The hit, award-winning comedy series GIRLFRIENDS returns to DVD on July 29th in a 3-disc set of THE FOURTH SEASON. This DVD includes all 23 smart and sexy fourth season episodes featuring the intertwining lives of four young, sophisticated African American women living and working in Los Angeles. Pick It Up Now. I'll be giving away several copies of the set, so click through the jump for the dtails on how to enter the contest.

To enter this giveaway, all you have to do is send an e-mail to russtc@yourentertainmentnow.com with the subject “Girlfriends: Season Four” with your name and mailing address and I’ll randomly select the lucky winner!

The contest will end on Sunday, August 3rd at 8PM ET.

Good luck!

It was a "divorce party" for one of my good girlfriends. It was actually her throwing the party to thank her girlfriends who have stood with her during her difficult divorce. A thank you if you will. A bunch of women, a vegetable tray, wings, margaritas, martinis, dirty jokes, nasty little secrets and lots of girl talk. I enjoyed my time with these women, all of whom I had just met besides the hostess. We plan on getting together and doing something again as a group. Somebody suggested a pole dancing class. Whatever it is, I am sure it is going to be a good time. I am looking forward to it:)

Was it the alcohol? The drugs? The sluts that lined the alleyways of the red light district that had seduced her boyfriend and ended with him on stage at a live sex show?

She wasn't sure. But Giselle knew it wouldn't be too much longer until she found a new man, hopefully one that wouldn't cheat on her on their holiday.

Giselle was pompous. A woman who was so self-assured it almost made you sick, but there was something about her that kept you listening to her annoying stories - mainly telling you that you had to buy something, be somewhere, or do a certain thing to even be alive in her books. She could have been beautiful, save for the overdone eye makeup she wore on a daily basis, her dark Italian hair piled high on her head, and her overbearing ways - that somehow made men smitten with her, and women either adored her or went crazy being in the same room with her.

No, she wasn't too worried about the rest of her trip - she knew she would enjoy it immensly - she, of course, had all the paperwork, itineraries, and all the cash, of course. What started as a holiday with a boyfriend through Europe will end as a month-long shopping spree that her ex had funded.

The fun started in London, where it rained for all the four days spent there, continued to Paris, where it stopped raining on the second day, but was too humid for her hair to behave. They moved on to Amsterdam from there, where the weather was pleasant, people were in the streets until five in the morning, and where her now ex-boyfriend had gone wild enough to perform in a live sex show with another woman - and another man.

She shook her head just thinking of these thoughts. She was packing, it was supposed to be their last day in Amsterdam, then onto Germany. So she was packing up her luggage, and only her own, tossing all of his things into the garbage can that was next to her. Giselle had no clue where Antonio was, and as much as she wanted to not care, she kind of did. She knew the hotel only held their reservation until 3 pm today - and as it was 11:30 and his stuff was in the garbage, she knew he most likely wouldn't make it out.

She was so organizational that even in a crisis like this, a boyfriend of 2 years who had almost proposed marriage, she didn't cry, oh no! She organized. She worried about the schedule. She didn't care what happened to him - as long as it happened on time.

She called the taxi to take her to the train station, and she stood outside the hotel, with 3 bags, thinking Who's going to carry all my luggage?

So, here goes nothing.

How Do You Like Your Love?
Favorite Position - Pretty much any that I have total control/on top.  "Reverse Cowgirl" has become a favorite as of late.  Doggie is an extremely close second.

Favorite Body Part (on your partner, not you) - Hands.  Lips come second.  If you want to talk purely sex parts: the small bunch of foreskin where the frenulum used to be (in cut men).

Favorite Non-Coital Sex Act To Perform - Fellatio, duh.

Favorite Non-Coital Sex Act To Receive - Fingering.  Cunnilingus of course is a close second.

Most Unusual Place -  Halloween party with unknown number of onlookers.  (I wasn't sober!)  In my old office during business hours is second.

Most Partners At Once - 2.  1 of each.  (Again, I wasn't sober!)

Naked, Clothed or Somewhere In-Between -  In-between, for sure.  Just thinking of a guys bits standing out of his unbuttoned trousers gets me going.  Having it = awesome.

I Can’t Go For That, No . . .  No Can Do -  Bondage.  Being tied up sends me into a panic.

