Western Caribbean

First night, our welcome parade in the promenade. It was neat to see them manage to throw a parade in such tight space, but it was also kinda cheesy.


First stop: Labadee, Haiti

Sea Kayaking, visiting the village of Labadee. It was kind of sad visiting this small worn down fishing village. Our guide informed us that they fish all day long because the size of the fishes they catch are no bigger than 3-4 inches long. All the big fishes are gone.




Formal dinner night on RCCL. We have the same waiter every night, Sydney (far left), who had to put up with a lot of shit to please our table. My aunts and uncle sat with us and their lack of English created havoc every night. They got upset over wrong orders, as if it was Sydney's fault, calling him several times to change orders. But Sydney kept a smile every night and eventually the aunty's started to like him. They thought he was so cute with his big eyes so they'd call him over repeatedly to chat with him instead of harassing him. And I get to do the translation while eating dinner.. yippee. I switched seats after the 3rd night.

ROOM SERVICE
The service on RCCL is impeccable. Our rooms are made every time we step out of the cabin. It's as if our stateroom attendant peeped out everytime we accessed the room to clean it after we leave. I've never had to use the same towel twice! We liked the animals they folded for us at night.




Second stop: Ocho Rios, Jamaica

After hiking up a waterfall for an hour we enjoyed a local Jamaican jerk chicken at Mama Marley's.


That's my uncle sampling a cup of Jamaica's famous Blue Mountain coffee. This was my dad's highlight! He bought 16lbs of coffee, CB bought about 9lbs, our whole group walked out with about 50lbs of Blue Mountain!



The down side of the trip was the storm that hit Grand Cayman, which raised the water levels at the port. Ships were not allowed to dock so we missed Grand Cayman and my sister had to reorganize her wedding to take place on the ship insteadWe were all disappointed, but the wedding pulled through and as Peter (my brother in law) said "life is full of unexpected surprises and Brenda and I will take care of each other through any unexpected events.” How sweet.

I've been asked if my sisters and I look alike. I'll let you decide.


The highlight of my trip was Cozumel.

We woke up early to go Power snorkeling!

Then we arrived at Playa Mia around 3pm. Half an hour later all the tourists were called back to the shuttle for transportation back to their ships (RCCL and Carnival). Since my sister, CB and I arrived on our own we stayed behind and the beach became very quite with only a few people left. I passed out for a few minutes and when I opened my eyes I found myself floating far from shore, it was the most amazing feeling. Then I started to get spooked because I WAS all alone in the water. I quickly paddled my way back to shore. All the dark areas under the water seem to be creeping up towards me...

This was CB's favourite table.



This poker table automatically takes a percentage of the pot everytime it deals a hand. I think it's 3%. So the pot could be $300, but you only take home $100 after all the "self tipping" is accounted for

Other onboard entertainment.. ice skating

Final Stop: South Beach, Miami

(picture of miami from our ship)The people are so much better looking over there. The guys are HOT. I'd go back there to party again. CB and I ended up at The Mansion
It was nice to step into a club where people dressed up and didn't have guts hanging out. It was also nice throughout the entire trip to get drunk and be able to walk back to our cabin/ hotel.

Cruisin'

My sister's getting married at Grand Cayman next week and it's all happening on a cruise.

One week on The Navigator of the Seas with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.



Ship Facts for Navigator of the Seas
Maiden Voyage: December 14, 2002
Passenger Capacity: 3,114
Godmother: Steffi Graf
Gross Tonnage: 138,000
Length: 1020'
Max Beam: 157.5'
Draft: 29'
Cruising Speed: 23.7 knots

Destinations: Labadee, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel.

email pet peeve's

*I write a concise short email asking a few important questions and adding some useless chit chat so the email doesn't seem so direct.

They reply with useless chit chat.

*I resend the email bulletting same few questions minimizing useless chit chat. Remind receiver to answer questionS.

I receive one answer

*forwarded spam, the one's about "get a free ___ if you fwd this to 10 friends and they have to fwd to 10 friends and so on until infinity and you will receive your free ___" yup, that's right, your free (blank= NOTHING)

*forwarded email from friends pleading "I never send forwarded stuff but...." And the end of the email reads something like this "send this to 10 friends and make their lives miserable or you will have bad luck for the next 7 years."

*I write a nice long email and I get back a two liner.

Lost Items

You ever wonder where some of your stuff disappear to?

I get really hung up on lost items. Why would something just disappear?? For example I packed away my yoga mat then went looking for it a month later and I can't find it. It's already been a year!! Here are a few items I'm still hoping will show up on their own.

Sport Radio arm band, disappeared
Jessica Black pants, part of a suit.
White shawl.
Enterainment book.
Bikini top.
5 white missing sock, 1 black. perhaps the dryer ate it
2 Starbucks travel mugs
Blue Contact lenses
Soft Lips chapstick cherry flavour
Yoga bag and Mat
4" Christmas tree

that's all I can think of for now.

The weather

I'm trying to learn Spanish. It's been 5 months and I still have difficulty creating a question. Aside from "Donde esta la bano?" (ignore the spelling), everything else starts off as"qu'est-ce que..., or Qui est... " really really messes me up! Now I'm incompetent in two languages!

One thing I can talk about is The Weather.

We learned that early in the course because all human beings are genetically programmed to talk about the weather when they have nothing else to say.

-esta lloviendo (it's raining)
-si, esta lloviendo mucho
-hace frio tambien ....

Weather is easy to talk about, because there really isn't much to say but to agree with the person unless they don't know the difference between sun and rain.

Speaking of Llueve. I've been here six years and this year I had to buy an umbrella. Llueve.

surveillance

what is this?

This is the stuff you see on The home shopping network at 3am in the morning.

Purpose? For aesthetics. To strengthen your cheek muscles, to give the appearance of a higher cheek bone.






1. Place the device in your mouth.
2. Try to close your mouth against the resistance of the spring.
3. Repeat....











Higher cheekbones eh? Riiight...........


Comments???

Home Alone

It's Friday night and I'm home alone. I had planned to stay home this evening to ease my rhinitis symptoms (stuffy nose) and salvage the mess I've made in my room, but I'm starting to feel restless and bored. It's been sometime since I've spent a Friday night by myself. I've always had the pleasure of CB's company but he's in the Philippines chilling at some beach. That thought bugs me more than being home alone, espcially when I was supposed to go with him. I guess I'm feeling bitter that I'm stuck here working when I could've been over there having tons of fun, and I miss him. damn it, damn that Boss.

So, I've had this stuffy nose and congestion for the past week. It's been awful. I was only able to breathe through my nose so my throat is completely dry in the mornings and my lips chapped. My nose would be dripping all day long but I couldn't blow it because it was plugged up. I've been dosing myself with Sudafed daily mixed with Afrin nasal spray and I tried using nasal rinse too. I got so irritated that I even pulled out my rhinoscope to see what the hell was going on in there. Finally, I got a day off on Thursday and I used the steam room in my gym which helped to clear things up a bit. For 4 days food had no taste, I ammused myself one dinner time by pouring Chinese hot sauce over my steamed fish just to see what I could taste... nada. Barely tasted the hot sauce. For days I couldn't smell my soap in the shower, I couldn't smell if that left over food in the fridge has gone bad, heck, I couldn't tell if I smelled bad. This sucks!

You look tired

There are days when I'm totally fine and I get greeted with "are you okay? you look tired."

I'm not quite sure how to react to that. I thank them for their concern and assure them I'm fine. But then I start to feel insecure about the way I look. Do I look like shit or something? I really hate that comment, because if I feel fine and I think I look fine, then this is as good as I get, for the day. And for the rest of the day, I'm basically going to look tired.

angry ex

oh boy, if your ex- girlfriend is vindictive you might want to make sure your face isn't on this site

www.dontdatehimgirl.com

This was featured on the Today show.

best calling card

I found the best calling card!

