Rainy Thanksgiving

What do you do when you suddenly notice something that is really un-noticeable? Get a camera. I think it is the smallest non-important little things that make the best artistic pictures.

My hubby and i were on our way out to do groceries when i noticed perfectly formed rain drops on the roof of the car. I ran inside the house and got my camera while my hubby patiently waited (with rolling eyes that is) lol.


For the first time, we hosted the yearly thanksgiving celebration. I have never cooked so much food in my entire life haha. And because i knew i was faced with a challenge i started cooking the night before. It was definitely stressful, but since everyone liked it the stress paid off! I was waiting all day to take pics of my menu... i was so hungry i remembered AFTER everything was gone grrr...


Thanksgiving officially marks the start of the Christmas season... it was fun setting up the 7 ft tall tree... red, green and gold... so festive :)

In the city that never sleeps

People, pollution, traffic, fashion, buildings, lights - it reminded me so much of the city i lived in for 1 1/2 years... a city where i told myself i would never work in but i ended up in it anyway. Two years ago, during my first visit to New York, i was confined on one street - 5th avenue. We had too little time to go around and enjoy the Big Apple. But never again will i spend Christmas eve at Rockefeller center. If i were claustrophobic i would have fainted.

It took a 5 1/2 hour bus tour and 7 hours of walking to see what NYC really does have to offer. I was being a tourist - so sue me. :)












We saw THE Harry Potter (yes the real one) during an evening stroll on Broadway. He was getting out of his show and was standing in front of a small crowd of fans signing autographs. He seemed shorter than what i expected. Although i wasn't star struck, it was pretty cool to see a movie star.

A false fire alarm on Times Square occurred and 5 fire trucks amazingly made its way through the traffic. As the firemen jumped off and hurried to the site in all their gear, a mob of touristy women started to fuss all over them. The next thing i know, on of my colleagues has been asked to take a photo of two women with three of the firemen haha. And as my NY local colleague stated "New York firemen are HOT!".

After more than 12 hours straight in the city that never sleeps, where life is literally on the fast lane... i was about ready to go back home. It is definitely a great place to visit, lots of famous sites to see, but somewhere i would never want to live in.

Texas Longhorns

One year and two months in Austin, and only now am i officially a UT football fan! They are the #1 college team now in the US. And they just deliver an awesome game every time.

I never really watched football and never developed an appreciation for it. I found it boring actually. When i first arrived Austin i was confused at why every where you looked there was a Longhorn icon - on cars, people wearing orange from head to toe, on t-shirts, in shops, just EVERYWHERE. I laughed at it then... I support it now! Haha!

And so I sit there (we had really great seats by the way) in the gigantic stadium that seats more than 98,000 people, people wearing the popular school color - burnt orange, and you just feel that team spirit! My mother-in-law looked at me in the middle of the 2nd quarter and asked me "Do you even understand football at all??"... i reply "No!" but i cheer on anyway... as the canon was fired and startled me once again - the Longhorns scored a touchdown.

I am slowly learning the football lingo... I am hooked!




The opponents cheerleaders trying to keep their team spirit up! Too bad they went home with sad faces!


The UT cheerleaders - SO MUCH BETTER!


Waiting for a touchdown to fire that canon.. i learned to cover my ears after the 3rd time!


The GIANT flat screen TV - AWESOME! And yes Olympic gold medalist (swimming) Ian Crocker is a UT Alumni.... and so many other Olympians!


The Longhorn band opening the game!




Longhorns fanatics!



Great game - we WON... of course! :)

No Pain No Gain

My shoulders hurt... my arms hurt... i feel like i sprained my neck. The things we do to entertain ourselves. My hubby and i woke up Saturday morning and we were craving for some fun. It was a beautiful day so we decided to go kayaking at the lake. One thing i have not tried at Lake Travis.



It's 1pm in the afternoon and we are set to go. There were a lot of people spending the day at the lake. From kids wrapping up their summer rowing lessons... to families trying to entertain their kids... to individuals just out for some workout... to couples canoing giving their pet a chance to swim and enjoy the last days of summer.




We spent an hour at the lake and my arms were definitely put to good use! It was starting to get blazing hot so we decided to dock. I got out of the kayak wet from my waist down... half sun-burned... starving and parched... but despite all that, it sure was loads of fun! And i still manage a smile.


