can't teach an old dog new tricks so why bother?

I worked over-time this past weekend as a proctor for 3 hours. I LOVE PROCTORING! hahah I get paid to administer the tests to students and do nothing for the rest of the time unless they have questions. It's fun not having to take the test. I think that's what I like most about it.

Fun weekend story: I think I got hit on by the cute banker at Chase this past Saturday...

So I finished my transactions and was waiting in line with my mom at the bank. I looked at all the different bank tellers and I saw one in particular and thought to myself, "he's cute." All of a sudden the screen pointed my mom toward that particular teller and I told my mom, "you're going to the pogi guy hahaha." Here is what happened when we walked up to him:

Banker: (To my mom) Hey is that your sister? ( referring to me)

*My mom and I both laugh at how ridiculous that question was*

Mom: Are you trying to fool me?!

Banker : Hindi po, Nanay *laughs*

Mom: You're crazy! & then says something in tagalog that I forgot.

Banker: (To me) Do you speak Tagalog?

Me: A little but not really.

Mom: Are you new here?!

Banker : Opo. I've been working here for a month. I lived in the Philippines for a while and then went to college in New Jersey and then finished up my degree in the Philippines. I played basketball and did a few acting gigs over there. I was in "It might be You" with Bea Alonzo and other shows on ABS-CBN. You can google me.

Mom: Oh REALLY?! I have TFC. I'm gonna look you up ha! Why are you here then?

Banker: My family is still back in New Jersey but I told my mom I wanted to move to LA kasi all of my friends are here. I moved in with my brother.

Banker: (To me) How old are you?

Me: Twenty-three?

Mom: Why? How old are you?

Banker: My birthday is on something something, 1988

Mom: Oooh! You're as old as my son. You know what? they've never been to the Philippines before!

Banker: (To me) You should go to the Philippines. You'll be in for a good time. (To my mom) When's the last time you went home, po?

Mom: Aba! 23 years ago!

Banker: A lot's changed since then.

Mom: I know

Banker: Do you need your balance?

Mom: No! I already know my balance *laughs*

Banker: Okay then, here is your receipt

Banker (to me): What's your name?

Me: Anna

Banker: Hi Anna, I'm Howard *points to his name tag & smiles*

Mom: Merong kang girlfriend?

Banker: Opo... 52 gf's lang *laughs*

Mom: Playboy ka!

Banker: Hindi naman.

Mom: Ok thank you.

Banker: See you soon.

It was flattering LOL and he was cute...but fobby and I think he was lying. I don't think anyone's flirted with me like that in a loooong time hahah. Oh man. good times.

Some of the things I look forward to this week: Little People Big World, ONE TREE HILL, and GLEE.

Good night friends!

...lol or maybe I'd rather watch the Hills marathon hahah.

I got home from work relatively early tonight and then Brenton came and we ate at this Cuban restaurant by my house and it was delicious! I loved it. Then we had Scoops and now we are at Starbucks and he is papering it up while I am looking over instructions for proctoring this nursing exam tomorrow morning. That's right, I am proctoring tomorrow, which means I am working over time. I know I'd be giving up my Saturday morning/early afternoon but what have I got to lose? It's only more money for me at the end. Also, it's not like I had plans tomorrow morning anyway.

Today I had a late lunch with my boss and my coworker and one of the student workers...who are all older than me and in their 30s and they were reminiscing about things from the past including shows that I don't remember but anyway, we had el salvadorean pupusas. It was my first time having a pupusa and it was good. I feel like I'm being spoiled at work. I love it a lot. I really do look forward to starting the day and the entire day and week go by soooooo unbelievably fast. I never know where the time goes and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

I've been mistaken for Hispanic a lot of times since I've gotten to work.

Yesterday I had lunch with the other new girl...and guess how old she is?!?!?! 19!!!!!! She's doing entry level bookkeeping for the financial aid dept. She is so young! I thought I was young. She didn't seem to be enjoying herself as much as I was. I guess I lucked out with my supervisor and dept. She said she got her finance/acct. certificate and it only took her 2 months to find this job!!! Crazy. She is making as much as me and I have a BA... BUT I know that when the time comes, I can get ahead because of that BA. It matters guys, stay in school. Seriously.

I've received more responsibilities lately and I'm scared but excited. I got paid today! My first full-time job paycheck. Woohooo.

One more week of this 8-5 thing then back to the night shift. Bittersweet.

By the way, I like the vanilla rooibos tea at Starbucks. It tastes good. Okay I'm getting sleepy. Until next time... I've been the one of the few loyal bloggers out there. Can I get a prize for this?!