I've been using calling cards to call Taiwan and Canada for the past 5 years and I can't believe it took me so long to search online for better cards. Calling card is the best way for me since wireless companies don't have calling plans to Asia and I can use the card anywhere. Plus calling cards are cheap, 2-3 cents/ min to Taiwan!

1stphonecard.com allows me to recharge my card, which really isn't anything new, but it also recognizes the phone that I'm using so as long as I call from the same phone, I don't have to enter my 9 digit long pin number. THEN it stores up to 3 destination numbers on their system. If I store the local access # to my speed dial, I only have to hit 2 numbers to reach my parents!! Or sisters.

I'm really happy. I haven't called my parents much lately because my last pin # was so hard to remember I was already grumpy by the time I say hello. I think they will be happy to receive my routine pointless calls again.

"how are you doing mom? are you taking care of yourselves? yes, I'm talking while i'm driving.. yes, I know it's dangerous... yes, I behave when I go out....yes, I take care of myself...no, I don't stay out late...no, I don't stay at my boyfriends'..... long distance is expensive.. I'll call you guys next week"

my dad still thinks it costs $2/min to call Asia

developing film

Remember back in the days when you had to drop off film? wait? then prayed that your pictures turned out right? I developed a roll at Target with my Cabo pictures in it. An hour passed and I got all giddy opening the package to see what other pictures I had in that roll of film.

Oh look, pictures of Mag's going away party from April last year! Tahoe trip back in Thanksgiving '04 and.... woa.. talk about a blast from the past. This was rather unexpected.

"Miss, are there any pictures you would like to enlarge?"

"huh???? um, I don't think so, I'll just pay for these.. $10 right?"

$10 for 24 pictures and one of them was of Tine's carpet when I accidentally pushed the button. I almost forgot how expensive it gets.

Cabo Wabo

Cabo San Lucas, a place where the Mexican’s speak better English than the Mexican’s here. A place where men make you feel like a goddess or harass you like whore.

This was a trip with my two co-workers, Elsie 50yo and Abby 38? It was going to be a little hard partying with them since our ages are almost decades apart. But we managed, or I managed. On our last night Elsie dragged me out of bed after dinner and we headed Mambo Café at 10:30pm. Abby? “I’m going to bed to relax, I won’t be offended if you guys went off without me.”

Mambo Café was great for Elsie, she loved the live band that played Salsa and she danced and danced. It was more of a locals bar, where everyone knew how to dance, even strangers danced with each other as if they’ve been dancing partners for years. Strangers would approach me and insist to dance with me “oh, no no no.. I can’t dance, why don’t you dance with her (Elsie)” “I can teach you to dance” “oh no…..Elsie very good” “but I want to dance with YOU” damn, persistent lil’ fella isn’t he?“ok, if you want your feet stepped on” (he was cute too). So I danced a few songs then the band retired and the music changed. The crowd thickened and the younger crowd moved in. Now, Elsie and I were sitting and listening to techno/hip hop music and chatting with some new friends we met. Then the music started to get to me and it was either get out or go dance. So I turned to Elsie and she’s nodding her head to the beat of the music. Elsie is quite knowledgeable with Salsa, Mambo, Cha Cha etc. and she would tell me what kind of music the band is playing and how the dancers, as skilled as they look, are dancing to the wrong beat. So, just out of curiosity “do you know this music?” “yah, yah,, HD this is Brazilian music, it has more of a Brazilian beat to it, it’s.. blah blah blah” I’m listening to her explain and watching her squint away from the laser show that’s casting light onto her face. Brazilian music eh? Right. “Elsie, you want to dance?” So there I was dancing with Elsie to techno, that was weird. It’s like clubbing with my mom. Then I was floored when she started TEACHING some older folks how to dance! It was a scene out of the movies when one dude dances a new move and everyone followed.

There were other highlights like ATVing on an empty beach with just the three of us, watching the sunset and whales in the distance. Whale watching on a morning cruise and sun bathing with cabana boys coming to my service the minute I lift my head to glance their way. Ok, the best was the service. Instead standing in line at a bar and staring at the bar tender for what feels like hours, here’s a guy who rushes to my service and it’s FREE (all inclusive). So I got drunk on the beach.

I also met, for the first time, a Chinese guy speaking English with a Spanish accent. Apparently his family owns a Chinese restaurant there.

happy valentines

Oh, it is that time of the year again. Happy Valentine’s everyone.

Just wanted to share some interesting dollar figures I heard from the morning new. Today is obviously the busiest day for florists. The whole week has been spent on ordering hard parts, assembling flower arrangements, receiving orders then down to the last 3 days, they barely sleep. The average price people spend on flowers? $80 for a bouquet. For the day? Men spend an average of $128 on Valentine’s and women $76 when they pull out their wallet or nothing at all. Todd, my coworker shrieks “HOW does that work out? $80 for flowers?” (pause) “There’s nothing better than flowers to get you out of the dog house” That’s true, as much as I dislike receiving flowers, they do bring a smile to my face.

But Valentine's isn't just for couples anymore. People have found ways to market to the singles out there, such as singles parties, speed dating etc. Of course Valentine’s day can also be very difficult time if you're single, and so San Mateo offers clinics on this special day to provide emotional support for those in need. I can't imagine how that works. A group of single, heart broken women assembled in a room, depressed and angry.

2005 must have been a good year. I spent a good deal of time yesterday, Saturday, retracing my paper work from the past week to correct the dates I mistakenly written as 2005. Last year flew by really fast for me. It all started with an attempted New Years kiss by CB leading to countless dates and small trips to places I've never been. Then YN moved down and built my alcohol tolerance to a level that I should have acquired back in college. In the midst of the all the chaotic summer weekends I cured myself of narcolepsy and can now serve as a reliable designated driver. The biggest achievement of all ... running my first marathon. The training consumed my life, but it was all worth it. November '05 was my recovery month and I enjoyed everyday of it with lots of food and sitting in front of the TV. The vegging continued to the end of the year. I'm sure I didn't need 3 months to refuel, but I was convinced that chocolate bars, apple pies, ice cream and all the nutritious foods were necessary to replenish all the calories I burned during my 5 hours of running. It was also best I moved less. Less calories burned, faster refueling. And REFUELED I am for the new year.

24

Thanks to Tine and Mikey I was hooked to the show '24' for the past month. I spent all day yesterday finishing up season 2. That's 12 hours remaining. After just one hour I held onto the controller so I can fast forward through any scenes that involved Kim Bauer, a character that seems to always get herself into trouble, incredibly whiney just too stupid to realize how stupid she is. By the last 4 hours I would also fast forward to scenes that involve and Kim AND any interactions that involve her with other events of the show. I guess the writers didn’t mean for us to be watching the show hour after hour. It was meant to be a weekly thing. I simply took the show 24 hrs too seriously. More stupid events started taking place that I got so irritated I started screaming at the TV. CB started laughing at how worked up I got, he would tell me to stop fast forwarding because “another really stupid scene is coming up, don’t fast forward you have to watch it.” Stupid stupid stupid!!

not so sweet home

I boarded the plane at 7:40am with a heavy sinus congestion. It’s only a 2 hour flight home, but I was scared of the pain the altitude change would put on my ears. I carried a bottle of water, a pack of gum and a pack of tissue paper. The ascent was ok but the decent nearly killed me. There were moments I felt like tearing open the cockpit door to beg the pilot to slow the descent. At baggage claim, my sinus headache got worse, my ears were plugged and the world sounded muffled. I stepped out of the building and into Vancouver fog. My world remained foggy and muffled for the next 3 days.

