Royalties and Seeing Old Friends

I received my first royalties for the paperback version of The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom. It was less than twenty dollars, but this is the reality of self-publishing. It is something that I was fully aware of, and I never had the notion that my book would immediately be the next Harry Potter. Advertising and marketing are going to be a necessity, and I am of the mentality that in order to sell books, I will have to “pay to play,” which may entail losing money in order to gain an audience, or the opposite. There are other things that we can do though in order to advertise the book, but there is definitely a lot of work to be done even after writing and publishing the book, especially for self-publishing.

My wife and I also recently met up with some of my old friends, and it was a good time. While we have stayed in contact via social media and text, there is nothing like meeting face-to-face. Also, we met up in a much different stage in our lives being married, some having kids and whatnot. My wife and I particularly liked that we all shared similar viewpoints and values, so to be able to talk about things that we can all relate to was great. While there was some reminiscing going on, what we talk about now as adults is much different than before, which is to be expected.

With the book at this point, everything is a trial-and-error learning experience. I hope to gain an audience, but I will definitely have to work for it. However, seeing how things have turned out so far being adults, we achieve things and future outcomes by working for it.

Severance Season 2 Finale and The Published Paperback

My wife and I watched the season two finale of the television show, Severance. After it was over, I thought that might have been the end of the series, but after checking online, I discovered that it has been renewed for a third season. This series explores various ideas including identity, love, loss, grief, and so many other topics. With this season finale, so many characters had to make difficult choices and having the audience biting their nails seeing what the characters will do. The ending was rather shocking, but not all that surprising in hindsight. It was also neat seeing the main character, Mark Scout, having a conversation with himself in a creative way.

We also finally released the paperback for The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom on Amazon. After seeing preview samples for this book, we finally got it right. So far, I have only given copies to my immediate family and a good friend of mine, but we do have plans to strongly market this book. It Is still a strange thing to see an actual physical book of mine out there, and I really just hope that it gets an audience. I would really like the intended audience, middle grade, reading this book as a form of enjoyment and escapism. The work is far from over, as I have to now advertise and convince people to buy my book.

Certain things end, yet they are not over, whether that is television shows or books. I, along with so many others, are waiting with bated breath for the third season of Severance, just like I am waiting to see who will buy and read my book.

Church Week and Eating Out

My wife is a choir member in our church, and I am a deacon. There was a special event for our church this week, and we had to participate. Preparation took a lot of our time, and in order not to get sick this week, I did not attend Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practice for the week. The day of the event took more than half a Saturday, but it was good. It was the first time for me performing as a deacon, and I did not mess anything up, so that was good. Overall, it was a good experience performing in our church along with my wife.

In the aftermath of the special event, my wife and I ate out a good amount. We had shabu shabu, thai food and ate out at a Hawaiian breakfastplace. It was nice to just relieve any stress and cool down. We definitely lazed about and ate not-so-healthy, but we know that we will have to get back to eating better and exercising regularly. There comes a point where eating out becomes “not special,” so we’ll probably calm that down a bit moving forward, along with just saving money. There are some dishes that my wife can make at home anyways, like the thai food: crying tiger, and it would be a lot less costly.

Working towards something and then relaxing afterwards is a nice feeling. Doing things for church is a good thing, and the rest and relaxation feels more earned than just being idle.

Getting Book Samples and Timeshare

I finally received samples of the paperback for The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom. It was honestly unreal to see the book in printed form for the first time. Before putting out the final version of the paperback, my wife decided for us to see the samples first, and we did find a few things that could be fixed. Self-publishing is very much a trial-and-error endeavor. There was just something different seeing the book in printed form instead of on a screen or monitor, making it more “real” in a sense. It was years in the making, and seeing the nearly finished product in print form was very satisfying.

My wife and I purchased a timeshare not long ago that is usable in many parts of the world and are already discussing different places to vacation in. Hawaii looks to be our first destination, but even places more local like Santa Barbara are on the table. It is pretty exciting as our timeshare includes discounts on air fare along with other privileges. I can imagine using this in vacationing with family as well since we are able to get multiple rooms. I can see my wife and I using this at least once a year, if not more, and it will be fun vacationing around the world.

Things are strongly moving forward with the book and in future vacationing plans. I am looking forward to where The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom goes and hope that a wide audience will read and enjoy it.

