So Blessed. So Thankful.

Every year my family and I -- at least 18+ of us -- gather to celebrate Thanksgiving. It is a day guaranteed to fill our bellies with lots of food and drinks, and overflow our souls with love and laughter.

This year was no different.

The food was abundant, the drinks (my fruity concoction and Cassie's delicious cranberry citrus sangria) were delicious, and the company was perfect. The usual suspects -- the Sanchez's, Roque's, Manliguez squared, Requireme's -- were all in attendance but we also added our new families -- the Walden's, Harris', Harvey's, and Austin. It was a beautiful blend of cultures and humanity and a night flushed with lots of wonderful memories.

But unlike years past, our Thanksgiving morning was different.

That morning we took in feeding the homeless through a wonderful organization called www.gobblegooblegive.org . Through God's grace, I happened to visit my friend Mina's facebook page about two weeks ago and noticed she had posted an article about ways to make a difference during the holiday season. This organization was listed in the article and I immediately signed myself up along with Tommy, Chey, Angela, Joshua, Eugene, Mark and Cassie.

I stayed up late the night before to make creamed corn, a sweet potato casserole along with biscuits to bring to the event, which is made possible through potluck donations and volunteers. Along with our dishes we brought bags full of barely worn coats that were no longer being used, brand new toothbrush kits and an extra special care package sent by cousin Beulah who couldn't join us because of work. When we arrived at the event in Echo Park, we passed off our donations and immediately had our cars filled with boxed meals, clothes and personal hygiene products -- all ready to be passed out to out homeless brothers and sisters.

Seeing the long line of cars waiting to be filled warmed my heart.
Seeing the droves of people lined up to sign in and help the "conveyor belt" of organizers inside the center made me smile.
Seeing so many people walk up with homemade dishes and bags full of clothes made me realize there is still a lot of good in this fast moving world that often crushes those left behind in its path.

With three cars full, we set off with simple instructions, "find the needy."

I rode in the car with Tommy, Mark and Eugene and with eight eyes wide open we cruised through the downtown LA district in hopes to find the needy and brighten up their day.

Slowly we found them and learned what to look for, their appearances all so similar -- disheveled often stained clothing, uncombed hair, some looking through trash cans, some sitting silently on the sidewalk with glassy eyes, and many pushing their entire lives in a cart before them.

"Would you like a meal?" It was what we figured was the most appropriate way to serve them.

Initially, we came across some who were hesitant, likely because they had already been given one of the styrofoam cased meals or some with their minds lost to our words. But slowly, we found those who jumped at our offer.

We drove throughout L.A. that morning, passing out at least 15 meals, many pieces of fruit, several articles of clothing and tons of soaps, shampoos, toothbrushes and other products.  Gifts of simplicity that carried so much value. About 45-minutes into our trek, we dropped by Smart and Final and purchased a case of bottled water because it just didn't seem appropriate to serve these meals without a drink. We wanted "our people" to receive a full meal, a Thanksgiving meal.

Emblazoned in my mind was a Latina I came across that morning who was picking up pieces of glass off the sidewalk. Why? I don't really know. Perhaps she was picking up the glass to avoid hurting her feet, which were shoeless and only covered with worn down socks. When we offered her food she motioned for us to lay it on a nearby ledge, unable to speak English she only nodded her head.  When I looked at her picking up those pieces of glass, I wondered if she had a family, and if that family knew she was living on the street ... picking up glass, without any shoes. Watching her hastily pick up those shards of glass made my heart ache, and seeing her scurry away wearing only socks made me feel guilty for all the hundreds of pairs of shoes that sit in my garage -- many of them yet to be worn. This woman's face has left an imprint on my mind -- her piercing eyes filled with desperation intermixed with the spirit of fight.

That morning I learned how much in my life I take for granted -- the roof over my head, my closet bursting with clothes, the abundance of food in our house and the warmness of my bed every night. These are things that have always been there since I was little, but it never really occurred to me that these things that can so easily be taken away in the blink of an eye.

I am lucky.

I also realized that faith and hope will never die even in the darkest corners of life. I cannot count how many blessings I received that morning, but they were plentiful and I am so deeply grateful for every single one of them.

"God bless you."

"You are an angel."

"May God always be with you."

"Peace and blessings to you."

" I knew someone was coming today! You are spoiling us!"

These words came with the most beautiful smiles attached to sparkling eyes. It touched the depths of my soul to see their faces light up when we handed them a meal and received such sincere appreciation in return.

My eyes filled with tears so many times that morning and at one point I simply turned to Tommy and said ... "I'm sad." There really was no other way to put it. When you see people with so little, their entire life in a cart, a bag or simply on their person, it makes you realize how hard this world can be. It makes you realize just how lucky you are for every meal, every gift, every opportunity that comes your way.

