hard, that I go swirving over the curb, my left tire goes flat and I can't go anywhere, I'm stuck in traffic. I had my seat belt on so I was safe. The passengers side of the car is smashed in and the sliding door window is shattered. I get out of the car because it smelled like there was something leaking from the engine. Sure enough, liquid was leaking from under the engine.

I saw the police nearby and waved them over letting them know I was just hit. The man who hit me drove his car across the street. I couldn't see his face, but I saw that he got out of his car, so I assumed he would cross and come and exchange information with me. Boy was I wrong, as soon as he saw the police, he got back in his car and left. I pointed him out to the police before he decided to leave the accident scene. The police tried to catch him, but he was gone. They came back to me and I gave them all my information and they said the man who hit me took off and they did not find him. Disappointed, frustrated and angered were my feelings, but for some strange reason, during the whole ordeal, I was calm and professional, not one cuzz word came out of my mouth (patting myself on the shoulder)..haha.

So I call my insurance company INFINITY and they take my report and I let them know it was a hit and run and I need road side assistance to get my car out of traffice. The agent tells me they can't get me a tow truck because it was an accident and they aren't authorized to do clean ups involving accidents. At this point, I'm furious, but still trying to be calm over the phone. I tell the agent, I need a tow truck you are my insurance carrier and you're telling me I can't get assistance, so what is the need for insurance if you can't help me? I said so what should I do call 911 and tell them I need a tow truck? She told me they do not handle accidents and she wouldn't be able to get me a tow truck. Almost feeling totally defeated, I tell her that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, so my insurance is only good for Road Side Assistance and not when I'm involved in an accident? She tells, me I'm sorry but we won't be able to get you a tow truck..I was very upset with my insurance company and they haven't heard the last of me yet.

So, I call my sister and luckily she lives 2 minutes away and she came to help me find a tow truck to tow my moms car out of traffic. So as I 'm waiting for the tow truck, a man in his late 50's or 60's is walking fast, he passes the van, and runs onto the street where the shattered glass is and picks something up off the road. I'm looking at him and thinking what is he doing, there's nothing but glass on the street. He proceeds to walk towards me and I"m thinking really, what on earth is he doing? Feeling a little aprehensive, I step back and he says, is this your car mam, I said YES, were you involved in a hit and run, I said YES, do you have any information from the driver or witnesses, I said NO. Then he flips over this plate and says, here you go mam, this is the license plate of the person who hit you, it was on the street. My heart flipped and my mouth dropped, I said, Bless your soul sir, thank you so much. I asked him, what made you stop and go on the street? He said he was walking and he heard the cars running over something and he knew it wasn't glass, he knew it had to be a license plate or something. He picked it up, and sure enough it was the license plate of the driver who hit me and left the scene.

 Now, I ask you, how random is that? The good samaritans name is Paul and I thanked him and asked him, what made you stop? He pointed up to the sky with his index finger and said, he pormpted me to stop! How amazing is that..IN that instant I knew the LORD was helping me by guiding Mr. Paul to stop and give me the evidence that I needed to find out who hit me that day! What a remarkable and amazing thing that went from a HIT AND RUN to a HIT AND FOUND! I was so thankful that this pedestrian took the time to come on the street and hand me the license plate of the other car. Had he not taken the time to listen to the prompting and go on the steet; I would have never known who hit me that day on Thursday- October 18, 2012.

Touched by an Angel; a work of the LORD! SO GRATEFUL!
The police came back, I gave them the plate and they were able to find the man who hit me and left the scene. They called me and gave me all his information and the rest is being done by my insurance, which is the least they could do since they didn't provide me with any road side assistance- ugh, so frustrating!

The following day, I was calling my insurance to give them all the information of the other driver and in midst of doing all my calls, I found myself in tears and giving thanks to the MAN ABOVE, for preserving my life that day. I came out of that hit and run accident with no bodily scratches, a sane mind, a forgiving heart, and with nenewed spirits to be grateful for the gift of LIFE! I said a silent prayer of thanks for safety, for calming my heart and spirits during the whole incident and for the pedestrian Paul who found the license plates of the other driver. I'm not even mad about it because I know, everything will turn out the way its suppose to in the end. I can't drive my moms car anymore, its too beat up from the accident, but she was relieved to know that I was safe and that the only damage was with her vehicle. What a day it was and I'm grateful to be right here blogging my story in the safe confines of where I"m truly safe - in the HOME! "GOD IS GOOD!"