Two hours after arrival I find myself crying hysterically in my rental car at the Roots Outlet parking lot on Boundry Rd. After less than 30 minutes of shopping I slid back into the drivers’ seat to find my red MEC gym bag missing from the front passenger seat. I had that school/gym bag since 1999 Christmas, given by my sister. On it held a lock that I’ve been using since high school. I’ve had it for so long that I would open it without looking. I don’t remember the combination anymore. But in the bag wasn’t my usual T-shirt, shorts socks etc. I had my mp3 player, camera and two purses which probably cost more than my luggage in the trunk. I was in a state of shock since I didn’t see any signs of forced entry. I couldn’t grasp what just happened. It was a twilight zone moment when something seemed to have disappeared before my eyes, something that had a lot of value to me. Then like a child I let out a whimper that climaxed into an uncontrollable outrage. I called CB immediately who couldn’t understand what I was saying at first. He thought I was crying because I missed him, whatever man. He tried to calm me down which didn’t take long because I couldn’t breathe with all that crying and sinus congestion.

Later that day I picked up ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ to keep my mind off things. I spent most of my time reading and nursing my congestion. Then Thursday arrived and I picked up CB from the airport. On the way there, my sister wanted to play her iPod in the car. I thought that was cruel since I lost my mp3. She needed some help setting it up while she drove, so I took it from her and threw it out the window. Hey, if I don’t have an mp3, no one gets one. But after snapping out of my psychotic thoughts, I didn’t think throwing it out was a nice thing to do so I just looked at the iPod and said “no, I’m not helping you.”

Within a day CB became congested and sick too. (I can’t believe my bag got stolen) I introduced him to my sisters, friends, Blackcomb and my dog. I think they all took a liking to him except for my little sister, because he beat her in the game of Uno.

Friday night we aimed to have dinner at Coast. We had a late reservation since we went to Blackcomb during the day. We waited patiently at the bar for 30min for our 8:30pm reservation, but the hostess was racist and seated another couple who walked in at 9pm. Five minutes later we were seated but were too angry to stay so we walked out. ( I can’t believe my bag got stolen) She frantically tried to find out why we were so disappointed. We just told her not to worry about. I don’t understand how it is that we could be upset enough to leave, but not enough to tell the girl off.

Across the street at Rodney’s Oysters, we enjoyed one of the best plate of oysters ever! The scallops were great too.(my bag my bag)

Then we went to Elixir Bar to meet up with my friends, but we had to wait in line! We waited about 15min in a line of 8 people. How retarded. (I can’t believe my bag got stolen) Then we hopped over to another place, Subeez I think, I like that place.

Saturday was sunny and cold, but at least CB got to SEE what Vancouver looks like. His comment? “it’s cold” . The trip was overall tragic. It was frequently interrupted with me blowing my nose at least once an hour and my random outbursts ..( I can’t believe my bag got stolen.).

Back at work on Monday morning. I was looking forward to my lunch break until I found a trail and puddle of oil underneath my car. (You’re fuckn kidding me, my bag my bag, my car my car) FINE, I AAA it over to an auto shop across the street and it’s STILL there. Everyday the cost seems to be rising and something new is wrong.

This month is turning to be very expensive for me. I’m so Scrooged for Christmas… ba humbug.

killer squirl

It's been 10 days after the marathon, the limping has stopped with just a little soreness remaining. I haven't worked out at all since the run and it made me realize just how much the training had consumed my life. I've been sitting in the office during lunch time instead of working out, I have nothing to do but read blogs, news, nake an afternoon nap, it's been really nice. But now I'm starting to feel edgy. I've got all this pent up stress and I'm getting restless.



I was actually going to blog a story about this stalker squirl living on our roof. The other day when I was walking along the sidewalk to my car, this squirl started following me. Then I stepped onto the road to cross the street and the squirl came right in front of me, just 1 foot in front of me, blocking me. I shuffled to the right to avoid him and he BLOCKS ME I shifted back to the left and he blocks me again. How strange? So I sort of stepped around him and walked across the street to my car and he just waited there for me. On my way back to the house I walked between a different set of parked cars and the squirl hops back on the sidewalk and runs up to me. That started to scare me so I ran/limped my way up the door steps and he's right THERE by my ankle! I ran through the door closing it quickly behind me and screamed for my roomate. "**** THERE'S A SQUIRL AFTER ME!" "what???" She comes down. We both started laughing out how stupid I sounded. But there he was, waiting outside, running back and forth between the door and the window, waiting for me.

On Sunday I stepped out to go to the store and the squirl was there again. This time he perched on the wooden railing like those fake owls. I called for my roomie again, and this time she threw a bag of shoes at the squirl. He ducked but came perching there, she threw the shoes again (the shoes, um.. didn't belong to us, btw), then he charged at us! We slammed the door "see! the squirl attacks!" I screamed. So Ms. GK, with shoe sac in hand, decidedly said "ok, Headdump, go ahead, step out and I'll cover for you. " cover for me? am I being held hostage by a squirl? psycho squirl.

Nike Women's marathon

Sat. 22
I was completely zoned out that day. I was so nervous about the marathon that I couldn’t focus on anything except on my fears that something might just go wrong. Will my right ankle hurt? Will my left Achilles hurt? I haven’t run beyond 13 miles since I sprained my ankle over 10 weeks ago. I ran 8 miles on the 16th and it wasn’t a problem but my ankle did hurt a little. I was scared and for the whole day I could not think straight.

NC and I decided to crash at CB’s place, which was closer to the city. So at 6pm he came over and we dropped off my car at the finish line so I can drive us back to his car, at the start line, when we’re done. But I was so out of it that I forgot to take out the remote control to CB’s house. Luckily his housemate was home to let us in. By 7:30pm we both finished half a pound of pasta each, carbo loading for the next day. I laid out my gear for the next morning knowing I’d be too nervous to remember to bring the things I needed, then we tried to sleep by 10pm.

Sunday 23, Marathon Day
At 3am my anxiety woke me up and I couldn’t go back to sleep. I pretty much tossed and turned until 4:30am when NC and I both got up to eat breakfast. Two slices of toast with peanut butter, orange juice and coffee for me.

We got to Union Square at 6:30am where the race began. The 4 blocks surrounding Union Square and the side streets leading to it were filled with 19,000 runners and 150 registered male runners (so I heard). NC was proud to be one of them. At 6:30 am the sky was still dark and the streets were filled with women in T-shirts/tank tops and shorts, a great place to be for a guy. Though it was early in the morning, I didn’t feel cold at all, the number of people there and my nervousness helped warm me up. Finally at 7:15 we crossed the start line amongst the 10-12min/mile runners.

Along the way the streets were filled with cheering squads from family members, friends, members of Team In Training, there was even a high school cheerleading team and DJ’s to play us some beats. From Union square we headed towards Embarcadero to Golden Gate, through Presidio then to Cliff house, down Great American highway through Golden Gate Park then Up towards Lake Merced at mile 19th. That’s when we hit our last hill and I said screw it, I’m not going to kill my body over this. I walked up the hill then ran around lake Merced, my running pace slowed down to about 12:50min/mi making each mile longer than I’ve ever experienced by 23 mile I was so beat I had to walk and finally I ran the last 2 miles. If there wasn’t a crowd lining the last half mile of the run I probably would have walked my way back, but the cheers were very encouraging and I managed to pull whatever will power I had left and finished at 5 hours 1 min and 8 sec. Though cheering squads were great, my biggest motivator was NC, who kept pace with me till 19th mile when it was time to fend for ourselves. Along the whole way we kept encouraging eachother, no matter how much in pain I was I'd tell him "I feel great, ankle doesn't hurt"

Once I passed the finish line NC spotted me and we both desperately searched for a place to sit. We were hurting. I've never felt more pain in my knees, my back, my ankle, my feet, even my arms. After whining for 30 min we hopped on the shuttle back to his car BECAUSE stupid me forgot to bring the KEYS to my car which we parked by the park the night before! It was a good thing we took the shuttle though because I passed out the moment I sat down. But I owe NC a good meal for driving me back to the park to pick up my car. It may not seem like a big deal, but after running all morning and you're body is hurting, every second away from you bed is a big deal.

