Pics - Summer 2006 (Part 1)

Wow, it's been 2 months since my last update, but I'm finally back home from vacation. I was out of town most of July and August, so I haven't been able to send out emails or update this blog. Now that I'm back, things are still a little bit busy... trying to find a place to live close to school, finding ways to pay for tuition, looking for a job, and deciding which classes to take and what organizations (extra curricular) to participate in. Yea, the semester about to begin again.

So I'm just going to post some pictures from my summer days, and I'll update with more stuff next time. ^_^

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 7/9/2006

Sis and I drove to Philadephia, PA to see Katie Melua in concert at the World Music Cafe. It was so worth the long drive coz she's awesome. I love her, her voice, her songs, her music, etc etc etc.

Huntington Beach, California - 7/30/2006

I flew to the LA area and stayed there for a few days. Met with friends and enjoyed the wonderful beaches. This was right after church, we headed out to Huntington Beach to check out the surfing competition. I can't remember what it's called, but it was a major event. We missed the whole thing though coz it was all over when we got there, so we just walked around the beach and the pier and enjoyed the weather.



The OC Fair - Orange County, CA - 7/29/2006

I arrived in LA early in the morning, and by afternoon, we headed out to The OC Fair. It was a lot of fun, lots of food, animals, rides, shows, concerts, and a lot of walking too. Alex definitely enjoyed the pony ride and the petting zoo, and the piglettes in the pig race were so cute. Fun stuff.

Finally an Update!

Wow, it's been over a month since my last update. It's been so long that I almost forgot my password. I had to try a few ones before I finally got to log in. Anyway, I've just been busy and occupied with work, but I am excited to be done with work and start my vacation. My last day's in a couple of weeks, then the fun begins..... ^_^

Pics - Rockville to DC Bike Trip

21-Mile Bike Ride from Rockville to Georgetown (May 2006)

Malcolm invited a lot of people for this bike trip, but everyone chickened out when they heard how long it was going to be. Only the brave showed up, and I admit, even I had some doubts on whether I could finish this trip or not, but fortunately, I made it to the end. It was definitely not easy, considering the amount of exercise I've had is walking to the restroom from my desk. My fingers are definitely getting a lot of exercise from all the typing I do at work, but toned fingers won't help me ride a bike. ^_^ Anyway, it was a great day, the company was awesome, no one got injured, and we made it all to the end in one piece.

At the beginning of the trip in good ol' MC-R

In Bethesda, outside of B&N... We're halfway there!

Closing in on Georgetown... the tunnel on the Capital Crescent Trail

Finally, Georgetown... the Potomac River & Key Bridge behind us

Parking our bikes at the Waterfront, ready for some ice cream

Uuhh... Tenny's looking scary.

Whoa! Tenny is way tall!! We're finally heading home via the Metro. I don't think I could have survived another 21-mile ride heading back to Maryland. Whew!

Terps Win Championship

The Maryland Women's Basketball team won the championship last night against Duke University by 3 points (78-75). The game was awesome, and I was at the edge of my seat. The Terps were way behind in the first half, but managed to tie the game and went into overtime. The Terps had won every overtime game they've had, and they did it again this time. This is the first National Title for the Maryland Women.

"Overtime is our time," Terrapins forward Marissa Coleman said. "What a better way to win a national championship than in overtime, which was our time all season long?"

I'm so thrilled for them. If you didn't get the chance to watch the game last night, search for it online or borrow it from someone who recorded it, and watch it.

Read the story at the UM Terps Website

Car-less

Check out my sweet ride today
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I’m car-less today because I had to drop my car off to the auto clinic place last night to get it checked and ready for that road trip to Orlando next week. Besides, I think it’s time for those quarterly check-ups, which I have been putting off for weeks because I don’t have the money to pay for it. For weeks, I have been driving with a broken brake light. Hehe. Now that I need to drive at least 13 hours to Florida, I have to get my car tuned up and fixed.

I took the bus to work today. I haven’t ridden the bus in years, since I started driving. I’ve gotten so used to the convenience of driving around anytime and not have to wait for the bus to arrive. I’ve become spoiled. Ridding the bus wasn't really that bad. Sure, I had to leave home earlier, my commute took longer, and I had to transfer to 4 different buses at different locations, but I actually enjoyed it. Especially now that the weather is warmer, all the waiting and standing outside wasn’t too difficult. I’m actually considering taking the bus a few days every week to save on gas.

