Celebrating in Wonderland: Autumn Festival

This was the first year in a few that I've been able to go to the Autumn Festival. For 30 years the Japanese community on Guam has hosted this celebration of harvest. I'm so glad we were able to go. Parking is crazy and sometimes it rains and gets muddy, but the music and food always make up for it. There were booths and booths of food, toys and drinks. Allan was in heaven. He had okonomiyaki, squid rings, and karage. He was dissapointed that there was no takoyaki, but he got over it. We got there later in the evening so Nella and I were unable to get light up ears that many of the kids were wearing. Many people were dressed in kimono, yukatas, and happi coats. I even saw a puppy in a happi coat. There was also a fireworks show, dancing, and the shrine procession.

All together it was a great way to get out of the apartment after a day of rain and vegging out.

Karage!!

I think this is the children's shrine. :)

Celebrate in Wonderland: Party Animals

Celebrating Nella's 25th!

Album in Wonderland: The pupppet.

feeling playful

My friend, Tess, took this picture after I got giddy and decided I wanted to be a puppet for the evening.

Celebrate in Wonderland: Birthday love!

Happy Birthday NELLA!

It is my very talented, beautiful, and sweet sister's birthday today. She's turning 25!

This picture was taken at her Rock and Bowl birthday party last year.

If you have some time head over to her blog and wish her a Happy Birthday. Every one loves birthday greetings. :D

Life in Wonderland: 2 months until 2010

Another year has gone speeding by. I feel like I'm sitting in the exact same spot I was last year only now I have a cold. Maybe I had a cold last year too.

A couple things have changed though. Allan and I are going back to school next semester. We're in the enrollment process right now. I actually exhibited in a show other than the Guma Mami art auction. Our eating habits have also changed. We eat out less and we eat less meat. Allan has started playing a gig again and he's really happy about that.

I'm proud and excited about all of that, but I wouldn't mind adding some other things on to that list before 2009 has gone. This idea was actually inspired by a conversation I had with my friends, Nella and Michele. So here are a few things I'd like to see on that list before the year is through. They may not all make it up there, but it'll be fun to see how many I can get up there.

• have Viva spayed. :( I procrastinate.
• plant a small edible garden (2 herbs and 3 veggies at least)
• get fit :P (the girls and I are considering joining a gym)
• volunteer at G.A.I.N.
• paint something to send to grandpa
• put together a free art project-ish like thingy.
• Learn to hoop at the knees. :P
• Get the art/craft room set up nicely
• Fix up our bedroom. I still haven't painted some of the furniture.

This list will keep me busy for the next couple months and I'll blog whenever I complete something on the list.

Life in Wonderland: Some people are just rude

And some are oblivious!

Last night I went with my friends Nella and Tessa to watch Allan and Mark play. We were having a good night listening to the music and catching bits of whatever was on the t.v. screens.

Then this chick in the crowd decides she wants to sing, but Allan and Mark don't know any of the songs she wants to sing. So she asks if she can sing a Capella. I don't know what song it was that she sang, but she said it was Aretha Franklin. That's pretty ambitious. Then she starts and it wasn't so bad. But it got worse and Tessa, Nella, and I were trying to figure out what the hell she was singing about. For the love of . . . it was a capella. And it sounded like she was singing about a woman being a man and I definitely heard the word dude a couple times. Maybe she forgot some lyrics and had to improvise. Whatever.

We go on enjoying our night. lalalala. Then Allan and Mark start playing "Say It Ain't So", by Weezer. Allan is singing and all of a sudden that chick is on stage singing in Allan's mic. Keep in mind There is a mic in front of Mark not being used at the moment. And so I spent the rest of that song watching that chick's face half an inch from Allan's. I left after that and told him I won't be going to his gigs anymore. He doesn't understand, but he's oblivious and the fact is there are a lot of crazy chicks out there who are going to get disturbingly close to my boyfriend. I'm not insecure either. Mostly I'm just annoyed. And I don't have enough control to deal with this again.

annoyed in Wonderland: are you serious?

K-Mart sells cordless phones.

K-Mart sells batteries for cordless phones.

The cordless phone batteries K-Mart cells don't match the cordless phones they sell.

So if you buy a cordless from them you'll need to find somewhere else to get batteries if yours ever dies. Are these things supposed to be disposable? I know they're getting cheaper and cheaper every year, but what a waste of resources.