If I Could, I Would -  2 or even 3 guys at once.

Oldest/Youngest -  Mid-thirties when I was in my early teens / 17 when I was mid-twenties (I didn't know!)

I’ve _______ Another Girl -  Done it all.

I recognized the person and, after a quick search, learned a bit more (and snagged some more images).  Feel free to look her up.  Her name is Allison Stokke.  An excellent pole vaulter in CA.  Why is she known?  Because the internet is full of tards who find photos and exploit them (usually sexually).  Basically: because she's hot.

Isn't she simply adorable?!

And here's the photo:

So, she was like 17, I think, when this one at least was taken.  Does that make me a sick pervert for having the desire to lick her from toes to nose?  Nah.  Besides, she's legal-beagle now!

I wonder if she'd accept cash to let me lap up all the sweat from her chest and neck...

A little bit gay?  Nah, sometimes I'm a total dyke.

--William Arthur Ward

I have made life-long friends in Cincinnati and I never expected that to happen. Each of these friendships has been nothing short of a blessing to me. Last weekend, these friends threw a surprise bachelorette party for me (Thank you Camela for coordinating and keeping the surprise). I am so grateful that we had that time together.

Thank you to each of you who contributed to my card and gift. And Camela, Catherine, Kristen, Sarah, Samantha, Sharon; thank you for the lovely time.

And thank you for sharing your lives with me. I deeply miss you already.

Uh...  engrish plx?

Today was nice.  Work was minor and easy.  I left around 10:30am.  It was a gorgeous day and I spent some of it walking through the Cincinnati Zoo.   Beautiful day for it.  I don't think it ever even hit 80 degrees when I was there.  And it was so calm.

Yeah, I'm still here.  I was told Jen would be pretty much "out" until Friday due to more surgery.  I bumped my flight to then.  A plus is the fact that she's breathing fine and lung is mostly healed (it collapsed twice).  I didn't realize they heal so fast.  I was told they're usually totally healed in about a weeks time.  Neat.  With her, it's hard; she's in a lot of pain.  Her breaths are very short and shallow.  One normal breath and she can't control her crying -- her lung pushes against her broken ribs, sorta re-breaking them.  When her crying is uncontrollable, my crying is uncontrollable.  I'm hoping the recent few days of unconsciousness will do her healing and pain some good.  It's been nearly a month and seems like she still has a long ways to go.  I'll have more details on the physical healing after Friday.

I forgot Tuesday.  Seriously, a big mistake.  I felt like total shit.
Two.  Year.  Anniversary.
He waited until evening to mention the day.  He knew I'd forgotten.  He also said he didn't mind and that forgetting stuff like this will happen when so much is weighing on the mind.  I should not have forgotten :(
I was in my pajamas staring at the TV when he handed me a glass of wine (white - a rarity for us).  It wasn't even a clue to me.  Then, he handed me a little velvet bag no bigger than my palm.  Inside were two 1ct diamonds, two 1/4 ct, and two uncut 1/4 ct.  Just loose stones.  My jaw was on the floor.  I didn't understand why I was given this...  Until he said "Happy Anniversary."

Talk about feeling like crap.  I still do.

We made love for three full hours, complete with nonstop chatter, and slept together like a knot.  I'm praying I conceived ;)

This afternoon, after work, the walk, dinner, and some more husband-loving, I asked to go back through that looking glass as I did last week [Communion with the gods].  The "ritual" was explained in detail to me.  Basically, everything was based on some rather creative suggestion.  Well, suggestion coupled with a drug.  It was a fine ending to this day.  A couple hours wandering through a dreamy paradise as mere minutes ticked off the clock back in reality.  Amazing.

Time for bed now.  After an ice cream cone perhaps...

Quickly, can you name a friend who was once very much a big part your life but is not anymore?  If so, I imagine the end of that friendship was not pretty, right?  Was it a bad breakup – and don’t kid yourself, friend breakups can be harder and more painful than romantic breakups?  Like most people do, do you harbor bad feelings about that former friend?  I used to.  However, at this point in my life, I have decided to look at those friendships as blessings no matter how toxic they were.

While it is common to have a friendship fizzle out at some point, unfortunately, I have had a few friendships that ended a bit more dramatically than a simple parting of ways.

