In the Mix
From
www.mugglenet.comDan Radcliffe mistaken for Elijah Wood in AustraliaWhile the Harry Potter actor is filming December Boys down under, he apparently is constantly confused with Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood. Dan said: "I admit when a couple of people have put autograph books under my nose I've signed them: 'Much love Elijah Wood.'"
Exploring Google Video Beta
Sure, I'm working from home, but, yeah, I need a break.
If you like cars and have a thing for Porsches, you can torture yourself by watching
Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson in
How To Kill A Porsche 911:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8393480500658592820Now, this one is just
nakakainis. Or as Anna would say, "Eer-ree-tay-teeng!"
Tom Kills Oprah:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8530918890580805143It just goes to prove Jax's point, that "Scientology is the path to the Dark Side".
And now, the student video that you have all been waitng for. The Chinese Backstreet Boys are back!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4632099743779242066Who is that guy behind them? And what does he think these guys are doing?
Another Favorite Picture
Because people on my Friendster have been asking...HERE! This is my sister, the mother of my niece. Now you know where Layla gets her looks.
Oh, and this is the only picture that I have taken of Layla smiling (she was very much entertained by my future best friend-in-law, Marian, last Saturday). Thank God for Bianca's little digital camera.
Akala mo naman mauubusan ako ng opportunity
kumuha ng picture
niya, ano?
Happy One Month Day (?), Layla!
A Foreigner's Guide to Pinoy Conversation
(I got this from Bianca today. Aliw!)
1. Achuchuchu (A-chu-chu-chu). This refers to the pointless insincerities being said during long, involved conversations about nothing at all.
2. Ano (A-noh). The all-around, all-purpose word for everything.
(1) Pronoun in interrogation: Ano? (What)
(2) Noun: Where is your ano? (Where is yourfather/mother/dead-uncle's-second-cousin)
(3) Verb: Anuhin this. (Paint/kill/maim/castrate this.)
(4) Adjective: This is so ano. (This is so pretty/big/astounding.)
(5) Interjection: Ano! (What the hell!)
3. Checheboreche (Che-che-boh-re-che). Same as achuchuchu. It is interesting to ponder on the reason why there are so many words in theFilipino language that beautifully describe meaningless chatter.
4. Epal (Eh-pal). An individual who believes he is God.
5. Gigil (gee-gil). An uncontrollable desire to bite something.
6. Hipon (Hee-pon). Literally "shrimp," whose body is eaten while its head is thrown away, this refers to a person whose body is to die for and whose face looks like it belongs to the dead.
7. Kikay (kee-kay). Refers to individuals who carry a brush, hand wash, moisturizer, lip-gloss and various other facial enhancements in a case (aptly called a kikay kit) inside her bag. Recent inspections of various backpacks have led to the conclusion it is not a purely female trait. This breed cannot resist checking themselves out on mirrors, glass windows, bread knives, sidewalk puddles and plastic-covered notebooks.
8. Kaek-ekan (Ka-ek-e-kahn). Same as achuchuchu and chechebureche.
9. Kilig (keel-leg). A rush of excitement due to the actions, presence or even mention of he whom you see as the future father of yourchildren.
10. Indyanero (In-jan-neh-ro). An individual who fails to appear at an appointment without prior warning. Not to be confused with individuals who appear according to Filipino time (approximately 10 minutes before the meeting ends).
11. Japorms (Jah-porms). Describes an individual dressed differentlyfrom the usual (typically involves clothes that have been laundered and pant legs of roughly the same length).
12. Lagot (Lah-got). A prophecy of evil things to come.
13. Para (Pah-rah). A term that informs the driver of a jeep to stop and pause (usually in the middle of the road) as the individual speaking intends to leave the vehicle. Dangerous for individuals as drivers seem to believe having one foot in the air is all that is necessary for descent.
14. Takusa (Ta-kuh-sa). Derived from takot sa asawa (afraid of wife), this is a term used to describe the silent (very silent) minority of males married to feminine reincarnations of Hitler.
15. Torpe (tore-peh). A gentleman who is desperately attracted to a female yet by some strange compulsion is reduced to a frozen mound of stuttering male whenever that female is near.
Armed with this list and a smile, you will be sure to make the proper impression not just on your new relations, but on your loved one a swell.
