Leavin' Las Vegas

I guess this is old news but since I slept the whole day until 10pm and now I'm up until who knows when, I guess I've nothing else to do but to take a trip down memory lane. I already did the laundry, mopped the floors and took a midnight bath but I still have that wide-eyed, pretty doe look. Or not. I guess I haven't kicked off this bum on Saturdays fever yet. And no plans anytime soon to change this habit of slacking for a day. I don't even get up for meals, just for short and quickie trips to the loo, then back to neverland via my cozy bed. So now, I'm like the night-crawler, lurking and stalking Kpop and Jpop artists via websites and youtube videos. Eeeeek.

Hmmm... Vegas. Fun, fun, fun. Need I say more?! I have no choice but to talk myself to sleep anyway so I guess, here goes...

We started off "early" from LA with cranky roadtrippers with a quickie stop at Portofino's for that yummy, much-missed breakfast.The whole time during the roadtrip, hubby was taking pictures while I was either snoring or doing some major head-banging with all the nodding off and neck-breaking positions I managed to execute for at least 2 hours. The night before the said roadtrip, we actually just flew in fresh from NYC and straight from the Xmen Origins first showing in LA so I was pretty wasted but still had that forward march attitude about Vegas.

Then we stopped at a famous shopping outlet slash mall with branded goodies along the way for some outfit snagging. We had to get hubby clubbing shoes so he could get in because all he had with him was a pair of running shoes. I wanted to shop for myself too but had to physically restrain myself from splurging because we still had a long way to go after Vegas- San Francisco, San Diego and LA. So I placated myself with a bikini top from hollister and some skin products from bath and body works. Then... Vegas!

We had a late lunch at Old Vegas. I don't remember the exact name of the place we went to but it had a Dunkin Donuts' shop and it reeked of old-style Vegas. Food was yummylicious at a cheap price. I'd definitely reco the place if ever you find yourself anywhere in Vegas.

After lunch, we checked in our hotel at the Vegas strip and freshened up for the Cirque de Soleil's O show in Bellagio. But before we could get there, we had some bleeps and blahs along the way. First, we tried to get some of the gang who weren't gonna watch the O show with us, get into this posh club in some hotel at the Vegas strip but we ran into this jerk at the entrance who wouldn't let us in for some reason that became all too clear when he said something about paying bucks and getting to the end of the line. My cousin already arranged for our names to be on the guest list beforehand plus we were already at the front of the line so if we had to pay to get in, why do we need to get back to the end of the line even after we already agreed to pay? So we decided to screw it and go back to Bellagio for the O show and let the other guys decide for themselves where they wanted to go instead of that crappy club. Then to spice up the night a bit more, we took the wrong turn to avoid the traffic jam in the strip and found ourselves going further away from The Bellagio when we only had about 10-15 minutes before they would close the doors and wouldn't let anyone in the show. Everyone in the car panicked and I kept getting calls from Renzel who was already there but couldn't get in because we had her and Stefan's tickets. Eeeek. Totally a nerve-popping night for me.

So after the whole frantic turn here, go straight and left here directions, we were finally at the entrance with only a minute or two left before they close the doors to the show and the only clear thing I remember about that night was me running, more like sprinting actually, across The Bellagio foyer and straight to the casino all the while looking up and navigating for signs going to the Cirque de Soleil's show. Lucky for me I was wearing flat sandals so when I got to the reception area of the show, I saw my cuzin myn running barefoot in The Bellagio with her high heels in her hand and her friend panting with her hair all over her face. To make this nerve-popping story short, we got in 15 minutes into the first act, lost our premier seats to someone else, oooh-ed and aaah-ed for about 10-15 minutes then snored through the rest of the show.

Can't really blame myself for dozing off that time. The raw excitement of the turn of events prollie caught up with the exhaustion of the road trip plus the non-stop travel from Tokyo to Texas then to NYC all in a span of 10 days. Not to mention the jetlag I've had to suffer through because from Tokyo to LA then to Texas in a span of 2 days already had me reeling from 3 different timezones then from Texas to LA then to NYC also had different timezones each state. Double Ooomph.