For years, I would look back with anger when thinking of what they “did to me” in the friendship.  However, when I was able to realize I was accountable for at least some of the unpleasantness that occurred, I could make peace with the memory of the friendship.  That was the point in which I realized that my former friend had indeed given me a great gift. 

You also may realize each of these very crazy un-healthy friendships have brought something wonderful to your life.  Some gifts may have been small and others huge.  One friend may have turned you on to your daily non-fat-half-caff-mochachino fix.  Or, maybe she was the first one to introduce you to the song For Good from Wicked the Musical.  While another friend might have helped you learn things about yourself you never realized before.

One notable educational relationship drama took place my freshman year in college and featured Gus in the starring role  (as you may have guessed,  names have been changed to protect innocent).  It was overall just a platonic friendship but I fell for him the moment he walked up to me and said, “You have the most gorgeous hair I have ever seen in my life.” 

Please excuse this interruption to the original blog BUT, I must insert a mini-blog within the blog. 

mini blog:  the gay boyfriend

I had to pause the other blog discussion for one moment.  Are you thinking, “most heterosexual men do not attempt to pick up a woman by asking about hair products.”  Yes, Gus was the rite of passage most women have in their lives - the gay boyfriend.  When I met him, Gus was in the closet.  However, the doors to the closet were wide open and you could see his legs and feet sticking out behind the shirts.  I just chose to ignore what was right in front of me. 

Obviously, there is no judgment here that Gus indeed was and is gay.  I only wish I would have known that back then.  I have always felt like an idiot for not realizing that obvious minor detail.  Our friendship would have been much less stressful because we never would have “tried dating.”  If I had known then, we would probably still be as close as we were back then.  I should have known I was prancing into a Will & Grace scenario at “gorgeous hair”.  If not there, I should have definitely known when he introduced me to the music of The Cure, Morrisey, New Order and ABC.  When he taught me how to contour my cheeks with blush, I just accepted it was something all guys learned in modeling class (oh yeah, he was a model).  And lastly, when I saw him kissing another guy about 5 feet away from where I sat, I assumed my brain was just fuzzy from an evening filled with Boone’s Farm wine.  To fulfill my fantasy of denial, I decided I must have hallucinated that event.

In any case, I spent almost a year trying to be “just friends” while trying to squash my romantic  feelings for him.  Looking back to those college days, I realize no matter how hard I may have tried, without the Y chromosome in my DNA, there was nothing I could have done to make him fall for me as hard as I fell for him.

I write about Gus because I know most women can relate to this.  If you poll random women on the street,  I am willing to bet a very large percentage of women have a gay boyfriend in their past.  I am also confident that looking back the woman is kicking herself for not realizing she could never ever, no matter how hard she tried, no matter how beautiful or charming or skinny she was, she could never have made him fall for her the way she fell for him.

now back to our original blog already in progress

Unfortunately,  Gus and I had an ugly falling out.  We stopped being friends when I started dating my first “real boyfriend” - a real-live heterosexual man (can I call him a man if he was only 21 years old).  For years, I had such bad feelings about my “friend breakup” with Gus.  With time, memories of the bad stuff faded away and the good memories are what appeared at the surface.  I was able to see that Gus helped me come out of my shell for the first time in my life.  He helped me transform myself in so many ways.  He introduced me to great music and expanded my cultural palette.  We had such amazing times cruising around town together.  He and I went “clubbing” on South Beach before the editors of People magazine even knew Ocean Drive existed.

Going back to the hair comment (which by the way, is really the first thing he ever said to me).  He helped me let go of being an awkward little redhead girl and pointed me in the direction of enjoying my uniqueness. It was Gus who opened the door for me to enjoy being a redhead. In addition to everything else he may have brought to my life, I have to thank him mostly for that. (Before Gus, I spent my days longing for two things:  Rob Lowe and Marcia Brady stick straight blonde hair.  Currently, I spend my days longing for three things:  Rob Lowe, Marcia Cross stick straight red hair and peace in my  house.)

As one more example, I have to mention my former friend Hedy.  You can guess - her name is not really Hedy.  However, that is the name of Jennifer Jason Leigh’s character in the movie Single White Female.  My husband always referred to her as single white female because he is convinced the screenplay is based on her life - Hedy even became a redhead at one point in our friendship.  Yes, I know you are thinking, “Wow, she has some pretty bad taste in friends.”  Really, I don’t – I was just a bit too forgiving.

