m-pact Concert - Sophie B. Clarke Theatre, Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, CA - February 22, 2003

Last night I went to see m-pact in concert at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA and I have to say that that concert was probably one of the best, if not THE best, a cappella concerts I've seen eversince I became an a cappella fan. First of all, my hats off to the guys of m-pact. They're such amazing talents and it was really inspiring to see them perform last night. They've never sounded better. Their talents shine the most when they do their jazz tunes, the harmonies are so tight, it was amazing to listen to. Their new addition, Rudy Cardenas, did an amazing job. This was only the 2nd time I've seen m-pact live and they just blew me away. The highlight of the night however, and probably one that will go down in vocal percussion history as one of the best demonstration of vp talent, was during the last song, "On Broadway", Jake Moulton (m-pact's vp) invited Matt Selby (m-pact's former/original vp) on-stage and the 2 engaged in a vp/beatboxing battle!Wow! It was phenomenal! They went on and on forever! I don't know if that has ever happened before (jake and matt battling), but I have to say that if you weren't there last night, you definitely missed out! Mind-blowing! Jake and Matt, thank you for sharing your phenomenal talents with all of us who were there last night. It was definitely a night to remember. I could go on and on about the show last night, but words couldn't do justice to the experience of actually being there. If any of you haven't had a chance to see m-pact, do check 'em out when they're in your area. Definitely the best of what contemporary a cappella has to offer.

m-pact show - February 22, 2003 - Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, CA

Last night I went to see m-pact in concert at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA and I have to say that that concert was probably one of the best, if not THE best, a cappella concerts I've seen eversince I became an a cappella fan. First of all, my hats off to the guys of m-pact. They're such amazing talents and it was really inspiring to see them perform last night. They've never sounded better. Their talents shine the most when they do their jazz tunes, the harmonies are so tight, it was amazing to listen to. Their new addition, Rudy Cardenas, did an amazing job. This was only the 2nd time I've seen m-pact live and they just blew me away.

The highlight of the night however, and probably one that will go down in vocal percussion history as one of the best demonstration of vp talent, was during the last song, "On Broadway", Jake Moulton (m-pact's vp) invited Matt Selby (m-pact's former/original vp) on-stage and the 2 engaged in a vp/beatboxing battle!Wow! It was phenomenal! They went on and on forever! I don't know if that has ever happened before (jake and matt battling), but I have to say that if you weren't there last night, you definitely missed out! Mind-blowing! Jake and Matt, thank you for sharing your phenomenal talents with all of us who were there last night. It was definitely a night to remember.

I could go on and on about the show last night, but words couldn't do justice to the experience of actually being there. If any of you haven't had a chance to see m-pact, do check 'em out when they're in your area. Definitely the best of what contemporary a cappella has to offer.

Rockapella Concert - The Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara, CA - October 19, 2002

One thing that I was most anticipating about this show was seeing George Baldi perform a full show with the guys for the first time. I had the privilege of getting a "foretaste of things-to-come" last summer at B.B. King's in NYC, when George first hit the stage with the guys and (lucky me!) Sean Altman. He only did a couple of songs with them, but it was enough for me to know that this guy is the REAL DEAL, and Saturday night in Santa Barbara confirmed that. The man is awesome! His camaraderie with the guys is great, it made it seem like he's been performing with them for years! He has the smoothest, beautiful deep voice. And the man CAN dance! Overall, he did an amazing job. Congratulations Rockapella, for snatching this guy up! My favorite moment of the show: DANCE WITH ME. The guys doing the "electric slide" - that just absolutely blew me away! LOL I wanted to get up and do the "slide" with them! I had to restrain myself! LOL Hearing about it was one thing, but actually seeing it is another! Get down wit' yo bad selves! And I absolutely applaud Elliott for doing it! Adorable! Now, if Jeff had only gotten into the act! The Pretty Woman of the night (Karla) did a fabulous job! She sashayed up on stage much to the delight of the guys and the audience, by the end of the night, she had gained some fans! For some reason Kevin developed a fixation on her toe-ring and the whole time the guys were singing to her, Kevin kept checking her toe-ring out. Soon, the rest of the guys followed suit! It certainly is one of the most amusing PW moments I've ever seen. The auction was very entertaining, to say the least! And the guys were being very, *ahem* "naughty." LOL Let me just say that they had my friends and me in stitches the whole time during the auction, with all the random comments, butt-sweat and other oddities. (You had to be there, LOL) They auctioned off 2 copies of "Comfort and Joy"- the forthcoming Christmas offering from the guys. One of the copies had a certain Rockapella member's butt-sweat all over it (long story, LOL)! They also auctioned off Christmas ornaments with recording capabilities (from Brookstone) and each ornament had a personal recorded message from each Rockapella member, my absolute favorite would have to be Scott's. It's hard to describe why it's my fave, I can attempt to but it's better to "hear" it for yourself. Again, it's one of those things where you just had to be there to appreciate it. ;-) My cousin made a bid on a bracelet from Tiffany's, and WON! Very exciting! As soon as she saw the Tiffany-blue bag, she just HAD to make a bid! Big plus was that each of the guys kissed the bracelet, well, I guess except for Elliott, he was the last one to get the bracelet, I think he had to pass on kissing it. (I wasn't there when all of this was happening, had to get up and go to the little girl's room) I can't really blame him…LOL All in all, the auction was a success. It was great to see and get to chat with the guys again during the Meet and Greet. Thanks for the hugs, the smiles and the fun banter. It was also exciting to hear from Scott that they will be back in Southern Cali once again before the year ends! Their next SoCal show will be in December in Santa Ana, CA at the Galaxy Theatre. Looking forward to that show….Thanks again Rockapella for being so warm and accommodating, and for putting on a great show, as usual! My newbie friends loved you guys! See you at the next SoCal show!

