thanx a bunch to my friend (y), that i went to the trip with...for everything....u made the trip so great, memorable, wonderful, and definitely worth the time, especially going with u....God bless....
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
tripix
pics from trip...
thanx a bunch to my friend (y), that i went to the trip with...for everything....u made the trip so great, memorable, wonderful, and definitely worth the time, especially going with u....God bless....
thanx a bunch to my friend (y), that i went to the trip with...for everything....u made the trip so great, memorable, wonderful, and definitely worth the time, especially going with u....God bless....
Sunday, January 4, 2009
last day – traveling back to ‘reality’….
the fly back to ‘reality’ the next morning was 6am. originally, my plan is to just stay up all nite, and go to the airport early. but, with the suggestion of my friend’s auntie and uncle, i finally submitted to take a short nap. boy…that was short. it was probably the short nite sleep i’d ever done. but, afterward, in the morning, i was actually glad that i took their suggestion. so, again, thank u auntie d and uncle m. i would’ve felt worse if I had not taken the nap. and, i think that short nap kind of resulted in me forgetting my wallet in the rental car. and, that caused me to run around in the morning, in which i definitely not planning to do, but oh well….thank GOD for always taking of me. i was able to get my wallet back pretty easily and not too long.
the plane ride was quite pleasant. i was able to get some more rest in the plane. got something to eat and got to talk more with my friend. the only glitch of the travel back was the 1.5hr delay that we had in one southern city, in which it was a foggy day. other than that, all in all, everything went ok.
we got a chance to talk a lot about many things. i even got a chance to ‘evaluate’ the whole vacation and even got evaluated, hhahahaha……what?……j/k…….
all in all, i am really really glad that i decided to go along on this vacation with this friend. it was nice, great, wonderful, lots of excitement, lots of unexpected, lots of getting to know and to be known, met lots and lots of new, different, and interesting people, and some more. i also actually learned more about certain things during this vacation. i felt like GOD was putting me in certain situations, that challenged me in a good different ways. i was unexpectedly glad that i was challenged during this whole week. it’s definitely something that i can use as one of my goals for this new year 2009. the trip resulted a creation of challenges for me to expand even a lot more than i thought i was going to expand for the new year. so, out of all, thank u, GOD for everything. thanx 2 my friend, thank u, GOD for my friend and the whole relatives and families that i met throughout the week all over the state (sorry, if I forgot all ur names at someday i met u all again). GOD bless u all…..
the plane ride was quite pleasant. i was able to get some more rest in the plane. got something to eat and got to talk more with my friend. the only glitch of the travel back was the 1.5hr delay that we had in one southern city, in which it was a foggy day. other than that, all in all, everything went ok.
we got a chance to talk a lot about many things. i even got a chance to ‘evaluate’ the whole vacation and even got evaluated, hhahahaha……what?……j/k…….
all in all, i am really really glad that i decided to go along on this vacation with this friend. it was nice, great, wonderful, lots of excitement, lots of unexpected, lots of getting to know and to be known, met lots and lots of new, different, and interesting people, and some more. i also actually learned more about certain things during this vacation. i felt like GOD was putting me in certain situations, that challenged me in a good different ways. i was unexpectedly glad that i was challenged during this whole week. it’s definitely something that i can use as one of my goals for this new year 2009. the trip resulted a creation of challenges for me to expand even a lot more than i thought i was going to expand for the new year. so, out of all, thank u, GOD for everything. thanx 2 my friend, thank u, GOD for my friend and the whole relatives and families that i met throughout the week all over the state (sorry, if I forgot all ur names at someday i met u all again). GOD bless u all…..
Saturday, January 3, 2009
day 5 part 2 - views of the north...reminiscence...
after the run, i took a shower to get ready to go places. we went to eat at a vietnamese place. i guess it's one of my friend's favorite place. then again, i kind of understand, since we don't really have any good vietnamese place from where we were. we went to lunch with one of my friend's auntie's son and the g/f. food was good and i was able to eat something different from what i had while i was in the south last monday. after lunch we went to get coffee, this time it's pete's coffee. a little different, good different tho. it was my first time. interesting. before i tried this coffee, i thought the one coffee that is better than starbucks' was coffee bean & tea leaf. but after pete's, hm....i think i found another one that is better than starbucks.