In the past, I would force myself to overlook really big huge ginormous flaws in people in the name of acceptance.  Now I realize acceptance is only supposed to go so far.  It took me quite a few years to realize  acceptance is about “getting over it” when a girlfriend forgets to call you on your birthday because she is dealing with her own plate full of issues on that day.  Now I know, acceptance is not about “getting over it” when you discover your girlfriend planned a night out with the girls “on your birthday” and “forgot” to invite you to go out with the girls!  That is pretty much the kind of monkey business I dealt with for a few years with Hedy.  Without going into boring long drawn out details, I will just say that Hedy attempted to sabotage my life in a manner which would make Erica Kane proud!

I admit I was relieved when the Hedy years had passed and she moved away and was completely out of my life.  At that point, I was able to be thankful for having her in my life.   When she was not pre-occupied with schemes to break up my marriage, she was actually a really fun girl to be around.  She was witty and clever and well read.  She helped me discover the witty and clever parts of my personality even if I am not as well read. (Can I consider myself well read if I have indeed read all of Jennifer Weiner’s books as well as Candace Bushnell’s collection? ) Seriously though, it was a very difficult relationship but I am still able to see what she did bring to the table. 

Maybe Hedy was the biggest lesson of all.  If someone that incredibly toxic in my life was able to leave a positive mark, then it should be easy to find the benefits to other relationships gone awry.  It definitely makes life lighter and more fun to let go of the anger we hold towards the people who we think have “done us wrong.”  So, instead I offer you another option.  Find that one good thing that person brought to your life and put the rest of the file in the trash on your mental hard-drive.

I do have to confess I am still trying to figure out what positive lessons my first college roommate was supposed to bring into my life.  That is one that even has me stumped! 

And thats kinda like my life

I've played the role of the nice girl next door

Who gets cut like a knife

Now I'm not looking for apology eyes

And I don't want to spend tonight on a bed of beautiful lies.."

I don't know if I've made this obvious from my posts, or if this will come as a shock to any of you but sometimes I can get pretty angry. To the point where I want the world to burn. I want to tear strips of skin from my enemies faces and scream their ears into deafness. I want to curse against their names so darkly that their grandchildren are still feeling the karma of my wrath. I almost wish pain onto their kittens, but not quite. I'm not a monster, yet.

I can take a lot of digs. I can hold my head high and give an amused smirk to most people's attempts at pissing me off. And usually I get more out of acting like I regard them as low as a junkie whore Liberal voter and not letting myself be trolled, then biting back, no matter how hard I know I coulda just ripped them to shreds with one line.

"You watch and you wait for your 15 minutes of my day

It makes you feel good if you think that you've got into me

Funny cause I don't wish nothing bad on you

Constant drama's all you want to put me through

I've made my decision and I'm firm on it

So I don't know why you're even trying.."

Thats why I get so angry that I explode into a tiny ball of screaming rage and crazy eyes, fists clenched and neck strained. Because I know they've gotten away with that shit for too long so now they think they can disrespect me. Me! The Queen Of The Known Universe! The Goddamn Luli! Its that ego taking hold of me. They dare defy ME? Theres only so much I can take, only so far I can be pushed.

And I know I could take them to that low place. I could make them shit themselves for a minute thinking I'm a bit unscrewed. I know I could use my powers of anger and make them hurt with words that will sting, that they will remember. I know the way to make someone insecure is to pick apart why they do what they do and bare their intentions to the world. And sometimes I want to do that so bad, you don't understand, if the thought crossed my mind while in one of my rages I would instantly say the words no matter how harsh.

I've mentioned a few times that my main group of friends are guys that I've known since high school. One by one they've gotten girlfriends and had ex-girlfriends and more than a few of them have taken an instant disliking to me for being such a close friend to their man. Its an unfounded jealousy, but I understand it and I take it with a grain of salt. I would probably also find myself feeling irrational jealousy if a man I dated was always having beers with his boys and one random chick. So I take that coldness and turn it into something nicer, I make the girls who hated me be my friend and hang out with me and let them see who I am, so they know why the guys are mates with me. This is a lot more effort than you think, girls are hard to crack, but ultimately it turns a bitchy situation into something easy and friendly. Its better for everyone. The group gets bigger.

