for the most sensitive among us the noise can be too much.

Oh, hi, LiveJournal. It's been a minute, hasn't it? Everyone's just kind of all over the place and I utilize all kinds of social media that I haven't revisited my old haunts. But I wanted to today! I really want to try to get into the habit of writing. I need to start posting on my site more and start using that. If you want to follow me over there, that's where I'll be! I'll provide the link at the bottom. For now, let's talk about Mother's Day. Every year, I try to take my mom somewhere new, somewhere nice. And we've never been to The Melting Pot before so we decided to give that a shot. There used to be one closer to us in Pasadena and we've never been there so we went to the one over in Thousand Oaks. They were open for lunch for the day, which works for my mom since we both like just going out for lunch and hanging out in the afternoon. Besides, Game of Thrones was on in the afternoon.

( Warning: Food Photos. You'll be hungry after viewing. )

Never been to Melting Pot before and I walked away pretty pleased. Yes, it's expensive. I think my brain temporarily short-circuited after looking at the bill because I couldn't figure out the tip to add. As we drove away from the restaurant, I realized that I had been short on the tip, and felt incredibly guilty. The little devil on my shoulder said, "It's okay. You'll never go back. Just leave." The bigger angel on my shoulder said, "Are you fucking crazy? Why would you do that to someone? CALL THEM WHEN YOU GET HOME." What did I end up doing? I called them when I got home to add to the tip. I'm not that terrible.

But I pay for the experience to dip things. I love fondue. There aren't restaurants that cater specifically to the idea of fondue and I love it. Everything tasted fresh. The chicken and steak were my favorite parts of the entree. The chocolate was fantastic. How could it not be? The girl at the front desk was adorable. Our server was really, really great. Everyone seemed discombobulated that it was lunch and not dinner since they're usually only open for dinner. We were greeted with a, "I hope you're having a great night." They were charming errors. No complaints here and my mother still talks about what a wonderful experience she had. So we're looking forward to going back! Hope other celebrants had wonderful days, as well.

I can't say with confidence that I'll post here regularly at all, but I am looking to reengage my site and considering an interview part of the site that'll feature different artists that I admire. I've purchased a lot over pop art over the years and there are some talented artists that definitely need to be featured somewhere. That's in the works! For now, visit aimeecurameng.com to see what I'm up to and my recaps from events I've been to last year. Until next time, LJ!

Again, falling asleep as I type this so... photos! Details tomorrow.

This is a tough one as I don't really have a lot of obligations or responsibilities in my life -- by choice. I like being able to do what I want when I want to. The only obligation I have is to my family. I love my family. And they come first. That being said, it's not always an easy decision to put them first. For example, I won tickets to see Evita tonight in Orange County.

I was incredibly torn. I wanted to go. I wanted to see where the tickets were and I wanted to go. On any other day, I would've driven down there on a whim, no hesitation. Unfortunately, I made a prior commitment to my family. It's my Uncle's birthday. He'll be here for the next few weeks and tonight was his birthday dinner.

I immediately said yes to the tickets and I told my cousin I won them and that I'd be missing dinner. I even called my mom and told her I wasn't coming because I was going to Evita instead. But the guilt was eating at me. My family was going to be there and I needed to be there. I wanted to be there.

So, I sucked it up and canceled the tickets I won. I'd like to think I know where my priorities are.

I haven't finished my Christmas shopping yet. My list isn't extensive but it's enough. I still need something for my dad, grandma, both boy baby cousins... still waiting on my other cousin's Christmas gift that should be coming in the mail any day now. I know presents shouldn't be the most important thing at Christmas. But, presents are important to me because making them happy is important to me. I love seeing how excited the kids get at Christmas. I love that my parents think I think enough of them to get them gifts. And I love thinking about what to get them. I always try to think of something that they absolutely want. It doesn't have to be something you need but why don't you get something you want? I do that enough for myself.

My mother always says she doesn't know what to get me for Christmas or my birthday. And sometimes that feels bad. She's known me for 28 years and she doesn't know what to get me? I'm so easy to buy presents for. Blu-rays, theater tickets, etc. I feel like I'm so easy and it's not the present. It's the thought that counts but she doesn't think about me. Do you know how much jewelry she gets me? I don't wear any jewelry. Only sometimes. And she insists on these gaudy rings. When do I ever wear rings like those? Ever?

I know. I'm awful. Seriously, awful. It is the thought that counts and she just wanted to get me something. And then I hurt her feelings when I don't want it or wear it. Again, I know how ungrateful that makes me sound and I feel awful for it. But, that's parents, right? They don't always get it right and as her child, I'm not getting it right. She gives me so much more during the year that a wrong gift every holiday or special occasion doesn't really matters. It matters to me that she's here and she does more for me than anyone in my life will ever do for me.

Just got a very kind PM asking me about my family in the Philippines. In case you haven't heard, they're dealing with floods and fires because of a tropical storm that's hovered near the island. Now it's being reported that over 100 people have died and many have lost their homes, many who were living in the slums and didn't really have a home to begin with.

Me and my mom didn't really hear about the news until I read it. I hadn't heard it on the news or anything. I'll be watching the filipino news this afternoon to see what's happening over there. But, she's told me that the area that our family lives in is far from the flooded areas. Doesn't mean that they get an easy ride though. Their house floods pretty regularly when any kind of rain is introduced into the area for a long period of time so they're dealing with that. They just know not to put anything on the floor in those conditions. I don't really know about my dad's family.

Just to make sure, I e-mailed my cousin so hopefully she gets back to me and my mother is probably going to call my aunt, her sister, tonight to see what's going on over there. If you've had any thoughts, thank you for them! Or in tagalog, maraming salamat sa inyong lahat. Huwag kang magalala sa akin and aking pamilya.