"Slave to Sensation" by Nalini Singh

This  book was a nice change from all my lite and fluffy romance books. Don't get me wrong, there were some steamy scenes in this book, but I was fascinated by the LOVE and BOND that the Animal Packs had for their mates and their familial members. Total bonding and dedication to one another and forever LOYAL to their ALPHA LEADER.
Lucas - the ALPHA PANTHER was a man/panther who earned his way to the top of his pack. He had a tough upbringing, losing his family and having to see them suffer in plain view. My heart went out to Lucas as his heart was in total despair as he watched his mother get tortured and his father beaten. I can't even begin to imagine the depth of his anger and need for vengeance boiling up in his being- so terrible! He almost died, but with his determination to seek vengeance for his family's killer, that emotion kept him alive through the whole grueling ordeal! And he did get REVENGE!!
.
Enter, Sascha Duncan- born into the generation of the Psy. They are taught and programmed to have no feelings, no emotions, no human senses at all. Just their minds linked to the PsyNet to receive data, process it and aid with the PSY population to gather information in mere miliseconds.They have telekinetic, telepathic talents beyond that of the Animal packs. Unlike the animal packs, the Psy do not touch each other, do not feel emotions and pretty much walk around like robots, with the exception of Sascha. She thinks she is flawed, because she has been feeling things a normal Psy would not feel. She is put to work on making deals with Lucas- the Alpha Panther. When they begin working with each other, being from different worlds and enemies, something happens- and boy does it explode- BOOM!
The two of them instantly start having feelings for each other. Sascha knows she is not suppsed to be feeling the way she does around Lucas, but she can't stop herself. In her mind, she's saying to herself, you are forbidden to feel lust or any other feelings for this HOT PANTHER, but her body is telling her otherwise and giving off a sense that Lucas with his animalistic senses can pick up immediately. He can feel that she's different and her reactions and her body language tells him that she is a PSY with feelings. One night they are together and on and off he flirts with her to see how far she will take it and he asks her to experiment with him, a simple kiss, to see how it would be since all PSY have the "No skin priviledges" branned in their brain and memory data. She knows she's dying to feel his touch and a kiss would just be the icing on on the cake for her, since lately she's been having some pretty steamy dreams with none other than Lucas in them. So she takes the bait and he kisses her slowly, then a little more and then soon enough Sascha is bursting with Lust and wants more, wants to feel what she has been deprived of for years, and she gives in to the KISS! She feels exhilirated and filled with a completion she has never felt before in her life- TOUCH!!
This is the first book of a series and I intend to read all of them. I have a friend who has read the whole series and reports that I will not be sorry if I decide to dive into the PSY-CHANGELING WORLD, and  I plan to do just that. After reading book #1, I totally plan on reading book #2. I really loved the way the packs work. They are 100% in tune and behind their leader - what the ALPHA says goes. I love how Lucas does anything for his mate- Sascha even though she was the enemy, he could not deny his feelings for her and neither could she. She ends up feeling things beyond her wildest imaginations and dreams. I don't know if I could be like Sascha and withhold all those feelings for so many years. It would be a lifeless and meaningless world if I could not feel, touch or enjoy the simple human senses that we have. I loved their relationship and how it grew and blossomed into something that would be broken only by DEATH! Animal pride and love with the PSY is wonderful- a great read and love story!!