"I know you can come better,

Can come better than that

So you can kill all that loose rap

How many times I tell you "Don't come to me,"?

You bring me all of that jealousy

Cause you got envy, don't hate me baby

Talk smack behind my back

And then when you see me

You try to come up and talk to me, don't talk to me

I'm not saying nothing, nothing.."

But then you get a couple of extremely insecure girlfriends and it all turns to shit. They conspire against you, they gossip to the other girls, they poison each other with their bullshit. God wouldn't it shit you, you had 5 out of 6 girlfriends on your side and now you have 2 from 6, just because they'd prefer to hate you and get you out of the circle, rather than leave you in it as you had happily been before they'd even considered dating your friends.

Only one of them has enough guts to say anything bitchy, she puts in enough digs for the rest of them. The others are too shit scared to open their mouths and say what they're thinking, even when I know they're gossiping with their nasty bullshit the moment my back is turned. The one with the balls only has them because she's with my best friend Dimi and she knows I don't want to piss him off by being mean to her. Sometimes I don't care and I sting her back just as hard, but I know I can never go too deep with it. Most of the time we ignore each others presence, I basically feel like I owe her nothing, not even the common courtesy of a greeting. I feel validated in that because I've heard the things she's said about me through my loyal grapevine of guy mates. And yet sometimes we are genuinely nice and caring to each other, I've hugged her while she's cried after fights with Dimi and I've even given her advice, taken her shopping, helped her plan special things for him. Am I stupid?

I'm torn between being the better person, taking their hate and dissolving it with good intentions and nice words. I would look the victim if I turned a blind eye and that would suit me better, it would make everyone to see who is to blame, who aggravates the situation. I could do what would make me feel like a good person and keep trying to be the friend of someone who hates me.

"Listen daddy I'm too cute to fight

You better get that bitch told tonight

And I don't ever, I mean ever

Never ever wanna deal with this again

You better tell her

Tell her, tell her, tell her.."

But what I want to do, what I'm tempted to do, what the old me would do, is kill her soul with words of pain. She's stupid, ignorant, weak, vindictive, demanding, selfish, thoughtless, boring.. Ooh I could burn her so sweet, it would be such an entertaining show. Because she deserves it, she started it all, she made people turn against me for no reason. Weak, scared, little girls who only dare to whisper words about me when I'm not in the same area code. Who suck up my ass when I don't say hello to them. Man, how I would love to crush them.

Because fuck them man, I opened my arms to them, I accepted them as a friend before they'd even made up their mind whether they liked me or not. I moved over in the circle and let them sit beside me, when I could have been a brat about it all too. I could have rejected them and caused their men to doubt them. Thats why, you see. Thats why I want to kill, kill, kill! I've taken it all quietly and its like they're getting away with it. I want to declare war on every single one of them, scream them into puddles of tears.

Its this feeling that lets me know the next month or so will be hard for me. Its going to be a struggle for me to deal with them without biting when I have this little storm beneath the surface. But I'm determined to be strong, I don't want to let anyone else's negativity affect how I feel about me. I was a happy face a few days ago, before I'd run into them. I need to breathe and let it go. Fuck, thats so easy to say and so hard to do!!

"I'm feelin faith

And no you can't take that from me

I'll direct all your energies into yourself

Turn it to positivity

You're trying, but it's all right

There is no way I'll let you take what I have found within

You're trying so hard to get under my skin

This is a battle that you won't win

You're trying, but it's all right

There is no way I'll ever be unhappy again

You're trying so hard to get under my skin

You're trying, but it's all right.."

Checca, 18yrs, Siracusa, Sicily, Italy, originally uploaded by VeniVidiVomit. ]]> http://champagneatmidnight.wordpress.com/?p=26 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:16:24 +0000 Champagne At Midnight http://champagneatmidnight.wordpress.com/?p=26 There comes a time in a girl’s life where her friends are the most important thing. Usually that realization stems from an extreme of emotion- ex. Breakup, family stuff, a promotion at work, an engagement etc etc…These are the times when your either really high or really low and you need your troops by your side.