After fighting city traffic I made it home by 3:40pm and forced a quick shower and I crashed in bed. BUT I couldn’t sleep. A few minutes into falling asleep I would get nightmares that I’m still running, then I’d freak out. These nightmares continued to reoccur for the whole 3 hours that I tried to sleep. I guess when you spend 5 hours watching your world bob up and down from running, it can become a nightmare. By 7pm I was hungry and I wrapped up the night with more pasta, a few episodes of 24, courtesy of Mikey and a Haagen Daza from Tine.

I had planned on calling in sick and resting on Monday. But ‘common, how could I have forgotten who I worked for. Jack ass.

Nike Ad

My BUTT is Big
AND ROUND LIKE THE LETTER C
AND 26.2 miles
HAVE MADE IT ROUNDER
BUT NOT SMALLER
AND THAT'S JUST FINE.
IT'S A SPACE HEATER FOR MY SIDE OF THE BED
IT'S MY AMBASSADOR
TO THOSE WHO WALK BEHIND ME
IT'S A BORDER COLLIE
THAT HERDS SKINNY WOMEN
AWAY FROMT HE BEST DEALS
AT CLOTHING SALES.
MY BUTT IS BIG
AND THAT'S JUST FINE
AND THOSE WHO MIGHT SCORN IT
ARE INVITED TO KISS IT

JUST DO IT.

Wedding at Waikiki

Here's another blog that took forever to compose.

But let's start from the beginning of the trip when CB and I were bussed over to Thrify Car rental to pick up the Cadillac STS he reserved over the internet. I waited outside with other eager tourists watching rental cars pull up, loaded with suit cases then taking off. The crowd was thinning and soon I was the only one there. I looked into the building knowing they must have screwed up our reservation. CB stepped out to tell me they didn't have the car he wanted but they'll drive it over from another location in about 10 min. "They were going to offer me anything on the lot, but I said 'NO' I want that car [pointing to the picture of a gray sedan]" So we sat down on the Thrify bench surrounded by several rental cars and enjoyed the start of our vacation. In less than 10min. CB jumped up and smiled, there it is. I stood up slightly confused "this is it? are you sure?" He smiled excitedly "yah!" He signed some papers, then proceeded to pop the trunk with the Chrysler emblem shining clearly in front of me. "babe, this isn't a Cadillac" I burst out laughing at how he could've made such a mistake, even with the car in front of him. Apparently when he made the reservation online, the page only provided a picture with no vehicle description.




We strolled around during the day then drove out of Waikiki to find a non-tourist place to eat. CB wanted to go to Safeway to pick up some salmon lomi then a bottle of Kettle one and some mixers. I started passing out on the way home and crashed at 9pm. What a waste, but hey, it's me. I can't stay awake for the life of me. At 1 am CB couldn't stop stirring around the room then he dragged my ass out for a walk. We got to check out the homeless of Waikiki and lots of very skinny prostitutes.

Day 2
You really get to know someone when you travel together. I was the navigator to Manoa falls in
the morning, then an hour drive North to "the shrimp shack" for lunch.


Apparently CB doesn't like my navigating skills. I'm not sure how else to navigate for someone who doesn't listen.

The shrimp was fresh, and the sauce was really good. But if it weren't for the hype in the tourist books, I wouldn't have driven so far for a few pieces of shrimp. We swung by the Macadamian Outlet and sampled a variety of flavoured macadamians.. yummy!!
Then the drive home again. grr.. I wanted to catapult the driver off the island.
We were going to be late catching the bus for Germaine's Luau. Sure enough, everyone was waiting for us in the bus, I hate that feeling of walking all the way to the back of the bus with all eyes staring.

Germaines Luau at night.


It was my first Luau so I was excited, plus I love watching Polynesian dancing. We sat across a couple and the guy's mom. The mom was in her 50's and she was so wasted since the start of the show. She was dancing in her seat and she kept reaching across to talk to us. In the end when they left she came over to give us hugs and kisses, blessing us through the alcohol in her breath.

Ocean's Club at night. Nothing spectacular. I was tired, the crowd was young. It looked like I stepped into The Element Party on Waikiki.

Day 3
Morning Cruise. We had initially planned for a sunset cruise, but with the strong winds and high waves, the surfers were the only one's enjoying the weather.

We hopped onto a bus at 7am that took us out to Ko'Olina harbor. We saw lots of dolphins and the captain stopped the boat as the dolphins swam up to check us out.

Then I saw flying fishes! These tropical fishes jump out of the water and literally fly for a good 5-10 seconds! Then we snorkeled. I saw a puffer fish but no turtles, I was really hoping to catch a glimpse of those big turles. We got back at 2ish and it was the fist time we laid down on the beach to rest.
Rehearsal dinner at Sam Choys.
Cleared the bottle of Kettle One with some other wedding guests at night. Then passed out.

Day 4
We drove to The Original Pancake House for breakfast from the recommendation of a local. At 10am there was a line outside the door that looked about 30 people long and the waiting list had atleast 10 tables ahead of us, but we were seated in 15 minutes. Our target was their banana macadamian nut pancake. CB ordered 3 of them, I ordered 2 cocconut pancakes and we shared an omlette. The waitress repeated our order "you want an omlette and FIVE pancakes?"


We cleared our plates and the omlette. The waitress was impressed. On our way out I glanced at the waiting list and noticed they've already serverd 20 tables since we sat down. Fast service and fast eaters!

At 11:30 am we were picked up to go jet skiing. We were greeted by a local who had a few missing teeth in the front in addition to a few chipped one's. He stepped out of the boat with duck tape wrapped around his right big toe. He explained he had a deep cut in his toe that extended to the balls of his foot from surfing. He had superglued it then used the tape to hold it together. That's just nasty. It didn't make me feel too safe riding with him.


Wedding at Ko'Olina JW Marriot. Lovely place. They had an open bar after the reception and I had one of the best Pina Colada's ever. For dinner I sat across one of the bridesmaid's and her daughter. The 4 year old is so cute. Her eyes beamed when they poured "champagne" into her glass and she was so excited to cheer with us like an adult
.

Passed out on the way home. Go figure. And that was the end of my trip.

Pismo Beach

This is ridiculous. It's taking me forever to post a few blogs because I want to get pictures up. This one here has been since Sept. 8!! Screw it.. I'm just going to post it and put up the pictures later or maybe never.

Labor day weekend was spent at Pismo beach w/ CB NN and K, it's located half way between SF and LA. We spent our first two nights at Sea Venture Inn www.seaventure.com, a quaint little resort right on the beach. The King size bed had a feather mattress and 9 fluffy goose down pillows and a really fluffy down comforter. You completely sink into it. The 9 fluffy pillows made a nice display on the bed, but I seriously wonder about the functionality of them. It covers 1/3 of the bed then took up space on the floor when I placed them there to clear up some sleeping room. Our balcony over looked the ocean and included a hot tub too! The hot tub was like a blown up insta-tub, looks like something you can get at Costco and set up in your own back yard. Not a bad idea. You just fill it with water and turn on the jets. It'll heat up the water in a few hours! We spent our two days laying around the beach and relaxing. We had the option of riding dune buggies, ATVs or horse back riding but sometimes it's nice to just do nothing. We took a stroll and checked out the highly recommended restaurant "Splash", best known for their clam chowder. Then walked the family filled beach and watched surfers displaying their talent or lack of. We later found a clam the size of a palm. Maybe it was a geoduck (pronounced: gooey duck) but it was huge! That thing can be a clam steak! Anyhow, we gave it to an 8 year old boy who was clam digging with his grandma.