"Almost Heaven" by Judith McNaught

****SPOILER ALERT****
I really enjoyed this book, but the only thing was that I got impatient. The book was very long, but the times that it did grasp my full attention and move me to tears is what made me grateful I didn't give up on reading.
I absolutely loved Elizabeth Cameron for her mind and intelligence. In the Ton society, a woman is merely a thing of beauty, to be called upon by men of high ranking titles and is never to exchange her ideas or suggestions about life and literature and things of that nature with men. But not Elizabeth, no sirree, she had a brilliant mind and was not ashamed to share her ideas with anyone who would listen. She's a beautiful thing to behold, emerald green eyes, shiny golden hair and a figure that would take a mans breath away. I loved her SPUNK, WIT, CHARM, her love for her servants and her GENUINE LOVING HEART! Elizabeth Cameron was a diva! Many men asked for her hand in courtship and marriage, but only one man stood out to her and that was none other than IAN THORNTON.
Now he is a hunk of all hunks. He's handsome, muscular, tanned body and brilliant minded! He was known in the TON as a mad gambler, a murderer and an irrational man who went around to balls, courting all sorts of ladies and had the worst reputation. He could care less what people thought about him, for as far as he was concerned they didn't matter to him. Little did the people of the Ton know that Ian Thornton was one of the richest men in society. He won gold mines with his gambling, ships and was filthy rich. The so called higher nobles looked down on him because he would always gamble with them and would win. I loved Ian for his non-chalant character and his ability to LOVE Elizabeth. He loved her to no end and it was evident in the book as their love unfolded.
Talk about a whole bunch of miscommnication and misunderstanding in this book oh my goodness! Elizabeth first bumped into Ian at a ball and found herself immersed in his beauty and personality. Ian was intrigued by her mind and how beautiful she was. She ends up watching a poker game that Ian was in with the other noblemen and they were accusing Ian of cheating. Elizabeth without thinking, defends Ian and lets the other men know that he was not cheating and he won fair and square. Her actions were unheard of in Londons Society, but she didn't know why she reacted that way, but she knew that she felt things with Ian that she didn't comprehend herserf. The next day she meets Ian in a cottage and spends the rainy afternoon with him, but she was already betrothed to another mister..another big mistake for Elizabeth. She enjoyed her afternoon with Ian as things got a little hot and steamy and when she was with him, she lost all sense of logic and just went with what she felt and boy did that cost her a reputable reputation slandering in the Ton. She was young and naive and didn't understand her feelings for the opposite sex!
I loved this part of the book when Ian told Elizabeth he was summoning the divorce papers and she went stiff and still, this is what she  told Ian, "Listen carefully to me, darling, because I'm giving you fair warning that i won't let you do this to us. you gave me your love, and I will not let you take it away. The harder you try, the harder I'll fight you. I'll haunt your dreams at night, exactly the way you've haunted mine every night I was away from you. You'll lie awake in bed at night, wanting me, and you'll know I'm lying awake, wanting you. And when you cannot stand it anymore, she promised achingly, you'll come back to me, and I'll be there, waiting for you. I'll cry in your arms, and I'll tell you I'm sorry for everything I've done, and you'll help me find a way to forgive myself."
She said, " I've hurt you terribly, my love, and I'll hurt you again during the next fifty years. And you are going to hurt me, Ian-never, I hope, as much as you are hurting me now. But if that's the way it has to be, then I'll endure it, because the only alternative is to live without you, and that is no life at all. The difference is that I know it, and you don't- not yet." " I am not a labrador retriever."
Like I said, talk about LOVE ay yay yay! Those words moved me to tears. Her love for IAN was incomprehensible. She loved him with every fiber in her being as she declared her love for him even though he was being such a douche bag. I couldn't believe he put her thru that kind of torment. If I were in that situation, I don't know if LOVE would bring me to waiting on him and to endure the hateful things he said and as far as the divorce papers- what a dreadful thing to do. But luckily, Elizabeth is one sound and loving creature, who knew deep within her HEART, that IAN would come to his senses and they would be together again..Now that is LOVE! (awww....wiping my tears)
This is the part of the book that I loved when Ian found Elizabeth in the cottage in Scotland " If you would take one step forward, darling, you could cry in my arms. And while you do, I'll tell you how sorry I am for everything I've done. And when I'm finished,he whispered hoarsely as she wrapper her arms around him and wept brokenly, you can help me find a way to forgive myself." Tortured by her tears, he clasped her tighter and rubbed his jaw against her temple, his voice a ravaged, whisper: "I'm sorry," he told her. He cupped her face between his palms,tipping it up and gazing into her eyes, his thumbs movine over her wet cheeks. "I'm sorry." Slowly, he bent his head, covering her mouth with his. "I'm so damned sorry."
Now thats what I call an apology...I'm so sorry with all the emotion and love felt between the two of them was INCREDIBLE! I loved how their love was undefiable and how Elizabeth did not give up; what a GEM! Ian was a man of many wounds and misfortunes as he lost his whole family at a young age, having to grow up on his own. When he lost his family, he did not want to LOVE or be hurt again by anyone, Until without thought, he instantly fell in love with Elizabeht Cameron.
Their love story was truly one of ENDEARMENT AND TRUE LOVE. The things that LOVE causes people to do, is absolutely crazy and mind blowing. Alot of unfortunate things happened to both Ian and Elizabeth. They were together one moment and the next Ian was summoning divorce papers. It was a grueling 3 months withouth each other, and as fate would have it, Ian returned to his true home in Scotland only to find his true love who escaped London and went to the only place she knew she could find solace and peace from the rumors and newspaper slanderings of her and her husband Ian.He did not know she was in Scotland. He only went there to find peace of mind for himself and Elizabeth knew in her heart that he would one day return, and in her quest to never love another man only IAN, she was right; he returned.
Having the two of them Ian and Elizabeth reunited was truly "ALMOST HEAVEN."