after coffee, we went a little bit south for some sightseeing. first stop was bay bridge at day time. since we need to go through the bridge to get to where we actually wanted to go. so yes, i count that in. then the piers. after that, we got to the place where i started my adventure life. the shore that leads me from the swim race that i did in 2006.
very very memorable, definitely give me inspiration, and hopefully i also gave impact and inspiration to the people i talked to about the race. the place was definitely one of the places that pushed me to do more, to go beyond what i can do, to explore, to not be afraid to have adventure in life, to go to the areas of unknown, and to have faith more....in HIM....
from there, we went along the shore of the pacific to go around and look for great views of the area and took some pix. will definitely try to get some pix here l8r on….
then, we continued on to passing another bridge to get to another sightseeing place, which i never been to; so hey…a place that i never been to in west coast. and yes, it was definitely worth the drive. nice view, perfect weather. we went around the area. walk around the houses. took pix. until about probably around 5.30pm. afterward, we went back to my friend’s aunt place (where we stayed) to have dinner. it was a home cooked meal and it was absolutely great. it was something that my friend had been looking forward to. as for me, i’m enjoying the food. some were similar to where i came from. others had different taste that i kind of like. then, as always, after dinner, dessert. and guess what? i found a very nice one. it was a rum cake, hmm……i could be dreaming about it if I kept on thinking about it. but, it tasted really really great. i think i ended up eating 4-5 slices, oh yeach…..just can get enough of it. thank u, auntie d.
all rite, by this time, it was time to kind of get ready to get back from vacation. time to pack and probably rest. but not yet, we have another stop. we went to one of my friend’s cousin’s newly renovated place. and, yes, it was really really nice. they did a very very nice job in renovating and decorating the place. i wish i took a pix, but oh well….
after coffee, we went a little bit south for some sightseeing. first stop was bay bridge at day time. since we need to go through the bridge to get to where we actually wanted to go. so yes, i count that in. then the piers. after that, we got to the place where i started my adventure life. the shore that leads me from the swim race that i did in 2006.
very very memorable, definitely give me inspiration, and hopefully i also gave impact and inspiration to the people i talked to about the race. the place was definitely one of the places that pushed me to do more, to go beyond what i can do, to explore, to not be afraid to have adventure in life, to go to the areas of unknown, and to have faith more....in HIM....
from there, we went along the shore of the pacific to go around and look for great views of the area and took some pix. will definitely try to get some pix here l8r on….
then, we continued on to passing another bridge to get to another sightseeing place, which i never been to; so hey…a place that i never been to in west coast. and yes, it was definitely worth the drive. nice view, perfect weather. we went around the area. walk around the houses. took pix. until about probably around 5.30pm. afterward, we went back to my friend’s aunt place (where we stayed) to have dinner. it was a home cooked meal and it was absolutely great. it was something that my friend had been looking forward to. as for me, i’m enjoying the food. some were similar to where i came from. others had different taste that i kind of like. then, as always, after dinner, dessert. and guess what? i found a very nice one. it was a rum cake, hmm……i could be dreaming about it if I kept on thinking about it. but, it tasted really really great. i think i ended up eating 4-5 slices, oh yeach…..just can get enough of it. thank u, auntie d.
all rite, by this time, it was time to kind of get ready to get back from vacation. time to pack and probably rest. but not yet, we have another stop. we went to one of my friend’s cousin’s newly renovated place. and, yes, it was really really nice. they did a very very nice job in renovating and decorating the place. i wish i took a pix, but oh well….
day 5 part 1 - morning run
waking up @ about 5.30 in the morning during vacation was definitely weird. but yet, that was happening to me the whole time during this time. today, i was awake around the same time, but did not get my body up until around 8.
i wasn't so sure whether my friend wanted to run or not. we didn't really talk about it the nite before, but my friend did mentioned days before. so, finally after confirming, we did run. beforehand, i did get a chance to have a little breakfast. little...? well, at least for me. altho according to my friend it was more than little. it was actually west coast's famous bbq pork bun (cha soa bao); hm.....thinking about it definitely made me want to steal it from my friend's. hahahha.....j/k....
anyways....we ran for about an hour. the plan was to go to a coffee place, but since we got kind of a small detour, we ended up not going to coffee place. it was definitely a nice whether for a run. at least for me. got a chance to do some uphill climb workout, altho as always, i wasn't planning to do. also, i was able to get some speed work.