After the show, we wanted to play it easy so we just took in the Vegas strip scene at night with all the lights and cruised around once then called it a night. We slept at around 2 am and hubby and I had to wake up at 4am to get ready to be picked up for our Grand Canyon heli tour with Renzel and Stefan. Another one of those sleepless nights in the US of A. Tsk. But forward march we go like energizer bunnies.

...getting ready to soar the Vegas sky to infinity and beyond...

one of the many amazing aerial views we've experienced on our way to the Grand Canyon...

...The Landing...

simply amazing!

More ooooh and aaaah moments in my hubby's photo dumpsite account in multiply...

For lunch, Renzel and Stefan treated us to a one of a kind buffet experience in The Bellagio. They say you have to at least taste a Vegas buffet to experience what buffets are all about. And yeah, now we know what buffets are really about. Uber thankies to our buffet sponsors for that. No photos to document the gastronomic experience though because for once, we were too busy stuffing ourselves to oblivion that we forgot all about clicking and posing that time.

Then we went hotel hopping for the remainder of the afternoon and took killer shots of the Vegas strip during daytime. Surreal. Enough said.

Then next up, we visited papa's sister, Auntie Tata and my cousin dianne with her uber-gwapitong chicano.

Auntie Tata with her gwapitong apo

And for the finale, I know they say what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas but I'm too much of a tattletale to keep this 'lil dirty secret to myself. We went to a strip club off the Vegas strip on our way back to LA and guess what?! I have finally realized what I was meant to be! A stripper. Seriously. I know I said I'll make Lindsay Lohan look like a 2nd rate, trying hard stripper next to me but the real thing is even more amazing than what's in the movies. Don't get me wrong. I'm no first-timer. I've been to a strip club in Seyboo before but it doesn't even begin to compare to my Vegas strip club experience. The girls were fantabulous with poles and heels. Bodies were bodacious and Katy(what's her name again?) is to die for. Everybody got their lap dances for about 10 bucks each including hubby and me but I got the best stripper and I was saved for the last performance. Eeeek. She was hottt. Waaay too hot for me so I was all virginal and icky during the whole thing. Everybody was watching animatedly including those who weren't with us from the other tables. I totally flipped because there was an audience and my stripper was seriously stripping and rubbing and doing this and that with her hands and mouth. Waaaah! Mixed emotions ko doh. Encore! encore! :D Sayang no cameras allowed inside the club. Tsk.

So, that was Vegas. Now, this is Tokyo.

Memories, memories... hmmm...

so this is how it feels to be a supervisor's better half...;p

Omedetou Gozaimasu to my bisor!!! Wifey's so proud of you... with or without the promotion! ;p

i heart NYC!!!

I know I said I was gonna stick with the FIFO strategy but this is still a queue nonetheless; priority queue to be exact. I skipped some days because I wanted to gush about Manhattan first and get it over with. With thousands of pictures to sort out and having to pick at most 10 is like picking a needle in a haystack. So, I really want this over with.

So, we had four physically draining days to go around NYC but with its five boroughs- The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island, we only managed to visit Brooklyn and Manhattan. Not to mention the cruel weather that greeted us once the plane touched NY soil; it was high, way higher than what we got used to in California. After wearing jackets and getting used to California spring weather which was basically similar with Japan when we left for the US, we got dramatically sun-kissed for the first two days in NYC which actually led to my burn spots later on. Then after the second day, the temperature dropped way low like "winter-low". We had to put on double jackets and constantly wipe our runny noses while we were on top of double-decker open buses for our tours. Talk about torturing our already tired bodies and running on low immune systems while talk of the swine flu pandemic was all around town!

For the first two days, we scoured every nook and cranny of downtown and midtown Manhattan. We also managed to visit Brooklyn because it was included in the hop-on, hop-off bus tour that we paid for. We also got great night views of Manhattan on Rockefeller's observation deck. It was actually a choice between Empire State Building's observatory deck or Rockefeller's. Hubby picked the latter option so we could get a view of the Empire State Building and Chrysler. On the third day, we visited Lady Liberty in her island and finished off what was left of downtown Manhattan that we haven't set foot on. Hubby took pictures and more pictures while I preened and posed for him. Then on the fourth day, we turned posh and social by visiting the uptown areas of Manhattan and became architectural buffs for a day. I drew the line at ogling museums because I was simply too exhausted to feign wonder and amazement. So, hubby took another tour of the uptown area after our first to get more pictures while I opted to stay in the midtown area for "window-shopping" in the Fashion District. teehee... Then we wasted the day away at Central Park, ate our New York street food picnic-style and took killer shots.