Then we went to Solvang,



a Danish Village about 30 minutes away from Pismo beach. The village offers European collectible and a Danish bakery on every corner. Surprisingly each bakery was packed with people including myself. I walked out with a box of Danish cookies and a box of pastries meant for breakfast the following day. http://www.solvangusa.com

There's a Casino 5 minutes from Solvang called Chumash and that's where we spent the night. I didn't spend much time at the tables since I suck at gambling. I also concluded that being a lousy gambler in combination with being poor as hell means I should probably gamble with someone else's money. Which I did, and lost. oops. So I retreated to my room and proceeded with the only remaining entertainment I could find in a Casino Hotel. I reached for MJ and my Danish cookies, passed out in a bed of cookie crumbs and the TV on.

5 love languages

At a recent Toastmaster’s meeting a girl gave a speech titled “The 5 love languages.” The information she provided was simple yet profound. I’ve been in relationships where I’ve claimed that we were different, but I couldn’t explain how we were different. I pointed to communication differences, but I couldn’t get more detailed than that. Finally I just figured it was chemistry, as if we were made from different planets, Venus/Mars, Earth/Pluto. Despite how much we were in love we always struggled with the same subject of validating our feelings to eachother. Anyhow, after listening to her speech I learned how important it is to express our love in the same language, and how detrimental it could be when you don’t.
So, stealing from a web page…..

How many times do we hear about people not feeling loved by their partner, much to the partner’s surprise and frustration? According to Gary Chapman, author of “the Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate” it is often the case that love is there and being expressed, but not in the “language” that the loved one understands. Each of us has a primary language of love…ways that we express love and things we see as expressions of love. If we can learn and use each other’s love language we can increase the quality in our relationships.
Gary identifies these five love languages as:

*Words of Affirmation. An unsolicited compliment, a kind word, and words of encouragement are very powerful. Mark Twain once said “I can live for two months on a good compliment.”

*Quality Time. This means togetherness and personal connection, not just being physically nearby. Learn to have a quality conversation, really listening to each other. Take time to have fun together. Do things you each enjoy; explore new activities together.

*Receiving Gifts. The message here is that the gift giver was thinking of you and wanted to let you know. Expense is not the main thing – it’s the meaning. A favorite treat picked up on the way home or a card for no reason sends a priceless message.

*Acts of Service. Cooking, washing the car, laundry can be acts of love. Challenge the stereotypes. Doing something that is helpful to your loved one will be noticed, if it is their language of love.

*Physical Touch. A hug, a kiss, holding hands, and sexual intercourse are all ways of communicating love. Research indicates that positive physical contact is important to emotional health; some say you need four hugs a day.

Ways to identify your loved one’s “love language” is to pay attention to his/her complaints:
“you don’t spend enough time with me” = speaks of quality time
“you don’t tell me you love me” = speaks of words of affirmation
“You don’t hold me”=speaks of physical touch

You can also identify your loved one’s language by observing how they express their love to you.
What’s your love language?

weekend retreats

I like getting away for the weekend. Even if it's not very far, just the change in environment feels very relaxing. It helps you forget about the bad stuff that lingers in the back of your mind, like bad work stuff.

I squeezed in another camping trip in August. It was a scorching 97 deg at Folsom Lake that weekend. The lake had jet ski rentals, boat rentals, and all sorts of floaty stuff. It's a very popular camp site, but the lake wasn't all that impressive. the sand was full of pebbles, and I think it was a man made lake because there were lots of concrete blocks surrounding the lake. It looked very industrial. None the less, we had our beer, lots of Kal-be and we chilled.

On our way back home we stopped by Folsom Premium Outlets, which was only 10 minutes from the lake and did some shopping. The whole purpose of camping was to get away from "city life" but I couldn't resist. I ended up finding a swim suit for only $15 at off Saks!

Hibernate

For the past 3 months my Sunday mornings usually started with opening my eyes to YN staring back at me, followed by "oh my god, do you remember what you did?" Humiliating pictures helped to remind us of why we shouldn't get too drunk.

I'm ready to hibernate for a while now. I really screwed up my training schedule after a few mis-haps. One crazy weekend messed me up for a week. Then I discovered I have varicose veins which really hurt for a few days, but I still ran through the pain. Then I rolled my right ankle 5 minutes into a planned long run. I wasn't warmed up yet, so it was hurt really badly and that was 3 weeks ago. I'm rehabing it right now but I can't seem to be able to jump on it yet. I'm hoping it'll be okay by next week. Mean while I'm spending ridiculous hours in the gym to make up for the length of time I'm supposedly running. Last Thursday I was there for 3.5 hours using the elliptical machine, steps etc. in substitution for my 16mi run. That's gym money put to good use.

If anyone knows has a good tip for sprained ankles, please let me know. It was an inversion sprain.

The training has really taken up a lot of my time. I have to work out after work now because lunch hour isn't long enough. I often find myself responding to IM greetings with, "hi", "gotta go to the gym, talk to you later." It kind of stinks, but I really want to do this marathon, I've been looking forward to doing one for years.

Some changes I've noticed with my training are: I don't get bored after an hours work out anymore, at 2 hours I feel like the energizer bunny, I can still do more but my joints start aching. My calves have gotten really big! They're massive! If I flex I can barely wrap both hands around them! A good MP3 player or book makes a huge difference.

lean back

oh yah, this is the way it should be. half way slid down my chair, Explorer full screen ahead along with many other non-work related windows. Boss isn't here this week, and what do I do with my time? I plan my marathon schedule. I was worried for a while that I wasn't up to mileage and won't have enough time to train properly, what if I got an injury? which I sort of do.

I spent most of my day reading articles from active.com learning how to train injury free. Apparently it's recommended to do a ratio of run/walk which came as a great relief for me. I was wondering how on earth I'd manage running 26 miles continuously.

I did 10 miles straight last week and I nearly killed myself. Throughout the 10 miles I learned that my vision gets slightly blurred at about 6 miles. I was running through small branches, stepping over shrubs and I think I might have stepped on a small lizard.
I felt an unfamiliar soft landing under the balls of my right foot that made me slip very slightly to right followed by an immediate high pitched squeak. I could have stopped to double check but I was already 10 seconds past the 'squeak' and I was too tired to add an extra 20 seconds back tracking just to see a blurry lizard.

While surfing through active.com I came across a section on gears. It's a page full of the latest, sportiest sunglasses, shorts, T-shirts, runners. I started to smile.. SHOPPING! But I'll refrain myself. The only thing I feel I need is another pair of running shorts, pants, runners, maybe another mp3 player. I've had mine for 3+ years and I'm surprised it's still alive. I use it a lot! (thanks JY) My friend MM was telling me how tights help to stabilize the legs so that everytime you make impact your muscles don't have to work extra hard to stabilize the jiggling that occurs. At 8 miles, I definitely concurred.

So here's what I came up for training.

Monday: Spinning Class (interval training)
Tuesday: Cross Training
Wedensday: up to 4 miles w/ hills
Thursday: Long Run
Friday: Stretch/Yoga
Saturday:2-4 miles + core training
Sunday: OFF

There's something about getting those out to the world, because now I feel somewhat obligated to stick to it. If anyone knows of a better schedule, let me know.

