NOW: gratidute challenge d14

So, for day 14 of the gratitude challenge, i have to take pic/video of something/person/place that makes me feel grateful.. i guess i can say my condo.. first of all, not only is a place that i live in and own, it's a place that many people in my life have helped me get..

such as my cousin, jas - if it weren't for him, either i wouldn't have a place to live and own or i'd be living with termite at my aunt's home for the rest of however long..

or my brother - if it weren't for him, we wouldn't qualify to get this place

or my work - if it weren't for not only having a job to pay the mortgage, but with the help of some people our loan passed through

or my fiance - who helped me move furniture and furnish this place

or my mom - who actually came to the place and pushed me to get the place otherwise it would've been taken..

or my aunt y - who let me live in her place many years to save up to put a down payment for my own condo..

and i'm sure many more people involved..  but for sure a picture of my condo invokes many feelings of gratitude towards the people around me that i care a lot about..

NOW: gratidute challenge d13

Wow, it's been a while since i've had the time and energy to work on the gratitude challenge.. i'm so behind so, today i will def. play catch up..  despite the fact that it's been a short week, it has def. felt like it's been the longest since i've been so stressed and drained from this one event that i'm planning for next week in LA..  so, a dose of the gratitude challenge to end my work week would most likely help balance things a bit..  day 13 of the gratitude challenge is def. one that helps..  so, the people i'm closest with, try to always think that they have the best intentions.. maybe this should've came in handy when i had to deal with someone that was rude in my family a few weeks ago..  guess, i'll try it from this point forward..

taxes on photography?!

So, it never appeared to me that there would be taxes involved with wedding photography..  i just never thought of it.. until yesterday when i interviewed a photographer they listed the package price + tax..  weirdly, so far no other photographers have even mentioned it..  so, i googled "wedding photography tax" and found this: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_there_Sales_Tax_on_Wedding_Photography

of course, of all places california and the millions of things we get taxed on eventhough our gov. is broke..  we get taxed on wedding photography.. so, in a way i am glad that this photographer laid it all out and was definitely honest with me.. now i know to make sure to account for that in my wedding budget..  hopefully, i'll figure out soon who to go with for my wedding photographer.. so def. stay tuned for that..  ;p

change into reception dress?!?

So, i've been told by several people in my family that i should change into another dress for the reception dinner..  i'm still not sure if i really want to since afterall what's the point of buying a wedding dress for just an hour..  i really don't see a point to it, but i guess it may be a chinese tradition per one of my friends..

some of my friends and coworkers i talked to didn't change into another dress, they actually wore their wedding dress throughout.. afterall it is a wedding dress for the wedding day.. so, why bother.. it feels like it'll be just too much work.. and i want to enjoy every minute of celebrating with my friends, family and coworkers and not have to waste time running into a room to throw on another uncomfortable gown..  and possibly per my family touchup my makeup, etc..

i think i'll leave it to chance.. if i find a dress that i actually like for a reasonable price without making much effort, then i guess i can consider making a change of wardrobe somehow.. but if it's too much trouble.. then forget it.. i'll stick to what a bride should be wearing, a wedding dress..  afterall when am i ever going to wear that wedding dress again anyways, mine as well enjoy being in it every minute of that day..  ;p

grateful u r ok M!

A few days ago i received shocking news that one of my coworkers was in a very serious accident on her way down to SD..  since work has been quite stressful, I haven't had the time to just let her know that her and her family are in my prayers and i just wish the best for them... to my huge surprise today found out that the accident was something that would happen in a movie stunt.. car catching on fire, setting off thousands of acres of land and flipped on a highway?!? omg, i'm more then grateful that she is ok..  will have to contact her tomorrow..

M, if ur reading this.. we all miss u darely, am grateful to hear that u are in good spirits and am glad to hear that  u are now safe and sound...

This is her post about her incident.. http://celebrateholiday.wordpress.com/2009/09/03/grateful-to-be-alive-pacheco-pass-fir/

NOW: gratidute challenge d12

 

 For day 12 of the gratitude challenge, we have to live life with a pos outlook, basically practice acts of kindness with the people around me..  so, i guess refrain from telling my fiance that his belly is starting to bulge and he needs to hit the gym would be the first step?!  hahaha.. ;p

will try that for a day.. so, i guess whoever tries to annoy me, i will just walk away..  ;p

NOW: gratidute challenge d11

 

For the gratitude challenge day 11 we have to see the world through the eyes of a child.. and be grateful for the things we take for granted everyday.. 

just watching my boyfriend's nephew grow before my eyes from a newborn to age 2 years..  from learning how to eat, crawl, walk, talk, bathe, play, ride a bike, sing, read, play baseball..  all these basic things we learned through our childhood and to this day are just part of our daily life..  as an adult, we never think for a second how it would be if we had missed one step.. if we missed how to eat or how to walk or how to talk..

it reminds me of a time when i studied psychology in college and had a part time job at a private dorm for children with emotional, developmental, educational, and cognitive disabilities..  i worked with a group of teenage girls who couldn't eat on their own, walk on their own, go to the bathroom or even bathe on their own.. it was extremely sad and emotionally draining to see this and experience this.. at the same time though reminded me how grateful i should be for the ability to do all these basic daily functions in life.. what was also sad was that these girls were left there with barely any family support.. the only love, care and support they received were from the people who worked there closely with the children..

so, i will never forget those days and will always cherish the life that i am given and never take for granted the basic functions we're given..  ;p

NOW: gratidute challenge d10

 

For the gratitude challenge day 10, pick one of my five senses to focus on and what gifts it provides..

to me, sight is one of the most important five senses..  it gives me the ability to watch tv of course! walking around without seeing would be very painful.. since i luv taking photos, sight definitely is important.. capturing the beautiful sunset and the beautiful horizon leaves a romantic feeling..  seeing colors and shapes and things makes life more interesting.. seeing fireworks and lights brings brightness to life.. seeing my family, coworkers and friends makes it not lonely in this world..  so, sight is one of the most important five senses and i'm grateful everyday to be able to see..  ;p