Oh, food... We loved New York food, simply a gastronomic delight. Delis were in every corner and sweet shops were everywhere so we were never short on food. Our deli reco? Try Carnegie Deli's specialty cheesecake, mind-boggling sandwiches... you should, you must. Enough said. We also tried Serendipity, the resto featured in the movie with the same title starred by John Cusack and my all-time fave; Kate Beckinsale. I've heard rave reviews about their specialty dessert; "...dessert is what you go there for in the first place. When you do, try the Frozen Hot Chocolate. It’s been labeled “to die for” “dreamy” and “music to my palette” by previous customers. But whatever you do, do not try and understand the concept of it. Just sit back and enjoy..." And so sit and enjoy we did! Just don't get me started on the service because either it sucks or I just haven't come to terms with New York service. I rest my case.

I know I promised some needles from the haystack but I'm too lazy to work on that promise right now. For visual confirmation, refer to hubby's photo dump-site instead to make sense of my mindless chatter. teehee...

Austin girlpower

I take back my barBstack approach to wording my memories of our great American tour. I'm now adapting the FIFO approach or in geek terms; a first in first out queue.

My first pit-stop was Austin, Texas. Made possible by my Austin sponsor and soulmate.

From airline tix to accomodation, Texan food, Austin nightlife, drinks, cab fares, Tex-mex food, caving, anti-gravity house and again good food and more food. My own personal Texan angel. Mishu much!

Texas = BarBQ

gilok experience in a tram in WonderWorld's zoo

See yah real soon renz ;D

P.S.
Aprub! Aprub! *wink

lil big man

serious ma & not so serious son moment ...
waaah!!! when's my moment??! eeek.

sari-sari

***This post is not related to the biggest-latest-splurge-to-date of ours. I know, I know. Procrastinator should've been my second name and hotngorgeous my first. tee-hee.

Speaking of splurges, we are currently seriously contemplating another biggest-latest-splurge-to-date which would definitely topple the great American tour off its first spot on our list. Our finances have barely recovered but here we are, emptying our dwindling bank accounts for yet another major splurge. Major would actually be an understatement considering what we're looking at- Mils in Pesoses... Tsk.

So, I get to be a proud ninang once again and this time it's to baby Mattie. My first imported inaanak. That's blue-blood este blue passport for him. I'm so excited to see this little-big bundle of joy and to trade chisms with his hot mommah who was actually my ex-roomie way back in Wats' days. See yah verrrry soon dearies! ;)

My fab cuzin Myn & her beau Mike together with their gang is going to Greece later this year! Behold, the green-eyed monster awakes and bares its fangs while screeching in pure, undiluted agony... I am soooooo turning a vomit shade of green here. Pictures nalang ako ani... Enjoy, you guys!

as promised...

I guess having the word Slacker emblazoned on my forehead would still be an understatement considering that I've shirked countless times when it comes to blogging about our latest biggest splurge to date. It has already been 2 weeks since we've arrived here in Japan and it feels like the ghosts of the golden past have ceased haunting me except for a few rare moments of deep longing bordering on painful cravings for Dots and Milk's goodies. Waaaaah!

Again, I digress. Tsk. I don't know how to properly tell a tale in a succint manner and I think I won't do justice to the whole experience if I start from the beginning so I'll just start off with the most recent memory; swine flu and extreme paranoia.

So there we were on our second week of walking on sunshine despite news of the pandemic in various states that we have visited and will still be visiting. We were oblivious to the panic and drama of it all but still had our toes touching the ground because we thought to cancel our Mexico trip so we wouldn't have a hard time entering US soil on our way back to Japan. And so we were set for another week of traipsing across states with no cancellation fees for the tickets and vouchers we've reserved for Mexico. Everything was fine and dandy, or so we thought.

