Well, I'll be heading out to Vancouver in a couple hours. My mom, dad and sister forgot my birthday. Claudine's the only one who remembered! But that's ok. Today's been a busy day with the packing and running around and such. I'll let that one go this time! Anyway, here's a pic of me and my birthday bizcocho boracho from Cafe Iberico! Have a great week!

On this day, many many moons ago, a Yano was born! Happy birthday to me! Whoo hoo!

I'm heading out to a picnic held by the always entertaining Gil. Not Dancing Gil, but Cool Dorky Gil. Yet still the two are interchangeable! And then it's pack pack pack for my trip to Vancouver, because I'm leaving tomorrow! Whoo hoo! 8 hours on a plane to Canada!

Oh, and FYI TOMORROW IS MY BIRTHDAY!. E-Cards and E-coupons for Amazon.com can be sent to MissYano@aol.com. Thank you.

Well, the wait at Cafe Iberico wasn't as long as we anticipated, but then again, we were there pretty early. But the time we left the place was wall to wall people! The meal, as always, was EXCELLENT! We were so stuffed afterwards. And it was a pretty good deal, considering we had two pitchers of sangria, too. Unfortunately, I could not partake in the sangria, being the driver and all. Of course, I had volunteered - I don't really feel like having any more alcohol in my body for the foreseeable future.
Hi-Tops, as always, was dorky people watching fun. You can't go wrong when Angelo is spinnin' the tunes. And what better way to celebrate my birthday than to watch a thong contest? ICK. Yet quite interesting. Dancing, friends, and thongs (or in today's case, the girls wasn't really wearing ANYTHING underneath - the boys sure appreciated that) Good times...

I forgot to mention - I got my hair highlighted again today. I think for the last time. It's too much maintenance. Back to basic black after the summer.

And to Thad, who's been posting in the guestbook - Yeah, Asian girls can kinda be conservative. Teases? Hmm, I wouldn't call it that. Just very careful. I'm glad that my guestbook has helped you talk out your woman issues. Feel free to continue. Whatever brings people to my page! Maybe next time you'll submit something when sober!

Well, yesterday at Betty's Blue Star Lounge was a lot of fun, from what I remember. Thanks to all that came by. I seriously didn't think that anyone was actually coming - I didn't really tell anyone what was going on. Well, there was some good dancing, some good drinking and some great friends. Unfortunately, the latter end on the night is just a blur to me. But it was fun!
More to come tonight, day 2 of the Christine and Fatima birthday weekend. I'll keep you updated!

It's FRIDAY! Whoo hoo! Here's an interesting link to share with you all today - Featherless Chickens. I seriously find the picture and the whole concept very disturbing. The poor thing is naked!

The script reading on Wednesday was fun. I have a great time reading scripts. I really miss it a lot! And, to make things even better, Greg was able to fix Dave's machine. Yay.

Today is the official start date of Christine and Fatima's birthday weekend. There is also the added attraction, because Claudine got into med school. We'll be celebrating the whole weekend long! And to start off this great weekend, I figured out how to change the size of my comments link! Hooray for me!

Well, I wasn't at work today, so I didn't get a chance to do my morning thoughts. I was all the way out in Elmhurst. Just kidding, it's 20 minutes away from my house and I started at 9:30. I love starting work late! However, when I start later, I stay up later, so I get the same amount of sleep, anyway. But anyway, today was a gorgeous day, even though the temperature is still about about 10 degrees colder than it should be. It's yet another 'leave your windows rolled down and blast the driving music' days! And I'm planning on taking the long way home - it's not as fun to have your windows rolled down when you're on the highway.

Today I'm going to a script reading. Actually, Dave's computer is broken, and I've got it, and my old director said he'll take a look at it if I come and read scripts. What's a script reading? Well, when people write skits or plays or whatever, before starting production they have a script reading, where actors (or really anyone) does a preliminary staging of the script. By doing this in front of a small group, the writer is able to get input on changes that need to be made on the script. It'll be nice to read scripts again. I haven't really had a chance to pursue any acting at all because of my travel schedule (which for the last month has been basically non-existent). Maybe I'll save up some money and get some headshots done, and see if I can start up again. It's been a while, and I miss being on stage. But then again, I'll be getting my DSL line soon, and I like sitting around on my ass and being lazy. So I give the chances of me getting those headshots done in the next 6 months a 20% chance. OK, a 5% chance. I just like to talk about it and pretend that I'm going to do it. Humor me, please.