I'm 23 and I still love BSB. My parents are gonna kill me and this may be an immature decision to some degree (lol) but I think I wanna spend my first or second paycheck on BSB tickets... not all of it but I WANNA GO SO BAD! I think I actually might splurge for a fan club membership just to buy the VIP pass to go to soundcheck! I've waited 13 years to meet them and I've already been to 3 of their concerts. I deserve more than to just watch them on stage LOL (even though that's always been awesome). My ultimate dream will be complete... and I'm always thinking that this tour might be the last.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'm not being completely reckless with my money... I will be paying for my student loans and cell phone bill and I will also be saving some of my money...however with the money that's left, I would LOVE to buy BSB tickets and I think I just might.

No, I WILL!

The weather is making my skin dry again. My allergies have also been acting up.

I do like the rain...when I'm indoors.

My coworkers got me a "welcome to the team" card! :D

I need to find lunch buddies or a book to read during my lunch break. It doesn't help that my schedule is always different. I might just try out one of the restaurants around there some time.

I LOVED tonight's GLEE episode. Not just because it was Madonna but also because it was all about girl power hahaha. I am truly a panda at heart. It gave me a newfound appreciation for Madonna as well. I guess it never occurred to me to listen to her lyrics when I was younger...

When you're trying hard to be your best, could you be a little less?

That lyric reminded me of that Eleanor Roosevelt quote:

Words to live by.

Anyway, good night! I have been updating regularly! hahah Go me!

I'm also gonna be a proctor in addition to the other work that I'm doing for student services so that should be interesting too. I like having more than one thing to do. If I had to sit in front of the computer entering grades and status changes all day, I wouldn't survive. I also started making classroom announcements on my own last week, which was nerve-racking but I made it through. I think that this experience is really challenging, which is good because I know it's going to help me grow not only as a worker but as an individual. Hopefully, I'll gain even more confidence after this.

I'm getting paid next Friday for one week of work haha. Exciting stuff!

I really feel like an adult now. I know I'm not quite an adult yet and probably won't be until I move out of my parents' house and can support myself financially and cook my own meals every day and pay for all my expenses on my own and this won't be for a while. BUT, I am coming pretty darn close to it and as much as I was dreading it a few months ago... I actually have come to terms with it. I like where I am at right now. Growing up is now all of a sudden much more exciting for me. I plan on getting my master's in higher ed administration or counseling some time in the near future. Having this job just reminded me how important an education is and I do not want to miss out on an opportunity to further my education. I know that more doors will open for me once I accomplish that.

Also, what I enjoy a lot more is the fact that I am old enough to bond with my older friends and not feel like such a baby when I'm around them lol. Does that make sense? I mean when I was in school and hung out with them, I looked up to them and wanted to be where they were and now I feel like I'm starting to get there and I'm finally feeling like I'm an equal haha. It's pretty cool. It's like I've been initiated into an exclusive club haha. YAY ADULTHOOD.

I love my friends and I love how my friendships are growing as I grow. Now I can partake in different types of conversations about the future which is scary but exciting too! Ah the future! This is not to say that I will never talk about Disney or BSB ever again... I mean come on, this is me we're talking about lol.

I do appreciate my weekends a whole lot more now that I'm working all week haha. I spent this weekend with great company. On Friday night, Brenton & I grabbed dinner at Don Felix and then I had Scoops with Meechy and Meechy and I sat in her car and had one of our hour long conversations about life that we used to have back in Irvine when we were both still there. I missed those. Yesterday, I spent the day with Brenton and we tried Red Hot Kitchen and had some Cha. Then Joe picked me up and we headed to Derrick & Reg's surprise and then we headed to a lounge by my house called Rockwell. It was a lot of fun catching up with everyone! It was also an interesting experience... there was a random guy with a puppet walking around. Weird. Today I hung out with my brother. It's been a fun weekend for sure.

I'm sort of looking forward to going back to work tomorrow but a part of me still wants it to be the weekend. Torn.

Anyway, I better get going. I have resumes to edit.

Praying for everyone.

I really believe in the power of prayer. Thank You for another beautiful week.

my third dream was normal hahah. it was about my friends darlene & rj visiting me but eating at this place called crust caffe and they bought me food from there even though i had food already. good times.

off to work.