Pushed

For the most part I've always been the pusher in the relationship. Trying to push it to the next level. Pushing for more attention, pushing for more affection, pushing for more of everything.

Then at one point or another I push too hard and all goes to hell. Inevitably, the harder I push the worse I make things.

This time I'm being pushed. It's suffocating, it’s pressuring, it’s unwelcoming, it's irritating. Now I see how pushing a relationship can push it apart. No one wants to be pushed.

Shaughn

I think it was 1995 when Brenda ,Celia and I snuck off to Surrey and picked up a Labrador Retriever from a breeder. We didn't let mom know, she didn't want a dog because of the extra burden.
Our new pup had a special colour that normal labs don't possess. He's not your usual black, chocolate or white lab. He was fox red. Well, a few months later we learned that he's a lab-cross, not purebred, that's probably why his colour was *speical* doh.....

We were searching for a good dog name but Celia said not to give him a doggy name "if you're going to treat him as a dog then you shouldn't have gotten him" (Brenda and I didn't comment on that, she must've been on something) So, we named him Shaughn , after Shaughnessy. Shaughn is the cutest dog in the world. He's a huge brat, incredibly smart, which makes him a bigger brat.

When mom came home we strategically told her we bought Shaughn as her birthday gift. She frowned and said no, take him back. She didn't want to clean up after him, take care of him etc. But we said we would do all that. She said no, who's friend does this dog belong to? Mom wouldn't touch him, she didn't want to hold him, her eyebrows grew closer and closer together. "Take him back" were the only words coming out of her.

It took a little convincing for her to realize that Shaughn is here to stay. The next morning mom had Shaughn in the kitchen and was playing with him. We pulled out our camera and she proceeded to hug him for poses. And yes, she became the care giver, feeding him, walking him etc. oops, well, we were all at work and in school, so she just ended up taking care of him.

In Shaughn's younger years we'd let him play in the yard during the day and he would perch on top of our stone fence, sitting very still watching people walk by. The tall bushes behind him and his stillness almost camouflages him. Most of the time people don't even notice him there and walk right on by. Occasionally Shaughn would let out a startling bark and scare the crap out of people. Sometimes I'd catch all of this from the inside, get a good laugh, run out and appologize then bring him to the back. But one day while I was doing dishes I heard Shaughn whining. It was intense and it didn't sound like he was just seeking attention. I ran out and found him on his side. His head was arched back and legs stretched out in spasm. I ran to him and saw his eyes buldging staring into space, he looked like he was in pain. I started to cry and I didn't know what to do, no one else was home. I tried to pet him but his body started to convulse. I called the vet and they told me to bring him in, but I couldn't carry a 50 lb dog, they were of no help and I never went back to that vet. I thought he was going to die right there. A few minutes later he came to, took a poop and ran towards me wagging his tail. I gave him a big hug. That was the first time I saw Shaughn in seizure.


Shake paw Shaughn


Shaughn continued to have occasional seizures since then, but a few days ago he had a two hour seizure that continued into a different kind of seizure. My sisters described him to be paddling and panting on his side for an hour and a half. This all stopped when the vet gave him a shot. He stayed in the hospital for 2 nights and now he's back home, but crippled and with undetermined neurological damage. His motor skills have deteriorated. He can't get up on 4's and can't feed himself. He has to be carried out to pee and poo and food has to be brought to his mouth. He's also suffered damages to other parts of his organs and is currently under intense care. He's scheduled for a neurological exam and is taking a long list of medications. His medical bills are daunting and will only get worse.

We can only hope Shaughn will recover and be able to walk again. When you've had a pet for so long, they become family and it's especially hard for Brenda since she's been the one taking care of him for the past years.

So this blog is for my Shaughn Shaughn.
 

another "this is life" blog

I feel like I've been living the same day 365 times. My life has come to a stand still. Nothing is changing and I'm breathing stagnant air day in day out. I travel the same roads 6 days a week. I used to pride myself being a creature of habit. Wake up, eat breakfast, leave for work, work out at lunch, return to work, go home, eat dinner, chores and sleep. I liked it stress free, simple, relaxing, NO DRAMA. Now, I'm desparately searching for an exit. I'm not seeking entertainment changes in my life, not new hobbies or sports or weekend excursions. Frankly, I'm not sure what it is I am looking for. Maybe that's why I'm standing in still water.

Occasionally I converse with my friends about how uninspiring my life has become. Then I usually get a sigh, followed by "that's life", "that's what life is about", "c'est la vie" sure, use a different language, that sounds better.

Don't tell me that. This cannot be my life. I'd be quicker to gouge my eye out with a spoon than let this be my life. (Best keep HD away from spoons)

A smart advice I received from a jack ass long time ago was to consider the source of the advice. A little ironic here. He's a jack ass but not stupid. So, I was talking to jack ass about making career moves and mentioned how some people told me not to make certain moves while others encouraged it. Then he looked at me and said "well, my young grasshopper, are the people who discouraged the action successful or not? and are the people who encouraged you successful or not?"

Then I thought, did Bai Mei just called me grasshopper?

I probably got to this stage because of all the relationship changes I'm seeing around me. I've been single for some time now and knew of only one other girl who's single, and she's all the way in NY! Then suddenly singles are appearing again and I'm half excited and half reminded of the agony I went through a year ago. We've all gone through breakups before, but why is it everytime we go through it, it hurts just as bad as the first time?

VN told me that I should know if he is the one after dating for 6 months. She's 4 years above me and told me this when I was 22. I was dating her brother at the time for 5 years and I thought she was crazy. I don't think she meant for us to break-up, but was giving me advice should I date in the future. Her idea was not to waste time. Dating is like an investment. If he/she isn't the one and you keep daiting, then you're wasting time. I think about what she said all the time. So here I am dating this guy wondering if I'm wasting his time. We don't know where we're heading and sometimes we feel we're hitting a wall too.

For the past year my focus was just to keep myself occupied. Do something, keep busy, but I never directed myself to get somehwere.

It's time to move on, but I don't know where to go and I've gotten so comfortable sitting in this puddle of mud that I'm actually kind of scared.

Lake Mendocino

Beer never tasted so good and camping is unhealthy.

On Saturday CB and I packed up my car with a new tent and awesome camp chairs costing only $8/ea. courtesy of Target. I ran through my checklist then we headed North towards Mendocino County 2 hours away.

We arrived a little past noon, pitched our tent next to two neighbours. These people have tents big enough to call a house. All they're missing are some hinges for for their doors and glass windows. These things are huge! While tent shopping, CB and I even came acroos a tent for 8 people, dividable into separate rooms with an addition den for your DOG! The dog even gets its' own entrace!



After working up a sweat we headed straight to the lake. There, we baked in a 100deg weather trying to cool off with what little water we carried with us. Slowly, more people gathered then a man situated himself about 5 feet away with a lawn chair. He pulls out a pack of smokes and cracks open a bottle of beer and leaned back into his chair. I eyed his beer and without much hesitation we headed back to retrieve some of our own. Our beer was still slightly frozen which was perfect. The little floating iceberg kept my beer cold as I layed next to the lake. In that hot weather and an icy cold beer, I've never tasted anything better.

We headed back to camp after cooling off in the lake and started a fire for dinner.
Then someone started blasting country music a few camp sites away. I was really irritated at how inconsiderate they are, so CB pulled out his boom box and blasted R&B and Hip Hop. LOL, no he didn't but that would have been funny.