here comes the interesting part; in the beginning, i was not planning to do some speed work. but somehow, i felt so comfortable and go during the run that at one point i actually kind of forgot that i was running with someone. it was not a sunny day, but yet it was not too cool. kind of wet roads, but not rainy. a little sprinkle and windy to keep me cool, and yet not foggy. it was just nice for me to run. got to enjoy some nice breeze, loads of fresh air, and wide open side bike lane.
at around the mid point, i told my friend that we can either keep going or go back. at first, my friend said to just keep going, but then when i said it was already 5k, then my friend changed the suggestion. so we went back the same route. what interesting to me is my friend was able to kind of keep up. we were not running side by side all the time, but i was impressed that my friend could still keep going and running. some of my other friends would probably already be walking at the mid point. but, this person was able to keep going until the last hill. so, yeach, i was quite impressed that i actually gifted this person.
i wasn't so sure whether my friend wanted to run or not. we didn't really talk about it the nite before, but my friend did mentioned days before. so, finally after confirming, we did run. beforehand, i did get a chance to have a little breakfast. little...? well, at least for me. altho according to my friend it was more than little. it was actually west coast's famous bbq pork bun (cha soa bao); hm.....thinking about it definitely made me want to steal it from my friend's. hahahha.....j/k....
anyways....we ran for about an hour. the plan was to go to a coffee place, but since we got kind of a small detour, we ended up not going to coffee place. it was definitely a nice whether for a run. at least for me. got a chance to do some uphill climb workout, altho as always, i wasn't planning to do. also, i was able to get some speed work.
here comes the interesting part; in the beginning, i was not planning to do some speed work. but somehow, i felt so comfortable and go during the run that at one point i actually kind of forgot that i was running with someone. it was not a sunny day, but yet it was not too cool. kind of wet roads, but not rainy. a little sprinkle and windy to keep me cool, and yet not foggy. it was just nice for me to run. got to enjoy some nice breeze, loads of fresh air, and wide open side bike lane.
at around the mid point, i told my friend that we can either keep going or go back. at first, my friend said to just keep going, but then when i said it was already 5k, then my friend changed the suggestion. so we went back the same route. what interesting to me is my friend was able to kind of keep up. we were not running side by side all the time, but i was impressed that my friend could still keep going and running. some of my other friends would probably already be walking at the mid point. but, this person was able to keep going until the last hill. so, yeach, i was quite impressed that i actually gifted this person.
Friday, January 2, 2009
day 4 - hepi new year...
well....the first day of the new year started with me waking up on the floor in the middle of a living room, now, wait, no, it's not like that and it's not that bad. it was just one of my friends' family tradition that they do every new year's eve. they invited all their relatives and close friends to stay over to be able to spend time. so, anyways, what a way to start a new year waking up on the floor. a couple of hours later, i said good bye to all the adults and kids in house that stayed over. then, i went to dim sum with my friend's other relatives. hm....dim sum, finally. anybody that went to west coast should definitely have dim sum. if not, u r definitely missing something on ur trip. nice place, and as always, crowded, for any chinese dim sum place, which that means the place is pretty good. never been there, then again, don't know i'll ever go back. oh well....
after breakfast/lunch/brunch/dim sum, i decided to call one of my friends' sister that live nearby the area. and so i did see her. she is actually the kind of person that consider as my little sister. since i'm the youngest kid in the family, so never have a younger sister. there was a couple of instances that made us kind able to connect in the sense of making me in the position of being the big brother. so, in a way, i do thank God for her that i could have that opportunity. the last time i see her was in 2006, and that was pretty brief, so this time, we got a chance to spend a lot more time and talk. talked quite a bit about families, friends, things that is going on, future plans, past experience, food, back home, etc. after meeting her, i actually felt pretty happy and somewhat proud of her. i thanked God that she is able to overcome quite a bit of adversities in her life. i do know she is always able to have fun in things that she does. but, based on the experience that i had with her beforehand, i am really happy that i can see her, see her progress to adulthood, see her maturity, and see her mind development. so, all in all, i am absolutely glad.
afterwards, we went straight to my friend's other relatives. after having met and visited so many that is from the mother's side, this time it is the father's side. oh my goodness, u mean this is not even half of it yet? oh well....
we went further north east from where we were. then went to dinner to chinese place. apparently it's one of the family's favorite place to eat. not bad at all. service was a bit slow, not sure why. it wasn't crowded. maybe, it's the new year thing.