WWE Elimination Chamber 2025 and Buying Property in Philippines

This year’s WWE Elimination Chamber had one of the best endings that I have seen in a while. John Cena, after years of being a babyface (good guy), turned heel (bad guy). It was a long time coming, and no one expected it until after the Men’s Elimination Chamber match ended. Along with The Rock, who is the Final Boss, this build to Wrestlemania went from zero to one-hundred in a hurry. The lead-up to this year’s Wrestlemania up until Elimination Chamber was just okay – nothing bad, but pales in comparison to last year’s with Cody Rhodes versus The Bloodline storyline. Now, with a heel John Cena versus the top babyface Champion, Cody Rhodes, along with The Rock looming over the proceedings, this Wrestlemania just became highly anticipated.

My parents just came back from the Philippines. They are retired and go there every year around winter time because of the weather. My wife and I will most likely emulate that decades from now, but we can prepare for that day now. We have spoken about buying property in the Philippines as a vacation home, and maybe use it as an AirBNB or other such rental while we are not there. It is motivation to work hard, be frugal, and be patient while working towards a common goal. Ideally, I would like to buy land there and build a home, but that would take a lot of money and time. To start out, a condo would suffice.

Like with what the WWE product is doing right now, we are looking to build towards the future. It takes a lot of time and work, but the payoff should be worth it.

Ex Ex Lovers and the Final Product

My wife and I watched a Filipino movie in theaters, Ex Ex Lovers. My wife was a fan of the cast, and many of these actors and actresses were very popular decades ago, so nostalgia was a selling point. The story centers around two ex-couples reconnecting for their daughter’s wedding, and it started off well enough. However, somewhere around the middle, the movie started to bring about political messaging, and that is where I felt that the movie just fell apart. The messaging that was being brought to the audience negatively affected the story, in my opinion, leaving me confused and making it difficult to suspend disbelief. Crying tears of joy over a marriage annulment after seemingly reconnecting positively with an ex-spouse just came across bizarre and strange, for example.

Otherwise, there has been church stuff and writing stuff that has been taking up a lot of our time this week. Formatting The Mustard Prince to be put out in paperback has been quite the grind, not dissimilar to editing. It goes to show that the final product of anything takes a lot of work before being perfected and put to market. In movies, during the credits, we see so many names and companies, and that is because so much work behind the scenes and off-camera is being done. With a book, a lot of editing, re-writing, proofreading and formatting is being done so that the final product looks its best.

While getting to the final product is tough, there is only so much that can be done so that audiences will like the product. While there is luck in that, I feel that creators also make their own luck through hard work, grinding, perseverance, and perfecting.

Cobra Kai Finale and Captain America: Brave New World

My wife and I watched the last episodes of the Cobra Kai series on Netflix, and it ended really good. The story arcs for John Kreese, Johnny Lawrence, Miguel, Tori, Daniel and others really went full circle. I remember watching this when it was still on YouTube Red, and now, six seasons later, it finally ended. There are rumors that the creators are working on a spin-off, and considering that we have grown with the non-legacy characters, I can see stories being made featuring Miguel, Robbie, Zara of the Iron Dragons, or other characters. The only thing that did not happen was a cameo from Julie Pierce of The Next Karate Kid. After everything is said and done, Cobra Kai was Johnny Lawrence’s story with him battling through personal demons and professional setbacks to finally get a happy ending, essentially being the Karate Kid by the end of it. While the show got campy and convoluted at times, the creators did a great job of being loyal to the source material but making a product that was modern, funny, exciting, and enjoyable.

We also watched the new Captain America: Brave New World movie this week. Admittedly, coming in, I was expecting it to be really bad, as the reviews were not great, and Marvel not having the best track record as of late. I did enjoy it more than I thought that I would, and considering that we have a Regal Movie Pass, it’s no big deal if it was really bad. The good was that I liked some of the characters like Sam Wilson and the new Falcon, and it at least acknowledged this huge plot hole from the Eternals. There were a lot of negatives to it though. There were apparently a bunch of re-shoots, and that showed itself. There was a lot of use of green screen, which was noticeable. Some side characters were just kind of there but did not play a huge role by the end. Sam Wilson’s suit was too buffed with various technology and abilities, so his powers did not feel earned but given to him. For him to be able to survive against Red Hulk is a bit of a stretch. Some reviewers call this movie a Frankenstein’s monster, in that it was trying to be so many things at once along with Sam Wilson having Captain America’s shield, Ant Man’s helmet, the Falcon’s wings, Wakandan technology and more, and that is a valid criticism.