Thank you for a lovely read about true love and that its not always the happy and loving moments that make life memorable, but the heart trenching and grueling adversities that two people in love must over come to truly enjoy their jouney and life together always! TEAM IAN AND ELIZABETH - they rock!!!
And those are my long thoughts...Thank you:)

40's IS THE NEW 30'S...YUP..YUP

OK blogger world, just comin on here to say, that I've made it to my 40th Birthday- hooray for me! I must admit, I still feel the same, look the same and unfortunately weigh the same- lol, I probably gained some weight but watevers, but 40 is feeling mighty good right about now!
Lets see last Thursday, I went to the House of Blues with my cousin and sister and we had a good time. Performing was JBOOG, and to my surprise he gave a shout out to me for my brithday- Big ups to ya man for that!! Afterwards, I went to celebrate and none other than the infamous GOLDEN ARCHES- you got it MCDONALDS- I'm lovin it!
Then Friday was here and  I was off to spend my birthday with my brother and older sister in the Holy City "Utah". I was picked up at the airport and my 2 little nephews greeted me with pink roses, saying, "Happy Birthday" and it was such a beautiful gesture- I just hugged them and was grateful. I jumped in the car and greeted my other 2 twin nephews and they were staring at me at first but then they remembered who i was, and gave me a big smile!
I must admit, that my original birthday plan was to go to SIN CITY, but being with family was PRICELESS! So what do we do when leave the airport, we go straight to the fave place MCDONALDS. hahaha...I guess we just can't get enough of that place. So the kids are playing in the playground, but mind you these are not ordinary kids, these are my brothers kids and all boys, so you can imagine what they do at the playground. They kick each other, start doing their kung fu moves as if there are no other kids there, the other twin is sniffing everyones shoes and throwing them all over the place- ay yay yay- he probably got a quick high from them shoes whoa! We tried to calm the kids down and tell them to behave, but that didn't work. They started to kick the other kids to get them involved in their ninja fights, but I don't think the other parents liked that. So we decided it was time to pack it up and go home, before one of these parents tell management and kick us out! All 4 boys all under 5 years old, you can imagine the wiggles they were trying to shake off in that playground. Never a dull moment with them kids, and I love it haha! Of course, aunty has to be aunty and igi some auagas now and then but all in a days work lol.
For my birhtday dinner, we went to "Bucket O Crawfish" and had some fried, shrimp, boiled shrimp crab with mild and spicy cajun flavoring. The stuff was good! I really enjoyed dinner and of course the kids were eating and running and we had to use some laying on of hands to calm them down lol! After dinner, we went home and I asked my older sister to watch the kids so I could go and watch...wait for it, wait for it...tah dah...you guessed it, "Pitch Perfect" again with my brother his wife and my cousin. We had a good time and they loved the movie, that was my 4th time seeing and it still makes me laugh- hooray!!
So that pretty much was how my birthday went. Sweet, simple and with the people that matter the MOST- my FAMILY!
Just grateful to be alive and well, with good family, good parents who have raised me well, good siblings, good relatives, good eats, good laughs, good times, and a good HEART! Always need to remember to have a good attitude and personality! I know at times, I can be stand offish and give my siblings a hard time, but they all know genuinely where my heart is and thats with them! LOVE, PEACE and UNITY...Good nite all.."FAMILIES ARE FOREVER"...Missing my dad- but always in my heart!!

"PITCH PERFECT" Saturday morning movie

So I'm barely waking up at like 9:00am, I love weekends, I get to sleep in and not worry about rising early for work. I'm getting up and my sister is like, we have time to catch "Pitch Perfect" at 10:30am, so I'm like hell yea- let's do it. So off we go.

Nothing like a movie per day, keeps the energy flowing lol..The movie theater wasn't too crowded, of course all the seats in the upper stairs are full an the seats toward the screen are always open, but our seats were on the last row of bottom floor- not bad. It really helped that the seats reclined- oh yea!

"Pitch Perfect" gets an "A" in my books. Talk about laughing the whole movie, that is what I did and enjoyed. I think at times, my sister and I were the only ones laughing during some scenes, but oh well. Laughing kills calories and at the rate I'm going, I'll take anything to kill some calories lol..The people sitting next to me, like 4 seats down weren't really laughing as much as I was, but it was good FUN! I'm still a little lite headed from laughing so much ha!

Along with laughter came, a love portion. Becca (the main girl) really loves music and would like to produce and do her own stuff. Her father wants her to get a good education and then after that, she can pursue her dreams and move to Los Angeles. So he makes a deal with her and says, give college a try, join one group and afte the year if you still want to move to L.A., them I will let you go.- AGREED! She does internship at the college radio station and meets Jessie who loves music and movies. We can tell that they are gonna hit it off and their relationship builds and is really cute, but the ending is the best part!