At a crossroads.

Yet again, I have found myself at a crossroads in my life. I don't know what's gonna happen this time. Deep down, I have resolved that if I ever decide to go back to school again, I would go back to finish my music degree, or at least do something that's performance-related. Well, just a few weeks ago, I had found out that I could only stay at this job that I'm at for 6 months, and then I'm out. Oddly enough, I was anticipating that this would happen. Coincidentally, on the same day that I found out, I was looking at My Yahoo! and I happened to stumble upon my horoscope. Being a Christian, who believes that I don't own my future, and that God is the one who holds my tomorrow, I normally don't believe in horoscopes and all that non-sense. However, that particular day when I happened to read it, I thought that that was the best affirmation I've had in my entire life. Maybe, God, in His own way, used it to tell me something. The horoscope that day read,

"It may be time to think about a career move, dear Aquarius. You are incredibly
creative, much more than you give yourself credit for. That needs to change.
What is the point in doing a job if it is only for the pay? You have a lot to
contribute to this world, and in fact have an obligation to do so. Today, start
to brainstorm ways you can put your talents to better use."

That was it. It hit the nail right on the proverbial head! It was exactly what I'd been feeling and thinking for a long time now, and what exactly I needed to see. It gave me the confidence to look forward to what's going to happen, and what God has in store for me. That is why I have decided to go back to music. I want to go back to school. This time, I'm determined to do it. It may take forever, but I'm willing to make the sacrifice. I've slacked off all this time, and I don't see myself doing this job permanently. Like the horoscope said, what's the point of staying at a job you have no interest in, if it's only for the pay? It's like this big bell going off in my head! Anyway, I feel good about my decision so far, and I know that by God's grace, everything would work out. So far, I have only been in contact with one school, AMDA in NYC. The admissions counsellor is very helpful, and loads of fun! I have yet to contact someone from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. It's always been one of my dream schools, but when I had the opportunity to apply there right out of high school, I chickened out because I was too afraid and too dependent on my parents. Berklee's a little tougher to swallow, and I could just imagine the competition. But the quality of education I would get and the people I would get to meet and work with would be worth all the struggles. I would definitely become a better musician because of it. I'm praying that Berklee would accept me. *gets on knees and starts praying*

Rockapella Concert (Barry's last show) - The Starlight Bowl, Burbank, CA - July 14, 2002