Last Tuesday, Brenton & I went to the Alicia Keys concert at the Staples Center. She is such a phenomenal performer and she doesn't need any gimmicks to win an audience over. Her music, her lyrics, her words, & her passion for what she does is more than enough. The fact that she is all about female power just adds to the list of reasons why I love her. Many times, her lyrics speak for me when I can't speak for myself. It made me laugh when Brenton joked about Alicia Keys sounding like me... or me sounding like her. Not sounding like her literally but you get the picture. It's also funny that her newest online venture: iamasuperwoman.com sounds a lot like my short lived internship at iamthatgrl. It's like I feed off of the inspiration that I get from others, especially when it's from someone who's done so well for herself without having to compromise her values (at least from what I can see). Girl power.

In other news, I'm sorry I've been MIA again. I kinda avoided blogging after my horrific Thursday. It was my last day at my internship and it was horrible. At the end of the day I wanted to scream and wanted to cry and I did actually end up crying on the way home. I was just so frustrated by the fact that someone can have such little disregard for the people around her. In life you meet a ton of interesting and different people... some of whom you click with right off the bat and others whom you can't stand to be around. Sadly, this person was the latter. I never thought I would feel this way about anyone, let alone someone who I was supposed to look to for guidance and support. She provided neither for me. But I've grown stronger and developed thicker skin because of it. No one deserves to feel worthless because of what someone says or does to you. I was beginning to let her get to me. It felt like all the confidence I had gained from my last internship experience was slowly being sucked out of me because I was letting her actions and attitude toward me dictate my self-worth. Never again. That was my high school self that I could not and can not revert back to. I know what I'm capable of and I'm glad that I'm now in an environment that encourages rather than discourages me and fosters personal development. I can now live up to my full potential.

After my disastrous Thursday, I had a busy Friday and went to my new hire orientation which went well... however they told me last minute that they needed my transcripts and I couldn't think of any other time I would be able to pick them up so this called for a spur of the moment trip to Irvine. I got to see my reg. office family, which is ALWAYS nice and I caught up with a few people. I was only able to stay for a little bit. (Sorry MEL! :( I still owe you). It was nice catching up with Jamie, Chris & Julian though! I love my friends. I headed back to LA around 4, not without traffic of course. It was my first time getting stuck in traffic that bad. I got home in an hour and 50 min... almost two hrs. Then my mom and I headed to Staples Center (my 2nd time that week) to see none other than MICHAEL BUBLE. He is such a handsome handsome man. His fiancee is super lucky. He also put on quite the show but can you expect anything less from an entertainer like him? I promised my mom that next time we'd get better seats hahah. IT was nice just seeing my mom have fun and enjoy herself. Good times.

Yesterday was my first day on the job and although I haven't done any big projects yet, I like it so far. I actually enjoy being at work... but then again, I haven't started anything yet. However I do know that I love working in an education setting: interacting with students and helping them out is what I love to do. My coworkers are really nice and accommodating and have taken me under their wing. I'm already starting to feel right at home with them. We joke and stuff. One of my coworkers introduced me to 94.7 the Wave. Whenever I'm listening to the radio I usually skip over that station but after listening to it the past few days for 8 hrs straight, I can say that I love their song rotation. Also that same coworker says things like "Right quick" and "what had happened was" lol :) I have my own desk/cubicle. I also have a badge and I am going to be receiving my very own set of business cards! CRAZY. I have NEW office supplies and am ordering more! I LOVE OFFICE SUPPLIES. I'm also thinking of what to bring to "decorate" my cubicle. THey told me I can start doing that but I can't think of anything other than a wall of inspirational quotes to get me through the day... and my mini peter the anteater that the reg office gave me. Sometimes I feel like a small fish in a big pond though. The company I work for is pretty big: 100+ employees in that building alone. I'm still trying to find my niche. Everyone takes lunch at different times and so far, I don't feel comfortable enough to eat at the staff lounge yet. I've resorted to exploring the surrounding areas in North Hollywood. So far I've found a Sears, McDonald's and Target and a couple sushi places that I will definitely be checking out soon. I'm just anxious to get things started. Yesterday I sat in on an orientation for new students and today I tagged along for a classroom announcement. I'm gonna have to start doing that on my own soon, which won't be too bad but it's still a little nerveracking. However, after doing it for 300 students at the Career Center, I think 20 students is not as bad. I also found out that I'm gonna be trained to be a back up proctor on the weekends (and receive overtime pay!) hahah which is pretty cool.

Initially I was sad about working late hours but I think it won't be so bad. My mom says I have the tendency to worry about things or come up with negative things to outweigh the good... which is true lol but I honestly can't really complain right now. I have a full-time job & benefits (woo insurance) and I have a roof over my head and a supportive system of friends & family. I'm blessed. Also... my hours still allow me to see GLEE on Tuesday nights. The only thing is that I had to train myself to eat at weird hours... i.e. my lunch is at 3:30pm and I come back at 4:30 so while most people are leaving work, I'm starting the other half of my shift. Then I get back around 8:30 and eat dinner. Again, not super bad.