We watched the end of a series in Cobra Kai, that may very well continue if spin-offs, and a movie that was the beginning of a new Captain America. Some endings finish very well, while some beginnings can be very rough.

Flight Risk and Superbowl LIX

My wife and I watched the movie, Flight Risk, the other day. It started out good, and throughout the middle of the movie, it was interesting. Mark Wahlberg played his role well of an unhinged and crazy antagonist. Everyone else played their roles well, especially a character who helped the main character through the radio. There were very few characters overall, with some of the major characters only heard through phone or radio. The issue with the movie though is that it pretty much ends right at the climax. The ending comes quite suddenly, and there just felt like a lack of finality to the film. If the ending was better, I think that I’d have liked it much more.

We also watched Superbowl LIX. The defense of the Philadelphia Eagles was on point, and they seemed to have just studied the Kansas City Chiefs extensively. It was a blowout, pretty much, with the Chiefs scoring in the fourth quarter, but that just seemed like the Eagles running out the clock as they were so far ahead by then. The halftime show with Kendrick Lamar was okay, in my opinion, but noticeably patriotic. The commercials this time around did not stand out like in other years. Besides commercials for some of the summer movies coming out, and a lot of commercials for homes.com, I was not particularly impressed with the commercials.

Not everything will be great, I suppose. Some movies, despite being the top movie for the week, can fail to live up to expectations. Some Superbowls, unless your team won, will not have all the pizzazz as expected. This is fine though, as things cannot always be great.

Church Duties and Bathroom Fixed

My wife and I had a really busy week. I just recently took up an office in my church as a deacon, and there was a lot to learn. It was not particularly difficult or anything, but just a few things to remember along with consuming a little more of my time. This is still an adjustment and takes some getting used to, but I felt duty-bound to commit to this duty. My church and God have done a lot for me from owning property, getting married and whatnot that this is the least I could do. I am actually just looking forward to when I am used to all this, and this becomes normal routine.

My condo has two bathrooms, and one of them has been out of commission for months now. We reached out to our HOA to have this fixed one time, but it was during the holidays, and they were not available. Timing with vacations, sickness and whatnot also caused delays. Our HOA also brought in a new management company which complicated things. Finally, I reached out to them, and they said that they’d try to get it approved. Two days later, there was still no response, so my wife insisted on sending them a sterner yet respectful email to the HOA, and we got approved. The bathroom was finished, finally, and it is just so nice having two bathrooms again, with each of us having our own bathroom to use. Admittedly, while my HOA is not that bad for what they provide, I have never been fans of an HOA. It operates like a small bureaucracy where money is poured in, and some things do get done, but issues like we had tended to be resolved more slowly than I would like.

Things are changing early in 2025, but for the better. A big issue in our home finally got fixed, and I am taking more duties in my church. Getting big things completed is just such a relief, and I would like more big things like writing more books or owning more properties to get done in the future.

New Things and Severance

After our trip to San Diego, things have been good. My wife and I are already planning our next vacation and places that we can stay. Frontrunners include Hawaii, Japan, Europe or Cabo, among other options. Travelling to the Philippines is always something that we will do pretty much on a yearly or near yearly basis as well. Also, there are changes with my role in my church, so I will have a few more responsibilities. It is already the beginning of the year, and we are already experiencing some new and exciting things.

My wife and I have also been watching the television series, Severance, on AppleTV. It is a really fascinating show with a concept that really makes one think, in that they have characters who have severed their work life with their personal life, making the two totally separate entities within an individual. The setting and use of perspective give the show a real disjointed and confusing feeling. The story contains a good amount of mystery, revealing just a little per episode. Also, the characters are interesting and have their own quirks. I am intrigued and wonder where this story is ultimately going.

It has already been an interesting and exciting 2025 so far. There are changes going on, and there are no shortages of new things to watch. 2025 so far has been pretty good to us.