Dinner is when it starts to get unhealthy. We pulled out 2 pounds of Korean BBQ marinated the night before, about 4 pieces of chicken breast and some bacon wrapped peaches. I thought we brought way too much food for just the two of us, but with a couple of more beers, a bottle of Johnny Walker for CB, a few hits, the food was gone by the end of the night. I also cleared half a bag of marshmallows, which is a must have whenever a camp fire is around. I like to roast my marshmallows until they torch then blow it out. It's the most carcinogenic thing I can do, it looks nasty too, but the taste of burnt sugar is oh soooo good.



Right after dinner we drove into town to get some more ice which ruined the mood a little. That's the problem with car camping. You're often so close to some town that you wonder maybe you should just have dinner in town instead of firing up a grill. This one time camping in Vancouver, I was so close to home I was tempted to just drive home to shower up then drive back, or drive home, shower, sleep, then go back.

Before taking off, the neighbours' Golden Retriever, Barry (I think that's his name) must've loved the smell of our food because he'd come over all the time and sniff around the trees. Then I caught the dog taking two huge poops. I tried to shoosh him away to poop closer to his own camp site, but instead the poor dog assumed poop position and straddled to another poop site closer to our tent and remained constipated there. After he unloaded I walked over to the owners to let them know. Which made me realize. With these dogs walking around in long leashes, it's easy for the owners to be unaware/ or pretend to be unaware of their dogs' doo doo. Which means.... watch your step.

Anyhow, we spent the rest of the night chilling by the fire listenting to music then at one point CB woke me up from the chair telling me to go inside to sleep. I think I might have mumbled something about sleeping out there all night because it was so warm and the chair was comfy.

Breakfast.
4 chicken apple sausages, more bacon, 2 English muffins each and Starbucks Mocha Frappucino. The fire was still burning after we finished breakfast, so I proceeding to take the next logical step. Roast more marshmallows.


Now that's a weekend well spent, doing absolutely nothing but sitting around and vegging.

The longest History

Doctor: Good afternoon Mrs. Sanchez, I noticed on your intake form you mentioned your neck is bothering you.

Mrs. Sanchez: oh, my neck has been bothering me for sometime, it's not really bad but it's always there.

Dotor: ok, so when did you start to notice it?

Mrs. Sanchez: It's not very painful but it's just there, you know? It's like somethings always poking me there but it doesn't hurt too much, but I'm concerned, you know, I don't know what to do about it. (Mrs. Sanchez rubs her neck) it feels tight. (Mrs. Sanchez turns her head side to side) Do you think it's old age?

Doctor: Do you recall having a specific accident?

Mrs. Sanchez: I don't think so (looks around thinking). It hurts from up here to here and when I sleep, I sometimes wake up because it's bothering me.

Doctor: (interrupts) ok, so when did you first noticed this?

Mrs. Sanchez: oh, it's been some time this tightness in my neck...

Doctor: (interrupts) was it a month ago, one year ago, two years ago?

Mrs. Sanchez: It's just very tight and sometimes it goes down to my back (points to her lower back), I think it's a pinched nerve or something. Or maybe it's just muscle, do you think it's just muscle?

Doctor: Mrs. Sanchez, I need to know how old this injury is. When did you first notice this? Last week? A few months ago? A year ago? two years ago?

Mrs. Sanchez: It's always been there (rubbing her neck)it's just tight...

Doctor: Was it a year ago?

***(repeat x3, 3 min later)*****

Mrs. Sanchez: oh maybe 3 years, then 2 years ago it got worse and now it really bothers me.

Doctor: Thank you. (scribble)

Hearst Castle

I took a trip to Hearst Castle in San Simeon. I've been meaning to go there since I moved down. So CB rented a convertible and we cruised down Hwy 1 on a sunny afternoon. The drive was beautiful and the warm weather just topped it off. But haven't you noticed that no matter how nice the view is, after an incredibly long drive, it loses it's appeal.


Hwy 1

Hearst Castle was ok. I wasn't sure what to expect. It's called a castle so I was expecting to see something resembling European architect. It turns out to be what I would describe as several large houses built on the same plantation with a Lego of unmatching artifacts from different parts of Europe, even Egypt. Hearst definetly hired a fine architect to build his dream, but the design was... inconsistent. However, the sheer size of that place and its' view was impressive.
the Neptune pool surrounded by white marble pillars.
. Casa Del Sol, 18 room guest house .Casa Grande

Pillsbury Toaster Strudel

yummy!!

I'm not a big fan of junk food or fast food or frozen food and stuff like that. Good Desserts are an exception: cookies, cakes, pies, ice cream, chocolates have made their way as part of my food groups. But there are just some things that don't appeal to me such as chips and dips, nachos, frozen food, twinkies and stuff alike, fast food, fries, anything fried except for tempura, candies, chocolate bars (unless i'm PMSing) etc.

I was starving last night because I had to stay a little later at work, so I hopped over to Target to grab something quick and the RED sale sign for the Pillsbury Toaster Strudel caught my eyes. It was only $1.70 for a box of 6 strudels. I figured I haven't tried any of this stuff in years so I got a box of chocolate strudels and egg/ham/cheese. I popped them in the toaster and oh my god.. they were good. The strudel was smaller than my palm and with 200 calories and 10 grams of fat no wonder they were good. AND CHEAP. I can see how easy it is for people to just live off this stuff. The strudel was so flakey it was as if I just pulled it out of the deep fryer.

I'm trying to pawn it off to my co-workers now so I don't develop an affinity for them.

Home sweet Home

I couldn't wait to climb the mountains and lay on the beach the minute I stepped out of the airport. It's been some years since I've seen Vancouver basking in sun and ever so green. I sat outside on the departure level, as usual, waiting for my ride. I never mind waiting for my pick up. It gives me a chance to create a check list of everything I want to do. First things first, get my hair done.

That night I went for Japanese food with my sister. I saved no hesitation to dog down everything my stomach would allow me to. It was absolutly delicious. Then we went down town for Gelati. I like gelato, but I was disappointed to find the whole city turn into a dichotomoous menu of Starbucks and gelato. I like learning of new places that has opened since I've been gone, but I'd hardly consider "oh look another Starbucks" something new.

Friday morning I drove up to Cypress with my weekday companion, Shaughn. He keeps me company when everyone is at work. We went on a rather disappointing hike. there's a lot of still water up there so there were more mosquitos than I would like. We walked around for about 40 minutes and Shaughn jumped into a few pools of water and that's when I called it quits. I took him down to Kits beach instead where we ran from Vanier Park to Point Grey. He collapsed on to his stomach on the way back. Apparently too hot and tired for the day. I felt so bad for my four legged friend who had less endurance than I did. It took about 20 minutes to get him from the beach across the grass field to my car. He would dodge the sun from tree to tree and take a rest break at every shadow.

Saturday was a perfect day for the wedding I attended. Though a little too hot since the AC doesn't work in my car. I retired earlier than my friends as usual. I simply lack the stamina to stay awake. Squirl asked if I cried at weddings, well, I don't unless the bride and groom do. Well, they did, and at the reception too. So I cried. And just a random thought, wouldn't it be aweful to have your wedding when you're PMSing?

Sunday my friends and I hiked up Dog mountain on Seymour. It was cloudy on the way up but we soon got above the clouds and it was clear blue sky at the top. That was a nice day trip. Sunday night, another big meal at Joe Fortes... yum.

yogi posers  

Monday was when everything went down hill at about 2pm when JC and I met up with MJ. Then time seemed to have stood still and flew by all at the same time. The rest of the day was a blur but I do recall what a great view JC's new pad has of down town. Residing on 8th and Heather with a roof top patio, he's got the ultimate bachelor pad. Each room looked like a show room out of Pottery Barn.

Tuesday 8am. Apparently my brain was still shot. I completely miscalculated my check in time and missed my flight. Might as well, since I forgot to pick up my dry clean and shoe repair and at the airport I realized I left one bag behind too. That bag had my US wallet and some other important stuff. I walked around the airport feeling like the biggest Air Head then cabbed it back home just to deja vu 2 hours later at the airport.