Sketchy in Wonderland: just some new sketches

Growing in Wonderland: Crown of thorns

Today I spent the morning with my parents. We had breakfast and next to the restaurant we were eating at, there was an outdoor plant sale. I've been wanting to start a garden in our tiny apartment backyard for a while. I've also been wanting to add some green to our indoor atmosphere. The plant sale was awesome. This one lady was selling the largest orchids I've ever seen! My mom bought one. There were also some cacti, but earlier today I purchased some potting soil and cactus seeds. Instead I got a great deal on some crown of thorns plants. They were only 3 for $10. I'll keep them indoors by the windows until they get too big, if they do. I looked it up online and the crown of thorns is originally from Madagascar. I thought that was interesting. The sap is poisonous like poison ivy, so they are up and away from Viva and Merlot. When they go outside they will also be elevated to ensure that Viva or any strays that wander in to our yard will be hurt. I'm pretty sure that the thorns will also be a deterrent though. :P

Life in Wonderland: I'm your captain

This song reminds me of my brother, when he was teaching me to drive. :P

Veiwed in Wonderland: Coin Operated Boy

Just for fun!

Life in Wonderland: How I learned to love the color pink

As a child I didn't really like pink or any other pastel colors. I was fond of bold, bright colors. It wasn't until after high school that I started liking pink. It's not that my color tastes changed or that I was becoming more feminine. I was always pretty feminine. It's just that I discovered that pink represented more than just femininity.

I remember going to the park with my dad one day, when I was really young. Right next to the park is the Cathedral. My parents are non practicing catholics, but that day my dad decided to stop in at the Cathedral. We lit a couple of candles. He told me that it was for my grandmother. She was fighting breast cancer. She won that battle.

A little after my 19th birthday I found a lump. I remember being so scared when I told my mother. A couple days later I was at my doctor's office and then a week later I was getting an ultra sound. My mom was with me during the ultrasound. The screen wasn't facing me, but I saw the look on her face as she watched the screen. The fear just got worse and worse. My family and friends were very supportive though. I remember coming home from the ultra sound and my brother asking me if I wanted to go get ice cream. It seems silly but it was what I needed and he knew it.

A week later I was at my rushed appointment with a surgeon. It turned out that the one lump was actually three. But the good news was that the lumps were most likely fibroadenomas and not cancerous. So I had a decision to make. Should I have them biopsied or completely excised? Both scared the hell out of me. I decided to go with a complete excision just to be safe. We scheduled an appointment for another consultation just to be sure though. So I went home and did tons of research online. I had a huge list of questions. The surgeon had told me that the chances of them coming back after the excision were slim, he hadn't had any cases where it happened. But a quick search found that some women have had multiple excisions because they came back again and again. One woman, after 5 excision surgeries, had a mastectomy. I also discovered that the scar tissue left from the excision could make it difficult to find lumps later in life, even in a mammogram. So off I went to my appointment. My friend, Nella, went with me that day. My mom was at the hospital with my family, sitting with my grandfather in the ICU. So there Nella and I were an hour after I was supposed to be seen. We were sitting on the floor in the hall way outside of the clinic because the waiting room was full. The surgeon was busy and so we waited, until finally I just gave up. I told the woman at the desk that I was going. They're still trying to bill me for that 6 years later. I think I had already decided even before the failed appointment that I was fine and at that moment in time I just didn't want to deal with it. I had other things to stress about. I was going on my second year in college, just started a new job, and my grandfather was slowly slipping away.

A couple years later, after winning the battle with breast cancer and another battle with lung cancer, my grandmother was fighting a final battle with a brain tumor. So for Valentine's Day Allan got me my pink ribbon tattoo. Around that time I was starting to embrace pink as symbol of sisterhood.

As for me and my breast disease I've accepted that the fibroadenomas are there and until I'm ready they won't be going away. Some days I wish I still had insurance, because every once in a while there can be sharp pains, but not for very long. It's mostly just uncomfortable when I'm sitting at my desk at work or with a group of people out and can't express what I'm feeling. Most days I don't even notice them, though. They've become a part of me for now. I know that some people close to me want me to have it taken care of, but they realize that ultimately it will happen when I'm ready.

It's because of my experiences with my breast cancer scare and my grandmother's battle, as well as the stories shared by others, that I've come to love pink. I have bought pink ribbon pens, post its, and pins. I have a pink ribbon tattooed on my ankle. Viva's first toy was a pink Hope tennis ball. Everytime I see anything pink it reminds me of the spirit of the women (and men), as well as their supporters who are fighting breast cancer. And most of all when I see pink it reminds me to not be afraid. If that day comes I know I won't be alone.

October is almost over, but I just want to remind every one that it is breast cancer awareness month.

some sites for more information on breast cancer:

• breastcancer.org
• the Susan G. Komen foundation
• The Breast Cancer site - click to give

Life in Wonderland: Allan is playing on Fridays

Friday nights at Bully's. Allan and Mark are playing!

He looked so happy to be playing out.

watching the guys play and enjoying great company.