This was definitely an historic occasion, and I was privileged enough to have been a part of that evening. Barry Carl, long-time bass man, and our 60 Minute Man, chose that day of all days, to retire from a group that had been a major part of his life, and in his hometown no less. Emotions ran high, especially among the diehards – some of whom have seen Rockapella numerous times and have memorized every song and in-between-song banter. Barry got a lot of stage time. Every applause, every cheer was directed at him. Everyone wanted to make sure that he felt appreciated and that he would be terribly missed. George was great, as I had the privilege of seeing him a few months back in NYC. But Bear was THE man. When you hear the Carmen Sandiego theme song, you always wait to hear his earth-shattering, spine-tingling voice singing “Carmen Sandiego”. Not only was he an awesome singer, basso profundo, he was a sweetheart, a gentleman and a gentle giant. And I was fortunate enough to have had the pleasure of speaking with him numerous times during meet-and-greets, always getting a hug from the man each time, accompanied with the biggest smile on his face like he was always glad to see me. He was always welcoming and accommodating. He’s a true class act. He sang his staple songs, “60 Minute Man”, “Sixteen Tons”, even “Big Bad John”. Each song became more and more sentimental. At the end of the night, the crowd rose to its feet to acknowledge how great Mr. Carl truly is and how much we would all miss him. At the meet-and-greet, there was somewhat organized chaos. Everyone wanted a piece of Barry, wanted a chance to say “goodbye” to him. I stepped back and let everyone else have their chance at speaking to him. I figured I could wait a little longer. In the meantime, I spent time talking to Kevin, along with my cousins and my friends. He was wearing a shirt with “Wonka” written on it. “Willy Wonka”, we said. Of course we knew the connotation it had, and it turned out that a fan gave him that shirt because of his curly hair. LOL We took a picture with Kevin and he somehow developed a fascination with my digital camera. The blinding flash must have mesmerized him or something. He even tried to explain to everyone the features it had. Funny Kevin. My friends wanted me to introduce them to Scott, as they were probably under the impression that I knew Scott personally. I don’t know why… LOL Anyway, so we walked over to Scott. He seemed happy to see me and gave me a hug. I proceeded to introduce my friends to him. I asked him if he ever received that e-mail that I sent him through his rockapella.com address and he said that he didn’t, but asked me what it was about. I told him that I just wanted to ask him if he’d ever consider doing another solo CD, and if he did, I’d love to sing back-up for him for free. He laughed and said that he didn’t have any plans at the time. Then he asked, “Do you sing?” I said that I did, and then one of my friends asked him, “Have you ever heard her sing?! Oh my gosh!” as if they could not believe that he had never heard me sing! It was hilarious! Anyway, he looked at me square in the eye and said, “Sing for me.” Whoa! I was a little taken aback, but of course, being the ham that I am, I sang for him. After I finished singing, he just stared at me for a while, either in shock or in awe, I couldn’t really tell (LOL), and said, “Wow, I didn’t know you could sing,…and do it so beautifully!” *cue my jaw hitting the floor* I was simply in cloud 9! I said “thanks!” and he said that he would definitely keep me in mind if he ever made a solo CD (still waiting Scott! LOL). Then he asked me how long I’d been singing, so I told him that I’d been singing since I was 2 and told him about the singing group that my cousins and I have. He seemed to be really interested in what I was telling him and he asked me what kind of songs we sing and if we were an a cappella group. I told him that we weren’t an a cappella group but that we do some a cappella songs from time-to-time. During our conversation, we also got into the whole thing about how it’s rare to find really good pieces for women a cappella groups to sing because a lot of a cappella music are bass-dependent (or something like that, can’t really remember what he exactly said). Then he suggested that if we were on the look-out for a bass, we should go ask Barry what he’s up to since he’d have a lot free time now. LOL Too funny Scott! It was great. I wouldn’t mind having Barry in my singing group! So, we’d come to the moment that I’d been dreading – saying goodbye to my favorite bass man. *sigh* I tried not to get emotional. I went up to him and got my hug. I told him that I really appreciated him, his talent and generosity to the fans and that I would miss him dearly. We asked him what his plans were, and then he said that he would stick around L.A. for a while to visit with family and friends that he hadn’t seen in a very long time, before heading back to New York and figure out his next project. Finally, we took our picture with Bear and said our final farewell and left with bittersweet memories of the evening.

Post 4th of July update.