So I've got some time to waste at my client site - I've got this event that I've built that runs every half hour, so I'm just refreshing ever couple minutes to make sure that I haven't blown the database. What to do, what to do...I got it! The Haiku of the Day:
Blue skies, chilly breeze
Yet sun shines warm upon me
Leather seats burn ass!
Yeah, that wasted a good 10 minutes. It's a nice day outside, with a chilly little breeze. But once I get in my car, those leather seats can really burn once they've been in the sun for a while!

For the millions of you visiting my page who keeping count, 5 more days til my birthday! Yay me! I have no idea what I'm going to do for my birthday, if anything. It's my 'golden birthday' which means that my birthday is on the 27th of the month and it's going to be my 27th birthday. For some reason, I don't want to make a big deal of it. Am I getting that old? I guess I just want to hang out with good friends, dance, drink and have a good time. It kinda sucks that on my actual birthday I'm going to be on a plane for 5 hours. How crappy! I better have a good time in Vancouver or I'm never going on a family trip again. OK, I will. But I better have a good time there! If any of you know what there is to do in Vancouver, please tell me. I've heard that it's beautiful out there, and I've gotten a couple good ideas from friends, but I like to have back up plans...

Wow...this is long

Congrats to Claudine for getting into Des Moines University for Osteopathic Medicine! Whoo hoo! I've got a sugar mama that'll back me lotsa cookies!

Work is stressful. It's all my fault for procrastinating!

I'd just like to say thank you sisterfriends! Yah, so i feel kinda old, but then again, when i'm at home i feel young again :D. BTW, thanks for the wonderful picture of me. great ;). k, that's all...just droppin a line...

Well, I've made some updates to my page, adding a link to Kathy's page, as well as cleaning up the Art page. For some reason, people are accessing my page through the Art page. I remember long long ago some comic sites had links to it, but I don't know which. I'll be putting a tracker on that page to see where these lovely people are coming from. I've also removed the reference to what company I work for from my page, because I guess when you search for the name of my company, you come up with my page. And it's really weird when clients email you saying 'Hey, I like the X-Men, too!' That, and if I gripe about work, or people at work, I don't want people to know WHO I work with...

Commute CD of the Day - It was supposed to be the soundtrack to 'Rent', but surprise surprise, the case was empty. Luckily I had brought a spare CD to listen to, Janet Jackson's 'Design of a Decade', which, upon opening, I found out was Madonna's 'Immaculate Collection'. Hence, the CD of the day is Madonna's 'Immaculate Collection'. I wish I could drive to work every day. It gives me so much time to think about things. I never get time to just sit and think anymore!

Sad news at work today. The lovely and wonderful Tina is no longer working at my company. I'm really bummed. She was my fellow short track buddy. You can see her here with Fabio Carta. She will be dearly missed. No one laughed at my jokes like Tina did. And she is very admired for standing up for herself and not letting down to the powers that be. Best wishes in the future, fellow stalker!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO FATIMA!
She's 22 today.  Whoo hoo!  She's one of the two best sisters in the world! Yay Fata!

Yay! Thanks to Kathy for commenting. I will definitely listen to her advice, though I swear I tried that already!

It's still super cold today. As we speak I am wrapped up in a Blue's Clues blanket, trying to warm myself. Once again, I'm sleepy. But I got a lot of sleep last weekend! What's up with that?

Woo-hoo! I got my first non-me-commenting comment. Unfortunately, it's Rod. Oh well, bring it on, Rod! I can take it!

Yesterday was another lazy day. Saving up my energy for the big Christine/Fatima birthday weekend extravaganza. Claudine, Dan, Marian and Derek joined me in my party of sloth. It's much more fun to be lazy with other people, napping, draped on couches like lions in the jungle.