The Welk and Godfrey

My wife and I spent our anniversary with a vacation. We stayed at The Welk in Escondido in San Diego County. It is about an hour from where we live, so we could drive there without it feeling like the transit was very long. The Welk itself is a big resort with a golf course, many villas, pools and other amenities. Being in San Diego County though, we decided to try different places to eat, like Galpao Gaucho on the San Diego Harbor, Filippis Pizza Grotto and Swami’s. Galpao Gaucho was the best Brazilian Barbecue place that I have eaten at so far.

On our first night in San Diego County, my wife went to The Comedy Store in La Jolla to watch Godfrey. Admittedly, we did not know much about him but wanted to check out a comedy club since we were down there. Usually, we watch comedians at the Improv, which is a nice, big and clean venue that serves food and drinks. The Comedy Store was a much smaller venue and a bit gritty. Godfrey’s opening act was good, but then at the very end, he had a bit that was more of a political statement than a joke, and he just lost me and my wife at the end because of it. Godfrey himself was very funny. His impressions of the likes of Donald Trump, Jason Statham, and others was spot-on. He joked on things that he observed, but did not seem to be making a political statement about the topic he was joking about, which I found refreshing.

Our vacation in San Diego County was great. While there was more that we wanted to do, we had fun, relaxed and ate some really good food. It was just a nice break from things, and now, it is just about getting back to reality as there is a lot to take care of.

Releasing The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom and Marketing the Book

The definitive version of The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom has been released as an eBook on Kindle. My wife and I are still looking into getting physical copies out as well. It was a long time coming, as this book has been worked on and re-edited so many times with added artwork. Once the book was available, I knew that I had to inform family and friends of the release. I was apprehensive at first actually, as it is not something that people were expecting from me. I told some really close friends first as they knew that this was coming out, and once I told them, then I felt comfortable telling others.

The immediate reaction was not something that I was particularly comfortable with, to be honest. I have only been forthcoming about writing a book with just a few people and mentioned it in passing with others. There were many people that were surprised that I wrote this book and had no idea that I was even writing a book. I received a lot of “congratulations” as well. I am fully aware that self-publishing is very difficult in getting people to know about my book. One would think that I did the hardest thing in writing it, and while there is some truth to that, it was also something that I could do by myself in my own terms, Now, I have to advertise and market this book, convincing people to put their own money into my product. I feel as if writing the book is something of the first step, as what is the point of writing a book and putting it out there if no one reads it? Thankfully, me and my wife are developing strategies to market The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom. I feel that telling family and friends was just something of a “soft opening,” but the “grand opening” is yet to come.

I am not looking to be the next Harry Potter but setting more realistic goals for this book. I am exciting for what is to come, and I really want to do this correctly with due diligence as far as advertising and marketing. We will definitely do what we can, and we can only hope for the best.

New Years 2025 and Plans for the Year

2024 came and went quite quickly. My wife and I stayed home this New Years Eve, eating Mediterranean food along with some desserts. We spent New Years Day with family, as that was a day of from work. I went back to practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu the day after. It was decided that we purchase a vision board to write our goals and plans for 2025. It is nice to have something visible for us to see as a reminder and motivation. I think that having a tangible, physical reminder also just has a greater influence on us to actually do what we want to set out to do. Hopefully, we will achieve our goals this year.

I am looking forward to a few things this year. My wife and I have a vacation to San Diego planned this month for our wedding anniversary. We have already gotten tickets to see the comedian, Godfrey, when we are in San Diego, and we plan to visit the San Diego Zoo, eat at different places, and see some sites. We also have plans to advertise the Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom novel that we plan to release in February, so I am excited about that. Hopefully, we can get another vacation in this year to some place like Europe, Hawaii, or Japan. We also plan to visit the Philippines later this year.

I am looking forward to this year, as I think it will be the start of getting many goals completed. Also, many new anime, movies and television shows are going to come out this year. We already have some things like a short vacation and getting my book out early this year, and the rest of the year is open for anything.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Silo

My wife and I watched Sonic the Hedgehog 3 this week in theaters in 4DX, and it was a really fun movie. My wife did not see the previous movies before this one, but she made sure to watch them beforehand as they are available on various streaming platforms. The movie was comedic yet dark at times. It still kept the humor of the characters, especially Knuckles in this third movie, of being a fish out of water with them being aliens living on Earth. Shadow, voiced by Keanu Reeves, was a good opposite of Sonic, as Shadow was more of a dark, brooding character. Jim Carey could play Doctor Robotnik in his sleep at this point and pulls double duty playing both him and his grandfather. This movie was also perfect for 4DX with Sonic running in some places that were like rollercoasters, and it being fast-paced.