Becca is in the showers singing, TITANIUM, and one of the girls from the Burten Bella's was in the shower and she hears Becca singing, and she flings the shower curtain open, mind you Becaa is still naked and so is Chloe(the singing girl). She tells her she's not gonna get out of her shower space until she sings, so she sings to get Chloe out of her way and when Becca sings, Chloe immediately harmonizes with her and they sound great and they are still naked- cna you say ACA-AWKWARD! Too funny, so Becca ends up auditioning for the Bellas acapella group...

The movie was full of laughter, quick wit, slap stick fun! The characters are hilarious and my favorite character was "PHAT AMIE". She is rather volumptious, but her quick wit and side comments during the movie were spot on out of this world lol. I think alot of people went to watch the movie because "REBEL WILSON"- PHAT AMIE was in it. Man, she had me rolling in my seat. This is one movie I know I will watch over and over again in the theaters to get the full effect of the singing and to laugh my head off. The acapella music was most invigorating and I wanted to clap after every group that sang, well the ones that were good. The music, choreography and humor were perfect to me. I wouldn't change a thing. He love part of the movie was really moving and Im glad most of the movie was about the singing, fitting in at college, getting to know other college students and it didn't dwell on the love story. I personally love love stories, but in this movie the way the love happened and how it ended was GREAT!

Parts of the movie I really loved were the Rip Off parts, where they competed with other acapella groups ad lib style, just free styling it - watever goes and that was awesome! The ending of the movie really caught my full on attention. The Bella's came out of their comfort and traditional zone, went all out into the 21st Century music and stepped it up with their fresh music and tight choreography. It was a great ending for the movie, and because Becca pretty much revolved the music to the Breakfast Club, and if you watch the movie , you'll know why she did-everything just fit together like a pea in a pod! And that was a wonderful way to start off my Saturday!

i also saw a lot of good previews with upcoming movies and it looks like they are some good ones. So I look forward to watching the new movies and to watching Pitch Perfect again and again.. Thats it for now peeps.Just stoppin by to share my thoughts on the movei and enjoy the rest of the weeked! That's a wickity wickity RAP!!

"HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA" NIGHT OUT WITH THE KIDS

My little nephew has been anxiously awaiting for "Hotel Transylvania" to hit the movie theaters and today is his lucky day. We went to watch the movie and it was an "A" in my books. Dracula voice played by Adam Sandler- one funny guy and Mavis(his daughet) voice by Selena Gomez.
The story was veryy funny and had a touching part between father and daughter that I must say I adored. Mavis' mother passed away in a fire and Dracula vowed that he would always take care and protect his daughter in the absence of his beloved. Mavis is now 118 years old and in our time she's a teenager and looks like one too. She wants to get out of the castle her father has built and see the world, see humans and discover anything and anyone she can. Being cooped up n her castle was just played out and she wanted to explore new things. Her father is very protective over her and is afraid to let her go out in the world and spread her wings- literally- becuase she can turn into a  bat.
One day, a human boy, happens to stumble upon the castle. Its halloween time and he thinks everyone is wearing costumes, but he's actually the only human in the castle. If he's discovered that he's a human, all the monsters taking their annual vacation in the castle will kill him. Dracula finds a costume for him and tells him to act like a monster and blend it. I really the character and voice of Johnny Stein, which is what the called him. It totally played on his whole outlook on life, to have fun, explore the world and see it all while you can. He bumps into Mavis, literally bumps into her and their eyes "ZING". They knew and felt they were made for each other.
Long story-short, Mavis falls in love with Johnny and Dracula cannot have that. He's a human and she's vampire, and according to legend, Mavis' mother was a human as well. The humans just wouldn't accept dracula and his beautiful wife to be together and the towns people burned down the castle, she died leaving Dracula with little Mavis to raise.

The other characters in the movie were really funny and had my nephews lauging and enjoying everything. Its a happy ending movie which is what I liked the most. The music, the plot, the characters- so fun and fitting for the kids. This movie got an "A" for Awesome in my books. Had a good time on a Friday night with my nephews!

"WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT THE BACHELORETTE PAD"