The Mormon Church

The Mormon Church & Christianity

I had a very interesting talk with my boss last night, about the Mormon Church. He’s a Mormon and pretty much grew up in the church. He started talking about death and went on to tell me what they believe about life after death. There are basically 3 levels of heaven. How obedient, good, and faithful you are in your earthly life will determine where you end up in. They believe in hell but very few people actually stay there.

In regards to the nature of God, they believe that God was once human eons of years ago, and he was able to progress and become God by living a perfect life, following all the commandments and so on. Therefore, Mormons have that potential to become god themselves and rule a universe.

We also talked about polygamy a little bit and how it came about in the Mormon Church, but it’s now abolished around the beginning of the 1900s.

It’s really interesting how most religions focus so much on good works and being a good person in order to achieve or receive salvation, but Christianity is all about grace. Salvation is a gift, which you don’t have to work for.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV)

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Discussions on religion are very though provoking, and I enjoy it a lot. I love learning about different stuff.

Olympics - Figure Skating (W)

Who stayed up to watch the Olympics Ladies Figure Skating finals last night? I did. After I left the Royer’s, I drove as quickly as I could, more or less within the speed limit of course, so I wouldn’t be able to miss too much. Thankfully, my mom recorded everything. Well, she recorded as much as she could fit into the tape.

I was rooting for Sasha Cohen to win the gold, but she didn’t have a perfect run and fell twice. Fortunately for her though, the other skaters made a number of mistakes too, so she managed to hang on to second place and got the silver medal, but hats off to her for persevering and finishing her routine with just as much grace and drive despite messing up at the beginning. It is usually difficult to recover from a fall and get over it to continue the routine.

The gold went to Japanese skater Shizuka Arakawa who was sitting in third place after the short program. She did a magnificent job in the long program and didn’t make any significant mistakes. I think her routine was beautiful, and she got a standing ovation for that. Her gold medal is well deserved.

Irina Slutskaya got the bronze medal. She too made some mistakes in her routine, and she was unable to take the gold or the silver.

Michelle, Sasha, and Irina – Will they every get that Olympic gold they wanted so much? It’s like every time they get the chance, they mess up and loose the gold. It’s the same thing last Olympics. And of course, they’re not getting any younger, and there are a lot of younger skaters entering the scene.

Kimmie Meissner – As I was driving to work this morning, the radio stations were all talking about last night’s skating event, and they mentioned Kimmie Meissner. She’s from Bel Air, Maryland, so it’s no surprise that people here would be talking about her, but the DJ referred to her as the “Fresh Princess of Bel Air.” I thought that was funny. Anyway, she’s young and she’s good. She’s definitely someone to watch out for.

Ok, enough of my figure skating musings. I always get into this figure skating state during skating seasons, and especially during winter Olympics. Aren’t you glad it only happens every 4 years? Hehe.

A Break from Rentals

Rent & Domino DVD

I just bought these two DVDs yesterday. I didn't get to watch them when they were out in theatres, so when the DVDs came out yesterday, I went and got them. The best time to buy a newly released DVD is the day it comes out, because it's sold with an introductory price ranging from $15 - $17. The introductory price usually lasts for a week or less, depending on how popular the movie is. If you wait too long, it'll be back to its regular price of about $20 - $25. New DVDs come out on / every Tuesdays. Anyway, I had a $20 coupon to Best Buy, so I ended paying about $7 for each DVD. Sweet savings! ^_^

SI Swimsuit Issue 2006

Sport Illustrated Annual Swimsuit Issue

I really don't know what the hype is about with the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, which happens to be the most widely read issue of any magazine. I don't know why it's the most read when you don't really get to do much reading with this special issue. I was surprised to get one in the mail, and then I remembered that I signed up for a free trial subscription when I bought a DVD at Suncoast, which reminds me to cancel that or I'll end up paying for it. Anyway, I was hoping they'd have articles on the Winter Olympics but no, it's all bikini clad models in "exotic" locations all over the world. The models are predominantly white / Caucasians with seemingly perfect and flawless bodies. The cover alone says it all... 6 blonde ladies and 2 dark haired Latinas. Not much diversity if you ask me. Bottom line, it's 250-pages of pictures and that's pretty much it. I think it's a waste of money.