20 Random Facts About Me
The rules of the game: I'm either supposed to email or "tag" the same amount of people as the minutes it took me to type out the facts. This can take forever. I leave it to you to do what you will.
1) I'm deathly afraid of cockroaches, lizards, monkeys, and my officemate Jose's mother (God bless her dear soul).
2) Being the daughter of a history buff, I'm fascinated by war films, war documentaries, and books about war (my favorites were written by Stephen Ambrose and Leon Uris).
3) I want to learn to speak Spanish.
4) I'm absolutely dying to go back to school.
5) I'm obsessive-compulsive about my books, CDs, and DVDs.
6) I think Alessandro Safina is hot.
7) I can recite the first 10 minutes of Walt Disney's
Peter Pan (well, my sisters and I can).
8) I really miss living in Bangkok.
9) My dream job is to be
The Thirsty Traveller.
10) I'm a bad driver, but I love cars.
11) I'm faster in water than I am on land.
12) In a
Star Wars trivia contest, I will lose to Dex.
13) Thanks to mobile phones, the only "land lines" that I memorize are my office's numbers, my Mom's work number, and Gabby's, Miggy's, Sobee's and Tanya's home numbers.
14) I don't understand the appeal of
Friends.
Sienfeld is so much better!
15) I can't sing. Poor Layla.
16) I'm allergic to alcohol, chocolate, chicken, and shellfish. But that doesn't stop me from having any of it.
17) I'm addicted to
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and my favorite queer is Carson.
18) Right now, I have this intense craving for a pepperoni pizza and an ice cold bottle of Zero Coke.
19) I am fiercely protective of my family and friends (
makakapatay ako ng tao kung hindi lang labag sa batas ng Diyos).
20) I really cannot imagine life without Max.
Chester!
Check this out. Laughtrip! But a bit creepy.
http://youcantmakeitup.blogspot.com/2005/11/harry-potter-legal-age-countdown-clock.htmlUpdate: I just realised that "Chester! Chester! Child molester!" is a Zobel thing. Apparently, most people from other schools have never heard of the term. Fahsssss!
My New Toy
My career as a lullaby songstress is slowly picking up. I've expanded my repertoire to include "I Stay Away" by Alice in Chains, The Beatles' "I Will", "Trees" by Marty Casey, "Here Comes the Rain" by The Eurythmics, Annie Lennox's version of "Waiting in Vain", and Sarah McLachlan's "Building a Mystery". Layla still prefers "Govinda" and "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo". She really doesn't like INXS' "Pretty Vegas". My niece has good taste.
Luckily, Max hasn't met Layla yet, so I don't have to worry about him getting jealous. I took Max to the vet last Saturday and 3 doctors said he was safe enough to expose Layla to. Now we just have to wait until Layla's doctor says she can go out and meet the rest of the world. I don't get it. Gabby's daughter Cara got to go to Bita's house 2 weeks after she was born. Layla has only been to the doctor's. Rules. Well, as long as the rules don't stop me from visiting my niece, right? Who am I to complain? I'm not the one changing her nappies.
An Interview with a Wizard
I went over to
www.mugglenet.com and found a link to an interview of Michael Gambon (who plays Albus Dumbledore in the
Harry Potter movie series) on
www.empireonline.co.uk. This is my favorite part of the interview:
Do kids approach you on the street when you haven’t got your beard on?No, they don’t. But a kid came up to me the other day, though, and says, “Gandalf can I have your autograph?” and I said, “Piss off!”
An Organised Mess
There's a dog show in Alabang Hills this weekend, and they're holding a photo contest, too. Of course, I want to join! Unfortunately, I can't find all my rolls of film with pictures of dogs in them. I do, however, have scanned CD copies of those rolls of film. So I decided to go through my photo CDs in the hope of finding decent picture of Max, Tyler (Julia's German Shepherd), and Bailey and Chachi (Papa and Tita Vicky's bulldogs) that I can enter. Instead, I found pictures that Papa took of me back in November 2002 that I had forgotten about, like this one.