Right after our flight from NYC back to LA, we watched the first showing of XMen The Origins with cousin Myn, her beau Mike and their gang. There was even a celebrity-spotting after the flick but I was too chicken to take a picture of Chris Daughtry. I did get my camera out of my bag and started to aim it at him but then my imagination ran wild, like it usually does, and I saw him in my mind, throwing a fit, grabbing my spanking new camera and whacking it to bits. Tsk. And the moment was lost. Just like that.

Then on our way home, we got a call from uncle Eddie who was in Cebu for a short vacation. I thought he was still in Vegas with his family but when we talked on the phone, he was actually with my dad in Cebu. He was told by my sister who was informed by my hubby's sister, who was in turn told by NEC Cebu's company HR to inform us that we needed to go back to Japan ASAP because of the swine flu risk. Duh. Funny much. Got us laughing all the way home until my uncle called us the second time to inform us that it was really important that we contact hubby's Japanese managers regarding our status. So that erased the smiles from our faces.

When we got home, hubby immediately called his Jap boss and informed him of our status and that all was well and we already cancelled our trip to Mexico but will still stay for another week until our planned departure date. I guess the call went well since we were again smiling that night up until hubby received an email from the Cebu Jap managers and director asking about our status and conveying the possibility of demanding that we get our butts back to Japan. Then hubby received a message from a friend that the Jap director in NEC Cebu was so worried about the two of us that he basically had his Facebook shout-out convey his paranoia. One shout-out goes;

Shinichi Wada need to contact Philipp Gomes, because he is going around U.S.A. and South America.

And yet another after hubby has e-mailed him personally;

Shinichi Wada I worry about Phillp Gomez and his wife now.

Paranoid much, huh? So there goes our remaining days as carefree tourists. After demanding that we go back to Japan asap and accepting our firm but cordial thank-you-for-your-concern-but-we-are-no-pushovers response, they settled for a daily report of our temperature, mornings and nights. We knew we were skating on thin ice when we told them off but we had little to no choice. It was the busiest time for travel back to Japan since the holidays were coming to an end plus our return tickets were closed and non-refundable so it was totally out of the question to come running back to Japan with our tails between our legs. We had no choice really but to stay and wait it out. *wink teehee...

So fast-forward to the day of reckoning. We were finally on the plane headed back to Japan with palms sweating and temperatures rising, prollie a mix of fatigue and tension at the nerve-wracking thought of faci ng reality. Well, maybe their paranoia did rub off on us a bit. When the plane finally touched ground and we were on Japanese soil, men with masks and scrubs were boarding the plane and were holding out gadgets to check all the passengers' body temperatures. No one was allowed to get off while they were doing their thing and everyone prollie felt the seriousness of the moment because we all started to take out our cameras and document the whole quarantine effect seen only in the movies. The masked men reacted by informing us that no pictures were allowed and that everyone should remain seated.

my illegal shots... sssh

Finally getting to the row right infront of us, a passenger was suspected of having the symptoms of swine flu so after everybody in the plane was checked and cleared, only the 3 rows infront and behind the suspected infected passenger were asked to remain seated. We were not off the hook yet because we might have been somehow infected by that suspected passenger. But all the rest were declared free men.

Of course, there won't be drama if the hero and heroine of the story gets off that easily. So there we were on our seats awaiting the test results of the villain in this story- the suspected infected passenger. One long hour passed after further testing and in comes the villain... preening like a cat. And so the villain turned out to be a hero. We were all saved from the fate of being quarantined for life until the influenza takes its toll on us. I was finally able to smile as we were led out one by one from the plane and into the immigration section.

So this story ends with hubby immediately reporting to his Jap manager after getting off the plane and being informed that he can report back to the office immediately the next day but has to wear a mask and continue taking our body temperatures for another 2 weeks more for precautionary measures.

P.S.
...a week after landing on Japanese soil, the health officials gave us a call to check on us...prollie to see if we were still breathing and able to answer a phone call.

P.P.S
...and NEC cebu's director changed his Facebook status after we reported that we will promise to stay put in one state until our date of departure;

Shinichi Wada I am very happy to know that Philipp and his wife are fine in LA now.

P.P.P.S.
... I learned that paranoia is sometimes healthy.

status: currently experiencing cupcake withdrawal symptoms

aherm ahem aherm ... i'm back!

