This past weekend was great.. I entertained some of Monique’s friends visiting from New York City, who all wanted to check out the Mall and the museums of DC.  So it was very fun going to all the museums and taking them around Georgetown and conversating about how much I love the Maryland-DC-Virginia areas… plus, I got to make somemore friends, so that is always good times. 

 

Just got back from watching a 3 hour ALEXANDER sneak peek today before it opens tomorrow.  My intial review for everyone is to go see it, but casually… By the end of the movie I really got tired of Colin Ferrel and found the accents of Angelina and Rosario Dawson to be troubling.  Rosario Dawson gets nude and shows off her very nice body, if that is the kind of thing that would get you to see the movie.  The big battle scene was kinda not so BIG, and the HOMO-themes were kinda stuffed down your throat (no pun intended).  So go see it if you are like me and want to be part of the conversation surrounding movies, but if you are not I would almost say to wait a few weeks for when the hype for this movie dies down a bit to go see it.

 

Monique and her sister Monina come tomorrow night and stay til Saturday.  Call me if you want to meet my gf and to hang out during that time! 

 

Just got back from another extended New York City weekend.. the joy of visiting with my girlfriend is uber great!  But some observations from this trip:
1.) I hate tolls! Why does it seem that every state between Maryland and New York has tolls?  Like I can spend almost $25 for a round trip drive totaling about 9 hours on the road…My parents have the EZ-Pass thing, but still that is an expensive trip especially when you combine gas fare.  I will look into the bus trips, though it is definitely fun to jam to my own tunes.

 

2.) There are some REALLY small places in NYC.  I remember going up there for my friend’s bday and we went to some bar and it was literally just a bear and the place could probably only hold 10 people comfortably, like you can only face in one direction to allow as much people to fit in there as possible.  I thought that was bad, we went next door to the restaurant and the 12 of us that were there had to wait since the restaurant did not have enough seats and had to wait for everyone else inside to finish their dinner… it was like the place only had space for 1 long table and the waitress had to ride the wall just for us to sit down, the food was most excellent and I would love to eat there again.

 

Oh yea, and my girlfriend and my tita’s apartments are really really really small, almost to the point where they dont have their own separate room for their bathroom!

 

3.) There are alot of attractive people in New York.  Every subway ride is like going out to the clubs! hehehe… ok, I cant look at them as much as I used to.

 

4.) Oh yea, and I have a nasty cold and something going on with my throat that is attributed to the cold weather… I miss the SAN DIEGO sun!

Here’s a good early morning link to get your whole office whistling to a happy tune… be sure you have your speakers on!

 

Back from New York.. and guess where I am going this weekend????  New York!

Well I finally feel that I have wrestled the jetlag bug long enough to begin to function normally again.  Since I have been back I just been sleeping, watching the elections, and spent a nice day chatting it up with my good friend Aisha back from her 9 month stint in Brasil… but now I am just thirsting to go out and hang out in the town… there are so many movies out right now that I want to see and am very eager to see before the Incredibles and Alfie come out this Friday, anyone free to see any of the following movies with me: Ray, Sharktale, Birth, Team America, and even Head in the Clouds???  Pllllleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaassssssssee!

 

OK, on to my last few days in the Philippines.  lets start this off with a lovely beach picture to help quell the tropical island image:
this is where we stayed in Puente Fuego, nice isnt it? 
The last week in the Philippines went by fast.  I really regret not having more time to shop and most especially experience more of the Philippine nightlife I kept dreaming about since my last extended stay in 2001, but I was able to hangout with my godson Matthew and my friend from Georgetown Ana, so all was not lost in that last week.  I think the big thing with that last week was finally getting to meet my gf’s family.  I met her parents, her siblings, her 90 year old Lola who came that day from the province to just meet me, and my gf’s tito and tita.  My parents were excited as well as this was the first time they were going to meet parents of either my brother or I’s girlfriends, so it was new for all of us. The dinner was esp. weird since my gf was in NY and so it was really just sorta like putting me out on a life raft and hoping that I dont jeopardize the whole relationship by making a fool of myself.  So I think that night ended up well as I was able to answer questions left and right but not have any really extended questioning by any family member as there were just so many people present.  Then her parents asked me if they could have somemore time to talk with me a day later for a “after breakfast snack”. Does that even sound possible an “after breakfast snack” in the Philippines???  Well it turned out to be a 6 hour inquisition, 3.5 hours of actual sitting across from one another at a restaurant, and the other 2.5 hours in traffic.  So I ended up giving my whole life story and then some.  Again I think I did well, esp. since in the back of my mind I had a feeling that this “after breakfast” meeting was going to be the meeting they were going to have with me where they tell me I am not good enough for their daughter and attempt to pay me off just like in the Godfather or some other scary movie.  But her family was so nice, and being available to them and just being open to them was just amazing for me… I wanted them to know that their daughter is safe with me kasi..  But after that 6 hour interogation, I felt so mentally drained I really did not talk to anyone else for the rest of the trip and some days after that…

 

ok, if you are still reading this then great!  here are some pictures:

 At Tagaytay… who hasn’t been to the volcano within the volcano??? 
The whole family.

 

Awww… I cant post the other pics since they are too big… so just go to my webshots and see them: http://community.webshots.com/user/vcab4

 

I have a ton more pics to post so check back more than once!

 

 

 

 

Back in Maryland! Boy did my family pack the ensaymada’s as though it was the last time ever they will be brought over! 

 

Still jetlagging, will write more later.

 

Dont forget to turn your clocks back for daylight savings!