Now, when can I get a Winter Olympics Special Issue? Are they even doing one?

Pics - Snow Day

We had our second snow for this winter season. Hopefully, it will be the last. This winter's been really weird with all the spring and fall weather, and very little snow, but now it's starting to feel like winter with only a few more weeks to go before spring officially begins.

The snow melted quickly throughout the day because of the sunlight, but of course, you still need to clean the snow off your car. I thought I can finally use that shovel sitting on the corner collecting dust, but when I got out of the house all ready to take on the snow, it was already cleaned and it looked like the snow never even touched my car. [Thank you, Malcolm ^_^]

They cleaned and salted our walkways as soon as the snow stopped. It was pretty impressive considering it's a Sunday.

They cleaned out the roads pretty well too. When I left to go out, the roads are all clear and more or less safe.

Winter wonderland - taking some pictures while driving. It wasn't easy and it's not safe either. Kids, don't try it. ^_^

Snow covered trees behind our place. They always look so beautiful when the snow sticks to the branches like that.

Pics - Random Items

Vash from Trigun - one of my favorite anime and character

A motorcycle made from wires from Malcolm, which he got when he went to England. It's really cool!

A few shotglasses from my collection. If you're going somewhere and thinking of getting me a gift, get me a shotglass. ^_^

My little Dalmatian pup with the big head and small body. He obediently sits still above my monitor looking cute and all.

And my friend Jose Cuervo. We have a lot of history together. Bwahaha! That made me sound like a drunk, but as you can see, it's unopened and full. It's one those really small collection bottle thing.

Randomness 2/3/06

* I got a postcard in the mail and another one a couple of days later, both from the same person. Thank you, gorgeous! It made my day. Love you! ^_^ (You know who you are, and I'm very sure you'll read this.)

* We just lost a $1.38 million contract because the seller wants that extra $15k. Oh gosh, $1.38M is just not enough. Working in this business made me realize just how greedy people are, and 98% of the time, they always end up getting less than what they would have made if they took the initial offer. It's frustrating. So we're back to square one. I don't know if we'll even get an offer as good as that one.

* New nickname: Annita - My officemates are now calling me Annita, and I like it. It means that I'm now definitely part of the family. Haha. Everyone's got nicknames here at the office. There's Lancito (Lance), Victoriano (Vic), Pulgita (Cynthia), Reynita (Reyna), Bossing (Marlon the boss), etc. Although, my boss calls me a different nickname... “Piyaw Liyang" which is a Chinese word. You figure it out. ^_^

* I've recently been referred to as a "Pool Shark"??!!! Huh? Eheh..

* I watched an advanced screening in Georgetown. It's the movie "Imagine Me & You". It was an "unconventional" romantic comedy movie. What more can I say about it... It's not a movie everyone will go run to watch. I have to admit, I am enchanted with the British accent. It sounds lovely. Eheh. The best thing is that it's free and you get the chance to watch a new movie before it comes out in theatres. I should do this more often.

* Which one should I pick Hawaii or Southern California? A couple of trips I've been invited to are coming up soon, but I couldn't decide which one to go to. Both would cost more or less the same, which is a lot of $$$. The Hawaii one being a little bit more expensive, but it would take 2 weeks, and the California one would just be for 4 days max. I'm thinking twice about Hawaii because that would mean I'll off from work for 2 whole weeks, so I don't get paid for 2 weeks. Hmmm... I don' know, maybe I'll end up not going to both and just go to New York for a day to catch a show or two. That sounds like a very good idea.

* I've been eating at least one pack of Ritz Bits Sandwiches (Peanut Butter) every day because we have an endless supply here at work. Is this thing even good for me? I'm reading the back of it, and it sure has a lot of fats and very little vitamins.

Year of the Dog

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

This year's the Year of the Dog, which only occurs every 12 years. It's my year, so it should be great. Hehe. It's great to celebrate both Chinese New Year and the regular New Year, because you get another chance to follow through on your new year's resolutions. ^_^ Well, I'm looking forward to a great year, even better than the last.