Well, the 4th of July came and went, and guess what I did? NOTHING! Whoo-hoo! Exciting, isn't it? I wanted to go somewhere, but I didn't know where I wanted to go. I would've gone to NYC again, just to be away from Los Angeles, but I didn't want to spend a lot of money, and I was just there a month ago. I could've gone to San Diego, but I don't know anyone out there and I wouldn't know where to go anyway. San Francisco was another option, but I will be going there at the end of August to attend a friend's wedding. So, what exactly did I do for 4th of July, you ask? I stayed home and had bbq with my family and did my laundry. I didn't really mind pending it with family, however, I'm feeling out-of-place a little bit every day. I really need to get away, to move somewhere else. I don't like being in Cerritos anymore. I'm tired of it. Nothing against Cerritos, but I'm just that type of person who gets tired of living in the same place, for a long period of time. I think it's just coming from having to move a lot when I was younger. And I get tired of competing with people, having to one-up the other. I don't care what they say anymore. I'm just gonna live my own life the way I want to. Accountable to no one but God. I'm not a bad person, I don't party hard, drink in excess or do drugs. I'm not promiscuous and I don't intend to be. It's just not the life that I want to live, because it's so unsatisfying. I think I'm starting to gain perspective on things, slowly but surely. I try not to dwell on material things, or what this world can offer, because the truth is, this world can't offer me squat. But I do have something to offer to the world, and that is hope, hope in Jesus Christ. I know that I haven't been living my life the way I know that I should live, but I have that desire and I just want to be able to continue to have that desire. I know that I still sin, but that's no reason for me to run away from God. I should run to Him instead when I do sin. Okay, I'm rambling and have lost my train of thought, but I just hope that whoever reads this gets a little perspective in life.

Anyway, I finally joined a gym after having talked about it for so many months. I must say that I'm really sore right now that everytime I move a limb, I shriek in pain…Well, ok, I'm exagerrating, but I am in pain. It's so rewarding though, and I feel a lot lighter. I've only gone twice, my first work-out was with a personal trainer and he really worked me hard, and the other one was just today, and I did the treadmill and another contraption which I don't really know the name of, but it's like skiing and step-climbing at the same time. It really works you out. I just hope that I do lose some weight. I want to be fit for the summer, I just want to lose some weight and concentrate on flattening my abs and toning my arms, especially my tri-ceps. I was thinking about not signing up to train for a personal trainer anymore, but I think it's gonna be a good investment. I need to get in shape and lose weight, just to feel better. I'm not getting any younger and my metabolism is starting to slow down even more, so I think this will be a good thing for me.

Level 42-love.

Man, I love Level 42!!! Thanks to a co-worker, I am now a serious Level 42 junkie!!! LOL just in case you don't know who Level 42 is, they're a Brit-funk, pop-jazz group, who were huge in the '80's, not so much here in the U.S., they're huge all over Europe and Asia, and the rest of the world back then. After my friend, Ed, at work lent me his CDs and videos, I have been hooked ever since! Especially that "Fait Accompli" video they have. I've seen a whole new side of the group that I've never seen before. I've known of them since I was 7 years old. They were huge in the Philippines, especially their singles, "Something About You" (my absolute fave) and "Running in the Family" while I was growing up. I had a crush on the keyboardist/vocalist Mike Lindup. I thought he was the cutest thing! Then I lost track of them. I sort of "rediscovered" them again about a year and a half ago, after finding out that Jeff Thacher listed them as one of his fave music groups. Mind you, I didn't start liking them because of him, but I did get curious after that and started looking them up on the 'net and I stumbled upon their website, and found out that the original line-up of the group is no more. They've parted ways, except for Mark King, the lead vocalist/bass player. He bought the rights to the the name Level 42 and is now touring with a whole new line-up under the name. So, in a way they're still around, except for the fact that there's only one original member left. The other original members (Mike Lindup, Boon Gould and Phil Gould) are now doing their own thing.

Let's talk about Mark King. The man is brilliant! He's been called the best bass player in the world, and arguably so. The man, known as "Thunder Thumbs" is freakin' amazing on the bass! He plays it at lightning speed. And apparently, he was the one who popularized the "slap bass" technique. It's hard to really explain how the technique works, but basically, you use your thumb to slap the top string of the bass and pluck the bottom string with your pinkie, creating a rhythmic bass pattern, which is now very popular with a lot of funk-bass players. If you ever have the desire to learn how to play the bass, you should look to Mark King as a role-model. The man is amazing! I want to marry him, except for the fact that he IS married and has children. Well, I am not delusional, you know? LOL … Well, at least not EXTREMELY delusional. Okay, I think I'm gonna go watch the videos right now. good night!