Anyway, I gotta go to sleep soon. Work again tomorrow. The transition is getting a little easier.

By the way, it's really hard coming up with work outfits. I think about what I'm gonna wear the night before. I've been throwing out some of my old clothes to make room for more professional looking clothes. Jamie can I just have your wardrobe? lol.

Also, I get a gym membership discount! I'm gonna get healthy! hahaha... or try to :)

P.S. This is a long entry.

P.P.S. I'm afraid of earthquakes and I'm afraid of being stuck on the freeway during an earthquake and am now creating an earthquake kit to put in my car just in case lol. Good night.

P.P.P.S. GLEE WAS AMAZING.

P.P.P.P.S. I actually do carry a rape whistle LOL.

I'm gonna try to make tomorrow good too.

Right now, I'm...

Excited to have brunch with Wing tomorrow!

Hungry and my stomach is growling.

Wondering who still stumbles across this blog of mine.

Contemplating about life while listening to the sound of the rain.

Missing the companionship of my brother, even though he was here this weekend.

Feeling blah for some reason.

Anxious about starting work next week.

Dreading coming in on Tuesday

Scared for future earthquakes.

Feeling helpless.

Annoyed by my parents telling me to sleep.

Sort of wishing I was living at an apt with friends again.

Trying to look on the brighter side of things.

Grateful for the opportunities He's given me and for His sacrifice.

Wanting to be a better person.

Trying to be a better person.

Frustrated by things out of my control.

Content with the position I'm in.

Avoiding my problems.

Wishing I was somewhere else.

Not everything is rainbows & butterflies 24/7.

life's like a roller coaster: up's and down's... i hate going down.

Prayers for everyone.

I'm not good with surprises and in fact, sometimes I'd rather not be surprised. I like knowing what's going to happen next and my preference for familiarity over the unknown comes across even in the most simplest of things: i.e. my inclination to order the same dish every time I go to a particular restaurant because I know it's good, because I've tasted it before & liked it, because I know I won't be disappointed by it, because I know what to expect. Life after college has taught me that in life, there are no guarantees. There is no possible way for me to foresee my future & guarantee that I will be successful or that I will make a ton of money or that I will live until I'm 90 and that causes me some discomfort. I'm trying to learn how to loosen the reigns & just trust in Him and say "Thy Will Be Done" but it's harder than it sounds.

I've experienced many firsts lately including the first time I ever had to approach a boss & give my 2 weeks notice. Although it didn't go as well as I planned, I got through it and that's what's most important.

I feel like I'm walking a fine line between boredom & busy-ness.

In other news, I've been super spoiled with all the fun times I've had within the last few weeks: Cheesecake Factory & She's out of my league date with Brenton, 5th wheeling it but not really lol with 2 of the best couples I know: Erwin&Frances and KD&Julian, Scoops & Shakey's with the brother & cousin, lunch at Home with the LA girls, Scoops & dinner at Cheesecake Factory along with Hot Tub Time Machine with the high school friends, Wing's Birthday dinner at D&B's, Disneyland with the family, visiting my old coworkers at the Reg office!!, Cha with Jem & Huan and Mitsuwa dinner with Jamie & Brenton, Liwanag meeting on Tuesday night, Wurstkuche & Syrup Desserts with Joe & Brenton. All these things sprinkled in between my unpleasant work confrontations make life a million times better & a million times more bearable.

This was one of the first times that I've spent Holy Week at home with my family since I left for college. It's been interesting. It's the Cardinal's last time celebrating Holy Week at the Cathedral since he is retiring next year. Oh changes.

We have a new desktop computer at home & my mom uses it to go on Facebook lol. It's funny.

Next week is going to be crazy. I kind of wish I had more time to unwind but beggars can't be choosers. Tuesday night, Brenton & I are going to the Alicia Keys concert cause he got me tickets for Christmas! :) Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday are my last days at my internship. On Thursday night, I'm volunteering for my last ever event there. It's a professional development panel at UCLA hosted by Step Up called Plug In: Implementing Technology for every business. It should be interesting. On Friday morning I have my new hire orientation for work so I'm meeting with the HR manager. On Friday night, I'll be spending the night with my mom & Michael Buble at the Staples Center. Jam packed week. I gotta fit some "me" time into it. Here goes nothing.

Hope you're doing well out there.