What a night and what a FUN night with the ladies. We met at the Bachelorette pad and had a good ole time laughing, toasting each other with Sparkling Cider, and to end the night SMORES- Compton style- right outside in the front of the house next to the avocado tree- life is good!
It was a cool night getting together eating pizza and I might add that I love me some Papa Johns pizza with that Garlic butter- OMG it was good eats! I'm also a fan of the veggie lover pizza which I will order from now on hooray. So love it when I try new things and they taste great; SCORE! So that was the menu for tonight:
Cheese Pizza, Veggie Lovers, Sausage and Peperoni Pizza- Sparkling Cider to add a little bubbley to our night and to top it all off -wait for it, wait for it--SMORES with chocolate or chocolate with almonds; DELISH! Oh yea and the marshmallows were JUMBO size, but I think I was the only fan of the marshmallows tonight- super black please that is the way to eat them. I must say there was a huge marshmallow that was abnormal in size and  when I saw it, I was taken by surprise- thinking "'THE SOCK" another inside joke my book club peeps would understand. And so that was the night.
But really, who does that in the middle of the week on HUMP DAY WEDNESDAY and just opens up a bottle of bubbley, eat pizza and has SMORES- whoop there it is we do..haha!
Thanks for another night of pure ladies night enjoyment! Celebrating you and I leave this here blog for tonight with "YOU BETTA GET YO LIFE"...luv it, get it, grab it and good nite!!

"The Book Bunch Book Club" In FULL EFFECT!

I know, I know its been a long time since I've been able to blog, but you know what they say better late than never..I'm always popping in and out of this blog, but I will try to be more dedicated and i've since gotten a Kindle Fire, I will be able to blog whenevers and where ever so long as there is WiFi which is practically like every where YES! Gotta love technoogy!

So "The Book Bunch Book Club" is in full swing and we've had 3 meetings and discussions thus far and I might add that they are WONDERFUL! Its just a time for us ladies to get together and discuss the book of the month, then we get to enjoy each others company, then we get to laugh our ARSES off which I might add kills calories - oh yea! There are alot of other ways to kill calories but I won't go into that - lol..

The books we've discussed thus far were:
1) When you were Mine - by Rachel Serle, meeting place BJ's in Torrance
2) Sundays at Tiffanys- Robert Patterson, meeting place "The Bachelorette Palace"
3) Telesa - Lani Wendt-  Young, meeting place Pinkberry's in Torrance
4) Kiss of the Highlander - Karen Marie Moning, meeting place Bufallo Wing's in Torrance

I must say that the books we choose are all different but yet all surrounded with the theme of LOVE, who doesn't want to read about LOVE..Our little book club consists of 5 individuals and we all have the same HUMOR which makes every book discussion fun. I can actually say that I always put my own twist into all the book discussions and including myself in the books and having my own first name basis readings to really put myself in the time era of the books lol..I just like to laugh and make other people laugh with me and not at me..haha:)

We've been having so much fun with our monthly meetings discussing our books that we're gonna try and meet on a bi-weekly basis to just kick back, talk, walk, exercise and I wil ladd in there eat and enjoy each others company. We all need a break sometimes and getting together to do just that is relaxing! So tomorrow 9-26-12 we are meeting at the Bachelorette pad after work and we'll see what we have planned to do. But, anything goes at the Bachelorette pad lol..Gotta enjoy life and be care free about it when amongst friends. Life is too short and we are all on borrowed time, so make the most of what life throws your way! Like in my language..take is easy "fai fai le-mu; and I'll add and don't forget to pa-u..buahaha lol..ONly my book club peeps will get that inside joke haha!

So our next book club meeting will be in October a few weeks away before we meet, so I need to get crakin and finish up Kiss of the Highlander so I can add on in the discussion. Hmmm I wonder if I should suggest that we have some acting out of the books, like certain excerpts that we can re-enact...Oh my sounds inviting, but I don't think we could ever agree on what hot hunk will play the leading roles in all of the books we read, so I'll just leave that totally up to the individuals imagination..ay yay yay..that's better!!

On that note, till we meet again..and Good nite all..

TASTING A FEW THINGS TODAY

Today I was rolling with my sister out to look for some things to taste on a Friday evening. So we kind of did the opposite and went for dessert first. Our first stop was "Susie Cakes" in Manhattan Beach, CA. We tasted the Red Velvet Cupcake, Strawberry and Chocolate on Chocolate. We also tried the strawberry shortcake cake.
The Red Velvet cupcake was nice. The cake was moist and sweet while the cream cheese frosting was sweet but not too sweet; definitely enjoyed the red velvet cupcake the best. The strawberry cupcake was a vanilla cake with strawberry frosting. The frosting was a tart flavor frosting which I wasn't use to, but the frosting and cupcake when eaten together was not bad. The chocolate on chocolate cupcake was ok.I personally love my frosting to be lite and sweet but I know in the tradition of making cupcakes the frosting is like the sweetest thing on the cupcake, all good! The strawberry shortcake cake was sweet in taste but the frosting was a lite cream with no sugar, well at least I didn't taste any.
My overall experience at Susie Cakes was ok. Appreciate the sweets for a Friday evening.