Like who doesn't enjoy walking down memory lane armed with photographs? Doing so is either a cool trip or like opening a can of worms. I remember the day this shot was taken. Papa and I took his Boxster out to San Francisco and he dared me to drive down the Crooked Street. Are you kidding? And just burn the clutch and ruin the transmission because I can't "hang" to save my life? I think not. And then drive to the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge? No. Not without an automatic car. I'm too paranoid for that. And with his car! So instead of how much fun I had during those 3 weeks in Northern California, this picture just reminds me that I'm a horrible driver. Not necessarily a "lady driver". Just a really bad driver. And to think there's not a single car visible in the frame.
I remember the week before this picture was taken, too (just goes to show that a picture/painting says more than words). I remember enjoying the long, wet drive around Bodega Bay (where Fatherhood worked at the time, and where I thought I would die driving) and wherever the Russian River is. That drive freaked me out, but it was great, especially when I realised there was a 6th gear while we were on the freeway. I guess driving in Bodega Bay is about as challenging as driving up Marcos Highway or Kenon Road. Up the narrow, tree-lined road with a minimum 100 meter drop to my right: 2nd gear. Straight-away: 3rd gear. 4th gear. Sharp right turn: 3rd gear. Straight-away: 4th gear. Sharp left turn downward: 3rd gear. 2nd gear. Zig-zag: 2nd gear. 3rd gear. Deer crossing: 1st gear. Stop. Another zig-zag. "Carla, look at the view!" "What view? I'm looking at the road!" Gyaaaah! Lord knows if I will ever master the double-clutch.
I have to learn how to catalogue my photos properly. I guess it's like organising my memories...or my life, for that matter (these are the days I wish I had Professor Dumbledore's Pensieve!). Time to really start telling a story worth hearing/reading. It would be nice to put together a coffee table book or something-to-that-effect with pictures and text of my and my friends' and family's travels (travails?). Perhaps a trip to the Town Centre to find a good CD booklet for my photo CDs, a decent photo album for the pictures that I printed (most of which are at least 3 years old and currently stuffed in a shoebox), and a binder for my film won't hurt. Getting into a car like I'm a race car driver can wait.
An Excuse to Share Some Photos
Driving straight to Monterey from Pittsburg can be rather hellish. Well, if it was from Pittsburgh, PA, then, yeah, that would be a nightmare! But I'm talking about Northern California. You know, the Pittsburg where the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART station is? The very end of the BART? The Pittsburg without an H? It's waaaay outside San Francisco.
Anyway, it takes almost half a day. For us Indios stuck on this seemingly godforsaken but beautiful archipelago, it's like driving from Alabang to Baguio with not too much traffic congestion. It would be nice to drive to Monterey if one was going to stay there overnight or to spend the weekend. But no! We drove to Monterey, stayed a couple of hours, and drove back to Pittsburg! So just imagine driving all the way up to Baguio, then turning back after having brunch in the Country Club. Is Papa insane or what?
Luckily, there are a lot of interesting stops along the way. Like Vargas Road. Who knew there'd be one? However, there's nothing there. Really.
California is really a beautiful state. Monterey is actually a good drive with all the ups and downs, the twists and turns, the view, the weather, everything. Take a standard transmission car up there and try it. Your left leg will kill you, and the clutch will burn, but you're going to love it! No place to do an Initial-D stunt, though. For that, I'd recommend Bodega Bay, which is something like three hours north of San Francisco. Wild! Ok, that's a topic for another post.
So there we were in Monterey. Julia had just ended her one-week stay with us in Pittsburg. She lives with her Mom, stepdad, and German Shepherd, Tyler, in the city of Pacific Grove, which is part of the (what? Area? County?...of) Monterey. It's gorgeous there. It's like living in Baguio (or...ok, Seattle or Sagada) with the crisp, clean air, and all the pine trees...but it's near the beach (is that like living in Pagudpod?). And lucky her, she lives in a really nice neighborhood close to her best friends. Enjoy High School while you can, kiddo! Someday, you and your dearest friends will be separated by time zones and bodies of water, and then you will learn the true meaning of "friends for life".
So after dropping Julia's stuff off at her place, taking her to the city college to get some stuff worked on, having a bit of lunch, picking up her friend Andrea, driving around the city and along the coastline, I have to say...that aside from the Monterey Bay Aquarium (which I unfortunately didn't get to visit on this trip), I really like Seal Beach...simply because... there are SEALS! We don't see seals lying on the beaches of the Philippines! You would think that with the diversity of marine life in the Philippines, we would have a sanctuary similar to Monterey Bay where otters, seals, whales, and yes - even sharks! can come and go as they please. Which reminds me, did anyone read that front page article in the paper earlier this week about the Greenpeace boat that rammed through a protected coral reef in Tubataha? Good Lord!
