tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231730012026-10-15T11:33:11.273-07:00 anything and everything that makes me happy. LIFE is too short, or too long, to live it so badly.CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.comBlogger185125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-56726791172003092592014-04-03T20:59:00.000-07:002016-05-12T20:34:24.434-07:00

I am a Filipina who moved to the US in 2007 to be with my palangga and start a family. In my past life, I served the Philippine national government for 7 years - Congress (Commission on Appointments), Foreign Affairs (UNESCO) and Supreme Court (Program Management Office) - and was also involved in development work as an advocate for women's health and rights. I was born to a lawyer-father who

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-65799800929395194752012-11-29T22:42:00.000-08:002013-03-17T00:36:59.115-07:00

This is the only one quick shot i took of the Golden Gate Bridge before we vanished into the sky.  It was the day before Thanksgiving and my heart was filled with excitement and anticipation of what awaited us at our destination: LONDON! "East is East, and West is San Francisco." -- O. Henry

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-43506491243923471692012-10-10T01:02:00.000-07:002012-10-12T23:38:19.586-07:00

Life is full of surprises! Just when i thought it would be another ordinary weekend, I got a call late Friday afternoon from my friend Lia asking me if i would like to watch Madonna's concert with her the following day? OMG! Madonna? Of course! So Saturday afternoon i found myself having dinner at the Poor House Bistro in San Jose close to HP Pavilion with Lia's 4 other girl friends

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-23203919783892205242012-10-01T00:11:00.002-07:002012-10-01T00:23:17.083-07:00

heard this song by Plain White T's over the car radio last Thursday while waiting for JCPenney to open its doors.  i caught a few of the lyrics and googled it and i was like "what? released in 2010? how come this song didn't get into my radar?!" so in an attempt to purge myself of the JMraz hangover, i hit the download button and have since been listening and swaying to it.  love

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-61519236659241810562012-09-29T23:26:00.001-07:002012-10-01T00:00:05.204-07:00

Still over the moon about Jason Mraz's concert last night at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.  I've been following his music since 2003 and have been dreaming and wishing for this moment to come. It's a shame that I missed him when he first visited Manila in 2004 considering that my office building was just a walking distance to his concert venue and I missed him again when he performed in

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-81552969392989425192012-09-19T12:17:00.000-07:002012-10-05T00:27:12.670-07:00

Before i close a chapter of my life now that my US immigration journey has come to a happy ending, i am posting here my visa, GC and naturalization timelines to guide others who are currently undergoing these processes. Feel free to comment or email me for more questions and clarifications...i'd be very glad to help.  'Coz if not for the faceless bloggers/writers out there whom&

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-24073214656335700662012-09-18T23:51:00.000-07:002013-01-29T07:18:47.336-08:00

Another happy day. I finally took my oath this afternoon as a citizen of the United States of America at the Campbell Heritage Theater exactly two weeks after my interview. After almost 5 years of being here (4 years as Green Card holder), i have finally applied for citizenship and the entire process from start to finish took me only 3 months.  National average processing time is 5

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-13981603536781676332012-09-07T00:06:00.000-07:002013-01-29T07:23:58.219-08:00

Last Tuesday, September 4, was my citizenship interview at the USCIS Office in San Jose.  Here's pretty much what happened: First, i was extremely glad when I received the notice to appear for interview at the USCIS San Jose office (along Monterey Road) because it is close to my son's school in Santa Clara and parking is easy and free.  My appointment was at 8:35am so hubby

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-16648569707263149912012-07-04T19:59:00.000-07:002012-07-20T14:10:57.478-07:00

Woke up early today to climb Mission Peak with friends.  We hit the trailhead at 5:10 AM and reached the top exactly two hours later.  We took it nice and slow, stopping a few times to enjoy the view, catch our breath and take pictures.  At the top, we had a ball taking our photos while holding the handy US flags we brought with us which we also shared with some of the

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-48810892605359656732012-05-20T23:56:00.000-07:002012-07-20T15:51:58.230-07:00

It's one of those rare Sundays when we had no parties or get-togethers to attend to and i was itching to go out and enjoy the sun.  With our last week's trip to Gilroy Gardens still in my mind, we decided to check out Happy Hollow Park and Zoo in San Jose.  It's a cute little amusement park especially for toddlers.  Most of the rides your toddler can go unaccompanied except

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-4477684317152094152012-05-16T22:37:00.000-07:002012-07-20T14:14:46.560-07:00

Mother's day, for me, is simply all about spending the day with the fam and having fun so my first thought when hubby asked me where i wanted to go? a kiddie theme park! :)Just a little over an hour away from Fremont, Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park is the perfect place for us to spend the beautiful yet sunny and cool day. They had a mother's day champagne and desserts event which we signed up

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-70969044881655468102012-04-25T01:04:00.000-07:002012-05-25T10:51:01.423-07:00

After spending the first two weekends of April with my girlfriends, the weekend that passed was another busy one as we spent it driving around, hanging out and having fun with my husband's relatives.  Fil's cousin Sandy and his family spent the last 3 days of their 5-week vacation in the US with us and though short and hurried, we managed to squeeze in a couple of sightseeing

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-41981472225472646572012-04-15T16:27:00.000-07:002012-05-03T23:17:49.457-07:00

My friend Candy was back attending a conference on nanotechnology (nano what???) in San Francisco this week and we had exactly one full day together before she flew back to Washington State U.  She's been here many times before and been to all major go-to places so i decided to bring her to Filoli Gardens in Woodside, CA.  She's a sucker for photography and i knew she'd love