It was raining the day I left. I guess you can call it the perfect day to leave, so I won't feel so nostalgic.

work hours

Dear Boss, these are my work hours that YOU set for me please remember them.
....................................................

Lunch time.

I usually leave the office during lunch except for lunch meetings and lazy days like today. But when I stay in, everyone knows not to talk to me. Everyone except for the boss and boss' wife. Everyone knows that when I'm facing the monitor I DO NOT hear you and I DON'T WANT to hear you. It's my lunch break DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT WORK!

AND DO NOT CALL ME AFTER WORK!!! I don't care to hear about what a great job I did today and we're going to do so much better tomorrow. Don't call me to remind me to come in 30min earlier and leave 1 hour later. I don't even want to waste my time hearing your messages that We're rockin' !! It's friggin 8pm!!! tell me that tomorrow! DURING WORK.

arrr.....

cravings

At about 9am this morning I started to have this intense craving for a hamburger or two and fries, maybe. Who craves for burgers at 9 am?? I searched high and low for something to curb the cravings. If I had the chance I would have stepped out to grab a burger at McDonalds or burger king. I wasn't craving for just any burger, I wanted the King of all burgers, the McDeath! But it's no where near noon and I wasn't exactly hungry so I ended up popping in two Almond Roca's which was nothing remotely close to the fat cravings I had. I reached for some cookies, sipped my coffee hoping to change my taste. Finally 12pm hits and I got myself to the gym to run off the potential triple bypass I was about to endure.

2:30pm
that was yummy.. 2 double cheese burgers and a medium fries, courtesy of Burger King. mmmm..
3:00pm
ok, now i'm feeling sick. No amount of running can undo what I just did.
Speaking of running, I hit 8 miles last Sat. Yah, it's been well over 4 months since I hit 7 miles. I'm slightly lagging on my training.

REI

It’s Monday and I’m still feeling the repercussions of my weekend. I went to REI Friday night for their annual sale. I hesitated on splurging, but on Friday I could no longer hold in the temptations. I felt like a kid in that store, it was like Toys R Us for adults. With an overly enthusiastic staff by my side, my friend and I stayed for 2+ hours in that store. We started with a back pack. The associate measured my torso and searched for a back pack that was most suitable for my purpose. We ended up with the Gregory Deva 60 for women, touted as the "best women's weekend pack" in the 2003 Backpacker Magazine Gear Guide! It was also on sale for a great price! It's designed with three ways to pack my bag, top loading, front panel access and bottom access to get to the main compartment. It's about 3200 cubic inches in volume and weighs at app. 5lb.

I then stepped over to look at tents and the associate couldn’t stop smiling as he explained all the different features on their selections. I think he was getting more excited about me getting a tent than I was. I stood there a good 30 minutes after because I’m so indecisive and finally picked up the North Face Tadpole 23. "An ultralight two-person tent with Fusion Pitch for fast packin, ideal for adventurers who value performace and efficiency" Sounds perfect for me. Weighing at about 4lb 6oz, I'm going to have lots of fun with Tadpole this summer.
The tent is also very cute. The associate must have thought I was retarded for picking out a tent because “it’s so cute”. I felt pretty stupid saying that too, but shoot, it IS cute. I even picked up the foot print for the tent too.


Set up in the kitchen

The next step was to look for a sleeping mat! Luckily, I already have a sleeping bag and didn’t need to drop more dough for that. Two hours later with the back pack on my shoulder the same associate helped me pick up an REI sleeping pad and I used my 20% off coupon for it. He continued to smile and asked me what else I needed, “a sleeping bag? Have one already? How about a stove?” I didn’t get a stove, but I did learn a little about them. I continued shopping around and picked up a pair of running socks. I have a pair of hiking socks and I feel like I’m walking on clouds with them on. So I was really curious how these running socks will pan out. So with a new back pack, a tent, a sleeping pad, pair of socks and a big hole in my wallet I was in friggin’ heaven. It was 8:45pm when we stepped out of REI. They close at 8pm. Had I stayed there longer I probably would have picked up a stove, a towel, a head lamp, food, bug spray, water filter, omg I’m getting all excited just thinking of all that.
After REI all I wanted to do was go home, pitch my tent and sleep in it. But instead we went for dinner at this French restaurant called Le Pot au Feu at Menlo Park. Great place, good food, we ordered dessert too and I ate it all, go figure. I was too tired and full to set up my tent after that, so on Sat. after work and errands that was the first thing I did. I could help but burst out in little giggles as I set up each pole, and I dove right in it when the tent was up! I would have slept in it that night except that I was going to Bay to Breakers the following day and wanted a good night’s sleep.

Bay to Breakers was really fun. I can’t believe it’s only 7.5 mi from Embarcadero to Ocean beach! Considering how long it takes to drive the distance you’d think it’s 20 miles apart! We tried to run the whole thing, but it was hard when the crowd was a mix of runner and walkers. There was a lot of stop and go on our part and that made it really hard to keep up the endurance. There was one float that says “Michael Jackson’s Child Day Care” and some guy dressed as Michael Jackson on it. Lots of people in costumes and naked men as usual. There were DJ’s and bands playing along the streets, it was really festive and impressive to see so many people up partying and walking on a Sunday morning! Next year I'll arrive earlier and run the whole thing. But untill then, I plan on puting some good mileage on my new toys. I can't wait to go camping.

And I've learned

It is already May. Already a year since....

After reading a few blogs I'm brought back to thoughts of where I am in life. I made a conscious decision to just enjoy life after I graduate. Or you can say I consciously made an excuse to drop my ambition and be a lazy ass. No regrets. Though, I have already gotten comfortable living off the lint in my pocket and am in dire need of getting my ass in gear. An old college friend called me out of the blue the other day. I told him my situation and his response was "what happened to you?" What happened to me?

When encouraging YN the potentials of being down here, I was reminded of all the nights I cried when I first moved down. Sobbing silently in that small tatami room. The sliding doors and plastic panels replacing the traditional paper sheets offered little privacy between my room and the living room. For 3 months I covered my head as I struggled to admit I missed my mom just like I did in kindergarten camp, my first night away from home. Every kid slept peacefully after our teacher’s good night kiss, and I continued to lay awake on the top bunk-bed after she tried to comfort me. She said I could call mom and go home, but I toughed it out (or might have just passed out, I could have been narcoleptic back then too).

Five years later, this city has shaped me in ways that home never could have done. The biggest change started with my old roommate DG. She exuded a confidence that I haven’t seen in anyone else. After living with her for 3 years I opened my mind to do things I was too shy to do. To be the dork only my family see’s. I tune into music I once thought was a waste of airtime. I simply became comfortable in my own skin. I grew stronger. I don’t think home could have pulled that out of me. People seem more concerned about their image up there.

So, reading what life after 30 wrote in her blog....I too have learned a few things...
I’ve learned that time will not stop when I sob in self pity.
I’ve learned that I can be more decisive when I’m honest with myself.
I’ve learned that whatever obstacle comes my way I always make it across whether stumbling or with ease.
I’ve learned how open minded, kind, generous, unconditionally loving people can be.
I’ve learned that the truth may hurt, but lies hurt much more.
I’ve learned that I may be a procrastinator, but I’m not a quitter.

Sadly,
I’ve learned that love doesn’t last forever. No matter how deep, I still move on.
I’ve learned that money does matter, that grandma was right, love will not feed my hunger.
I’ve learned how selfish, deceitful, judgmental, conniving people can be.
I’ve learned to be doubtful, cautious, guarded.