So...that was my day in Monterey...back in June 2005. I wish I had more time. Papa and I left at around 4 in the afternoon. I was still the driver. Well, that was my JOB! The very reason why I went there. I should post more pictures on flickr soon. Bianca has more interesting stories to tell about Northern California.
Funny how much I enjoy visiting the US, especially Hawai'i and California. Actually living there is an entirely different story.
Spoiling Other People's Bundles of Joy
I have always been of the opinion that it is a privilege to be asked to stand as a child's godparent. You're basically the third (or fourth or fifth) parent, and it's your responsibility to make sure that the child leads a happy, healthy, balanced Christian life. It's an important role that I take rather seriously. But it's a role that I'm not very good at!
I have eight godchildren, and my goal is to warp their little minds and bend them to my will.
Mwahahaha! I can spoil them because they're not mine. I can tell them about the evils of Barney, the virtues of Batman, the amazing talent of the Beatles, and to join me in the dark side of the Force. And if they poop, I don't have to change their nappies ("
Yaya!").
The eight not-so-lucky ducks are (in order of birth):
Migo - now lives in Singapore and his last favorite sport was soccer. I have no idea what sport he plays now, but I know that he still likes pre-historic sea creatures, "Star Wars" and Batman. Just like me, he went through a stage wherein he wanted to be a Jedi when he grew up. Sounds like he's my own son, huh?
Marina - the fashionista Alabang girl. Everything Ninang Calai is not. Ina loves Snow White, and according to her Mom, is doing really well in school. Unfortunately, I don't get to see Ina very often, or her parents for that matter. It's only during Christmas, or a week before or after her birthday, or when one of her Dad's and my common friends are in town from the US. Yes, I'm a delinquent godparent with this one!
CK - the cutest little Pinoy in the Netherlands. The one and only time I saw him in person was when he was baptised. I haven't seen him since and that's sad. I saw his parents over a year ago when they were visiting for the holidays. Apparently, my role in CK's life is "
ang ninang na magtuturo ng lahat ng katarantaduhan sa buhay" (now how do you say that in English without losing it's "flavor"?). I think I have to wait until his family moves back to Asia or I miraculously make it to Europe in order to fulfill that role!
Cai-cai - lives in Washington State with my fellow curly top. She is the most kikay 2 year old I have ever come across. This kid knows how to shop! Seriously! There she was, walking around the clothing stores in San Francisco, picking out coats and dresses from the rack, and saying "Niiice!". And she is the only child I know who is relaxed to the soothing sound of...house music!
Astig!
Andy - for a time, his nickname was Anakin (his older brother's favorite Jedi. This was all before
Episode III, of course). I haven't seen him in a while. But then again, he doesn't really know who I am yet. He's turning 3 soon. His birthday is the easiest to remember - Mama Mary's. He was my fattest
ina-anak until there was...
Rapa - he looks like the baby in the animated movie "Ice Age". Or the big caterpillar in "A Bug's Life". His is another birthday that's easy to remember: the Feast of the Immaculate Concepcion. I'm his La Salle Ninang (he's from a family of Ateneans. Someone has to let him know that green is also good!). Like CK, he likes anything that moves - cars, planes, trains. Such a fat little boy. My little sumo wrestler.
Cara - not even a month old. She's got really big eyes, and according to her Dad's blog, is such a well-behaved baby. Sorry, Gab, but I'm really going to call her "Quatro". Hahaha!
Layla - 2 weeks old today. My first honest-to-goodness niece and my little Jedi princess. Her face is changing....
Can you imagine the diversity of my Christmas shopping list? That's it. No more Christmas gifts for anyone who's not an immediate member of my family and who's not a godchild. I can't spoil 8 children if my Christmas money is going somewhere else.
But I know that it's not just about the gifts (although all children think it is). I've been blessed with great godparents. Today is my Ninong Dado's birthday. He kind of watches me like a hawk. He's always concerned about how I am, and how work is coming along. When I started working, he would take me out on a lunch date once a year - on my brithday. It's not everyday that the SVP of one of the country's largest banks will go out of his way to take his god-daughter out to lunch to catch up and make sure she's ok. Hmm...maybe I should take him out next week.