the day ended with interaction and conversation with my friend's relatives, desert, and coffee. it seemed like not much that i did, but somehow i felt like i accomplished quite a bit.
new year 2009, new beginning, new ignition, definitely the year that i have quite a bit, well, actually plenty to look forward to and been looking forward to. thank u, God, for 2008. for everything that were.
after breakfast/lunch/brunch/dim sum, i decided to call one of my friends' sister that live nearby the area. and so i did see her. she is actually the kind of person that consider as my little sister. since i'm the youngest kid in the family, so never have a younger sister. there was a couple of instances that made us kind able to connect in the sense of making me in the position of being the big brother. so, in a way, i do thank God for her that i could have that opportunity. the last time i see her was in 2006, and that was pretty brief, so this time, we got a chance to spend a lot more time and talk. talked quite a bit about families, friends, things that is going on, future plans, past experience, food, back home, etc. after meeting her, i actually felt pretty happy and somewhat proud of her. i thanked God that she is able to overcome quite a bit of adversities in her life. i do know she is always able to have fun in things that she does. but, based on the experience that i had with her beforehand, i am really happy that i can see her, see her progress to adulthood, see her maturity, and see her mind development. so, all in all, i am absolutely glad.
afterwards, we went straight to my friend's other relatives. after having met and visited so many that is from the mother's side, this time it is the father's side. oh my goodness, u mean this is not even half of it yet? oh well....
we went further north east from where we were. then went to dinner to chinese place. apparently it's one of the family's favorite place to eat. not bad at all. service was a bit slow, not sure why. it wasn't crowded. maybe, it's the new year thing.
the day ended with interaction and conversation with my friend's relatives, desert, and coffee. it seemed like not much that i did, but somehow i felt like i accomplished quite a bit.
new year 2009, new beginning, new ignition, definitely the year that i have quite a bit, well, actually plenty to look forward to and been looking forward to. thank u, God, for 2008. for everything that were.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
end of long day 3 and the year 2008
we arrived at the destination of the day around 9pm local time. got to meet a lot of people. not sure whether i can remember all their name. let me see and try to jot down their names; william, joyce, emlyn, bruce, noreen, cliff, adrian and her borthers and sister, whcih i also don't remember the names, carlos and his wife, which i also forgot your name, helen, sam, letty, steve and the wife, sorry i totally forgot your name, mary-ann, devyn, jennifer, jesica; ok, i think that's all i can remember in terms of name. i'm pretty sure i forgot many of them. man.....sooner or later, my memory could ran out. hahha...j/k. and, on top of that, auntie noreen said all those are only about a fourth of the yvonne's family; oh my goodness..............r u kidding me.............??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by this time it was about 11pm, dec 31st, 2008. i did get a chance to eat some stuffs that was prepared by people. the food was definitely great. after the long drive, yes...it was definitely worth it.
at this point, we gathered around a room to say what we were thankful for the past year that we were about move on from. then, we did something called white elephant. interesting; since i don't get to this many times. and, it turned out i got an egg peeler, and a box full of goodies. thank u, God and to the people that prepared and wrapped all that.
so at 0am of jan 1st, 2009, everybody stopped and watch the ball drop in new york city time square from tv. i give my friend a hug and say happy new year to everyone that i can reach to. afterwards, i just walked around the house, watched tv, talked to some people, and trying to decide where to sleep until about 2am, maybe. and, well...i think that's enough for day 3. seemed like not much activities were done, but i definitely felt i accomplished a lot. thank u, GOD. definitely looking forward to more of the trip and well....for the most part, for the new 2009 year. God bless...
at this point, we gathered around a room to say what we were thankful for the past year that we were about move on from. then, we did something called white elephant. interesting; since i don't get to this many times. and, it turned out i got an egg peeler, and a box full of goodies. thank u, God and to the people that prepared and wrapped all that.
so at 0am of jan 1st, 2009, everybody stopped and watch the ball drop in new york city time square from tv. i give my friend a hug and say happy new year to everyone that i can reach to. afterwards, i just walked around the house, watched tv, talked to some people, and trying to decide where to sleep until about 2am, maybe. and, well...i think that's enough for day 3. seemed like not much activities were done, but i definitely felt i accomplished a lot. thank u, GOD. definitely looking forward to more of the trip and well....for the most part, for the new 2009 year. God bless...
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