Disney baby

I caught The Parent Trap tonight starring Lindsay Lohan. One of my favorite movies.  I don't know why, but it seems like I never quite graduated from Disney. As a kid, it's understandable that I loved Disney films. Nothing beats The Lion King and The Little Mermaid. But up until high school, I was still singing Hakuna Matata with the other staffers in the Journ Room. I even wrote an article on Disney for our paper, The Science Scholar. During my college years, I've been bombarded with Disney TV mainly because it's Paula's favorite channel 24/7. Now, I still love watching cartoons and Disney-Pixar films. Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles --- I've watched them all. It seems like there's a kid in me that never grew up. (And I'm proud to say that.)

Well, that kid surely enjoyed going to Disneyland last Thursday, May 26. There were tons of people in Disneyland when we went but we got on the best rides: Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, to name the best of the best. We had to wait a full hour to get on Splash Mountain, though. It was fun getting wet and hyped up for that huge drop (in the picture there are people about to experience that drop).

Disneyland is really for the kids as there are characters like Belle (in picture) roaming around for photo ops. We wished about a million times that Paula was there to enjoy it with us. She would have enjoyed it more because Disneyland is like a huuuge playground. With different rides and cartoon characters roaming around in real life, Disneyland is heaven for the kids. For the kid in me, the experience is a dream fulfilled and something not to be forgotten.

It means no worries for the rest of your days
It's our problem-free philosophy
Hakuna Matata

San Francisco & Berkeley

This trip has given me a new perspective in life. I am now a traveler. I now yearn to see different cities and meet different people. When you travel, you learn new things, may it be about the place you're visiting or the people you're with. By traveling, you gain confidence and truly live up to the line: "I have explored the world." I do not want to stop here. I would like to explore more places -- Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia --- and see the world with my own two eyes.

We went to tour San Francisco this weekend with Auntie Osee and Uncle Carl's family. My cousin, Ate Mai (who we haven't seen for more than a year), also joined us in the trip. San Francisco is a very interesting city. Its sloping roads, cable cars, and massive bridges set it apart from the rest. The view of the San Francisco skyline is beautiful, along with the famous Golden Gate bridge (with us in the picture) and the Bay Bridge. Going into the city is always exciting as there are always different sights to see. The food was also excellent when we ate at Chinatown and at Nick's Lighthouse and at Bubba Gump (Yes, inspired by the movie Forrest Gump) at the Fisherman's Wharf. We also got fabulous discounts when we went shopping for pasalubongs. Now, for me, that's always a good thing.

Auntie Osee's family were the perfect travel guides as they have visited the city several times. Cameron, my cousin's cousin, is very interested in bridges and the city's public transportation. He gave us interesting facts about SF as we went to different places. The boys, Jordan and Alex, were downright funny. They were our source of entertainment when we were stuck in horrible traffic.

The real reason why we went up north was for my cousin Diana's graduation. (with her family in the picture: Amanda, Diana, Auntie Dette, and Uncle Amante). She graduated from the University California in Berkeley with a degree in Architecture last Monday, May 23. We were all so proud of her graduating with high honors (magna cum laude) that we braved the heat of the sun in the University's Greek Theater. Now, I know you've heard of tan lines especially now that it's summer. But my tan lines have gone all wrong. I wore a baby tee under the heat of the sun during the graduation. Now only my arms are dark. I look like someone who didn't have the courage to take off her shirt and wear that skimpy tankini in the beach. Darn.

Well, the weekend was great. I got the chance to see San Francisco, shop, see my relatives, and meet my cousins' other side of the family. All of us went out to eat brunch and dinner together. I've always loved eating out and having big dinners with the family, especially with family that I seldom have the chance to see.

Boston: Quack quack!

When my Uncle Mon (wearing black in the picture), Mama's youngest brother, heard that we were coming here, he wanted us to come visit him in the East Coast. He wanted us to fly to Boston, to be exact. So on May 14, we took the 5-hour flight to Boston with Uncle Amante (beside me in the picture).

Boston is really brrr-cold and certainly different from suburban Santa Barbara where we're staying with Uncle Amante. Boston is a city and it reminded me of home. They had the T -- modes of transportation including the subway and buses. Schools like Harvard and MIT were close by. Parking was horrendous though. Parking spaces aren't even reserved for landowners. It makes me wonder why they call Boston the Walking City. Maybe because you have to walk two or three blocks to where your car is parked.

Trees and brick houses were abundant, they reminded me of old and ancient America. The East is certainly older than the West. The East Coast gives me the impression of cold winters with old and established institutions. Whereas the West is synonymous to sun, sand, and waves.