But what other event in a 20 something’s life do you need your troops?

If you guessed Vibrator Shopping, you are absolutely right!

Such was the case last night.

After an extensive workout with my trainer at the gym, I called Lola to see what the deal for tonight was…she was completely stressed and unglued, and I knew why. K had come over to gather more of his shit and she is still not at the stage where ‘contact of any kind’ is every slightly healthy/appropriate etc. They are on like, week 3 or 4 of their breakup and although she has the strength of a thousand titans, emotions are a bitch.

I went over with Babes and after a few spoonfuls of cookie dough ice cream we realized something…

Lola needed the Rabbit. Immediately.

For those who do not know, The Rabbit, made popular as Charlotte’s vibrator of choice on Sex and the City, is the Lexus of dildos. Charlotte practically locked herself in her apartment for a week before getting intervened by Miranda.

Lola needed to get back on, urm, herself, and redefine her inner sex kitten. Sure, we could have gussied up and hit the bars, and goodness gracious she could have called up a few people in her blackberry, but this night, she needed solo time.

We piled in Babes truck and hit the Pink Store. If you haven’t been to a sex shop before, run, don’t walk over immediately. It is just a play ground of excitement…seriously if you could imagine something that could possibly be a sex toy; it and its cousin are there.

Such as “The Hand” (Just picture what you think it might be, and add a forearm…)

Or “Pirates” (I love how that porno costs $69.00…dripping with irony)

The girl who worked there was a freak who kept calling penises “Dongs” …honestly, we are already in a sex store, do we have to take it to that level?

So Lola grabbed a purple coloured one, some “sex toy cleaner,” a couple batteries, and about 60 bucks later she was good to go. We hightailed it outta there and laughed all the way home.

Back at Lola’s pad we had some brie that Babes cooked up and we sat around the table completely howling about what to call her new nighttime friend.

 Her roomie came and sat with us and the conversation sounded a little like this:

Me- “So I think that you need to name it something that represents dependability. Like a Hank, or a Bud. Hank wouldn’t letcha down; Hank would do your plumbing, Hank would fix the drain. Dependable!

Babes- “What about Bob? Battery Operated Boyfriend?”

Everyone chimed in, and names were passed back and forth, but we just kept coming back to RANDY. Doesn’t it just scream Name of Vibrator?  

“Feeling Randy tonight?”….literally and figuratively…

The brie was finished, the laughter roared and all of a sudden it was past eleven…everybody went home and I can only imagine night Lola had once we left.

Today I got to work and Lola emailed me:

“I called in sick today…I have a migraine”

Girlfriends: I cannot tell you how grateful I am to have you in my life. It has been a truly rough and tumble year for me so far, and the one thing that has brought me some constancy and stability in my life has been the support of my girlfriends. Among my girlfriends I have found unconditional love, advice, guidance, affirmation, nonjudgmental listening, patience, a shoulder to cry on, encouragement, and an endless supply of comfort during trying times. I love you all. So, I shout out to all of you in no particular order:

To The Doctor: I never dreamed I would have someone to love me unconditionally. Real love was always waiting for me at home, even when we were just typical sibling rivals. You have become my best friend and my confidant. You are the only one that knows how to make me laugh and cry at the same time. I can't believe how much we have grown and matured together. Thank you for always supplying me with a hot meal, a comfortable bed, and a listening ear whenever it's needed. I love you, sis. For all the complaining I do sometimes, our parents must have done something right.

La Abogada: Te quiero mucho! You listen to me without judgment and ALWAYS offer me sound advice. I feel like I can tell you anything. Thank you for encouraging me to follow my heart and not to completely lead with my head. Gracias por la vida.

To The Investigator: What can I say, but you are my homegirl that shares with me the mystery of life and the third eye. You always keep it real and look out for my best interests, and I deeply appreciate that. Tom Boys For Life!

To The One that Showed me To The Light House: Thank you for opening the door for me and introducing me to a world of freedom. You really are a beacon of light and I thank you for helping me confront my own shadows and demons with love and compassion.

To My Neighboring Colombiana: What a gift you are and what a blessing it has been to get closer! I am so lucky to have a friend like you. Thank you for helping me keep my chin up during challenging times and for being the best listener. Thank you for managing to make me crack up at how insane life can be.