Cars Cost a Lot of Money

So, I got new tires for my car. It keeps getting flat every 2 weeks that I just decided to get it checked. Sure enough, I ran over a number of nails, and my tires are beyond repair. Makes you wonder where I've been driving. Eheh. I got all 4 tires changed, and it was not cheap, but it's either that or taking the bus to work. That would not work at all because I drive a lot from one job to another every single day. I did get the Lifetime Replacement Warranty thing, so it wasn’t that bad.

TV and Movies

I’m currently obsessed with One Tree Hill, thanks to Val. We did a marathon of the first season at Val’s place, and she was drooling for Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) the whole time. ^_^

I watched the new Underworld movie with Joseph. It was great to see Joseph again because it’s been about a year since I last saw him. That was last year’s Chinese New year. Time passes by so quickly, and before you know it, you have lost touch with a lot of people. Underworld Evolution was awesome, and I think Kate Beckinsale’s character, Selene, is just the coolest. I wish I could fight like that. Haha. Underworld’s definitely my favorite vampire themed movie.

Nothing's Working

Here we are at work, sitting around the couches in the sitting area and chatting. We could not get any work done because our phones are not working. We can't make any outgoing calls nor can we receive any incoming calls. We have to use our cell phones to make phone calls. Our internet connection is not working. Verizon disconnected it because we did not pay our bill, which we never received. The heater in our office is still not working, so we had to buy a couple of space heaters to keep warm. It is really cold in here. I do not know if it's due to the space heaters, but half of the office does not have any electricity this morning. The computers are down, the phones are down, and the heater is down, everything is down in our office. Weird enough, my computer is the only one with internet access. I don't know why I could still connect. Maybe I'm connected to another line? Who knows? This is how I am able to make this log. I'm just sitting around waiting for time to pass. Carmen's husband did come by to bring us lunch. Papusa and some carne... Yummy!

On the bright side, our office is looking more like an office. They went out and bought some plants, flowers, pictures and frames, coat rack, magazines, etc, and did some decorating in here. It definitely looks way better now.

But here we are sitting around, chatting and laughing, Carmen screaming at Victor to stop taking random pictures, Cynthia looking through our magazine and criticizing the clothes the models are wearing, Anna typing away on the computer, waiting for time to pass, and complaining of how cold it is in here. ^_^

Boxing Monday

Pacquiao versus Morales

This was the topic of conversation the whole day Sunday, and it still was when I came into work this morning. You can easily tell I work with a lot of Filipinos. Those of us who aren't boxing fans, we stilled followed this fight closely and cheered for our kababayan (countryman). And Pacquiao won! Pinoy Pride people! Hehe! ^_^

First Day at the New Office

So, we're now officially at our new office. This morning was a total mess because we still haven't set up our fax machine. Cynthia had to drive back to the old office just to send out an important and urgent fax. We considered knocking on the neighboring offices and ask to use their fax machine, but decided against it. Most of our computers are either not connected to the internet or or not connect to the printer. Some are missing their keyboards or mice, most likely burried in one of our many unpacked boxes.

I was confused on how I was to answer the telephone, whether to greet callers with "Re/Max Pros Aspen Hill..." or "Re/Max Pros Deausen Group..." Different people are telling me different things. To add to a very exciting morning, we were freezing in our new office because we didn't know how to adjust the heater/AC. Is it even working? When guests and clients were coming in, I had nothing to offer them but some leftover skyflakes and 3-days old pizza. I still have to jump over boxes to get from one end to the other, and we keep on misplacing our restroom keys. We definitely need to duplicate them or we'll never be able to go to the restrooms the rest of the day. Perhaps, the neighboring offices will be kind enough to lend us their restroom keys?! Well, today's a very exciting day indeed! ^_^

Is It Really Winter??

It's such a beautiful day today. I can't believe that it's winter because it doesn't feel like it. I didn't even need to wear my jacket outside. The weather has been awesome these past few weeks. I can definitely get used to this. Only a few more weeks to go before winter officially ends. Yey!