Anyway, let's talk X-Files. In some ways, I'm happy. It was so great to have Scully see Mulder again. She's been pining for him all season! And they did a lot of good flashback sequences, but in a way I almost felt like it was a Saved By the Bell 'remember when' season wrap up episode. But that's okay, because there was a lot of stuff with the conspiracy that I was confused about, and this last episode was like a Cliff's Notes version of the last 9 years. It was interesting to see my old favorites Agent Krychek, Cigarette Smoking Man and Gibson Praise. That boy's all grown up now! However, I wanted to see more of Agent Doggest and Agent Reyes! I love them together! I hope they get a spinoff. They're a great couple. And what happened to Skinner? Well, as much as I love the idea of Mulder and Scully being together, I was a tad bit disappointed at the ending. THAT'S IT? THAT'S HOW IT ENDS? I know there's a movie coming out, but I dunno. I wanted it to end differently. Even if they ended the show with a kiss...Well, whatever. You know I'll be shelling out nine bucks to see the sequel in the theaters.

Watching 'Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure' right now. A tear fills my eye as I realize that this was my first Keanu 'WHOA!' Tonight is the last X-Files. How sad! But I admit, it's gone down the tubes since Mulder left. But I'd love to see Agent Reyes and Agent 'Guy from Terminator' get their own show. They're a great duo.

8 days until my birthday. Mark your calendars!

I have just added a [comments] option, so the 3 or 4 of you that frequent my site can now make comments. Go crazy! I have the power to delete whatever I don't like!

I remember what I was going to post! It's DAMN COLD here! We actually broke a record this morning by actually hitting 32 degrees. Come on! It's the middle of May. I've already put away most of my sweaters!

I was so lazy today, and it felt good. I managed to beat Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 with Steve Caballero. He's a cute short man...

There was another reason why I wanted to post today, but I forgot. Maybe I'll think about it later.

I noticed that a lot of you have been linking to my page to get your Chinese name (see a couple days below). Here's something else to check out, your Wu Tang name using the Wu Tang Name Generator. Not as cute as getting a Chinese name, but if you ever plan on being a rap star, you gotta start out with a cool name.
Christine, the Bellowing Rap Machine

I forgot. I threw in some new pictures on the picture page. Enjoy!

Day 4 of 'How I feel about my hair'. Did a quick blowdry today and my hair looks like straw. I now remember why I don't usually have layers. My hair just does not fall the right way! Argh! I'm very sleepy today.

So I saw Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones yesterday. If you don't want to know anything about this movie, skip this paragraph. My lasting impression after watching the movie can be summed up in 3 words...YODA KICKS ASS!. He had a pretty good scene at the end. And I can just picture the next Yoda poster that comes out - he's got a really good post. Other than that, the movie was OK. I liked it better than Episode I. But the story was ok, the dialogue was awful, the romantic parts were so cheesey, and the plot moved to slowly. I actually fell asleep for a few seconds. But technically, the effects were AWESOME! They've created a beautiful, believeable universe. All in all, I would give it 3 stars, and that's heavily because of Yoda's ass kicking.

Wow...2 more people on my site and I'm at 31,000 hits! It only took 8 years... :-P

Almost forgot to post up my list of the week. Cleaned out a lot of non-business related programs from my laptop at work, since they were doing an inventory of software installed. Don't know how they got installed in the first place! ;-P
Programs I Cannot Live Without

Well, today isn't THAT cold. It's ok.

Commute CD of the Day: World Clique by Dee-Lite - One of my favorite CD's. Funky, silly, groovy and playful....just like me!

Saw a commercial for a 'That's Incredible' reunion on ABC coming up. How awesome is that? My hair is tied back today. Didn't want to even bother trying to make it look nice today. It's crappy outside anyway. I'm pretty hungry right now. Don't know what I'm going to eat for lunch. Should I pitch in for pizza, or should I go off and get something semi-healthy? We'll see! Stay tuned, all three of you that go to my site!

Ahh...today was a beautiful day! It's one of those leave your windows open and crank up your stereo as you drive home days! Ahh...

Tomorrow will be cold. Yuck.