Rockapella Concert - B.B. King's, New York, NY -

This night could be summed up in 3 words - BARRY, SEAN, GEORGE!!! Incredible night, bitter-sweet as well because this was to be Barry's last concert in NYC before he retired. Everyone was very emotional and we all made it known to Bear how much we would miss him. This was also Angela's (fellow diehard and co-Pellapusher) birthday so it was quite a special night altogether. There were 2 shows that night, one at 7pm and on at 10pm. I got into the city from Jersey a couple of hours prior to the first show to meet up with fellow diehards and stand in line so we could get good seats. When I arrived at B.B. King's it was still closed and it didn't seem like any of the diehards that I was supposed to meet up with were there, so I walked across the street and decided to shop for a while. I ended up at this little boutique that sold trendy clothes so I decided to purchase one. After shopping, I decided to head back to B.B. King's to see if any of the people I was supposed to meet up with arrived, but when I got back, there was still no one there, so I went to the Starbucks across the street (yeah, really!), went into the bathroom to change into the new shirt that I got, bought myself a drink, sat there and waited. A few minutes went by and I noticed that some of the people I was supposed to meet up with had started to arrive. So, I went outside to meet them and we stood around and waited. Then, one by one, the guys started to appear. I think Jeff arrived first and noticed us waiting, he said "hello" to all of us and quickly descended down the stairs. Then El arrived, said a quick "hi" to everyone and went downstairs, followed not long after by Kevin and then Barry. At this point, one of the workers at B.B. King's went outside and set up the rope so we could all stand in line. Just as expected, we were first in line. Slowly, people started to arrive. We had waited a few more minutes, when they finally told us that we could go ahead and come in. We quickly made our way to the table that was situated in front of the stage, it was me, Angela, Sue and Sarah. We ordered our food, which wasn't all that great by the way, ate and then waited for the guys to come on. The show... I can barely remember the details of the show except for a few highlights: - Sean and George joining the guys on stage to sing "House of the Rising Sun" and "Change in my Life". George won me over instantly. He sounded great with them and seemed to have fit in well. Sean of course, my gosh! I was simply out of my mind when I realized that he was going to join the guys, his old comrades, on stage for a couple of songs! I was so caught up in the moment that I forgot to take pictures. Darn it! That's okay, it will be forever embedded in my memory for years and years to come! - Barry singing "60 Minute Man" and gyrating in front of the diehards! Incredible. For the 2nd show, some of the diehards stuffed dollar-bills down his pocket (just like what happened at The Key Club a few months back), and he distributed them to the guys. When Jeff got a hold of the dollar bill, he stuffed it down his pants. Yes, I know! Cheeky. - For the 10pm show, some of the diehards wore party hats and noisemakers in honour of Angela's birthday. Jeff got a hold of a party hat and wore it on stage during a song (can't remember which, but there should be a picture of that floating around somewhere). The meet-n-greet... After the show, the guys came out and started walking around, talking to the fans. I ran into Jeff first, said "hi" to him and asked him if he had a chance to try on the gift that I gave him at Hofstra. He said that he wasn't able to, and didn't know if he wanted to because he didn't want to take it out of the plastic and risk ruining the print on it, which was the most important part of the whole item. He did say that he was thinking of turning it into a pillow case. Anyway, I hugged him and said goodbye because I really wanted to look for Kevin to give him the gift that I got for him. I walked around and saw a line had formed to get to Kevin, so I stood there and waited my turn. As soon as I reached Kevin, I presented him with my gift, it was Dakota Moon's latest CD release at the time, "A Place to Land". He