We merely passed out boxed meals that day, but the thanks and blessings we received in return felt like we had just handed off a million dollars ... one at a time.

It is so hard to put into words what I felt that morning, but it encompassed lessons of love, faith, hope and charity. And I can honestly say, when I gathered with my family that night for Thanksgiving dinner, I was more grateful than I have ever been before.

This Christmas my family and I plan to volunteer at the LA Mission to help feed the needy on Christmas Eve, just like we did last year.

But this year, our Christmas Day will be different.

The Thanksgiving event has inspired us to organize our own rendition of gobblegobblegive. Through the donations of food, gifts, clothing and money we hope to receive from friends and family -- we are going to hit the LA streets once again with cars full of food and gifts. We honestly can't think of a better way to spend our Christmas morning. We hope and pray our event will be a success, and with God's blessing, it will be the start of a Christmas Day tradition that will continue for years to come ...

* If you are interested in participating in our Christmas Day event by volunteering, donating items, or contributing money toward our purchase of food, containers, hygiene products, etc., please send me a message. We greatly appreciate all the help we can get!

Fabulous Find Fridays: Johnson's "Forever Fresh" Refreshing Lotion

Those who know me well, know I am a clothes and shoe whore -- I could probably wear a different outfit every single day complete with an assortment of bags, accessories and shoes for three years straight. YES, the wardrobe/shoe/accessory collections are that ridiculous, and YES my credit cards have been abused through the years, lol.

And then there are those who know my other little addiction -- I am a health and beauty product junkie and I mean, tie me up, tell me friends I'm backpacking through Europe, and throw me in rehab type of junkie. I buy products because they smell good or come in pretty packaging. I will try any and all types of lotion, moisturizers, nail polish, beauty tools, make-up, hairbands, curling irons, etc., etc., etc. And while my room and closet could easily be mistaken for Macy's/Ross/Nordstrom's/Forever 21, check out my shelves and bathroom and you'll think you're knee-deep in Target/Walmart/ULTA/Sephora. YES, it is that bad.

That being said, you can only imagine how many God awful products I've tried and conversely how many wonderful "magic in a bottle" creams and shampoos I have discovered! I think I've found the fountain of youth about 10 times, only to be disappointed by the reality of bad lighting.  :(

Which brings me to today's Fabulous Find ~ Johnson's "Forever Fresh" Refreshing Lotion.

As I said before, I'm a sucker for things that make me feel and smell good and that's especially the case when it comes to my body lotion. About 10 years ago, I went through the same "Bath and Body Works" lotion craze that took over the nation. But several years ago, I wisened up and resorted back to the good ol' drugstore body lotions, which are always much cheaper and more available.

While I've had my old reliable/always have a stash favorites -- Palmer's Cocoa Butter or Palmer's Olive Butter -- I sometimes stray and look for new scents, particularly lotions that smell "clean and fresh."

Johnson's new line of 2009 lotions offers a great variety of body lotions, but Forever Fresh is my favorite!!!! While keeping my skin soft, supple and smooth it also smells like a breath of fresh air from heaven. And what I lurrrvve most is it's time-release fragrance ~ so I, and those around me, get whiffs of my "just stepped outta the shower" scent all day long :)

Forever Fresh can be found for about $3.50-$4.00 at your local drugstore and if you check out the Johnson's link above, there's a *$1.00 off coupon* And in case you're wondering, YES this is the same company that makes that world famous butterscotch-color shampoo in a bottle for babies!

So if you're ever feeling the urge to cheat on your usual body moisture regimen, check out Johnson's Forever Fresh. Trust me, it's fresh, fragrant and fabulous!!!

The week that was 11/9 ~ 11/15

Looking back at the week that passed, there's a lot that immediately comes to mind ...

-- Chey returned to school after missing two days from what I think may have been the swine flu (she had temps of 103+ for 2.5 days straight and was achy, had cold symptoms and was very lethargic). Surprisingly no one else got sick, including me who had the most contact with her. Missing school when you've got all honors classes is no fun. She spent a lot of days staying an hour extra after school to make up stuff she missed. But the way she busted her butt all week made me realize that my lil girl really does care about her grades and that makes me really proud mama*

-- I pulled a muscle in my right shoulder from the work-related stress of producing two packages that I really wanted to kick ass (the election ballot package and retail merchandising class piece, which by the way both ended up being pretty damn sweet!). So I piled on the Ben Gay for two days and felt really, really, really ... old. And smelled really, really, really ... old, like how my Grandpa used to smell :) But in all honesty, I kinda like it, lol.

-- I realized that my self-made lumpia business has been pretty doing pretty well so far and while I feel like I'm rolling at least once a week, I do enjoy it and love knowing that Grandma's recipe is so well received! Now I need to get cracking and advertise to really get my business out there, especially with the holidays coming.