It's amazing that I've had the opportunity to cross America. I've seen the waves of the Pacific Ocean on the way to Santa Barbara. And I've felt the ice-cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean in Cape Cod. In the picture, my uncles are telling us to hurry up as we walk toward one of Cape Cod's beaches. The beaches were beautiful and flat. There were no sailboats and certainly no swimmers (hindi dahil may shark or jellypish, malamig kasi ). It looked as if I can draw the horizon with my finger.

We also took the Duck Tours that went around the city in this amphibious vehicle. One minute we were ogling at the Big Dig (Haha ), then we were in the Charles River the next. The city has a lot of history to it and there are a lot of neat bridges across the Charles. I also learned in this tour that it has lots of Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks Coffee branches, meaning the people are high on caffeine in Boston.

We went to see Harvard and MIT. Our visit made me wonder how it would be like to study there. We also to Boston's Public Gardens where the famous sculpture of the ducks is found. And I really like the picture that I took of it.

That's about it for our Boston adventure. Quack quack!

Love is in the Air

Heart of Mine has been in my head ever since I flew here.  Perennial States LSS. It's nice to sing as well.

Heart of Mine

Janno Gibbs

One day, you may find true love that will last forever and ever

'Til then you'll spend a lifetime wishin' one together

You never thought she'd say goodbye

And you will never understand the reasons why



Heart of mine

How will you keep from dying

Stop reminiscing

Who is she kissing

Heart of mine

Oh, what's the use in trying

No one can mend you now



Love plays cruel games, you can't believe she's found another lover

Does she miss me, sometimes you just can't help but wonder

No, you can't stop the hands of time

And you will always be the one she left behind



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I've been reading By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho. It's
funny because I bought it over a year ago and I haven't finished it
yet. I just end up sleeping, maybe because of its lyrical prose.
Coelho wrote this one beautifully. Some of the lines I even highlight.
Anyway, I resolve to finish it this time. I'm almost halfway through
the book. But I found this paragraph particularly interesting. Maybe
because I was nodding my head in assent while I was reading it.



But love is like a dam: if you allow
a tiny crack to form through which only a trickle of water can pass,
that trickle will quickly bring down the whole structure, and soon no
one will be able to control the force of the current.

-Paulo Coelho, By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

It takes time to realize that sometimes we don't allow even the tiniest
crack to be there. But then there are times when we just have to let it
happen. Let the torrent of water come rushing in.




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See? I told you love is in the air!

Or is it...?



*photo taken from http://www.santjordi-asociados.com/river.htm

Santa Barbara and Universal Studios

When we were little, my sister, Kris, and I would ride the school bus every morning to go to school. Our bus, driven by Mrs. Eloriaga, would brave the traffic of Commonwealth Avenue everyday. Sparked by imagination and Papa's trip abroad, I'd tell Kris to close her eyes once we're on the Tandang Sora flyover and imagine that we were taking off in an airplane. With a little kid's imagination, the flyover serves as a runway for a few seconds. And then we would happily snap back to reality, oblivious of the "adults" (ie 12-year-old kids) who've been watching us all the while.

When our plane was taking off last Sunday at 11pm in the Philippines, it felt like one huge flyover. And if felt like my dream when I was a little kid came true. We got at LAX safe, 9pm Sunday night. And we've been having our own adventures ever since...

On our first day, Uncle Amante and Auntie Dette toured us in Santa Barbara. We went to see the Santa Barbara Mission, which is like a huge church with a plaza. There was a rose garden there with many different types of roses, as the one I took a picture with. And then we proceeded to the wharf where it was very windy, but it had a beautiful view of the ocean. We went in and explored their Sea Center where different marine creatures of the Santa Barbara waters were displayed.

Then I was sick for a couple of days. I just slept those days away or watched movies in DVD.

We went to Universal Studios Hollywood yesterday and here are the pictures. Uncle Amante, Kris, and I first rode on the studio tour where they showed us the different studios and sound stages. There were also effects like the falling bridge and weather changes. We also went through one of the lakes there. Haha. After that, we went to see the show Waterworld, based on the movie with the same title. The actors were good and there were pyrotechnics among other things. Then we rode the Jurassic Park and Back to the Future rides. They were all fun fun fun!!!

I'll keep you guys posted.

bakasyon baby

summer gimmicks

Just wanted to show pics of my grad pakain at Don Henrico's West (April 27) and our first-ever summer outing (Labor day weekend). Yehey, pips! Ang saya saya!  Next time uli...