To My Mystic Friend: I thank God for you, and I thank God for your father for bringing us back together again. He sure knew what he was doing. The journey is just beginning, so fasten your seat belt.

And To The Three Mamas: Thank you for continuing to hold me in your prayers, for constantly sending me light, and for teaching me strength and wisdom. Yes, we are friends for life. Thank you for modelling what it means to be truly the strongest mothers I've ever known. I deeply respect you.

Loving You Always,
Me

Dena was my freshman roommate at St. Bonaventure. I arrived at our dorm room first - I only had an hour and a half drive compared to her eight from Brooklyn. I not only had time to steal the better mattress and desk, but I had time to decorate my dorm room with all my girly curios, pastel flowered bedding, Dave Matthews Band posters, etc., before she even got there.

By the time she sauntered in with some family friend who displayed glassy eyes and a prominent twitch, I was already taking a nap. She unpacked her luggage, which consisted of several large black Hefty garbage bags, by dumping their contents into various drawers.

She wore all black, including black sunglasses that she kept on inside. She had long black and red and orange and purple streaked tresses, black horned eye makeup, and chunky black combat boots.

I just stared at her like she was some weird creature from the night (which she totally was) while she hung up her scary Metallica and Beastie Boy posters, and blasted Korn, if I remember correctly. Or maybe it was Rammstein; I can’t be sure.

I thought she defined the stereotypical New Yorker, and in some ways she did. You know, with the dark clothes, makeup, soul, etc., as well as the ridiculously heavy accent. But in a lot of ways, she didn't.

The girl thought there would be subways in Olean, N.Y., people. She had never been out of The City, and for someone from the largest cultural melting pot in the world, she was pretty sheltered. We introduced her to things she had never seen before, including cows, trees, shrubbery, grass, fields, and other various assorted things from nature.

Dena actually turned out to be one of the most interesting people I'd ever met. She’s exceptionally intelligent despite her frequent lack of common sense, and, to my utter irritation, achieved excellent grades without ever studying. She's an amazing writer, a great listener, and one of the funniest people I've ever met in my life.

She’s also tremendously clumsy, which makes for some pretty entertaining adventures.

We actually were not well suited to be roommates, mostly because Dena’s a selfish bitch, but we did make really good friends. And although she left Bona’s sophomore year and transferred to NYU because "no one from New York knows what fuckin' St. Bonaventure is. EVERYONE knows NYU. I'll have a much easier time getting a job..." we still remained close.

I haven’t seen this girl in much too long, and I can’t wait to spend the weekend with her, drinking, doing lots of drugs, egging prostitutes, falling all over ourselves, singing karaoke, eating sushi, and maybe getting our nipples pierced. Because that’s the kind of weekend you have with Dena. An insane one.

Wati Pippo, the NYP Soccer babe!

(Omg that was the zaman of my famous trendsetting red upside-down specs man. Wakaka.)

Her full name is Fazilawati. Wah! She was with her mum as I was with mine. So excited to bump into each other! We were in the same 2 TEP postings back in nyp - ELDC & BPOS, and we immediately hit it off - maybe because not only is she short and sweet, like me, she is also one sporty chicka! She was in NYP's all-girls soccer team babe! Don't play play!

(TEP is, in short, something all NYP SBM students had to go through in our 2nd year for 6 months since we don't have FYP.)

She is ard 2+ yrs older than me since she went to ITE Clementi before NYP, but she still looks so young right? Coz she has such a cheerful & positive aura that it's so much fun to be around her. There was the case of the friend's cousin, girl talks, gossips, cuci mate-ing and endless laughing sessions. ^_^

Thennnnn before she had the chance to "announce" her news to me, her mum blurted out that... She was getting engaged on 9 Aug! National Day! Lagi excited! I immediately began to start digging her secrets, "Ooooh! Siape ehhhh...? *Wink wink wink*" But she had to go off to find her "baju" (Baju tunang lah tu.. ape lagi *hihi*) Nehmind, digging secrets continues on msn *evil laughter*

So many people getting engaged/married on National Day this year. How come eh?

Anyway just a link for me to remember - Last Day @ BPOS! http://purrfectgal0812.multiply.com/photos/album/15/BPOS_peepz