I will admit, I wasn't really brought up with an interest in news (local or otherwise) or politics. If anything, I would only hear about what was happening in the Philippines and rightfully so -- that was the home of my parents.

The older I get and, more specifically, in the last year, I've grown a really strong interest in knowing what is going on around me and in the rest of the world. I've subscribed to at least two dozen news feeds this year to make sure I'm conscious of things happening in and around my neighborhood, around the world, in the economy, etc. (I don't watch much TV, so relying on the news wasn't going to cut it!) It dawns on me, though, that current events were not really taught much when I was in school. Up until college, anyway. Sure, in high school I'd had that one teacher who really cared about these things and took it upon himself to educate us.

(This post is dedicated to my nine nieces and nephews... and my Joseph. Ha!)

I want the kids in my family to be aware -- aware of the things we, as a country, are doing to make their world a better place... and aware of the things we haven't done... aware of the realities that exist outside of their Wii's and Xboxes... aware of people less fortunate than them... aware of all the rights and advantages they have within an arm's reach... and aware of how those little things that are tough for them are tougher for someone else in this world.

I want them to know that Guantanamo Bay is not a mythical place where Harold & Kumar went. Hundreds of people are being held there as detainees and prisoners have knowingly been mistreated and tortured since 2002.

I want them to know that along with grown women, there are little girls their ages in Darfur that are being subjected to sexual violence and rape, and have been for almost 5 years.

I want them to know that, among many journalists and writers in China, Shi Tao is imprisoned simply because he sent an email.

I want them to know that in some countries, kids younger than 15 are being recruited as soldiers and being exploited as combatants.

I want them to know that kids in other countries can still be punished by death for misdemeanor crimes.

And I want them to care about these things and have a genuine interest in them before they turn twenty-something.

Today, we unite as bloggers, fighting for these causes... blogging for hope.

For more information, visit Bloggers Unite.

Sigh. High school... seems like ages ago! I can't believe ten years have passed. Lucky for me -- or not -- people have been hounding me about our ten year reunion. I guess that came with the territory of being the Class President. (No geek jokes, please.)

I had everything figured out ten years ago. We hired a company called Keep In Touch Network (KIT) to plan our reunion(s), to manage all our communications, and to send occasional classmate updates to everyone in our class. At the time, they were the only ones really doing what they did, but a few years later, in come heavyweight sites like Classmates.com and Reunion.com... and KIT went out of business along with our money as far as we know.

Great.

So thanks to MySpace and Facebook, I've got messages and comments galore about our ten year reunion. (I swore I was only serving a 4-year term!!) Out of the kindness on my heart -- yes, there is some waaaaaaay deep down in there -- I've decided to try and pull off something worth remembering. Rest assured, the journey will be recorded via this blog. It should be exciting. In fact, the person who some would consider my "arch nemesis" in high school sent me a message on MySpace today offering to help. It is truly a relief, but I have to admit that there's a small part of me wondering if this is some evil plot to let karma have its way with me. It's been ten years though, right? Please tell me I have nothing to worry about.

I've started to talk to other people about their high school reunion experiences and I have to say, private school kids had it pretty good. See, in public schools, we had to fundraise for EVERYTHING. From selling candy, to bake sales, to expensive prom tickets, the things we did as a class could only be as fun as the money we'd earned would allow. I mean, the difference from having Senior Grad Night at Disneyland versus Great America could be washing 100 cars at our sponsored car wash. It was hard work! On top of that, not everyone participated, but everyone was affected.

Private schools, at least as far as I've heard in the last few weeks, would actually designate funds from the tuition money they received. One of my friends said that the school hosted a $30,000 ten year reunion for them simply from the class funds the school had collected during the time they were in school. WOW. Must be nice. My class is currently debating having our reunion at a night club because no one wants to pay a cover charge... (rolls eyes).

Looking back, I really don't think I would have done anything differently. It's not like I knew that KIT network was going to go out of business. If we'd had a really successful way to manage or raise funds simply for our reunion, perhaps things wouldn't be this way.

Four of my nine nieces and nephews will be in high school as of September (oy!). Not to mention, they're all in public school. Schoolpop.com (site) is a site that offers a handful of unique programs for high schools to raise money. What really caught my eye was that schools can earn money simply because YOU shop online! Crazy, no? I haven't navigated through the entire site yet, but I did search for my high school and they're registered with the site! Now, I'm searching all the schools in my area. Ha! Visit their site to contribute to school fundraising programs for your alumni or for your child(ren)'s school. Make sure your kids get the ten year reunion they deserve and, well... I must say it... give the Class President a break!

On Thursday night, I was watching my nieces and nephews for a few hours. After dinner, we were sitting around the table just talking when 4-year-old Kayla comes up to me.

"Auntie Gemma..."

"Yes, boo?"

"You hurt my feelings."

"I did?? When?"

"Before."

"When?"

"Before. That's why I went to the room and locked the door and was hiding there."

"You did? When?"

"Now."

"What did I do to hurt your feelings?"

"I don't know."

Well, as cute as it was at the time, I think I'm starting to feel the same way she might have been feeling that night. My feelings are hurt and, for the most part, I don't know exactly why. It's like I'm in an abusive relationship... minus the abusive relationship part.