We have also been really into the television series, Silo, on AppleTV. Ever since we watched “From,” we have been interested in shows with mystery and an interesting setting. Silo is set in a dystopian future where humanity lives in a giant underground silo with hundreds of levels. There is a lot of mystery as the residents of the Silo (and the audience) do not go outside nor know the outside world. Within the Silo, there are power struggles, betrayals, mysteries, discoveries, politics and many other traits that make the show so intriguing.

As a writer, I like to observe other works on various media. They are doing something that works that makes audiences come back for more. Sonic the Hedgehog has been a success with every movie, and there is going to have a fourth one coming out. Silo won awards and has been renewed for seasons three and four. These works are doing something right, and it does involve good storytelling, characters, and other things.

“Teacup” and Domenico on the Lake

After finishing the third season of “From,” my wife and I decided to watch another television series. He looked up series to watch if you like “From,” and we found a few series including “Teacup.” The first episode started a bit slow, but a sense of mystery was already apparent. As the episodes went on, the story really unravels, answering questions early. “From” left many questions unanswered or brought new questions once something was revealed, but “Teacup” is a bit more straightforward with their approach. By the middle of the season, the audience already gets most of the story, and it becomes more suspenseful.

My wife and I also ate out at a restaurant called Domenico on the Lake. I only found it out of curiosity. I am admittedly a “foodie,” and I am always curious to see what places to eat are around. I would google places, but I also like to check out plazas. There was one plaza that I always passed by, but all I could see was a bank. I decided one day to check the plaza out, and in the back of the plaza were places to eat that had a view of Lake Mission Viejo. I decided to eat at one of the places, Domenico on the Lake, with my wife, and the food and ambience were really good.

It is nice to discover new things whether it is a new television series or a new restaurant. I think that a little curiosity will go a long way in discovering new things and taking chances.

“From” Season Three and Pre-Ordering The Mustard Prince

My wife and I finished season three of the television series, “From.” We are honestly addicted to the series, as the mystery box aspect along with the characters and lore is just so intriguing from the show. Afterwards, we went on YouTube for recaps, fan theories and predictions for season four. One Youtuber brought up the fact that the showrunners do not want the audience to find out the answers in a mystery box, so there is a lot of misdirection and incorrect theorizing in the show itself to throw both the audience and the characters themselves off. As far as storytelling is concerned, there is a lot for me to take in. How the show does character progression, mystery, misdirection, the use of an unreliable narrator, and other techniques are some things that I can use in my own writing.

Speaking of writing, I still have my Amazon Kindle Publishing account. I did try to put out an incomplete version of The Mustard Prince and some of my short stories in the past to no success. Admittedly, I made a lot of mistakes in doing that. I put out these works well before I knew to do heavy editing, one of the most grinding aspects of writing. The Mustard Price had cover art, but no other artwork for the characters, which really helps bring the characters alive. Now, for The Mustard Prince in the Condiment Kingdom, I did the editing, extended the page count, and added artwork, so I feel that this is now a truly finished product to put out to the masses. I am going to put The Mustard Prince on pre-order and put it out in February of next year, 2025, and I really do hope for a good outcome as it is an entertaining story to read.

We have to wait until 2026 for the fourth season of “From,” which is admittedly a long wait. I am sure that it will be worth it when it comes out though. Until then, I have my own story to put out while working on other stories as well. There is a lot to look forward to in this upcoming year, and apparently, the year after that as well.

Out of my Comfort Zone in BJJ and Drifting

I had a really interesting week with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ). I went back to a regular routine for BJJ, and I re-learned a move that brought about a different concept than what I was doing. I am very used to making no space in BJJ, smothering my opponent when on top and passing guard. This week, I was learning to pass the guard creating space, and I generally do not have a style of BJJ where I create space on top. My coach was particularly on me one class with me working on standing passes and just staying on my feet without dropping to my knees, which is a bad habit of mine. It was good because I was totally out of my comfort zone. I had to throw any pride or ego away to do this as I knew that I would be swept or submitted, which happened quite a bit. However, it was a good exercise to progress, as it is very easy to just keep doing what I am comfortable with.