had this shocked looked on his face and asked me how I knew that he liked Dakota Moon. I told him that Jeff had mentioned it to me in an e-mail. Kevin was completely pleased with the gift, and he told me that he actually knew the lead singer of DM through his Broadway days. I told him that I had met Ty (the lead singer), that I'm friends with the bass player of the group, and that I had been a fan of Dakota Moon's for about 7 years. He said that he had a chance to see them one time while he was out in LA a few years back, and thought they were incredible. I told him that I was going to see DM when I got back to LA. He told me to say "hello" to Ty for him. I told him that I would. (Side note: Yes, I did tell Ty about Kevin, and he totally remembered Kevin. They didn't work on a show together, but Ty went to see Kevin in one of the shows that he did, and that's how they knew each other). After I got my hug from Kevin, I went to look for either El or Bear, but both seemed to be swarmed by fans. So, I decided to just sit back and talk to other diehards, when Scott approached us and we got to chat with him. We talked about and compared notes on hair and hair products (Pantene Pro-V and Bumble and Bumble), he let me touch his hair and he touched mine. We talked about music, I asked him how he gets to start writing a song. He basically just said that it just comes tohim, no inspiration or anything. Words just flowed for him, I guess. I told him that I had been trying to write songs, and have written some, but it just doesn't come as naturally as I would like. He said that I just needed to keep at it and it shouldeventually become easier each time. Then we ended up talking about current popular music, Usher in particular. I was joking around about Usher, but he looked at me with a serious look on his face and told me that he really dug Usher, which surprised me. Not long after that, we were joined by his kids, Jesse and Natalie, both adorable kids. I said "hello" to both of them, Nat wanted to get carried by her dad, and she started talking to me. We talked about TV shows that she liked, I think I remember her saying that she liked "Thomas" and something else, I think it may have been "Blue's Clues", I can't remember anymore. She was just the cutest thing and wasn't shy in front of strangers. Jesse, on the other hand, was the opposite. Seemed really shy, but dad said that he's very musical. I'm not surprised, he takes after his dad. Anyway, I realized that it was time for me to go, so I said goodbye to Scott, and the kids, and got a nice hug and a kiss on the cheek from Scott. *swoon* I waited for my ride outside for a good hour all by myself, the place was already closing and virtually everyone was gone. During my wait, George walked out, he looked at me and smiled, followed by Phil. He said goodbye to me and they both hopped in a cab and drove off. Next person I saw walk out was Scott and his family. Although he didn't see me, I saw him flag down a cab while his wife Lisa was trying to keep Natalie from running onto the street. So cute. They hopped in the cab and they were off. Next to come out was Elliott and Bear, both of them saw me and stopped for a chat. Asked me if I was waiting for a cab, I told them that my cousin was supposed to pick me up. Then they started talking about whether they should walk a couple of blocks down to take the subway or go to Port Authority and take it from there. I think I will never forget that moment, talking to Bear and Elliott, it just seemed like I was in a normal conversation with a couple of friends. I didn't feel like a fan at all. They both gave me a hug and they walked towards P.A. I was starting to get a little worried that my ride had forgotten about me, when a few minutes later, Jeff emerged out of B.B. King's, carrying his equipment, followed by Steve Lewis. Jeff saw me, looked me up and down, and then asked what I was still doing there. I told him that I was waiting for my ride. Steve hailed a cab, and then Jeff loaded his equipment in the trunk, said a quick goodbye to me and then they were gone. At this point, it had started to rain a bit, and finally my ride arrived and off I went, home to my comfy, cozy bed, still on a high from the night's events.