-- Knott's fried chicken is quite delightful, but their freshly baked biscuits with boysenberry jam are painfully addicting!!! In this same train of thought, why does everything that taste so good always gotta be bad for you?

-- My teams aren't doing too well right now :(  USC got shellacked by Stanford (a team that has a damn tree running around the sidelines and a ridiculously talented tailback who looks like a future used car salesman), leaving them at a 3-loss season so far, which is unheard of in the Pete Carroll era. I guess we really are "rebuilding" and it sucks! Meanwhile, the Lakers lost two straight, looking horrible against the Nuggets and Rockets -- both of whom they will likely have to face in the playoffs, but hey Gasol's still out and it's November so I'm not really worried.

-- Manny Pacquaio is the truth. He pretty much blasted Miguel Cotto and left no doubt that he is one of boxing's all time greats, winning a seventh world title in his seventh weight class. This little man of the grandest stature made history in the sport, and like he said "more importantly a Filipino did it." Never in the modern history of our people has someone so greatly unified a country with such pride and joy. The Philippines stops when Pacquiao is fighting. The nation's congress goes on holiday when he's got a match because most of the representatives are at the fight. Crime goes down when he's in the ring -- even the rebels and terrorists stop to watch. He is the most interesting Filipino in the world :) XX

But perhaps what is so honorable to me is that regardless of what he has accomplished, he stays humble and always gives grace to God. Pacquiao is a God fearing man, whom you will always see praying before and after a fight. And though he's made his share of riches, he has and continues to help Filipinos in need. Beggars line up at his PI home daily, asking for help for which he does oblige. During the deadly typhoons that struck the islands, Pacquiao was there to help oft to the dismay of his trainer Roach who believed it was distracting him from training for the Cotto fight. He is not just a boxer looking to make millions, rather he is a man who also looks to help those in need and a man who revels in the opportunity to unify a nation. And while his fighting style is always worth the price of admission, I admire him most because he understands that being an accomplished man also means being a man who has the power to positively impact and inspire good people.

He makes me even prouder to be Filipino :)

Much like PI, we stop to watch the pride of the people!

-- During Saturday evening mass, which I lectored at, the priests of our parish made an announcement at the end of the mass that filled me with sadness. As I tried to hold back my tears, the rest of the 800+ parishioners present were also overcome with a deafening silence that blanketed the swell of their heavy hearts ... Because I am still trying to figure out my emotions about what I heard and a mere paragraph would not do my reflections justice, I plan to continue this thought tomorrow ...

Until then ... Good Night to the week that was. Sweet dreams to today and tomorrow.

Fabulous Find Fridays: El Pescador Restaurant

So since I am an uber shopper/diner/product connoisseur (yes, I had to google to check the spelling on that one), I've decided to share at least one Fabulous Find every Friday. And, if I've found something just so incredibly amazing and can't wait till Friday, then you will get bonus fabulous finds too :) Yep, I'm a dork.

So without further adieu, the first find I'll share deals with one of my all time favs = food. If you know me and my family, then you know we love our food. We don't just eat to live, we live to eat. In my life, food not only means nutrition, it also means being with friends and family, eating something delicious, and lots of good times.

Anyhoo, the first installment of Fabulous Finds is "El Pescador" Restaurant in Hawaiian Gardens, California. This little eatery has been down the street from my house for the longest -- I'm thinking at least 15 years now -- but for some reason I'd never ventured over to try it, until my cousins gave me the scoop and said it was pretty delicious, had great margaritas AND $1 taco happy hour. *SOLD*

So we went for my cousin Mark's birthday and indulged in their Happy Hour, which runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. We splurged on their fresh fruit $3 margaritas, their two tacos/$2 deal, and their half-off appetizer platter. Oh and how can I forget their free fresh chips served with beans, cheese and salsa. OMG everything was delicious, so authentic and best of all cheap!!!

My super cute cousin Ajax enjoying happy hour!

Our personal favorites at El Pescador are: carne asada tacos in a soft flour tortilla, and chicken or carnitas tacos in a fried shell. The tacos are the perfect size, served made to order and come with fresh guacamole and salsa. This restaurant also had a great selection of entrees on their menu, but because we can't get past their tacos, we've yet to try anything else. Although I can certainly say it all looks and smells delicious!

Since our first visit we've been back at least four times, and if my husband had it his way, we'd go at least once a week. But since he'd still like to be able to wrap his arms around his wife, we've decided to ease up on the taco indulgence, lol.

In a gist, I highly recommend everyone to check out El Pescador for some deliciously authentic Mexican cuisine that will make you feel like your dining on a beach in Mexico sans beautiful ocean, bikini clad hottie and the Italian pot-bellied man in a thong speedo :)

Ajax thinks the margaritas are made strong and perfect!

So check it out and tell me what you think!