After dessert, we headed towards "THe Hummus Factory" in El Segundo, CA I believe. I ordered the Lula Sandwich (ground beef) and my sister ordered the Beef Sandwich with hummus and pita bread. I forget what the yogurt dip is called but we ordered that as well. My Lula sandwich was wrapped in a big pita with a ground beef like sausage, cilantro, onions and lettuce. My sandwich was OK. The hummus was basic and the pita bread to eat the hummus was a bit on the tough side. I would say that they have nothing on "Georges Greek Restaurant". I think the Hummus Factory is a Mediterranean style restaurant, but for me I'm gonna stick to Georges. I'm glad I had the chance to try out the Hummus Factory, but overall I'm good and am in no rush to return.

Hope everyone had a good Friday night and if by chance I taste anything else new, I'll be sure to share with the blogging world. On that note, good eats, good reads and good night!

NEW BOOK CLUB - "B-R-T"

So my friends and I have decided to form a new book club just for us. We're always talking about books we want to read and discuss, but either one of us reads the other one doesn't read and the other one doesn't complete the book. So we have all committed to reading at least one book per month which really in the reading world is NADA! One of my friends read 4 books in one day, who does that? Man, I wish I could do that. I think I was able to read 2 books in one day whoa.
So we've decided to read, "When you were mine" by Rebecca Serle and we will have our first discussion next month. I'm excited to read this book because its not your ordinary boy meets girl, Romeo and Juliet book. There is a twist which really catches my attention. I'm one of those "Happily Ever After" readers and please have a good ending or else I will be one unhappy camper! So I'm really going to put my best foot forward to read the chosen book for the month and also push myself to read 50-100 books for the Year 2012! Wish me luck:0

On a personal note, another book I'm looking forward to reading is "Heart of the Matter" by Emily Giffin. A story of two women who lead different lifestyles but where their families are their numero uno priority in life, as it should be. Something happens to the two ladies which makes their world tumble and they need to decide what needs to be done to save their families. I'm 'hoping its a good read. Lets just hope I find some time to read all the good reads that are out there to dive into! Until then, wishing myself good luck with the new book club and other books on the list to conquer..

DINERS, DRIVE INS AND DRIVES (TRIPLE D'S)

                         FOODNETWORK'S  DINERS, DRIVE INS, AND DIVES

So my new thing is to come home from work, turn on the tube and crash into Diners, Drive Ins and Dives with Guy Fietti (sp?). I love this show and even though I don't cook, I totally love to watch other people cook, other people taste the food, then who knows, if by chance one day I'm in one of the towns that are featured on the show- you better bet your bottom dollar I'm gonna have what was on the show - NO JOKE! So Guy, the host of the show lived in Belmont Shores, CA which is neighbors to the LBC - known to the locals as Long Beach City - oh yea! So that in itself is great. I love Belmont Shores. Its such a small city and the neighborhood looks so inviting. Every weekend you can count on Belmont Shores being packed with college students in the pubs, bars and local restaurants. I''m proud to say that I've been to a few of the restaurants in Belmont Shores and have enjoyed walking the strip in the late evening hours of the night. Its  a safe little city, well lit, police patroling the area in vehicles and on bikes and just alot of people out to have a good time, wine and dine and enjoy the ambiance.

This month on Foodnetwork is "GRILLING". Now I don't grill but boy do the steaks, and meats look delicioso! The food shows I watch are of course Triple "D", Chopped, Sweet Genius, Paula Deen, Cupcake Wars, Iron Chef, Food (ology), Rachel Ray and some shows on the Cooking Channel. There are probably a few that I forgot to mention but I spend most of my TV time on the Foodnetwork channel. Hey who knows maybe one day I'll actually try to muster up some recipes and give it a whirl why not huh! - We shall see (fingers crossed).

So there are few food that stick out in my mind that I will definitely seek out and taste. Pulled pork sandwich, Po Boy Shrimp Sandwich, Paula Deens Lemon Cake, Pizza from Chicago and New York, Cup Cakes from all the cupcakeries in Southern California, Prime Rib from different restaurants to compare the tastes, and the list goes on and on.

Tonight I tried a pulled pork sandwich from Carson, CA at the Home Depot Center. It was an OK sandwich, nothing fancy, nothing jumped out at me it was just OK. The meat was tender and the sauce was good, but thats about it. It was served on an onion hot dog bun- different. I'll seek out other places to try pulled pork sandwiches in the near future. I'm looking for a place to get a good Po Boy Shrimp Sandwich yumm! Some people have told me that there are lots of local places in downtown L.A. which make em, so we'll see if I find time to give it a whirl. In the meantime, if I come across anything else interesting that I've tasted, I'll be sure to share my experiece. But for now, gotta go, "Hasta la Pasta baby!!"