(This post is dedicated a great friend of mine, John.)

During the last year of my last official relationship, I was pretty miserable. YES, the whole year. I was in a position where I just couldn't get myself out of it and I was there despite the fact that I clearly didn't want to be. It was convenient, it was safe, but most of all, it was obligatory. Or so it seemed, at least.

I had so many responsibilities when it came to him and now that I look back, I think it was a combination of the Virgo and workaholic in me that made me try to stick it out for that year. I don't like to quit. I don't like to fail. I don't like to let people down. Seriously, I dreaded the idea of "breaking up" with his family. I think everyone expected us to get married and the idea of letting down ALL those people... it was so much pressure. But in the end, the only person who I really let down was myself.

The timing also seemed off. I would have called it quits in February, but it was his birthday. Then March came along, but we'd made plans for Las Vegas in June. Then July came and it was his mom's birthday... etc... etc. I'd made excuse after excuse. I'd let all this time pass where I'd already fallen out of love with him simply because I couldn't accurately evaluate the short-term versus long-term benefits. And in the end, a whole year -- a whole miserable year -- had flown by. Wasted.

I've been in situations like this more times than I'm happy to admit. It's like an abusive relationship in so many ways. One, you know you're not happy there. Two, you question yourself, your motives, and then come up with ways to "prove" that your partner is trying. Then three, you convince yourself that you're being selfish by seeking your own happiness and you stay there. Then the vicious cycle goes on and on.

This cycle does not only apply with intimate relationships. With me personally, I've felt it in my journey to finish college. I've felt it in the workplace. I've felt it with my spiritual life. You name it, I've turned it into an abusive relationship. I guess I'm a sucker for inflicting pain on myself.

I need to start pursuing those things in life that will make me a better and happier person. If I had a nickel for every time I'd told myself that it was my time to be selfish, I wouldn't have to be working a full-time job just to put myself through my last year of college. But the last few days have opened my eyes. I'm in more than one situation where I'm not 100% happy yet I stick around only because I'm afraid of letting people down. Yet when I step back and really look at the relationships that may be affected, the ones that matter -- or seem to matter -- should be able to survive if the relationship is worth saving. Right? I mean, 2008 is the year that I focus on surrounding myself with people who will bring me up and not hold me down. It started off strong, but I'm slacking. I need to re-focus.

On a higher note, I've also rekindled a lot of friendships this year and for that, I am so thankful.

The trials you face are only as unbearable as your friends are unavailable. I wish every time I started to feel like this, I could run, hide, and lock the door.

I'm not sure what it is... maybe a stomach flu or something? I've been feeling pretty nauseous the last few days and it decided to hit me full-force last night. Not a pretty sight.

The worst part is probably that I have to cook quite a bit for our Mother's Day celebration tomorrow. I hate cooking when I can't eat! Hopefully this is a 24-hour bug and will be gone in time for the festivities. Mmmm... tacos, prime rib, cake... I will be so bummed if I can't enjoy everything tomorrow.

OKAY -- so PDX Fashionista (blog) tagged me to do a meme!

The Rules:
1.) Answer the Question.
2.) Tag people.

If a Genie arrived one day and told you: "You have 3 wishes... use them wisely."
What would you wish for?

1.) I would wish for contentment for EVERYONE -- meaning that we're either given everything in life that would make us happy OR that we all become happy with everything we have in life.

2.) I would wish for 10 hours of sleep every night... or, at least, to feel like I'd had 10 hours of sleep every morning I wake up.

3.) I would wish for faster metabolism. Ha!

Now... I tag everyone. Enjoy!

This is the time of year where I get a little antsy when it comes to my sports... (YES - true tomboy in action!)

I'm a football lover at heart. (Go Broncos!) Baseball and basketball are both sports that I enjoy, but prefer to enjoy at the actual games versus watching from home. Rarely will I sit through a whole baseball or basketball game on the tube. I'll always end up switching channels to the Food Network. Ha!

So basketball season is winding down and there are still months to go before the NFL pre-season starts. SIGH. So what do I do? Absorb myself with football online, of course.

At the end of April, it turns out that FleaFlicker was acquired by AOL (article). FleaFlicker.com was this small site where you could play Fantasy Football for free. I thought that was pretty exciting. Hopefully they don't make me start paying, though. That would suck. Click here to read more about AOL's move. The new version of the site is scheduled to roll out in June or July, so I'm excited for that. Just in time for football season!

Any fantasy football fans out there? Wanna play? Let me know -- I'm always down. I'm already looking for my picks. Ha! There are a lot of good sites for helping you choose football picks (site). AddictSports.com hosts an annual game called Addicts Pick-em for Points that I might just check out. We'll see.

With regard to my Broncos, so sad to hear that Cutler was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (article). My dad is diabetic, so I know the sort of adjustments he'll have to go through. So sad. Luckily it's not a disease that will restrict his football career... so no excuses, Cutler. You better start throwing that ball! Ha!

Okay -- putting the tomboy in me to rest for a while. Getting ready for work now. Later!