Friends of Southern California

I like Southern California...I miss it.  I love the weather and the friends I have down there.  A couple of weekends ago, I got the chance to indulge in the things I so missed!

* Jamie - She's my gal pal from my first year at UCI.  She's from up north.  She was at my high school prom and we even took a group picture together.  She's the only other girl that wears pants to prom.  She's a hardcore scrapbooker.  Her work continues to inspire me to scrapbook. She's great.  And now she's going to be a mom!  Along with her hubby, we grubbed on Korean barbecue at Shik Do Rak.

* Tonya - She's my Mandarin partner.  I sucked and practically failed, she didn't and went onto the next class.  She's such a happy person with a great smile who makes you feel energetic just being around her.  We checked out Taco Rosa for lunch.

* Yrina - She worked with me at Asia Noodle Cafe.  (We like to visit our old boss Patrick when we're in town.)  We like to don on hats and sunglasses when we're at Urban Outfitters.  She's been on crutches for the past ten weeks.  She's loud...I'm loud...we're really loud when we're together.  We had lunch at Baccali and then dinner at Malagueta.  We also had gelato at Piccomolo.  We like to stay up late talking.  We grabbed sandwiches at Buster's Coffee Shop in South Pasadena.  She's almost considered a Pasadenian.

* Ernest - He's my best friend from the city.  He taught me the game of Double Speed.  I was soon beating him.  He now lives in SoCal and uses his KitchenAid a lot.  He just gave me the recipe for Brazilian cheese bread.  I'll have to try it out soon and let him know how it went.  He went to dinner with Yrina and I at Malagueta and then had gelato for the first time at Piccomolo too.  (Actually, I think he may have had sorbet.)

* Jason - He dragged me along to an Asian American issues conference.  At that conference, I met my now-fiance.  (For that, I should be grateful forever.)  We used to be late for class because we were getting ice cream.  I like to watch the Giants kick butt over at Dodgers stadium.   He makes me walk up and down that hill to the stadium.  We grubbed on garlic fries with nacho cheese and Louisiana Hot Links during the game.  I helped with his wedding centerpieces before flying home.  (We had more ice cream together.)

I really need to visit my friends in Southern California more.  They need to visit me in Vegas!  (I'm a lot closer now!)

Photos!

(I should thank jamesguanzon for reminding me on what a slacker I'm being about updating this blog AND most importantly, my TTDBID List! 

99 Things To Do Before I Die (Updated Progress!)
1.  Dive in the Maldives!
2.  Abseil into the "Lost World" in New Zealand.
3.  Travel to all seven continents, ideally by the age of 30.  
4.  Climb Mount Kiliminjaro.
5.  Dive with whale sharks in Western Australia. (I went snorkeling with whale sharks in Donsol, Philippines.  That's definitely fabulous enough!)
6.  Drive through the south island of New Zealand.
7.  See the Egyptian Pyramids.
8.  Spend the summer visiting all the major league baseball parks & eating a hot dog/polish sausage there.
9.  Go gorilla trekking in either Uganda, Rwanda, or the Congo.
10. Publish a book.
11. See the Taj Mahal.
12. Night diving with manta rays off Hawai'i.
13. Go diving in the Red Sea.
14. Eat a puffin and lay out in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland.
15. Experience zero gravity.
16. Cage diving with great white sharks in South Africa.
17. Spent three weeks traveling through Italy.
18. Attend a world series game (preferably w/ the Giants playing).
19. Experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans, LA.
20. Experience Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
21. Visit the Four Corners Monument.
22. Go to the local farmers' market in Jelacic Square in Dubrovnik, Croatia.
23. Buy my own place.
24. Learn a martial art.
25. Hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. (Hiking Huayna Picchu to see Machu Picchu is good enough for me!)
26. Learn to ride a motorcycle and own one.
27. Travel to Ankor Wat...because someone suggested it.
28. Swim through one of the most spectacular bioluminescent bays in the world - Puerto Mosquito in Vieques Island, Puerto Rico.
29. Swim among thousands of non-stinging jellyfish in Jellyfish Lake, Palau.
30. Be forever immersed in the presence of someone that inspires me.
31. Visit the Christ the Redeemer Statue on Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
32. Spend the night in an ice hotel - like the one in Jukkasjarvi, Norrland, Sweden.
33. Eat among the floating markets in the Mekong Delta.
34. Visit the motherload of outdoor markets - Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok, Thailand.
35. Be enticed by the tango in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
36. Hang out like a monkey amongst the Ariau Jungle Tower in Manuas, Amazonia, Brazil.
37. Go on a polar bear safari, like the one in Cape Churchill, Maritoba, Canada.
38. Spend the night on a private island.
39. Visit the Golden Triangle where Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand meet.
40. Explore the world's largest salt flat at Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia.
41. Bump heads with the moai statues of Easter Island.
42. Soar like a bird like only a hang glider could.

And yes, I did cover another country recently in my travels - the Philippines.  I'm still uploading pics and working on the blog part of it!  Haha!

Turning the Big 3-0!

Yes, it happened...I'm officially 30!  To celebrate, I had dinner at Hot N Juicy Crawfish and Reggie bought me cupcakes from The Cupcakery!