Rockapella Rendezvous for Camp Heartland - Adams Playhouse, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY - June 1, 2002

I asked my cousin to drop me off Penn Station so I could take the LIRR into Uniondale. I was to be picked up by fellow diehard, Madelin, at the station, go to her house and from there we’d get ready to go to Hofstra University for our Rendezvous with the guys. I arrived at my stop and found Madelin waiting for me, along with diehards, Amy, Sarah, and Angela. As soon as we got to her house, we got ready to go to Hofstra, whilst watching Rockapella videos and chatting about our favorite pella guys. We arrived at Hofstra about an hour before show time, and as soon as I got off the car, I saw this girl running towards me. It turned out to be Jessy, another diehard, who I became good friends with online. She was so excited to see me, she practically jumped me! It was great! We all walked over to the front of the Playhouse where everyone else was waiting to get in. I immediately saw Barb’s kids, Manda and Scotty, and I went over to Manda and gave her a big hug. She just hugged me for a while and didn’t seem to want to let go. I told her that it was going to be okay, and that she can cry if she wanted to. I looked over and saw her younger brother Scotty and gave him a hug too. I saw Gene, Barb’s husband and we hugged for a bit and asked him how he was holding up. It was such an emotional reunion, as Barb had just passed away a few weeks prior to the show. I saw my other friend MJ, who’s also a close friend of Barb’s, and she and I hugged each other and just cried. We finally went inside and got to our seats. Before the show-proper, there was a short presentation on Camp Heartland, the reason why the Rendezvous was being held. The founder of Camp Heartland came out and explained what it was all about. Before I go on, Camp Heartland is a camp that was founded as a place for kids, who have HIV or AIDS or who have family members with the disease, to feel like they belong and just get the support that they need. Anyway, the founder also brought out some of the kids that have attended the Camp. It was great seeing those kids all smiling and full of life. After the presentation, the guys came out and everyone just had a great time. During the auction, the guys did a small presentation honouring Barb, and they sang a song that Gene, Barb’s husband, had especially requested, being that it was Barb’s favourite song (I can’t remember what the song was though, argh!). They also raffled off some goody-bags and I was fortunate enough to win one (I still have my Christmas ornament from Brookstone that has audio-recording capability – I have Bear singing “Grinch” into it). The Rendezvous… After the show, all of the Gold Circle ticket holders were escorted to a reception room downstairs to have dinner with the guys. One by one, the guys came in, greeted by applause. We were already situated at our table, eating our food, when I turned around and saw Jeff walking towards our direction. He was making his rounds, from table to table. When he got to our table, he didn’t realize I was sitting there (my back was towards him) so I turned around and said “hi”. He was surprised to see me there (aren’t they always? LOL). Anyway, one of the girls, took out a gift for him, a stuffed Spiderman toy I believe, and he started laughing and thought it was great. So, I took that as my cue to give him the present that I brought him. I had never given him a gift before, and I didn’t want to bring him food. I wanted to give him something special and unique. And that’s what I did. I got him a gift that I knew he would absolutely enjoy. So, I presented him with the gift, I told him that I hope he didn’t have it yet, that he likes it, and that it fits him. He got curious so he asked me if he could take a peak. I told him that he could, so he opened the wrapper partly, and then I saw his eyes “bug-out” when he saw what was inside! He looked at me and said, “how did you find this?” I told him that I saw it at vintage store in L.A. I told him that I hope he liked it, he said that he did and he came over to where I was sitting, gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Aww…I’m glad I made him smile. :-D I spent most of the evening talking with friends, mostly Manda, Scotty and Gene, along with MJ and Jill. I did my rounds and took pictures with the guys, who were all surprised to see me on the wrong coast, again! LOL We took group pictures with all the Rockapella diehards that were there, and even Scott joined in at one point (well, I grabbed him as he was walking by, and pulled him next to me). Kevin ended up taking pictures of us as well. All the girls gave him their cameras, and he became our photographer (I have a picture somewhere that I took of Kevin taking our picture, LOL.). I went over to Jeff and asked if I could have my picture taken with him. So, I gave my digital camera to MJ, and stood next to Jeff. At first, we were just standing, side-by-side, with his arm over my shoulder and my arm around his waist. Next thing I knew, he pulled me closer to him, like we were about to hug. I tell yah, this guy can pull a few fast ones on you. LOL Sneaky, sneaky… ;) Gotta love it though! After the Rendezvous, we all headed to Madelin’s SUV. As we were about to drive off, the guys’ limo drove past us, with the window rolled down, and they started heckling at us. We yelled back at them as they drove away. It was too funny! Those guys can be silly when they want to. It was an awesome evening all together.

I'm back!

Well, I made it to NYC and back! I had a great time! i wish I could've stayed longer. Maybe next time. I'd like to go back this summer, but I don't know if I'll have the time, especially now that I'm both working and going to school full time! *sigh* I went to karaoke with my cousins and their friends and found my self in total "flirt" mode with some Australian dude at this weird karaoke bar on the Lower East Side. LOL

I got a chance to see "Ground Zero." Eventhough it was only from a distance, I still got to see the huge damage and the huge void those buildings left. It went on for blocks! I think the most profound moment I ever had was when I saw a firefighter, in full gear, looking at the memorial wall just around the corner from the platform where you get to view where the Twin Towers used to stand. I took a picture of him, from behind, catching that letters "FDNY" on the back of his jacket. Then, my friend convinced me to go up to him, and ask him if I could take a picture with him. So, I did. I went up to him, asked him if I could take a picture, and he obliged. And after our picture was taken, I thanked him, for what he's done and is still doing. He gave me a smile and I thought I was going to cry. The experience was surreal and sobering. I couldn't wrap my brain around the vastness of the damage, and trying to get used to the fact that the 2 towers aren't standing there anymore. It was disorienting. I felt lost, like, I wasn't in New York City. It was the oddest thing.