Fun in the Snow

Sometimes my being too impulsive can get me into trouble.  Last Wednesday, I was informed that I will be taking a business trip to Billings, Montana to participate in another plant’s BRC audit.  I was enthused.  Aside from it being an opportunity for learning about something, it may be a good chance for me to see Yellowstone National Park.  I immediately told my boss that I was up to it and that I would like to go there a day ahead to do some sightseeing.  I told him I was willing to shoulder any additional expenses, and he didn’t have a problem with it.  But one thing I didn’t do was check the weather.  I already did my flight arrangements when I realized that Billings had a winter storm warning.  Hence, the roads are difficult to travel and may be impassable.  What a drag.  The original purpose of my coming a day ahead is defeated.  J was laughing at me.

However, instead of feeling bad about the weather I was excited.  Never in my life have I experienced plowing snow off the street or cleaning snow from my car.  Yes, we have been to snow resorts but not with snowfall.  Whenever we go, the initial downpour has already been over and done with and the resorts are just making fake snow.

my small car in the middle

view from my hotel window

the only tools I had

I woke up this morning with a moundful of snow on top of my car.  It took me an hour almost to get it all cleaned up.  First due to the lack of experience and secondly due to the lack of tools.  I also drove through the streets of Billings since the roads were closed and I couldn’t really go anywhere else.  It was quite an adventure and I loved it.

 

The Big Apple

I just got back from my short east coast vacation.  There, I met Ate Nila, Ate Vangie, Kuya Mon and Kuya Mario, former colleagues from Marigold.  I thought this was the perfect opportunity to see the big apple since the weather is great and I am going to be with friends I haven’t seen in a long while.  Indeed I was right.  Not only was I fascinated with the sights and places, but I was also happy to be with the company of good friends.  During this trip, I had 3 major stops:  Newport, Rhode Island, Washington DC and New York City.  All three were very nice places but I like Washington DC the most.  I think New York was too fast-paced and crowded.  The drivers and the traffic are also a little bit worse than LA.  I think Manhattan is the only place where you would feel like you’re in NY, as it is portrayed in Sex and the City.  The other places are almost like Manila — dirty and crowded. 

Newport, Rhode Island was too laid-back.  I would love to stay there.  But not now. Perhaps later on in life when I’m retired.  Actually, majority of its population is composed of retirees.  It is also famous for being the city-dwellers’ get-away.

Washington  DC on the other hand, is different.  It is fast-paced but not too crowded.  The best part about this city is perhaps its museums and historical places.  The transportation system is also great.  Though if you were to drive, try not to  be too dependent on the GPS navigation system because it is screwy out there.  I guess interfering signals are really installed out there so as avoid having the White House as a very easy target.

The trip was a bit tiring but it was all worth it. It is nice to be in new places in the company of good friends.

 

The Canyon That Is Grand

Traveling is one thing that I really love to do.  If I were to win the lottery, it is probably the first thing I would do.  To satisfy the travel bug in me, J and I set off to see the Grand Canyon on labor day weekend.  Thinking that this is probably the best opportunity for us to see this place, we made it a point to see both the south and north rim.  The South rim is the most popular one probably because the canyons are more scenic.  As I looked through it from the different viewpoints, I am overwhelmed by the feeling of marvelling in God’s creation.  The canyons at the north rim were not as scenic as the south but the road going there was. To travel from one point to another, you would need at least  5 hours, going through the Navajo desert.  However, the trip is all worth it since the beauty of the meadows is astounding.  Again, another one of God’s marvelous creations. 

We started our trip on a Friday night, stopping by motel 6 to rest.  Early the following day, we embarked on the trip to the south rim.  Though it was very exciting, mishaps were also encountered.  On gasoline stop at Kingman Arizona, I left my wallet in the ladies’ restroom.  We were already 2 miles away from the place when I discovered it.  J was so mad.  I cried.  Not because he was mad, but out of sheer frustration at myself.  Luckily, the wallet was still intact when we got back.  Another notable incident happened on the way to the canyon.  There was an accident.  A big one.  For the first time in my life, I actually saw 2 cars turned upside down and a dead body on the road.  J didn’t think it was polite to take pictures and I was a little bit shaken by what we saw. 

All in all, the trip was such a success.  It was very tiring but we had a blast.  I am also glad that I am able to know J more and realized that he is such a good travel companion.  He can really be a stickler for rules; strict but reasonable.  That is exactly what I need.  We were able to go through 3 states: Arizona, Utah and Nevada.  I was thinking to myself; “there is no better way to spend labor day than this.”

 

Catching up?

I met up with my good old friend Mylene last July 3 and it felt like nothing has changed.  It has been more than ten years now since college, but I feel like there is really no catching up that needs to be done.  Afterall, I am still updated with her life and she with mine.  Her daughter Kyla might have been surprised though because I instantly knew her.    Thank God for blogs.

 

Fun in the Sun

A postcard from LA commonly features beautiful shots of its beaches. As a resident here, I often take advantage of this great beauty of nature by strolling around the piers or doing workouts in the sand. However, strange as it may seem, I’ve never really been in the water. But yesterday was different. I actually went in the water.

I was with two of my Czech friends Katka and Jirka. After doing our Sunday routine with me going to church and them going to the fitclub, we met up for lunch at the Santa Monica farmer’s market and decided to go to Zuma beach. The ride there was a tough one since there was so much traffic and it was too difficult to park. However, we were quite lucky to find a nice parking spot by the side of the street and equally lucky to find a nice spot in the sand as a couple just started to pack up when we arrived. The waves at Zuma were huge. So the swimming activity became more of a riding-the-waves activity. But it was so much fun. At first the waters were a little bit chilly but as soon as I took a full body dip, it wasn’t so bad. I had a little cold then but I felt that the salty water melted it all away.

After riding the waves, I really had no intention of sunbathing as my skin is already nicely tanned as it is. But since I was with white people, we never bothered to bring a beach umbrella. I had no choice but to go sunbathing as well. It was a good feeling to lie in the sand except for a simple act of stupidity where I didn’t put any sunblock on my back, so now it’s stinging from sunburn. It was funny since after we got out of the beach each one had a specific mark. Katka became Zorro since she had her sunglasses on while sunbathing. Jirka became a lobster and total redneck since he forgot to put sunblock on his face and neck. I on the otherhand, became a butterfly due to the traces of my swimsuit on my burnt skin. My sunburn still stings a little bit but it was all worth it.