It's actually been a week since we got back from the Land of the Free but I've been keeping mum because I still haven't gotten over the jetlag phase yet and not because there's little to tell. Reality bit me in the ass quite harshly when we had to report back to work the same week we arrived in Nihon so I was pretty spaced-out last week. Sporting raccoon eyes and nasty burns all over my body, I endured the whole week with just muscle memory to guide me through a day's work. I was on zombie mode the whole time and snored the moment I got home everyday. I slept at 7pm and woke up at 12 midnight and can't sleep until another 2-3 hours. Then I had to wake up at around 5am for work and stay awake for another 12 hours. Arrrrgh. Torture in the highest form.

Waaah, it's almost time for me to get my ass off the bed and torture myself yet again for another 12 hours today so I guess yakking about happy times, splurging in Target, my bestest cuzin in the whole wide world & my Austin soulmate, delish cupcakes and sinfully gigantic food servings to swine flu and paranoid Japs would have to be postponed until my next post. Ambot kanus-a kaha na...hehe

Ta Ta for now!

Karma

Life's a bitch.

I keep reminding myself lately that I can't forever float. At some point, I'm gonna sink. Arrrgh. Paranoid much.

this and that

Eeek! We’ve broken our debt-free, no-credit-cash-only record and paid plastic- all because I couldn’t resist getting my hands on it. We could’ve avoided swiping if only it was available around Tokyo and we knew where to start scavenging but after a day or two of googling it, and still no idea where on this side of the earth we can find a shop that peddled Ray-Ban Polarizers, I actually stopped breathing for a second or two as hubby finally clicked on the Purchase button on Amazon.

He held out one more day after I’ve decided on an item in the hopes of finding another alternative to paying plastic but to no avail. I was like the red-faced, two-horned, naughty little bogie that chanted, “SWIPE! SWIPE! SWIPE!” into his left ear. Tsk.
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Two more weeks to go and I’ll be taking a colossal bite out of The Big Apple. *heart thumping, toes wriggling and grinning from ear to ear.
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I’ve been an emotional wreck ever since JoongBo couple left the Korean reality show; We Got Married. Haven’t gotten over the JoongBo fever yet even though it was a season ago and now I still have their wedding pictures in my ITouch for daily reminiscing. I can’t seem to erase their memories in my head and even during work, I can see Shillang’s mischievous antics and Buin’s unique laugh in my mind. I giggle and catch myself smiling whimsically on the bus on my way to work for eff’s sake. How juvenile. Feeling virgin na kinikilig ang lola mo.

Hwang Buin, fighting! I know it’s so cliché but as the song goes; …guess I always knew inside I wouldn’t have you for a long time… Letting go is just another way to say I'll always love you so… Pakshet.

Home is where my Harbor is.

Vienna Teng's Harbor has been on eternal repeat mode on my player for the past two weeks. She's really an amazing artist and with so much depth that her live performances keep me riveted. With Harbor, it never fails to make my heart skip a beat and put a dopey, albeit equanimous smile to my face as I form a mental image of my very own harbor...

I wish I could say the same for myself and be your harbor but that would just be wishful thinking. I was never harbor material and apparently marriage hasn't fixed me so it's hard to imagine myself singing these lines back to you. But maybe one day... some other day just not today.

To my reluctant yet steadfast harbor, thank you for being patient with someone like me, who's always setting sail for the stars but never quite reaching it...

We're here where the daylight begins
The fog on the streetlight slowly thins
Water on water's the way
The safety of shoreline fading away

Sail your sea
Meet your storm
All I want is to be your harbor
The light in me
Will guide you home
All I want is to be your harbor

Fear is the brightest of signs
The shape of the boundary you leave behind
So sing all your questions to sleep
The answers are out there in the drowning deep

Sail your sea
Meet your storm
All I want is to be your harbor
The light in me
Will guide you home
All I want is to be your harbor

You've got a journey to make
There's your horizon to chase
So go far beyond where we stand
No matter the distance
I'm holding your hand

Sail your sea
Meet your storm
All I want is to be your harbor
The light in me
Will guide you home
All I want is to be your harbor

Sail your sea
Meet your storm
All I want is to be your harbor
The light in me
Will guide you home
All I want is to be your harbor

mark the dates!