We headed downtown to get something to eat. Jo's, a local diner, seemed like an interesting place. After all the exercise, we tried to eat as healthy as possible. Fresh melon juice, a greek salad and no meat BBQ sandwich was perfect to satisfy our hunger.



Right across from Jo's are several shops. A stroll was about to take place when i saw this Italian ice cream shop as soon as we crossed the street. My hubby could not lure me away. And so i ordered this strawberry cookies and milk ice cream. We sit on one of the small tables out on the side walk, i raise up my leg, i start to feel my sore arms... i munch on my ice cream... Aaahhh what a great way to relax on a sunny Saturday afternoon.




Then off we go to continue our stroll before i head home to take a nice nap. The upper half of my body is sore! Is it possible that i may have gained an inkling of a muscle?? :)

Spot

I never thought of myself as a pet person. I grew up with several dogs but no more than 1 at a time... i had a cat when i was in high school and i remember how i would wake up in the morning and she would be on my stomach with her face just inches from mine... cute? yes... but i also remember how she ruined the sides of my bed. My dad had to find another home for her after almost all our furniture was ruined.

In college, my dad gave me a white puppy. I spent part of my daily allowance on that dog. His doggie food... his milk... in the end we had to give him up too. The town house where we lived did not allow pets and he was too noisy to hide.

This cat, named Spot, has touched my heart. She is the sweetest little thing ever. She purrs so softly and loves it when you rub her belly. She drags her feather across the house making cute little kitty noises - a sign that she wants to play. As you make your way to the guest bathroom, she runs off way ahead of you and sits patiently on the sink waiting for you to open the faucet so she can drink directly from it. And she makes the best warmer too.

Unfortunately, even cats age just like anybody else. She will always be the best cat ever!

In this picture, she enjoys a nice sunny day out in the backyard.


Then suddenly gets distracted as she sees a bird land on the tree just above her.

A Six Flags 4th of July

After 3 weeks, i finally upload pictures of my fun, fun weekend in San Antonio. My hubby and I decided to go out of town during the 4th of July. Six Flags was a great choice! Rewinding back to being a kid made us realize that age really is just a number! :)

A day in the Market Place of San Antonio was how we spent 4th of July. It reminded me of the marketplace in Manila where souvenirs of all sorts were sold. From hats to blankets to jewelry to art work... it was exactly the same except for the price difference of 45 pesos to a dollar. I avoid calculating the huge difference because i end up buying nothing!



Performers were singing and dancing on a small stage in the middle of the market place. Entertaining indeed but i will have to say that it definitely contributed to this pouring rain! Haha! We were stuck on this very spot for about 20 minutes waiting for the rain to calm down - gladly so did the performers!



Saturday, July5th - we head on over to Six Flags, an amusement park with a wide variety of roller coasters and a water park within the compound. We decided to ride all the dry coasters before hitting the water park. Too bad i couldn't take pictures of the gigantic slides. I've never screamed loud enough that no sound came out since the 185ft free fall ride in Ocean Park, Hong Kong waaaay back in 2004.

Here i am at it with my camera as soon as we enter the park! Lol! Well we just finished breakfast and i didn't want solid things flying around during the ride!


The SuperMan ride - i don't even remember how many loops and turns this coaster had! I sure felt like i flew the whole minute and a half!



Okay so i spun - THE WHOLE TIME! Which explains why i look like this right after! Haha! Tony Hawk is a skateboarding legend, the car (if that is what you call it??) spun around non-stop while it goes in loops and turns and up and down. But i made it!




And more jaw-dropping rides!







There was another ride called the Rattler. I was not able to get a pic of it but my gosh that ride GAVE ME A HEADACHE! It was a very rough ride and the wooden foundation did not help at all! It was so scary i thought the whole thing was going to collapse. The slopes were steep, the curves were so close to the ground you can almost reach out and touch it... what more can you ask for??

I was going to give one of the games a shot, but was worried that if i won - HOW IN THE WORLD WILL I LUG THIS GIGANTIC PRIZE AROUND THE PARK?? Haha! These are so huge it will take up the whole back seat of my car!


And yes even Scooby Doo was there!



The water park was so much fun! But because it was indeed a place to get wet from head to toe, there was no place for a camera! :(

By 9pm my legs were starting to get numb! After almost 12 hours in the park, the age starts to kick in! The day was topped of with a spectacular fireworks display. It lasted about 20 minutes or so with songs to add life to the amazing colors bursting up in the night sky. It was one perfect weekend!