Well, the hair is taming down a bit. Here's a pic that I made Dan take of me during lunch. My hair hasn't really changed THAT much anyway, but people have noticed that I got a haircut...Had Chipotle for lunch se my belly is singing. Got tickets for Star Wars tomorrow. That should be funny. I'll bring my camera, in case there's someone dressed up. I've heard many mixed reviews for it, but most agree that the last 30 minutes are kick ass. I surely hope so!

Today I'll be heading out to the comic book store, and sadly, will be taking books off my list. There are just some that I'm not really interested anymore. A sad, sad day...

Commute CD of the Day: - Notting Hill Soundtrack - Some great songs on here. My favorite is 'No Matter What' by Boyzone. And everytime I hear 'When You Say Nothing at All' I get all teary eyed because I think of Maui singing it to Jane at their wedding. Awwww!

Hair update - Several people have commented on my Farrah Fawcette-like hairdo. Damn me for not knowing how to use a hair dryer. If I hear one more joke about 'Is the Monsters of Rock tour coming into town' joke from Dan....But after looking in the mirror, I don't think it's too bad. Just a little feathery. Eek!

Book I'm Reading: The Skies of Pern by Anne MacCaffrey - Her latest installation of the Dragonriders of Pern series. For some reason, I feel like this is a cross between All the Weyrs of Pern and Armageddon. But hey, there's dragons. What can be better than that?

Website of the Day: Create Your Chinese Name - Type in your name to come up with what your Chinese name would be and mean. Mine is Feng Kunhui which means brightness, luster, brilliance . Uh, yeah...I'm a shining star, baby!

Got my hair cut today. Trying out a new look. There's nothing like the 'just from the hairdresser' look, feel and smell of your hair. I think I'll just sit here like Cousin It and just smell my hair. Coconut fruity smell. Yum. And my hair will never look this good again. I have no idea how he does it. I try to watch and take notes, but I can never reproduce it! Ok, I never try...I should take a picture, but I feel dorky taking a pic by myself. But I think I'm liking the new look. If you're in Chicago and you need a haircut, look up Jack Hayes at Shear Hair Art Studio. This new haircut makes me want to re-invent myself. You know, like work on my posture and maybe work out. We'll see how long that feeling lasts!

The pigeons downtown were very strange today. They didn't seem to skitter away as fast when I pretended like I was going to kick them. Heh heh. Must be the strange weather.

Christine's Adventures in Jersey/Philly
Well, I got back from my Jersey trip yesterday. Had lots of fun.
Friday - Got in at about 10:30. My Dave and his roommie Dave took me into downtown Philadelphia. It was a lot nicer from what I remember. I saw the Liberty Bell from afar, as well as Independence Hall, where the COnstitution was signed. It was great to walk around because there is so much history in the downtown area - a lot of the buildings are the original buildings built in the 1700's. We also ran into a really old cemetary in the middle of downtown. CREEPY!!!
Saturday - FINALLY watched Spiderman. I really like it. But then again, I expected myself to like it. My only grip about it was that there weren't enough wise-ass remarks said by Spidey during the fight scenes. In the comics, they totally play into the dual identity of Peter Parker/Spiderman by really showing the transformation that takes place when he puts on his mask. Not only is he stronger and more agile, but he also gets more confidence. He's wise-cracking the whole time he beats up the baddies, even when HE'S getting his ass kicked. I just didn't see enough of that in the movie. But that's a minor complaint against an AWESOME movie. Having Uncle Ben say 'With great power comes great resposibility.' made it all good!
After Spiderman, we headed out to a Phillies/Diamondbacks game. It was picture day, so I got to take pictures of a whole bunch of players who I've never seen before or care to see again. I also got to take a picture with Turk Wendell, who used to play for the Cubs, or so Dave tells me. Poor Dave, he thought he was going to get to go around the field and go on the bases, but they were barricaded off. It was a good game, saw 5 homeruns and it went 10 innings, but we lost. And their 7th inning stretch holds no candle to the 7th inning stretch at Wrigley!
Sunday - Went to see 'The Scorpion King' and I have to admit that The Rock did a great job. He could be the Schwarzenegger! =P Had some sushi, then went home. Pretty eventful, eh?

