Facebook's 25

1. I hate math and generally refuse to calculate a split dinner bill yet I can tell you exactly how many calories I've ingested on a daily basis. I blame my math hatred on the fact my mother made me do "Kumon" when I was a little girl. In actuality, I'm really good at math but when I was in 7th grade, I faked needing extra attention so I could be in the same class as a boy I had a crush on. Ever since then, I've just told everyone I'm terrible at it.

2. Most of my facebook pictures show me without glasses but I wear them on a regular daily basis. I was born practically blind and am still traumatized by the frog like glasses that I had to wear at the age of 4.... and all the photo documentation that my mother has of that time period in my life. With a horrible bowl haircut.

3. I am truly confused as to which side of the country is my Home. My family lives in California where I was born and raised but my nearest and dearest friends live back East. And you know what they say, home is where the <3 is.

4. I am allergic to peanut butter and shellfish but I will still never pass up a chance to eat shrimp... so long as there's benadryl in the immediate vicinity. I've been told my grandfather used to do the same thing.

5. I have a love/hate relationship with my cell phone. I frequently ignore calls but when I talk to my friends from far away, I'm generally on it for at least an hour. Now i've upgraded to a blackberry and am annoyed that i'm so accessible but refuse to downgrade because I love the facebook application and brick breaker game.

6. I would not be able to survive without Costco and Trader Joe's.

7. I only sleep on the left side of the bed. If I HAVE to sleep on the right, I usually wake up in the middle of the night and move to the couch or floor.

8. I rarely watch big blockbuster or classic movies (read: Mary Poppins, Sound of Music, Batman movies?) yet I can quote every line in Legally Blonde and Mean Girls.

9. My family thinks I'm going to be a great attorney because I'm obnoxious, outspoken and not afraid to articulate the needs of others. In reality, I have a fear of public speaking, specifically in class and in front of my classmates. I tend to start crying when I get called on.

10. I have a baby sister who is 10 years younger than me and laugh whenever she mirrors my brooding, sarcastic style.

11. I am prone to serious bug bites. Today, I have at least 20. All are swollen. Yes, I'm very uncomfortable right now.

12. I am one of 17 Rosario cousins and proud of it. Without them, I would have no family.

13. I am cynical about how I'm the only one of my friends who is not in a serious, committed relationship yet I secretly DVR all wedding shows WeTV and Style network has to offer.

14. I played the piano for 17 years. I've stopped for about 4 now and can still remember every classical piece i've learned.

15. I love cooking and used to cook every meal but now only cook frozen dinners... and frozen breakfasts. (Thank you Jimmy Dean.)

16. I try to go to church every Sunday. When I can't, I go to an early weekday Mass. I pray the Rosary every night and I thank God for my family, friends, good AND bad fortune.

17. The two places I want to visit in my life are the Grand Canyon and Brazil.

18. I constantly talk about moving back to the Bay Area but have not made any plans furthering that goal. In fact, I've only looked to moving back East or Chicago.

19. Procrastination started at an early age for me. The same goes for talking my way out of bad situations. When I was a little girl, I once had a "show and tell" project where I had to bring in a drawing. Being the little procrastinator I was, I did it during preschool class when I excused myself to the bathroom. I scribbled something on a piece of paper with multiple colors knowing it didn't make sense and presented it to the teacher and class as a house with a clothesline with my grandparents teaching me about plants. I hoped the teacher would just nod and pat me on the head saying "that's interesting. Very good." It worked.

20. I am the weirdest Type A person you will ever meet. My room is always messy and disorganized but my planner is color coordinated and my workspace is always, always clean and disinfected.

21. I am my mother's daughter and own a lot of designer bags and shoes. I have trained myself to walk out of a store without dropping a serious wad of cash on either or both that would catch my eye. If I still think about it a week later, I'll go back to purchase the item. Yes, I am my mother's daughter.

22. I have never broken a bone nor have ever required stitches. I am, however, constantly going to the doctor's office and I never really know why.

23. All of my "firsts" have been in Washington, D.C. And no, not all at the same time. And no, get your mind out of the gutter, one of them was my first grilled cheese! But yes, all of my firsts have been in D.C. over a large span of time.

24. My friends' and boyfriends' backgrounds are generally non-Filipino. Yet I was once the president of my undergrad Filipino club and a national director for a non profit national Filipino student organization.

25. I put salt on everything. Literally everything. (Read: strawberries, various other fruits, vegetables, pork rinds etc...) It would be even better if coupled with vinegar.

How I feel about California right about now.

Sadly, I feel this way about the people who surround me (in law school) and even my family (up north.) The State itself is great. Great weather, great atmosphere, where I want to practice. Maybe I should just be a hermit. Or move back to DC. Then I wouldn't have to worry about people (READ: psychotic competitive law students and psychotic competitive family) who don't know how to fucking act their age.


Yes, mother, I mean you.

Precious Moments with Mom (revisited)

After a 6 hour drive from soCal to the Bay Area, my family and I went to dinner. When we got home, my father retired to bed and my sisters were on the family computers playing lord knows what. In the kitchen, my mother and I were catching up, gossiping and filling in the blanks. In essence, my mother is really like a frenemy. We "hang" like friends but then a conversation would take a turn like this:

mom: I can't believe those facebook pictures of [insert old classmates from grade school]. How did those girls get so ugly?
me: I have no idea
mom: Why do you think that happens?
me: well its like the ugly duckling story and plus those girls peaked in junior high. I mean I was never as pretty as them and they made every effort to remind me about that every day. Man, I was an ugly kid.
mom: Oh I know. My sisters keep asking, "What happened to [my name]? She got so pretty!" I keep telling them that they're crazy. They just haven't seen you in a long time. I don't know what they're talking about.
me: You know, I always love coming home to you.