Otherwise, it was a pretty standard week. Work has finally slowed down, which is not surprising as the mortgage industry tends to get slower around the holiday season. My wife and I watched Wicked again in 4DX, and it was good. Even reviewers who are not into musicals gave good reviews to the movie. We are also continuing to watch “From,” and we are so into it to the point where we are sleeping late watching it.

BJJ was where I had the most progress and learning. Getting out of my comfort zone was difficult but necessary to get better. I learned about the word “Drifting” where someone just drifts by in life with very little concern with much else. In BJJ, and in life in general, it is very easy to “drift,” as it is comfortable and easy, but there is no growth or improvement, so it was good to do things that I am not used to.

The Holiday Weekend and From

This holiday weekend was very eventful. On Thanksgiving, my brothers and their wives and children got together for a potluck. It was a good time, and my sister-in-law introduced us to the tv show, “From.” On that same day, we watched Moana 2. It was not too bad, but when I heard that it was originally a tv series before being reworked into a movie, it made a lot of sense. Credit to the animators because they did a really good job. Otherwise, it was fun enough, but the side characters did not particularly stand out, and the villain was largely absent. On Saturday, my friends and I watched WWE Survivor Series. It was a fun event overall, but we really thought that some sort of surprise would have come at the very end, but it did not. On top of all that, my wife rewatched Wicked two times this holiday weekend.

My wife and I are very much into the television show, “From.” Besides the horror elements in the show, there is a real human quality to the show. The characters act in understandable ways, and while there are times when the audience questions the actions of the characters, for the most part, everything was done smartly. There is an air of mystery to the show, and they only leave tiny bread crumbs as far as clues to help solve the mystery. This is a very good show, and one that I am excited to find out what exactly is going on with everything in this story.

It was a very good weekend, and one that was much needed. Having four days off is very nice, and we did a lot this weekend. We watched a lot of different movies and started a very good television show. We spend time with family, which is good especially as that gets harder as we get older.

Wicked and Returning to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

My wife and I watched Wicked in the movie theater. The audience was primarily young women, and while I am not the target audience for a movie like this, I thought that it was well-done and artistic. The sets were colorful and vibrant, the music was good, and the theme of friendship throughout the movie was apparent. Arianna Grande stole every scene that she was in, and it has been a while since she last did any acting. Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba did a great job and evolved throughout the movie. The best part of the movie for me was the climax, where truths are revealed and transformations happen. There was a real frenetic energy in some scenes of the climax along with some good artistic choices as well.

Otherwise, we are just looking forward to a shortened work week along with Thanksgiving coming up. The lingering cough from that terrible flu has pretty much gone away. Also, I returned to practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It was my first day back in a little over two months while I still had a bit of a cough. My base was weak along with just my overall ability to feel things being weaker. I was out of breath early, and my energy was hardly there. Despite it all, it was good to be back. I will need more time to get back to where I was, but it felt good being uncomfortable.

It is always good to be pleased with a movie that I was not expecting to really enjoy. While that was unexpected, I did expect me to perform badly at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. As I practice more though, I should improve, and as the days go by, I expect more good movies to come out.

Hello, Love, Goodbye and Planning Our Anniversary

My wife and I watched some movies this week. We watched “Red One” and a Filipino movie, “Hello, Love, Again.” Red One was pretty much a popcorn flick starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. It was not particularly deep or artistic, but it was just a fun and entertaining movie for a few hours of escapism. On the other hand, “Hello, Love, Again” was a sequel to a 2019 Filipino movie, “Hello, Love, Goodbye.” The movie is a love story with a good amount of drama. It shows the struggles of Filipinos working in other countries while the main characters juggle relationships. All of the audience was Filipino, and while we were told to be quiet during the movie, many were reacting loudly to some of the scenes in the movie.

We bought a Hyatt package back in August where we could choose between five locations to stay at. While some options like Cabo, Sedona or Lake Tahoe were very appealing, we decided to stay in San Diego. We will not have to fly, and the time of year, January, is just too cold in some areas to really enjoy it. Despite San Diego being in the next county over, there are still many places there that we have not visited. We can drive there with no issue, yet there are still events, restaurants and other places that will be new to us.

Watching movies and planning things are fun. It is always good to just escape a bit watching a movie and thoroughly enjoying it. Also, we have something to look forward to early next year. Things are looking up.