So will I ever be as good a godparent as mine are? Maybe give them a good discount when I sell them my old car? We'll see. But really. How many kids can say their Ninang is a Jedi Knight?
Taking Stock
From one of my favorite books, Dave Eggers' "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius":
"And everything that seemed possible at 24, 25, is now just such a joke, such a ridiculous fiction, every birthday an atrocity."
Where has Time gone? What has happened to all my dreams?
Music for Babies
This is so cool! Jerome sent it to me this morning. Click on the link below to read the story behind it. Which reminds me. I went to visit Layla last week, and was surprised to learn that she liked it when I would sing Kula Shaker's "Govinda" to her. I'm not kidding! One minute she was crying, then suddenly she calmed down while I was singing. Oh, and Layla doesn't have that normal baby cry. She screams like a rockstar! Seriously! "Rockstar: Pantera", anyone? Layla also likes "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" - the Fairy Godmother's song from Walt Disney's "Cinderella" (of course, it was sung by the curly Godmother) - and the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" and "Black Bird". We're all going to make a rocker out of that kid!
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/08/0812_050812_babymusic.htmlPhoto care of nationalgeographic.com.
Check out my favorite "new" band
...not new favorite band. This is Morningwood and they rock!
http://www.morningwoodrocks.com/music.aspI first heard them on NU107. The single was "Nth Degree" and since then, I've been breaking into fits of "M-O-M-O-R-M-O-R-N-I-N-G-W-O-O-D". I can't wait 'til their album is available here.
Share the Love
Last September, my friend Jen celebrated her birthday at St. Rita's Orphanage in Sucat, Paranaque. I must say, even if I'm not very fond of children (I only have love and patience for my 7 godchildren. Hahaha!), it was one of the best afternoons of my life.
Jen has always been the "giving" kind and is active in quite a number of non-profit organisations. Very admirable, indeed. Evey year, she would donate to causes she believes in rather than th
row a big all-out booze fest. Two years ago, she held a badminton tournament where the winning team had to choose one of three non-profit organisations to donate their prize money to. Unique, don't you think?
This year, Jen invited a group of friends to party with the kids, plus professional photographer Owie (who used to work for
The Picture Company) to take pictures of the toddler orphans. These pictures were used to make a little photo collage for each child. You should have seen us trying to make the kids laugh or simply smile. So tiring! I hope that my niece Layla grows up to be one of those kids who enjoy being infront of the camera (and I don't mean as an
artista!)
I brought my camera for some "target practice". Of co
urse, I enjoyed the "controlled environment" that Owie created with the lamps, reflectors and all. And I was just in awe with her Canon digital SLR!
I received a great deal of satisfaction on many levels that day. From the selfish wanna-be photographer point of view, I was surprised that I had more than 3 good shots per roll of film (and I don't use PhotoShop when I post my pictures online!). Technically, they are not the best photographs ever taken. But I was very pleased with the angles, the framing, the composition. I could have positioned myself better to take advantage of the light, and I could have used other settings to bring out more contrast. But I like to think that I am improving somewhat. God, I so love my 105mm (thanks, Pop)! To view some of my favorites, go to
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68245341@N00/sets/1273902/ .
From a socio-economic perspective, I was geniunely humbled by the opportunity to make even a small contribution to the orphanage (thanks, Jen!). We all donated clothes, food, toys, and cash. Back in High School, Bianca and I were very active in student organisations that visited the underprivileged and made donations to help improve their standards of living. It was a constant reminder of the sacrifices our Mom made to make us live comfortably. We made frequent visits to Smokey Mountain, and to Apello Cruz in Pasay City. To this day, I cannot forget Vina, the little girl who refused to leave her mother in Smokey Mountain even if she had a chance to be adopted by another family who could provide her with a "better" life and an education. And the family in Apello Cruz that opened the one and only can of corned beef they had (and they were saving it for Christmas!) so they could feed us. It's amazing how much one can learn from those one is trying to help.
It has been years since I have done something "worthwhile". I could never describe how good it feels to actually make even just a teeny-weeny difference in someone's life. Count your blessings, all. I end each day by counting mine.