OK, so today's horoscope it TOTALLY stupid, so I'm not even going to waste the space and copy it in. Anyway, let me give a plug to Fritos for creating the wonderfully tasty Lime & Chile Sabrositas. YUM!
I have a pimple on my forehead. I hate pimples.
Going to New Jersey to visit Dave. Whoo hoo!

OK, Blogger didn't work yesterday. Here's yesterday's entry...
Horoscope:
You need to stay focused and well aware of what you're capable of, Gemini. Sooner or later, people are going to be turning to you, questioning what you did. If you swallow your pride and call in the experts when you need them, you'll probably come out of the ordeal looking like the person of the hour. On the other hand, things may be spinning around you so fast that you can hardly stay organized. In either case, you'll be able to pull off minor miracles here and there, even though you may not have a chance to celebrate them all.

Ohh...those AOL horoscopes are pretty good. I have been totally bogged down with work today. I've been consulting different 'experts' today, because there's no way I could do all this crap on my own! But yeah, I'm pretty crazy busy today. Hopefully I'll be able to pull off at least one of these purported 'miracles'. And in terms of celebration, well, I'll be celebrating tonight and Dave and Buster's! No need to celebrate at work!

...Today's entry will come later!

This is one of those days in which it is easier to be yourself, Christine. Don't feel like you need to change your personality to fit the situation. You naturally add an important dynamic to the group. Your detached, unbiased, and knowledgeable view of the situation will be an important asset to today's events. People would do well to listen to what you have to say. So be bold in expressing yourself.

Interesting. Every day it's easy to be myself. I am me. Me I am. Don't really change my personality often, so I don't have to worry about that.

Today's Commute CD Barenaked Ladies: Maroon - Great CD. Fun. Thought Provoking. Makes me want to jump up and down.

Hey, I think I like this horoscope better...
There may be some issues for you today regarding your reputation. Have you been the target of some particularly vicious gossip? Someone may judge you because of incorrect information they have received. Stay alert so that you can clear up misunderstandings as they arise. This situation is complicated by the hectic pace of your life now. It seems that things you must handle come too quickly for you to deal with in your usual calm fashion. This influence will pass, however. Focus on being clear, but save important communication for another day when things won't be so blurry.

Yes! Someone has it out for me! And I know who it is. And you know what? I don't even feel like clearing up any misunderstandings. There are some people that are just born mean, and who always need to be at the top, to have power over everyone. They are focused only on their place in the world, and they don't care who they step over to stay at the top. These people are not worth my time. Grr....

On a related note, got caught laughing at work today. Bad Christine! I should know better. No laughing during work hours. Maybe a quiet smirk, or an eye twinkle, but no laughter!

Horoscope:
Dear Christine,
You might find that your emotions are a bit dampened today, Christine, but this might not necessarily be a bad thing. Try not to blow things out of proportion so much. Don't feel that you need to turn every small story into a major headline. There is no need to exaggerate the truth just so you can get more attention. Take a more reserved approach to your actions and reactions to all situations.

You know, after posting these horoscopes, they have almost nothing to do at all with what happens during the day. Useless! Yet I will post them until that one day when it's dead on the mark, and I'm like 'AHA! That's so weird, horoscopes are TOTALLY true!' Then I shall believe again. Hmm...or maybe I'll switch to the AOL horoscopes. I'll do that one tomorrow.

Goodie for Fatima watching Spiderman. She'll have to hold off on any conversations on it til I watch it this weekend. I swear, that girl has not been home in like 4 years. Luscious is just a ball of defecating fur without her.

I SAW SPIDERMAN. HA. I think there's gonna be a lot we'll have to talk about once you see it sisterfriend. And CONGRATULATIONS TO CLAUDINE ON GETTIN INTO MEDSCHOOL!!! You go gurl! :D k, ttyl.