El Pescador

21500 Norwalk Blvd

Hawaiian Gardens, CA  90716

(562) 809-1183

* And if you're not in the HG area, they also have locations in Whittier, Bell Gardens, Los Angeles, La Mirada, South Gate, Bell, Santa Paula, West South Gate, Pico Rivera, Fillmore, North and South Ontario, Highland Park, and Carson. (*PS I called them and typed the cities as he cited them, lol.)

Baby blog steps shall start with a list!

Ok so in an effort to become a regular blogger, since all the cool kids are doing it :)  I am going to start with an easy blog by doing a list! After all, list are fast, easy and can be quickly jotted down while you're on the phone, driving on the freeway or ... doing your makeup while on the phone driving on the freeway. *guilty*

So here's my attempt to blog via list!

THINGS I LURRVVEE WITH HEARTS ALL AROUND THEM:

1) sports, sports, sports -- especially USC football, the LA Lakers, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, which by the way in not even in LA County so umm ... yeah. Within this affinity so goes my love for Kobe Bryant, Pete Carroll, Chone Figgins and Mike Scioscia.

2) good sports talk radio -- yes I'll admit I have not a clue what songs or artists are "in" right now, but I can tell you that the Dan Patrick Show is freakin hilarious!!! 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday baby!

3) yummy food -- there's is just no way of getting around it, Filipino people live to eat. Thus I will just accept my fate that I will always have a gut and jiggles, but damn it, I will never be hungry! Oooh and cake, I just love me some cake with frosting so sweet is makes your teeth hurt ... mmmmmmm.

4) traveling with my family -- and when I say family I mean 20+ people because that's how we roll! We have so much fun together and I love the fact that it's pretty much a "takeover" when we show because there's just so many of us. Up next on our to-do-travel list: Costa Rica, Egypt, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Australia, Thailand, Philippines. Holla!!!

5) coupons -- who doesn't love a discount!?!? Yes I am the girl who will bring a coupon to a fancy smancy restaurant and buy one get one free in a second :)

6) kisses on my forehead -- they're sweet and pure and make me feel warm and fuzzy inside*

7) Target, Ross, Sam's Club and Trader Joes -- I think I'd be ok if I could only shop at these places for the rest of my life!

8) rubbing my tongue the back of my bottom front teeth after a cleaning at the dentist -- weird I know, but I love feeling those clean ridges!!

9) foreign accents and foreign languages -- it just so cool and pleasing to my ears! British, Austraillian, French, Italian, Spanish, African, you name it, I love it! The latest language I absolutely love hearing in conversation is Arabic -- amazing language and from what I've been told, extremely deep and difficult to learn.

THINGS I DISLIKE AND WANT TO HATE, BUT SINCE HATING IS BAD, THEN I'LL JUST RIDE DISLIKE REALLY HARD:

1) bad breath -- blech, enough said, and yes when I offer you a mint that means something. And along this same thought I don't like Colgate, that crap don't work and is pasty. And yes I know it's called tooth"paste" but Colgate is gross. Period.

2) bad drivers -- I live in Cerritos = Asian persuasion/invasion. I am Asian/Pac Islander and have no shame in saying that Asian poeple are terrible drivers who completely ignore the existence of other drivers!!!

3) clothing for animals -- don't get me wrong I love animals, especially dogs, but I would bet my life THAT'S WHAT FUR IS FOR?!?!!! Perhaps I'll change my view on this once we get our dogs next year, an exception can always be made for a cute pup in USC attire :)

4) black licorice, peach candy and watermelon candy -- do these things really taste good to anyone?

5) bad grammar and poor spelling -- when I acquired a nazi editor two years ago he immediately killed and dissected my copy. It became an almost nightly occurrence to hear him say "unf*ck this". Let me tell you, there's nothing like hearing that at 2 a.m. five days a week, lol. And as a result, I became more anal about the usage of proper grammar and spelling. It just takes a little effort and if you're unsure, then hey, just rephrase it or don't use the word/phrase to avoid being wrong. Not to say my own stuff is always perfect, cuz belee me I kno I be writin sum mest up stuf.

6) skinny jeans on boys/men -- just look in the mirror. No further explanation needed. If you have a spouse, mate, friend, sibling or father (God forbid) who owns a pair of these dreadful things, for the love of fashion humanity please burn them!!!

7) anyone who wears a six 6 or less and swears they need to lose weight -- bitch please.

8) the concept of spending serious $$$$ to wear name brands -- so I have to pay you an arm and a leg so I can wear a shirt with your brand written in block letters all over it? Shouldn't you be paying me to for being a walking advertisement?

AH HA! I did it, that's wasn't too bad and didn't take long at all. Now hopefully I'll be back with more blog sauce sooner than later :) Ciao amicis!

Just me and my two favorite gals ~ Mom and Chey!