Below are the forecast dates of cherry trees opening their blossoms this year (according to the Japan Meteorological Agency) and the estimated best viewing periods (estimated by japan-guide.com).

Temperatures, rain and wind can have a strong effect on the process of the season, for example, they can delay or shorten it considerably. Therefore, use the forecasts on your own risk.

Location	Opening	Estimated Best Viewing
Tokyo	March 24	March 29 to April 8
Kyoto	March 26	March 31 to April 10
Niigata	April 6	April 11 to 19
Nagano	April 8	April 13 to 21
Kanazawa	April 1	April 6 to 14
Nagoya	March 22	March 28 to April 7
Osaka	March 27	April 1 to 10
Nara	March 26	March 31 to April 10
Hiroshima	March 23	March 29 to April 8
Fukuoka	March 17	March 23 to April 2
Kagoshima	March 22	March 28 to April 7

As of March 11, 2009

hapi balentong!

I finally took a long-deserved break from all the busy-ness that's been keeping me away from my usual haunts and jaunts. For 2 straight weeks, I've been slaving and wilting away, coming home at around 11 pm and waking up at 5:30am to start the next day with the same perpetual routine. With about an hour and forty-five minutes of commute time going to work and another hour and a half going home, I haven't had the time to think about balentong day at all.

So friday nyt came and I decided to put a stop to this self-enforced madness and addiction to working long effing hours. I left work at exactly 5pm, on the dot and called hubby to have a little balentong's eve date because I wanted to rest the whole day on balentong day and not move a muscle or even lift a finger except to feed myself with whatever hubby can come up with, edible or not. We had a quick fastfood fix then decided to sing our stresses away at a karaoke bar. When we called it a night, we realized we've already missed the last bus so we had to walk miles in the winter weather just to get home. So that was balentong's eve for us this year.

But surprise, surprise! It aint over till he says it's over... Tadaaaa!

The much talked-about choc'lit fresh from Sapporo right in front of my very eyes!
*sigh*

So there I melt. And I dont even have anything other than a big hug for hubby. He went all the way and ordered for Royce goodies after a year of hearing about how yummy and extraordinary this choc'lit was. We searched high and low for this but apparently, it can only be found in Sapporo and Hokkaido, northern part of Japan. But today IS the day. Happy balentong day!!! *tingsi*

oops! i did it again.

how to tambay with Style

I can't believe I'm actually in Tokyo right now and blogging.

After church, we had a quick lunch and hubby had to meet up with some church members because this coming weekend, Maki-san and Darwin-san will be tying the knot and hubby's the appointed maniniyot at their nuptials, free of charge. I'm thinking best wedding gift ever since we'll be shelling out cash for some accessories needed for the wedding shoot. Wala nami lain ikapuga pa para sa gep hehe. So, they had to scout the place and check the venue so that this Saturday would be a no-glitch day for the couple.

But being the anti-social worm that I am, I chose to stay in Shibuya area and crawl into a hole, away from the weekend crowd and the harsh, cold winter weather. I am literally away from the crowd and the winter weather but I guess calling this a hole would actually be exaggerating it a bit because from where I am sprawled leisurely right now, I'd say this is more of a posh, highfalutin hole that I've burrowed into.

To cut the B.S. short, I am in one of their proliferating cyber cafes slash leisure spots in the heart of Tokyo's shopping district, Shibuya. This isn't really my first time to go ooh and ahh over their idea of a cyber cafe turned leisure spot. I've already been wowed before but this time I'm all alone choosing from their cubicle options- reclining lounge slash la-Z-Boy comfort or the Japanese-style cubicles or the other options that I didn't even bother to consider because the information staff spoke in an alien language that I neither understood nor even bothered to pretend that I somehow understood.

So I chose the enclosed Japanese-style cubicle because when the staff showed me a picture of what it looked like, I thought, "hala bira! puydi bisag mag tuwad2x pa..." Then I was given my floor and cubicle number and when I got to the hall entrance, I felt the toes on my feet do a little jiggle. All types of tea, coffee, juice and all kinds of beverage on the house. Unlimited.

My private "hole" with unlimited drinks, on the house.

Waaaah! Tambay-heaven.