Just checking my webstats on the pictures that I have on Dan's site, and interestingly enough, here are the top pictures (and the one top page). I guess this could count as the list of the week:
10) Kim Dong Sung Stretching
9) Fabio Carta Warming Up
8) Shani Davis Signing Autographs
7) Kip Carpenter
6) Closeup on Fabio
5) Me and Ron Biondo
4) Fabio, again (I guess he's got many fans!)
3) Me and Shani
2) Close up on Kim Dong Sung
1) Apolo pics from Oakbrook
Doesn't anyone like Dan Weinstein? He was such a cutie!

Horoscope:
Dear Christine,
The expansive feeling you might be experiencing lately is apt to be rained on today as you get the feeling that you have lost touch with reality. Make sure you connect with real life, Christine, and do a bit of planning to balance out your whimsical nature. Things that you haven't accounted for might crop up and slap you in the face to serve as a reminder that you need to deal with here and now.

Did someone say RAIN? We've got plenty of it today! It seems like everytime I look out my window at work it's raining!!! At least we had great weather for the weekend.

And as part two of 'Farewell to Mo' to the right we have a little pic of me and Mousey Mo.

As for the weekend, it was a so-so weekend. Dave was home, which is always a good thing. Went to a friend's father's funeral. It's pretty hard to see someone you love affected by death. And it's always tough to find the right words to express your support and sympathy for them. I guess the best thing to do is say nothing at all, and just give a really good, really strong hug. The healing value of hugs is highly under-rated! Hug someone today! It feels good. At the wake I saw a lot of friends that I haven't seen in a long time, actually since the last wake of a friend's parent. Isn't it sad that these occasions are the ones that bring old friends together?

Didn't get to see Spiderman this weekend. I was definitely planning on it, but oh well. I'll have to wait until next weekend. Hope I last that long!

Congrats to Dr. Chetan on graduating from med school, and happy belated birthday to Dr. Brian. Chetan and Brian in the same sentence. Maybe not in the same room, but the same sentence! Take that! Boys and their little squabbles. Must be the testosterone. It's almost as bad as having divorced parents...

And congrats to Claudine for making it into med school. Whoo hoo! You go sisterfriend!

Ok...enough babbling for today.

A moment of silence for the wonderful Moises Ortiz. It's his last day of work today. He's moving back to LA to be with his family and friends, and to cheer on the Lakers in their home court. We had a kick ass luncheon for him. Puerto Rican rice, Filipino pancit, cake, dip, and franks n beans. I'm in a food coma! I'll miss my Mousey Stache!

Horoscope:
Dear Christine,
Today more than ever, Christine, you'll yearn to escape from the daily routine. You are thirsty for new sights and sounds, new faces in new places. However, you are well aware that you must juggle your desires with your professional or domestic obligations. It isn't always easy. But trust in your imagination to suggest a way for you to settle this conflict amicably.
Hmm....interesting! Thirsty for new sights and sounds? I will quench my thirst with some milk, and open up a new package of chocolate chip cookies, and listen to Squirrel Nut Zippers.

Just wanted to give a very big THANK YOU!!!! to Phil Ringnalda for fixing up my blogger page. He's the BEST!

Horoscope:
Dear Christine,
Today is a good follow-through day for you, Christine. Normally you are much better at tagging along or simply going with the flow of the situation. This way of doing things has proven quite effective for you in the past - indeed it has gotten you quite far. What you have before you now is a different situation, however. The things you have started will do you no good until you can actively push them through to completion.

OK, OK, I get it....I need to finish what I've started. Trying to tie up loose ends today. It seems to be working OK.
Gotta pick up Dave from the airport today...YAY! He's coming home for the weekend. Whoo hoo! Happiness!

Horoscope:
Dear Christine,
Things are going to get better and better for you as the day progresses, Christine. Try to get your grounded, practical, and logical self collected during the day so that you have the evening to socialize and commune with close friends. Balance is going to be a key issue for you today, so make sure that you keep things in check before any one part of your life gets too out of hand.
Ohh...that sounds pretty nice. I hope things get better today! It can start with the rain stopping. It's been a while since we've seen some sun!
So yesterday we went bowling, and I SUCKED ASS! I got a 69 and an 89. Awful! And Claudine got a 149 or something! ARGH! Oh well. I just didn't have my concentration together. Next time! Definitely!