Every month, it feels like my key chain just keeps getting heavier. I just got a couple of new keys today to add to my already bulky key chain. We have finally moved to our new office. It's much bigger and could fit all 20+ of us. Today was my first day there, but no calls or clients coming in yet. The whole day was spent arranging our things, getting everything organized, setting up all the new electronics and appliances that came in today (fridge, copiers, printers, etc). Monday, we'll be officially at our new office. I'm actually excited, but that means I need to get to work 30 minutes earlier than usual. I'm not too happy about that, but hey, it's either that or find another job. Haha.

Have a great weekend everybody! ^_^

Pinoy Generation

Ok, this is long overdue. Val’s probably wondering what’s taking me so long to “advertise” our site. Eheh. So here’s a site we put up to bring awareness and share ideas on how we can help our country. Visit PINOY GENERATION now! Start commenting and share your thoughts and brilliant ideas.

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I feel like I need a vacation. Life has become very redundant and boring, the same cycle, the same things every single day. It’s wearing me down. I need to take a short trip somewhere…..

Letter In The Mail

I got a letter in the mail yesterday from Yan2x, and I finally got the chance to read it today. It made my day. ^_^

I think everyone should have, at least, one person who knows them inside and out. Someone they can share anything with. Someone who knows everything about them, the good, the bad and the ugly, yet they still stick around and remain the best of friends. And if you have that someone in your life, you're truly blessed.

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High School - Sophomore Year during intramurals (September 1996)

No Beauty in Hurry

I was driving down Massachusetts Avenue the other day, and driving down Mass. Ave. is a wonder. I loved looking at all the different embassies on both sides of the streets with their flags hanging outside of their buildings, and trying to guess which country they belong to. It’s fun. You should try it. ^_^ I like driving by houses, both new and old ones, and admiring their structures. They all possess a beauty in them that you just have to appreciate. Hehe.. Little things make me happy.

These days, I find myself rushing from one place to another. It’s so easy to get lost in your busy and hectic schedule. I don't like to be in a hurry all the time and to be so busy that I can no longer appreciate the beauty and joy of anything, like driving in the snow. It’s so easy to complain, but if you stop and think about it. It’s actually beautiful and relaxing... just looking at the snowflakes falling and landing on your window, especially when you’re sitting in traffic. It’s great, and actually, very therapeutic. It shows God's hand in everything around us....

Redskins, Rooms, Sit-Ups

The Washington Redskins in the Playoffs

I'm normally not a football fan (my Mom is), but I have to make an exception this time. I actually sat through the whole Redskins game this past Saturday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, their first playoff game. I actually enjoyed the game and prayed that the Redskins would win, and they did. It wasn't an awesome win. The offense did really poorly, but the defense did awesome. They won the game for the Redskins. I'm so happy, and I'm rooting for them. I don't know how far they can go, but as my Mom said, every game they win is a blessing. Go Redskins!!!

Oh.. and Papa John's Pizza gives awesome deals on pizzas whenever the Redskins win a game, and depending on how many touchdowns they get, that's how many free toppings you can have on your pizza. The past 5 weeks, we've been having pizza every Monday night, and guess what, we're having pizza again tonight. Haha. I'm not complaining because I love Papa John's pizza. Yumm!

My Weekend

Apart from spending it watching football all day long, we also went to visit a couple of apartments / rooms for rent in the UMBC area for my Sis to live in when school starts. It wasn't that bad because I've always enjoyed checking out houses. So I had a blast and even wanted to visit more places. Hey, maybe I'm destined to go into the Real Estate Business. Haha.

I woke up this morning with my stomach (abs) hurting because around midnight on Sunday, I decided to exercise. Not really the best time to exercise, but I was really motivated to do some work-out last night. I was hurting today but I feel good because that means my work-out is working. Hehe. I really need to do it more often. I've been very lazy ever since Softball season wrapped up.

2005 At A Glance

What a year 2005 was! In 2005, there was the Student Senate, MC Lady Knights - Softball, Lady Crickets, biking in DC, white water rafting, graduation from MC, a new job or two, working full-time, California trip, reconnecting with old friends from the past, as well as, new friends and relationships, new experiences and challenges, and many many more. 2005 was awesome!!!

Happy New Year everyone!
I'm looking forward to another exciting year in 2006! ^_^