RETURNING TO THE WORLD OF BLOGGING- WELCOME BACK!

OMG, how long has it been since I tapped into my BlOG too long goodness! The last time I blogged was in January and it is now June 7, 2012 - who does that, apparently I do.
Well as usual alot has passed and moving right along with the present ha! Lets see I can say that I did read a few books that I have posted on my blogpage stating anxious to read, but I didn't get a chance to post my review or rather I didn't get to write it up ugh..ay yay yay!
So Hunger Games, the movie, was released a few months ago and I loved it. Now the people who didn't read the trilogy do not fully understand what the movie was about. In order to get a clearn understanding and appreciation for the movie, I suggest that people read the books. I thought the movie stayed true to the book and for that I was grateful! Of course I don't like the plot of the movie where all these young kids are trained to ultimately kill each other and the last one standing wins, who wants to see that? But, the exciting part is the love triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale. 3 different people all trying to survive in the Hunger Games hosted by the Capitol  and also survival of the fittest in teh districts. Such a sad and torn place to live in those districts, being branded and labeled having no freedom to say, hey I don't want to work with only coal or work in the mines for the rest of my life what the heck..but the books are a definite good read by me. Alot of twists and turns in each book and for this excitement I kept reading like an ant following a picnic basket for food! I really appreciated how the directors perceived the Capitol and the people who live in the Capitol all the bright colors and luxurious speed trains everything was beautiful! I must say that I'm anxiously awaiting the next movie although I don't look forward to all the killings but its part of the books so be it!

Oh some of the books I've read already are Beastly, 10 things I hate about  you, The Soul Screamers Series, glad to say I'm up to date and read "If I Die", good read indeed. I do have other books that I've started but just couldn't get into like "Lost in Time" the Blue Bloods Series and "Destined" The house of knight series. I really tried to read them but after a few chapters there just wasn't anything that jumpe out at me to want me to continue. So I've put those two books aside for now!

A friend of mine referred me to a book site that is fanctastic and if you're a reader and enjoy books, you gotta log on and become a member..Its called goodreads.com! Totally easy to manuever and get around. There are plenty of good things to read and this year isn't exactly turning out the way I imagined, but none the less I will still try to complete my goal of reading 50-100 books CARAMBA GOOD LUCK TO ME!

Well I think thats pretty good for a start to make a come back to the world of blogging. Until the next time..thats all folks!

January 2012 - A New Beginning

Today is January 25, 2012 and I've decided to dive right in and start blogging. Alot has happened in 2011, but what I can remember I'll record what I can't well it will stay in the past lol!
Lets see last week I went to see CATS with my cousin Mike at the Irvine-Sergestrom Theater; nice place. Its the same place we watched WICKED, but I guess its been sold and changed names. CATS was definitely a nice experience! I don't think I would watch it again and we sat on the Second Tier in Row M, and it was fine with me. I did have to use Mikes glasses to watch the second half of the show and what a difference it makes when you can actually see whats going on from afar..whoa a whole new world! CATS had a lot of dancing which was great- one performer had like a 15 minutes highlite of solo dancing. I must say you must be fit to do a solo dance for that long turning and twisting and jumping all over the stage it was great! There wasn't too much dialogue or choral singing which I would have enjoyed but i was just glad that I was there watching CATS and all time American Favorite Musical. I remember when I was younger seeing the TV commercials about CATS and their different costumes and make up was exciting to see. The only song I knew from CATS was MEMORIES made popular by Barbara Streisand..what a beautiful song.
I"m excited to dive right into reading probably next week. I have a few things I need to clear off of my calendar then I'll be free to read oh yea! Some of the books I plan on reading are:
If I Die
Melissa De La Cruz's (Blue Bloods Book)
Susan Mallery's (3 books of the sisters)
The Prize
The Lions Lady
and many more that I have yet to read..so I do say I have a busy reading schedule with books, books and more books to read. I haven' t listed them all but my goal this year is to read 50-100 books. I know, I know good luck but its a start. I think last year I read 40 books but for me that's great!

Im looking at a great year with a Positive outlook and good reads and good eats. As time goes on, I'll be inputting any good restaurants or books I've read. I gotta keep on blogging to remember what books I've read and how I felt during the reading.

I can jot down some new restaurants I've tried with cousin Mike - hmmm let me see:
Octopus -(Downtown Long Beach- good sushi)
Argentine Restaurant (Downtown Long Beach - good meat and bread)
Some place at the Grove in Beverly - good bread and great CREMBRULE (sp?)
Well thats all I can remember for now but I'm sure there will be more to come..

Okie dokie artichokie its about that time to call it a night..GOOD NITE TILL WE MEET AGAIN!!