I think a charitable donation in my friends' names (in lieu of Christmas gifts) is in order. It's the least we can do to share the love. So to all my friends - don't expect anything fancy from me this year. You all know how much I love you, anyway =)
What Vacation?
So here I am... at home... somewhat happy and sad to finally have my DSL restored (it was out for 6 days). I'm so not fully enjoying my vacation because (1) I still have a loads of work to complete (that sucks); (2) I need to study for an upcoming certification exam (ugh!); and (3) Layla doesn't live here. She lives with her parents. Although it is a mere 5 minutes away by car, I'd rather have her here where I can use up rolls and rolls and rolls of film on her.
Still...there seem to be more highlights than "low-lights". Of couse, the ultimate highlight was Layla's much-awaited arrival last Saturday. She is gorgeous! She has beautiful long lashes and a shock of dark hair. Definitely the apple of everyone's eye. Apparently, she goes to sleep to the soothing sound of Seal's unplugged album.
Sosyal!
Another good thing that came out of this long-weekend/vacation leave was that I got to hang out with the XB's. That couple is
always fun to be with. Hopefully, our plans to play a round of golf on Friday pushes through. We also vistited An-an and Jay's house in Verdana Homes, Cavite. This is An-an and Jay's first home and they're moving in this month. It's really exciting to see my friends "build" a house. It's very nice - Asian Modern - with high ceilings, lots of windows, a lot of light streaming in, good cross-ventillation.
Last week, in preparation for my
supposed vacation leave, I borrowed 20 DVDs from my officemate (as if I can really go through all of them). Unfortunately, not all of the DVDs work. I got to watch
The Animatrix,
Mean Girls (I thought it was hilariousl!),
Rock Star,
Seven Samurai, and
U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle. I was sorely disappointed that the Alessandro Safina concert DVD did not play. Neither did
King Arthur. Oh well. I can't have everything, can I?
So off I go to have lunch. I'm going back to the
talyer soon after to have my car's aircon fixed. Then it's back to work. Maybe I should turn my mobile phone off. And not answer my landline. And not log on to the internet. I should be an island. A vacation island. On this much deserved break. One day... this too shall pass....
Because people on my Friendster have been asking...HERE! This is my sister, the mother of my niece. Now you know where Layla gets her looks..0.jpg)
My career as a lullaby songstress is slowly picking up. I've expanded my repertoire to include "I Stay Away" by Alice in Chains, The Beatles' "I Will", "Trees" by Marty Casey, "Here Comes the Rain" by The Eurythmics, Annie Lennox's version of "Waiting in Vain", and Sarah McLachlan's "Building a Mystery". Layla still prefers "Govinda" and "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo". She really doesn't like INXS' "Pretty Vegas". My niece has good taste..0.jpg)
Luckily, Max hasn't met Layla yet, so I don't have to worry about him getting jealous. I took Max to the vet last Saturday and 3 doctors said he was safe enough to expose Layla to. Now we just have to wait until Layla's doctor says she can go out and meet the rest of the world. I don't get it. Gabby's daughter Cara got to go to Bita's house 2 weeks after she was born. Layla has only been to the doctor's. Rules. Well, as long as the rules don't stop me from visiting my niece, right? Who am I to complain? I'm not the one changing her nappies.
Last September, my friend Jen celebrated her birthday at St. Rita's Orphanage in Sucat, Paranaque. I must say, even if I'm not very fond of children (I only have love and patience for my 7 godchildren. Hahaha!), it was one of the best afternoons of my life.
row a big all-out booze fest. Two years ago, she held a badminton tournament where the winning team had to choose one of three non-profit organisations to donate their prize money to. Unique, don't you think?
urse, I enjoyed the "controlled environment" that Owie created with the lamps, reflectors and all. And I was just in awe with her Canon digital SLR!
So here I am... at home... somewhat happy and sad to finally have my DSL restored (it was out for 6 days). I'm so not fully enjoying my vacation because (1) I still have a loads of work to complete (that sucks); (2) I need to study for an upcoming certification exam (ugh!); and (3) Layla doesn't live here. She lives with her parents. Although it is a mere 5 minutes away by car, I'd rather have her here where I can use up rolls and rolls and rolls of film on her.