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-45452793868964544372012-04-11T22:57:00.000-07:002012-05-25T11:12:33.932-07:00

April 4-7, 2012.  My April started with a reunion of sorts with highschool classmates Anilee, Jane and Christy.  Anilee and Jane live a couple of hours away from each other and together with Jane's hubby Teph & son Basti they drove from Bakersfield, CA to spend a few days with us.  Jane's family recently moved from New York to California and it would be our

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-68373619872163029982012-03-17T02:17:00.001-07:002012-03-20T23:21:28.113-07:00

Finally i have found the time to migrate my food and recipe posts to another website dedicated solely to anything related to food - random kitchen experiments, tried and tested recipes, our favorite family dishes, online recipe finds, restaurant reviews, unforgettable meals, sinful desserts, food presentation, filipino cuisine and more.  I don't claim to be an expert in cooking or

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-28749409649461062342012-03-02T18:00:00.003-08:002012-03-09T00:38:23.974-08:00

I couldn't count how many times i've promised myself never to watch this show again!  Throughout its entire history, this show has given me nothing but heartaches..from Bo Bice to Adam Lambert to last year's Thia Megia (although i didn't really expect her to win anyway).  It's just very frustrating when you have emotionally invested on a contestant, watched him/her perform every

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-28666994104653384932012-02-26T23:23:00.001-08:002012-03-09T00:39:41.045-08:00

We went to see Disney on Ice: Toy Story 3 yesterday morning at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. We were there an hour early for the 11am show and had time to leisurely walk around, find our seats, take pictures and feel the stadium go from quiet to excited!  We had VIP floor seating - 4 rows from the stage and i took the aisle seat. I felt proud of myself for booking the seats so close to the

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-38328845278229016252012-02-16T15:08:00.000-08:002012-02-23T09:40:24.582-08:00

time really flies when you're having fun. wasn't it only yesterday when we celebrated his 3rd birthday in the Philippines? months went by in the blink of an eye and just like that, he's now 4! we had a fun jumping party last Saturday at Pump It Up! in Union City. Birthday boy wasn't cooperative at first when we entered the play arena. I had no idea what possessed him but he just wouldn't play!

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-674766742631737302012-02-09T08:45:00.008-08:002012-02-09T18:42:20.690-08:00

Last night i made a firm resolve to get my ass back to blogging. If i remember it right, my last post before i went on hiatus was about the Metallica concert i watched in December 2009. Since then i managed to scribble a couple of posts but that's just about it. Maybe because i got hooked with Facebook which is a more convenient way of reconnecting with friends/acquaintances and share one's life,

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-22608691312558866192012-01-23T06:36:00.000-08:002012-02-16T10:24:50.601-08:00

what a fun weekend i had! a roller-coaster of events and emotions. First the ladies went out Saturday night to sort of start our year with laughs (a bit late but it's still January anyway) and to celebrate Shelle's 40th birthday. We carpooled to Edna's Ichiban Library in South San Francisco, a filipino entertainment business showcasing gay singer-comedians and other wannabee singers who dare go

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-24442117921134013412011-12-19T13:27:00.000-08:002012-03-25T01:28:51.901-07:00

December 18, 2011 me: "when is Christmas day?" Siri: Christmas is on sunday, december 25, 2011. i hope you get the day off. me: "what do we celebrate on December 25?" Siri: No Comment. me: "why do we celebrate Christmas?" ... Siri: I dont know. maybe the GeniusBar folks can answer that. me: "is Christmas the birthday of Jesus?" Siri: I would ask that you address your spiritual questions to

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-16745313352093536282011-04-21T00:37:00.017-07:002012-02-09T08:03:33.401-08:00

Got the scare of my mommy life yesterday when Racrac - the playful and active boy that he is - ran away from me in the parking lot of Great Mall in Milpitas where he could have easily been hit by passing cars or those who are backing up. Just a background: Great Mall is a "flat" one-story mall but the biggest outlet shopping mall in Northern California guaranteed to tire out even the most

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-9783199953565773072011-01-01T06:36:00.019-08:002012-02-10T16:15:20.353-08:00

Goodbye... to 2010 and to my dearest cousin Ate Maria who lost her battle to breast cancer last December 31. She was my first cousin (mother side)... a very kind, loving and soft-spoken person who lived a simple but happy life with Kuya Val and their two children Vincent and Maimai. At age 44, she is too young and too kind to die. I have spent many fun and memorable start-of-summer holidays

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-12046401047297017822010-02-16T23:31:00.013-08:002012-03-25T01:12:06.183-07:00

believe it or not, my baby just turned 2! it was a private celebration, just the three of us. the star of the party was of course the birthday boy and his race track cake which i made from scratch.  after singing the birthday song and taking photos and videos, we left him alone so he could play and eat his cake.  He loved it! Click here if you want to know how i made the cake.

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23173001.post-20260168310857036002009-12-13T07:37:00.031-08:002012-02-18T00:42:35.695-08:00

For those who think i am wholesome and sweet and mellow and mild, think again. I have a dark side...and i let it all come out last night during the METALLICA concert at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. It was a blast...the ultimate gathering of headbangers! I watched it with Fil who was also celebrating his birthday and three of our die-hard-Metallica-veterans friends. I was literally gritting my

CaRmeLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14725829042810633995noreply@blogger.com1